Rules for Engaging the Earl by Janna MacGregor

 
When Constance Lysander needs a husband, she turns to her old friend Jonathan, Earl of Sykeston. Mentally and physically scarred from the war, he does not consider himself fit for marriage, but he cannot refuse the pregnant widow who he used to love. When the world becomes too much and Jonathan hides in seclusion, it is up to Constance and his team of meddlesome staff to help him realise life is for the living - and for love.

Constance and Jonathan are a wonderful match. She's tenacious, caring, and a businesswoman in her own right, who does her best to understand the man she married. Jonathan has closed his heart off so the world cannot hurt him any longer, but Constance won't let him wallow. It's tender, painful, and ultimately empowering.

The unsung heroes of this book at Jonathan's staff, who conspire to bring Constance to Jonathan and enable her changes to his life and home. While absolutely infuriating for Jonathan, not only do they mean well, but their actions are pivotal in helping the couple heal and grow together. I do wish they could've been more honest with each other sooner as the secrets weighed heavily on the relationship.

There are a few other plot threads including a looming court-martial and business woes, which may be more connected than expected. Most are wrapped up satisfactorily, but the mystery of what happened to Constance's dowry (and that of her trigamist husband's other wives) will likely continue into the third in this series. 

Best enjoyed in the comfort of one's own home, this is a solid and enjoyable historical romance where friends enter into a marriage of convenience.

Rules for Engaging the Earl is available now in ebook and hard copy.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book via NetGalley; all opinions are my own.

Blog Tour: The Weekend Getaway by Hannah Ellis

A weekend away changes everything… 

The chemistry between Keira and Noah is instant. After their first date, it’s clear there’s something special between them. 

A weekend in Noah’s hometown further cements their feelings, and Keira falls head over heels. Not only for Noah, but his close-knit family and the stunning Isles of Scilly.

There’s just one problem: Noah’s about to move back home and his plans can’t be altered.

It’s too early in their relationship to make life-changing plans, but if they stand a chance of being together, one of them is going to have to take a leap of faith.

Can love triumph over location? And when following your heart, how far should you go?

Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/ScillyBook1

Review

After avoiding the subject for far too long, bartender Noah finally asks his favourite regular Keira out on a date. The chemistry is incredible and they find themselves falling fast, but Noah only moved to Bristol for a year and they're running out of time. Will a weekend with Noah's family in the gorgeous Isles of Scilly help bring them together or drive them apart?

Noah and Keira come from very different backgrounds and this book doesn't shy away from how this affects their blossoming relationship. Noah's roots are over in the Isles of Scilly but these have been damaged by family tragedy. Keira feels bound to long hours at her marketing job and a complicated relationship with her parents has left with very poor boundaries that thankfully get called out early on. The way all these were addressed gave me confidence in their happy ending.

I have to say I really liked Seren, Noah's best friend. Rather understandably, Keira is a bit of an unreliable narrator here, but without spoilers I can say I really like what the author did with her character and I'm excited that she's next to get her own book!

A entertaining light read that will make you want to visit the Isles of Scilly!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book via Rachel's Random Resources; all opinions are my own

Author Bio

Hannah Ellis spent many years working in childcare before deciding she'd like to write books. When she's not busy writing she likes to read, drink tea and eat chocolate. She also enjoys yoga and jogging.

Social Media Links
Twitter: @BooksEllis   
Facebook: @authorhannahellis
Instagram: @authorhannahellis

Publication Day: The Island in Bramble Bay by Victoria Walker

Welcome to Bramble Island! Find breezy, sunshine-filled days, shaded woodlands, glittering sea and a summer of love…

Maggie Cassidy is the new park manager of Bramble Island in Dorset. A job on an island where she is the only year-round inhabitant is the perfect fresh start for her. But when she’s torn between the job she came to do and the island she has grown to love, can she hang on to her perfect new life without compromising her dreams?

Charlie Mackenzie is the forester on Bramble Island. He is a loner full of secrets, burnt out by the life he left behind in San Francisco. When his past catches up with him can he finally face what he has spent three years running from without jeopardising everything that healed him?

Bramble Island lulls them both into an idyllic existence but when the outside world bangs on their door, is history about to repeat itself for both of them?

Purchase Links
UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Island-Bramble-Bay-Victoria-Walker-ebook/dp/B09X4MDK6D/
US - https://www.amazon.com/Island-Bramble-Bay-Victoria-Walker-ebook/dp/B09X4MDK6D/

Review

Maggie Cassidy wants a fresh start. Charlie Mackenzie is worried she's going to interfere with his own. However, falling in love is only the start of their story. If they want more than a summer fling, they're going to have to face the pasts that brought them here to begin with.

There are so many little details about this story that are just so cool. Firstly, the setting - even more remote than a village, Bramble Island is a natural reserve popular with summer holidaymakers but deserted in the winter, as a setting it was almost a character of its own and I loved how it tied in directly with the leads - Maggie is the new park manager and Charlie the forester. Both rare jobs in romances, I love the care that they give to the plant life of Bramble Island and how it brings them together. It's clear that it's not some job pasted on to make sure the characters don't starve, but an integral part of their characterisation and the plot. Even Charlie's past job is given meaning and nuance when he must decide what path he truly wants to take.

