Review - The Duke Effect by Sophie Jordan

Sophie Jordan's latest entry in her Rogue Files series, The Duke Effect, is another wonderful book and a joy to read. I couldn't put this one down and finished it in almost one sitting! Nora Langley, the youngest of the Langley sisters, has continued her late father's work as an herbalist, and has been communicating as him for years with people who write to him for medical advice, never thinking that any of them will find out about her deception. When Constantine Sinclair, a recipient of her letters comes looking for Dr. Langely, she is unprepared to deal with the consequences. Constantine has surprisingly become heir to a dukedom, and he compels Nora to heal the ailing duchess or else he will reveal her deception.

This was a fun, quick book with a very tight plot and compelling characters. Both Nora and Constantine had a lot of internal growth over the course of the book, and it was very refreshing to read a story in which both the hero and heroine both have improvements to make. The aphrodisiac from the last book in this series (The Virgin and the Rogue) makes a repeat appearance, with again delightful results.

I would definitely recommend this book! I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for my review. Thank you!!

Review - Tall, Duke and Dangerous by Megan Frampton

When I first read the first book in Megan Frampton's Hazards of Dukes series, Never Kiss a Duke, I thought that this book had already been published, and was devastated to learn it wasn't and I'd have to wait to read it. Now that I have, I can say that the wait was definitely worth it!

Tall, Duke and Dangerous is a story about two people who have both survived traumatic pasts trying to figure out how to move forward and what kind of people they are and can choose to become. It's also a beautiful friends - to - lovers romance story. 

Nash, the Duke of Malvern, is a man of very few words, preferring to let his fists do the talking. His best friend's sister, Ana Maria, is newly out in Society after a lifetime of drudgery, and he offers to give her self-defense lessons. Ana Maria is caught between two worlds, neither of which she feels she belongs in, and enlists Nash to help her figure out what it is she really wants.

Tall, Duke and Dangerous is really a wonderful book, and Megan Frampton handles so many sensitive topics deftly and with care. It would have been easy to focus on the past traumas these characters have faced, but instead Frampton focuses on growth and possibility, while acknowledging what they have been through. It's a beautiful book and I can't wait to read Frampton's next work.

I received an ARC of this book from HarperCollins and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Review - Once Upon a Time in Bath by Cheryl Bolen

Cheryl Bolen's Once Upon a Time in Bath is book seven in her Brides of Bath series. I haven't read any of the other books, and while I was able to jump in to this book, there were a lot of characters from previous books (whole families, all with the same last name) that played a big part in this book.

Once Upon a Time in Bath features Forrester, Lord Appleton, who has recently lost everything gambling. With three sisters to support, he finds he must marry an heiress. Conveniently, one has just arrived in Bath: Miss Dorothea Pankhurst. Unfortunately, she is a rustic with a penchant for cats, of which she has many and travels with them everywhere. Appleton accepts his fate and offers for the lady, but soon finds that there is much to admire in Dorothea.

For much of the book I didn't really like the characters. Forrester was very shallow and was downright hurtful in his thoughts of Dorothea, her only asset worth admiring being her ample bosom until well over halfway through the book. Dorothea, likewise, seemed incredibly desperate to fit in and far too concerned with her clothes and coiffure. There is a secondary plot about a murder that Forrester and Dorothea are trying to solve, however the reader knows who the culprit is from the beginning of the story, as well as the motives. The climax is quick and almost glossed-over, and I would have appreciated more of an explanation over what the repercussions would have been.

Overall I'd rate this 3.5 stars, it was a quick read and the descriptions of Bath were quite nice. 

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my unbiased review. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley.