If you’ve read the first two books in this series you will definitely remember Sir Harland Hayward. Brother to Clara and Rose, who is both a Baron and a doctor… and apparently a smuggler as well.

His heroine is Katherine Wright. Daughter to a local smuggling family and a damn fine surgeon. Harland and Katherine kind of crash into each other one night when she is patching up her brother and Harland shows up at their front door to offer assistance.

I really enjoy this author and her progressive historical romances. The heroes are charming, supportive, and swoon worthy, the women fierce and highly intelligent, and I don’t even care how historically inaccurate they might be because the storyline is so interesting and the pacing keeps me engaged from start to finish.

This couple worked for me for a variety of reasons, but mainly because I loved how they connected through their medicine and their physical chemistry did the rest. Katherine is prickly at times, mainly because she’s been put into a impossible situation by her father and brother, and has experienced love, loss and the pain of war. It is understandable that she would be standoffish and wary of Harland and his motives. Harland was everything I wanted him to be when I read the first two books in the series and the author did a wonderful job of showing him gradually, but completely fall in love with Katherine.

I highly recommend this series. Final Grade-B-

This was such an easy read. I flew through the pages and couldn’t read fast enough.

Rebel is the first book in Beverly Jenkins’ new series and is set in New Orleans in the reconstruction era. Our heroine, Valinda Lacey has travelled from New York to New Orleans to teach and she has both children and adults in her classroom. She is only in town until her fiancée returns from his trip from France, until then she will do whatever she can to help those in need.

When her classroom is ransacked and she is attacked by several villainous men it is Drake LeVeq who comes to her rescue. It doesn’t take long before the LeVeq family offers Valinda a safe place to stay and work as the matriarch Julianna’s assistant. Which means she and Drake are thrown together quite often and it doesn’t take long for their desire for each other to shine through.

You guys, Drake is absolutely swoon worthy. Him and his capable gazebo, tree house building hands and pirate thoughts and helpful, kind heart, and sexy bedroom eyes… * happy sigh* Valinda is a strong woman who is also uncertain of her future and beginning to love both New Orleans and the LeVeq family. Watching them come together and find their HEA was lovely.

I really enjoyed the setting and found myself learning so much about the time period. This author knows her history and managed to convey the injustices of the time while creating a beautiful love story between two likable, strong leads.

I just realized that the LeVeq family features in several of Ms. Bev’s previous works and I can not believe I’ve managed to miss those. I’m so disappointed in myself. Here’s to a weekend of one-clicking.

Final Grade- B+

I’ve always enjoyed this author and her romances set in the Gilded Age of New York City. When I learned that Frank Tripp, who played a secondary role in several books in this author’s previous series, The Four Hundred, would be the hero in the first book in this new series, I was a little excited.

For some reason it took me awhile to really get into this one. I’m not even sure why. The progressive, strong willed, interesting heroine is someone I would normally champion right from the beginning. Frank has an compelling backstory that would normally capture and hold my attention. Maybe it was the chemistry between them which I felt took a while to develop.

At about the 50% mark, I was all in and thoroughly engaged. I loved getting to know Mamie and her sisters. I can’t wait to get to know them better as the series progresses. I think we’ve met their love interests and I am intrigued.

I liked how this author chose to give this couple their HEA.

Final Grade- C+/B-

I adore this author. Adore.

As soon as I saw this book described as a “full-on Edwardian Country House Murder” I knew I was all in. The heroines were previously introduced in Think of England, so if you are familiar with this author’s backlist you will recognize them.

This book was so much fun to read. Wonderfully vibrant characters, a murder mystery and a lovely romance between two equally spectacular heroines. You really can not go wrong. This couple is simply delightful together.

I highly recommend anything this author writes. You can literally pick up anything on her backlist and be 100% happy.

Final Grade- B+