A Lady’s Formula for Love by Elizabeth Everett
Historical Romance
February 9. 2021 by Berkley

This book was fun… in a screwball comedy, bodyguard falls for the scientist who runs a secret society for other women scientists way. I’m not exactly sure what I was expecting, but I was surprised at how fun and yet off the charts sexy this book turned out to be.

This story features a heroine, Violet, who has a brilliant scientific mind and a desire to see women like her have a safe space to work on their ideas. Violet also works for the Crown through her stepson, Grey. Fearing for her safety Grey hires a bodyguard to keep her safe until she can finish her formula.

Arthur wants to buy a farm and get out of the bodyguard game. The money that Grey has promised him will go a long way toward that goal. And this is supposed to be a super easy job protecting one widow.

As you can imagine, Arthur and Violet get close and spend a whole lot of alone time together and readers of romance know exactly what happens next. I will say that I was surprised by how hot this couple was. I mean the love scenes are many and oh, so sexy. This couple had tremendous chemistry.

I am glad this is series because I am really looking forward to some of the secondary characters’ stories. A Lady’s Formula for Love was a really entertaining, quick read and I think fans of this genre will truly enjoy.

Final grade- B-

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Dancing with Danger by Kerrigan Byrne
Goode Girls #3
Historical Romance
February 9, 2021 Self Published

This is the third book in the Goode Girls series, which is a spin-off of the Victorian Rebels. This is Mercy and Raphael’s story and it features an enemies to lovers, anti-hero gets the good girl storyline.

Raphael appeared with his brother at the end of the last book, giving a chest of gold (earned through nefarious means) to Titus and Nora in exchange for the promise of a medical favor in the future. Mercy runs into him again at the murder scene of a friend who had asked for her help in escaping an abusive spouse. She’s there to solve her friend’s murder, he is there to find and punish her killer.

I love a good anti-hero, in fact, I’d rather have a bad guy turned good through love than I would a rich aristocrat or rake. Raphael is exactly that and he and Mercy do have great chemistry. The last book felt jumbled and the pacing was weird, but Dancing with Danger laid out a murder mystery, an extended side plot involving Raphael and his brother’s criminal enterprise, and a romance and never felt rushed. The story flowed well.

There is one thing that did bother me and that’s the way Raphael referred to Gabriel’s facial scarring. I understand it is bad, but some of the language used made me uncomfortable. Describing your brother’s face as “the horror of his features” just didn’t sit well with me. I understand that Gabriel will be paired with Felicity in book four, and I’m wondering how his past and transformation after surgery will unfold.

I did enjoy Mercy and Raphael’s romance and am looking forward to the last Goode sister’s happily ever after.

Final grade- B-

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The Rakehell of Roth by Amalie Howard
Everleigh Sisters #2
Historical Romance
February 9, 2021 by Entangled Amara

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, The Beast of Beswick, and added its follow up to my TBR list even before I knew what it would be about. The Rakehell of Roth features the younger Everleigh sister, Isobel, and the husband who abandoned her at his country estate almost immediately after their hasty wedding.

I wasn’t sure what to expect since the blurb kind of gives the impression that there might possibly be some cheating on the hero’s part since he is the owner of a disreputable club and often appears in the scandal sheets. I am happy to report that this isn’t the case. The Rakehell of Roth starts out by introducing the main characters and showing how their marriage starts out, a naive young woman looking forward to a new life and a man who married in order to save her from a despicable Earl, but who really doesn’t want to settle down. So he weds her, beds her, and then leaves her for three years at his father’s country estate. So she heads to London with the intention of reining her absent husband in.

This was a fun, fast read. Once I was satisfied that the hero hadn’t been cheating on his wife during their separation, I allowed myself to enjoy this couple and their romance. I was quite annoyed with the hero at times and wished he and Isobel could have had just one constructive conversation, but I can say that their chemistry was off the charts and their frustration with each other led to some pretty hot sex scenes.

Isobel is a wonderful heroine and one of the best parts of this book was her relationship with her best friend. Their banter, playfulness, and loyalty to each other were some of the best parts of this story. We need to see more of these types of friendships in romance.

This was an enjoyable read. Despite it being the second book in a series, I do think you can read as a stand-alone, although the first book in the series is pretty great. Just go ahead and one-click both.

Final grade- B

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