There are lots of obstacles in their way - almost everything mentioned in their backstories comes back to bite them, sometimes more than once, and their relationship and communication skills are really put to the test again and again. I appreciated when Maggie put strong boundaries out, as painful as they were, and that it forced them to reassess their feelings and priorities.

Best enjoyed surrounded by nature - if you can make it into native bush, all the better - this is a story about finding the strength to face your past and make better choices.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book via Rachel's Random Resources; all opinions are my own

Author Bio

Victoria Walker has been writing romantic fiction since a visit to Iceland in 2014 inspired her first novel. As well as writing, she spends her free time dressmaking, knitting and reading an inordinate amount of contemporary romance, occasionally punctuated by the odd psychological thriller and saga.
In the past she has worked as a cinema projectionist, a knitting and sewing tutor and has owned a yarn store, all things which will no doubt appear in her books if they haven't already.
Victoria lives in the Malvern Hills with her husband and two teenage children.

Social Media Links
Twitter -@4victoriawalker
Instagram - victoriamakes

Publication Day: Secrets Behind The Billionaire's Return (including international giveaway)

Find out what happens when a billionaire returns to Felicity’s life in book one of Rachael Stewart’s new duet, Claiming the Ferrington Empire, from Harlequin Romance. 

The man she never forgot…

The feelings she never lost…

Sixteen years ago, Felicity fell in love with the boy from Ferrington Manor. But their affair was short-lived when Sebastian vanished and she was left with the secret consequence of their love. Now he’s back and his return sends shock waves through Felicity! Will the revelations about Sebastian’s departure be enough for Felicity to succumb to the feelings that still draw her to him?

Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/SecretsBehindReturn

Review

In a small town in Yorkshire, single mother Felicity is trying to keep her BnB afloat when her first love Sebastian strolls in the door. Only he's not just her first love, he's the father of her beloved daughter, the heir to the grand manor up the road, and now a billionaire hotelier. As Facebook might put things, it's complicated. Felicity and Sebastian must come to terms with their shared past and new present if they are ever going to have a future.

Overall, this was a steamy and romantic read with engaging characters - brooding Sebastian, sensible Felicity, and a special mention to Felicity's daughter Angel, who despite her heavenly name is the most down-to-earth, relatable character. She and Felicity have managed on their own for sixteen years and I felt Angel's entire plotline was understandable and realistic.

Sebastian and Felicity have great chemistry and never truly got over one another, but of course there are obstacles and miscommunications that force them to confront what they really want. I especially liked Felicity standing up for herself and drawing healthy boundaries, and the way they navigated Sebastian's unexplained departure - both the circumstances and what happened afterwards.

I'm sure this will tick many boxes for people - billionaire, second chance, secret baby, even some forced proximity. If any of that sounds like it will hit the spot, I recommend you pick this book up!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book via Rachel's Random Resources; all opinions are my own

About Rachael Stewart

Rachael Stewart adores conjuring up stories for the readers of Harlequin Mills & Boon and Deep Desires Press, with tales varying from the heartwarmingly romantic to the wildly erotic.
She’s been writing since she could put pen to paper as the stacks of scrawled on A4 sheets in her loft will attest to, and the lovingly bound short stories that her father would run off at work and proudly share out with his colleagues. Thinking it was a pipe dream to be published one day, she pursued a sensible career in business but she was really play-acting, achieving the appropriate degree and spending many years in the corporate world where she never truly belonged. Always happiest when she was sat at her laptop in the quiet hours tapping out a story or two. And so here she is, a published author, her full-time pleasure, a dream come true.
A Welsh lass at heart, she now lives in Yorkshire with her husband and three children, and if she's not glued to her laptop, she's wrapped up in them or enjoying the great outdoors seeking out inspiration.

Social Media Links:
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rachaelstewartauthor/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/rach_b52
Website - https://rachaelstewartauthor.com/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rachaelstewart3/

Giveaway to Win 4 x Signed Rachael Stewart Paperbacks and more (Open Int)
Prize Contains:
4 x Signed paperbacks:
•    Tempted by the Tycoon’s Proposal
•    Surprise Reunion with His Cinderella
•    Beauty And The Reclusive Millionaire
•    Secrets Behind the Billionaire’s Return
And:
•    “Hug” Bracelet
•    Diamond Metallic Pen
•    Heart Post-Its 

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Famous in a Small Town by Kylie Scott

 

Exactly what it says on the tin - a small town rockstar romance.

No-one is more surprised than Ani when a rockstar moves in next door. Garrett fell off the map two years ago after his wife died and his band broke up. The guy is obviously trying to lay low, so Ani buries her fangirling and offers to run interference with the rest of the too-helpful town. She's the total opposite of his famous and beloved wife, so her parasocial crush has no chance of ever being reciprocated. Right?

If you want high-angst, high-drama, this is not the book for you. It's comforting and sexy and reassuringly small, with witty banter and absurd situations in a small town where everyone knows each other and newcomers stick out like sore thumbs. It has a grumpy rockstar who hates having feelings again and a comparative sunshine with her own issues, who has no idea what to do with the sudden prospect of anything more than friends.

