Robyn Reviews: SPRING IN HYDE PARK

Title: Spring in Hyde Park (Timeless Regency Collection, Book 3)                            

Author: Jennifer Moore, G. G. Vandagriff, Nichole Van

Book Description

From the publisher of the #1 Amazon bestselling A Timeless Romance Anthology series in Clean Romance. 

Join three bestselling Regency Romance authors, Jennifer Moore, G.G. Vandagriff, and Nichole Van, for three new novellas in SPRING IN HYDE PARK:

A HAPPY ACCIDENT by Jennifer Moore. Jonathan Burles father has just died, making him the new Marquess of Spencer and the most sought after bachelor in London. An unfortunate accident leads to a forced marriage to Maryann Croft, a young woman who possesses no title, and an unexpected secret. With the unstable beginning to their marriage, finding love together seems impossible.

THE DISDAINFUL DUKE by G. G. Vandagriff. Lady Saphronia Huffington has always thought of herself as plain next to the beauty of her sister, Lady Lavinia. So when her sister becomes engaged to Lord Gilbert Caldwell and Saphronia is paired for wedding events with his brother, the granite-faced Duke of Mayfield, who is known to prefer beauties, she sharpens her wit. Thus begins a lengthy sparring contest during which the Duke realizes Saphronia is anything but plain.

AN INVISIBLE HEIRESS by Nichole Van. Miss Belle Heartstone has everything money can buy—houses, servants, carriages, clothing, jewels. A husband, however, is proving much harder to, ehr . . . purchase. Colin Radcliffe, the newly minted Marquess of Blake, is in desperate need of funds—preferably of the wife-free variety. When circumstances draw the two together, Blake might be the only man able to see beyond the Belle’s outer façade, and fall in love with the woman inside.

Audience: Adult (Clean)

Genre: Regency Romance, Novellas, Anthologies

Length of Book: 261 pgs

Rating: 5

Review:

Let me just start out with “Awesome. Great. Just what I expected!” I am not disappointed in this collection. Regency is my favorite genre and these ladies are definitely on their game when it comes to writing regency romance. Jennifer Moore never disappoints, G.G. Vandagriff is on her game as usual and Nichole Van is an author I haven’t read yet and this novella was a great introduction for me. 

“A Happy Accident” by Jennifer Moore is a sweet story about misunderstandings. There is plenty of angst and fun, romantic moments. A forced marriage because of greed by a father results in a fun romance. There is also some thoughtful discourse on mental illness and the stigma of it during the regency period. I wish this could have been a full length novel so we could have delved deeper into some of the side stories. I really hope that Archie and Jane have a story and we get to read it. Maryann is a sweet girl who has everyone at her fingertips, but she has her secrets and Jonathon can't decide who she really is. It is a great story that gets you thinking and is really nice read for anyone!

“The Disdainful Duke” by G. G. Vandagriff is another great story about a girl who thinks she is plain, especially when compared to her younger sister. The Duke really just thinks she is a spinster and firmly on the shelf until she intrigues him because she gives him the brush off and speaks her mind to him. She lets him know what she thinks of him. She has surprises in store for him. The Duke never thinks to marry, but when he meets Saphronia, his heart makes a change. I really loved the way they interacted and overcame their differences. There were obviously misunderstandings and some sweet romantic moments. Very good reading for a nice or rainy spring evening!

“An Invisible Heiress” by Nichole Van is a delightful surprise. I was a little hesitant in the beginning but I was quickly drawn into the story. I loved how the Marquess couldn’t remember meeting Belle. I loved how he told her she was worth more than her money and she deserved love, then promptly ‘forgot’ about her. Belle’s deception was fun and real. I enjoyed how they came together and forgave each other for their supposed lies. I really liked how Colin fell in love with her before ‘remembering’ who she was. He then had to reconcile himself with her ‘deception’. I enjoyed this story a lot and look forward to reading more from Nichole Van.

Content

Sex - 0

Violence - 0

Language -  0

Overall Content Rating - PG Adult themes

Source: Review copy

Robyn Reviews: Timeless Regency Collection AUTUMN MASQUERADE by Josie S. Kilpack, Donna Hatch, Nancy Campbell Allen

Book Description:

A MERRY DANCE by Josi S. Kilpack. When Lila overhears her uncle talking about a man coming to look for property in the county, she doesn’t think twice, until her uncle says he hopes Lila will find enough interest to marry the man. How can she marry someone named Mortimer Luthford, not to mention that his advanced age of thirty-three, and especially since she’s already in love with her absent cousin Neville? But when Mortimer arrives, Lila has to try every trick known to women to act not interested in the rather fascinating man, which proves a very difficult façade to maintain.

UNMASKING THE DUKE by Donna Hatch. The last thing Hannah Palmer wants to do is flirt with men in a crowded ballroom, but when her sister throws a Masquerade Ball, Hannah can’t say no to the invitation and takes comfort behind a mask. She dances with a charming masked man, matching him wit for wit. When the glorious evening culminates in a kiss, and the two remove their masks, Hannah is horrified to discover the man she’s been flirting with all night is her most despised neighbor, the Duke of Suttenberg. No matter how charming the duke was at the ball, and how wonderful the kiss, he is the last man she’d ever accept.

WHAT’S IN A NAME by Nancy Campbell Allen. Penelope Timely has a terrible secret. She’s been writing letters to the Duke of Wilmington, pretending to be her ever-proper twin sister, Persephone. Now, the duke has written that he’ll be coming for the Autumn Masquerade Ball and Festival. Penelope will have to continue the charade while the duke is in town in order to protect her sister. The Duke of Wilmington isn’t fooled for a moment, but instead of confessing that he knows about the deception, he finds himself utterly charmed by Penelope and jumps into the game of deception to see how far the twin sisters will take it.

Audience: Adult

Genre: Clean historical romance

Length: 235 pages

Rating: 5

Review: This is another Timeless Romance winner! My favorite genre is historical/regency, so it's no surprise that I love this book! It's always fun when mishaps and intentions are misunderstood and the throw in masquerades and the fun and romance just begins.

It is said that eavesdroppers hear no good of themselves and the first story, A MERRY DANCE, by Josie S. Kilpack, starts out with an eavesdropper and Lila overhears something she doesn't want to hear. This is such a fun story about thinking you know exactly what you want and realizing that you didn't rally know! This story is fun, romantic and even has some hard choices to make. The characters are real and fun to get to know.

UNMASKING A DUKE, by Donna Hatch was so much fun. I really liked how she showed that sometimes we put on a mask and that isn't who we really are. Hannah and the Duke each have a mask, but they must learn to look beyond the mask and see who they really are. Lots of misunderstandings, romance and fun is to had while reading this story. I really like the supporting characters in this story, especially the Dukes mother. She's a sweetheart.

In Nancy Allen’s WHATS IN A NAME, two sisters have switched places and now they must pretend to be someone they are not. Penelope has been corresponding with The Duke of Wilmington using her sisters name, but now the duke has arrived and she must pretend to be her sister. She's afraid she will lose the man she has come to love when he finds out she has deceived him. However, the Duke is not fooled and the fun begins. There are swoon worthy moments, misunderstandings and a happily ever after.

Grab a cup of cocoa, a cozy blanket and curl up on the sofa and r eat these enchanting and enjoyable stories. You won't want to put them down!

Content:

Sex - 0

Violence - 0

Language - 0

Overall Content Rating - PG (Adult Themes)

Source: Review copy

Robyn Reviews: Timeless Regency Collection A MIDWINTER BALL by Heidi Ashworth, Annette Lyon, and Michele Paige Holmes

Book Description: 

           

From the publisher of the #1 Amazon bestselling A Timeless Romance Anthology series in Clean Romance.

Join three bestselling regency romance authors, Heidi Ashworth, Annette Lyon, and Michele Paige Holmes, for three new regency romance novellas in A MIDWINTER BALL.

MUCH ADO ABOUT DANCING by Heidi Ashworth. Two years have passed since Lord Northrup declared his intentions for Miss Analisa Lloyd-Jones and forbade any other man to court her. Angry at the neglect, Analisa stopped reading his letters, never even breaking the seals. Tired of waiting, Analisa joins the house party at Mrs. Smith’s famous country home, determined to find a beau. When Lord Northrup unexpectedly joins the party, Analisa discovers she is no longer repulsed by the man who first laid claim to her hand.

SWEETER THAN ANY DREAM by Annette Lyon. Olivia Wallington is firmly established as a spinster, but that doesn’t stop her from dreaming about the perfect man. Ever since her father’s death, Olivia has been forced into seclusion by her mother. When her brother and his wife come for a visit, they discover the extent to which she lives under their mother’s thumb. With their help, Olivia sneaks out to attend a local ball, where she meets Edward Blakemoore. For a few divine moments, all of her dreams seem possible. But even someone like Mr. Blakemoore would be hard pressed to get past Mrs. Wallington’s fortress of protection—or past Olivia’s pride.

AN INVITATION TO DANCE by Michele Paige Holmes. Lady Ella has been isolated on her father’s estate since her mother’s death as her father travels the world. When Alex Darling arrives with a letter from her long-dead fiancé, and a demand that she travel to London for a series of engagements, Ella thinks her father instigated the strange demands and agrees. In London, she discovers the truth behind her fiancé’s death, and that new love might be possible in the arms of the most unexpected man

Audience: Adult (Clean)

Genre: Historical Romance

Length: 244 pages

Rating: 5

Review: The Timeless Romance books are always great to read. They are fun and always clean. I really like this collection because I’m a huge fan of regency romance. These novellas are reminiscent of Georgette Heyer.  They are funny, witty and romantic.

MUCH ADO ABOUT DANCING by Heidi Ashworth is a nice story about Analisa, who has been betrothed for 2 years but hasn’t seen her intended, Lord Northrup for that time. She has been upset and hasn’t read any of his letters. This sets the stage for misunderstandings and some interesting problems. I liked how they each had to realize their mistakes and then learn to trust each other and of course realize their feeling towards each other.

SWEETER THAN ANY DREAM by Annette Lyon is about spinster, Olivia. This is a sweet Cinderella story and I loved how her hero, Edward overcame the difficulties in the relationship and showed Olivia that he did indeed love her. I especially loved Olivia’s brother and wife and their help in making sure the romance happened. I really liked Olivia and her pride. She was a fun one.

AN INVITATION TO DANCE by Michele Paige Holmes is a very interesting tale of lost love, lost father and a little mystery thrown in to make things interesting. I enjoyed reading about Lady Ella and her suitor, Alex. It was fun watching them develop a relationship and watching Lady Ella realize what she really wanted

These stories are fun and interesting. They are a great way to spend a winter afternoon!

Content:

Sex -  0

Violence - 0

Language - 0

Overall Content Rating -  PG

Source: Review Copy