I loved that Ani is a regular girl doing her best to get by, who loves her little town even as its prospects get smaller and smaller. It's a little harder to connect with Garrett, but you can see him slowly emerge from his spiral of grief and depression. I was especially charmed by when the locals switched from suspicion to protecting him as one of their own. Let me tell you, in a town this small, there is no shortage of matchmakers.

Best enjoyed with a bit of music in the background, this is an easy, light, low-angst read that I ate up with a spoon.

Famous in a Small Town is available now in ebook and hard copy (which come in both hot guy and discreet) 

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from Social Butterfly PR; all opinions are my own

Blog Tour: Keeping up with the Kershaws

What do you do when your life becomes more dramatic than reality TV?

As the devoted carer for famous antique expert Harold Kershaw, Karrie Morgan was always happy to keep a professional distance from his four spoilt grown-up children, who rarely made time for their father. But then a surprise involving Harold’s Will means Karrie is flung headlong into a press scandal, and into the chaotic world of the surviving Kershaws.

With the support of her trusted childhood friend Andrew, mild-mannered Karrie must face down ruthless ice queen Portia, master manipulator Gabriel, Botox fanatic Arabella, and ladies’ man Rafe, star of reality TV show Raised in Richmond … although perhaps not as fake and flashy as he initially seems?

As vicious rumours circulate and Karrie’s past comes back to haunt her, she struggles to know who to trust. Can she keep up with the Kershaws’ schemes?

Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/KeepingupwithKershaws

Review

Like Knives Out without the murder, Keeping up with the Kershaws is a rollercoaster of vicious family politics, secrets, and romance. Poor Karrie is thrust headfirst into the world of the rich and nasty but this also opens the door to an unexpected romance. It's kind of incredible how she maintains her kindness throughout and I was rooting for her to find a happy ending.

There are all these ups and downs, and multiple points of view, but relationships are the heart of this story, with a focus on Karrie and her childhood friend Andrew, as well as the spoiled Kershaw children, including the surprisingly sensitive reality star Rafe. There are definitely characters you love to hate and some who are a lot more sympathetic.

Don't worry, because despite the drama, everything wraps up in an incredibly satisfying manner. It's apparently fourth in a series but stands perfectly well on its own.

Best enjoyed with some reality tv show in the background, it's a great dose of enjoyably soapy drama.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book via Rachel's Random Resources; all opinions are my own

Author Bio

Ever since I was little I wanted to be a writer, to turn daydreams into books. I'm fascinated by fame, in love with Happy Ever Afters, and enthralled by slow-burn romances. I squeeze in time to write around looking after my two sons. Find out more about me on my website www.buckleybooks.org

Social Media Links

Twitter: www.twitter.com/HelenCBuckley 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/helenbuckleyauthor 

Instagram: www.instagram.com/helencatherinebuckley

Blog Tour: The Village of Happy Ever Afters by Alison Sherlock

Molly Hopkins has happily watched all of her friends’ dreams come true on Riverside Lane.

Deciding to follow her passion for baking, Molly with the help of her friends takes the plunge and opens a Tea Garden in the village hoping to make it a summer to remember!

Meanwhile, after a rather public end of his marriage, Logan Armstrong trusts no one but his beloved Grandad. He just wants his brief stay in Cranbridge to be as quiet as possible. But his Grandad has other ideas; he dreams of seeing the old watermill working again which might just mean Logan has to ask the village for help.

Can Molly finally overcome her lack of confidence and believe in her abilities to make the tea garden a success?

Will Logan discover that Molly might just be the one to mend his broken heart? And will both of them realise that life is for living and loving?

Over a long hot summer in Cranbridge, perhaps everyone’s dreams of a happy-ever-after can finally

Purchase Link - https://amzn.to/3rb1z0I

Review

Molly might be well-liked and a talented baker, but she's so used to putting others first, she has no idea how to prioritise her own dreams. Logan has been so burnt by the end of his marriage, he'd rather be a furniture making hermit than risk getting hurt again. Over the course of one summer, they both learn to open their hearts to a happier future - and each other. I actually loved that it wasn't just a case of meeting the right person and all the problems go away, but it's a team effort with a whole village of lovely people, and a blossoming romance is the cherry on top.

Stuffed full of descriptions of mouth-watering baked treats and a community that comes together over a summer, this is the perfect read for anyone dreaming of an idyllic summer who wants to read something happy. The word uplifting may be a trifle overused these days, but it's such an apt word for this book.

Best enjoyed with some fresh baking and a cup of tea, this book is a low-angst comfort read that left me smiling.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book via NetGalley and Rachel's Random Resources; all opinions are my own

Author Bio
Alison Sherlock is the author of the bestselling Willow Tree Hall books. Alison enjoyed reading and writing stories from an early age and gave up office life to follow her dream. Her new series for Boldwood is set in a fictional Cotswold Village and the first title was published in July 2020.

Social Media Links 
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/alison.sherlock.73
Twitter  https://twitter.com/AlisonSherlock
Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/AlisonSherlockNews
Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/alison-sherlock