Book Review: After the Wedding (The Worth Saga #2) by Courtney Milan

After the Wedding

Author: Courtney Milan
Series: The Worth Saga, Book 2
Publisher: Courtney Milan
Publishing Date: April 24, 2018
eBook, 364 pages
Amazon  Goodreads


Summary: Adrian Hunter has concealed his identity and posed as a servant to assist his powerful uncle. He’s on the verge of obtaining the information he needs when circumstances spiral out of his control. He’s caught alone with a woman he scarcely knows. When they’re discovered in this compromising circumstance, he’s forced to marry her at gunpoint. Luckily, his uncle should be able to obtain an annulment. All Adrian has to do is complete his mission…and not consummate the marriage, no matter how enticing the bride may be.

Lady Camilla Worth has never expected much out of life—not since her father was convicted of treason and she was passed from family to family. A marriage, no matter how unfortunate the circumstances under which it was contracted, should mean stability. It’s unfortunate that her groom doesn’t agree. But Camilla has made the best of worse circumstances. She is determined to make her marriage work. All she has to do is seduce her reluctant husband.

Rating: 5 stars

Review: Could there possibly be two more Hufflepuff main characters? (Answer: no.) I submit into evidence Exhibit A: this quote from Camilla:

"We're all self-serving." Camilla shrugged. "It's just a matter of what we do to others in service of ourselves."
-Camilla, After the Wedding by Courtney Milan

It takes a whole lot of heart and a fierceness of spirit to maintain the kind of trust Adrian has and the kind of hope that Camilla keeps when the world repeatedly grinds you down, when people show you again and again their ugliest selves. I just… I can't… Words escape me. I want to gather Camilla and Adrian close and wrap them up in a big Hufflepuff hug huddle. As I've said in previous reviews, wanting to be friends with the main characters is a major key to a five star rating for me. I love Camilla and Adrian so much, and several of the side characters really won be over too (especially Theresa and Mrs. Beasley!) that I'd give this, oh, six or seven stars, if that were an option. ALL THE STARS!

The way the relationship between Camilla and Adrian plays out is so wonderful to watch grow. For all of the hardship these two go through, this is a relatively low angst story that is beautifully told. For those who love a good slow burn friends to lovers story, this book is for you! Cam and Adrian are two kindred spirits who get thrown together in circumstances that would break many people, and they continue to trust and hope and love with this quiet, golden strength that I truly admire and can only hope to emulate in my own life. Plus, the level of flirt and sass in Camilla cannot be squashed by any number of jerk-faces.

"That would no doubt be engraved on her tombstone: Camilla tried to be good, but not for very long." 

- Camilla, After the Wedding by Courtney Milan

I really appreciated a Regency romance with representation outside of the Heyer-esque white cis characters you often see depicted: notably Adrian and his black family and how his family (with a black American father and a white English mother) is treated by English society; the diverse cast of characters who work on the design team at Adrian's manufactory; and the sexual preferences of Mrs. Martin and others.

This is the second book in the Worth Saga, but it can be read as a stand-alone. However, there are some spoilers for the first book, Once Upon a Marquess (though not much more than you'd get from reading the back cover blurb). There is also a certain amount of lead up to what had dang well better be a future book in the series about Theresa!

Blog Tour: A Match Made in Bed (Spinster Heiresses #2) by Cathy Maxwell (Review, Excerpt, Teaser, Tour Wide Giveaway)

Once upon a time there were three young ladies who, despite their fortunes, had been on the marriage mart a bit too long. They were known as “the Spinster Heiresses” . . .

Miss Cassandra Holwell is too tall, too bookish, and too smart—but she does have money and a father who wants a grand title for her. Cassandra hasn’t felt a desire to marry until she meets the sinfully handsome Duke of Camberly, who captures her imagination . . . until Soren York, Earl of Dewsberry and her family’s sworn enemy, steps in the way.

The Holwells ruined Soren’s family, and he’s lived on the knife’s edge trying to resurrect their fortunes . . . until he considers marrying the Holwell Heiress. Not only would her dowry give him the funds he needs, he has secretly had an eye on the independent-minded bluestocking since they both first realized the differences between men and women.

She likes to read; he has no patience for books. She knows little of sex; he is a man of the world and willing to school her. Her family destroyed his; his offer of marriage may be her only salvation.

Now Cassandra and Soren must learn to love each other for who they are, not what they are—and the lessons are becoming an exercise in absolute pleasure.

About the Book

A Match Made in Bed
by Cathy Maxwell
Series
The Spinster Heiresses Series
Genre
Adult Historical Romance
Publisher
Avon Books
Publication Date
April 17, 2018
Get Your Copy Today!Amazon | Avon Romance | Barnes & Noble | Google Play | iBooks
 

Tour Wide Giveaway

To celebrate the release of A MATCH MADE IN BED by Cathy Maxwell, we’re giving away for two paperback copies of IF EVER I SHOULD LOVE YOU!

GIVEAWAY TERMS & CONDITIONS:  Open to US shipping addresses only. Two winners will each receive a paperback copy of If Ever I Should Love You by Cathy Maxwell. This giveaway is administered by Pure Textuality PR on behalf of Avon Romance.  Giveaway ends 4/27/2018 @ 11:59pm EST. Avon Romance will send the winning copies out to the winner directly. Limit one entry per reader and mailing address.  Duplicates will be deleted.  CLICK HERE TO ENTER!

 

My Review

I really loved the first half of the this book but then, a little over halfway through, Soren and Cass both suddenly started irritating the heck out of me. All of a sudden he was being an inconsiderate, insensitive jerk, and she was being a spoiled, entitled, whiny brat. What. On. Earth. It was so bad I put the book down several times to read something else, then would pick it back up again and read a bit more before putting it down again, annoyed. Thankfully, I kept picking it back up because the last 30% of the book was even better than the first half. It's like they both clicked back from being annoying buttholes to characters I sympathized with and was rooting for. (Someone else who's read this, tell me if this little blip was just me and something to do with my mood, or if the book actually took a turn for the worse for a few chapters.)

The first half of this book is so fun to read as Cassandra and Soren spar. They're both such strong, independent characters, and I do love a witty nerd-girl. Some of the hijinks they get up to at the Duke of Camberly's house party are downright hilarious and had my laughing out loud. The mood shifts dramatically in the last third of the book, settling down and becoming very loving and homey. I love the developing relationships between Soren, Cass, and Logan, as well as Cass's ability to realize some hard truths about herself and find a new dream. Logan is adorable and I hope somewhere down the road Cathy Maxwell does a spin-off series with him as a male lead.

This is the second book in the Spinster Heiresses series, but can be read as a stand alone. I'm actually stalled out halfway through the first book, If Ever I Should Love You, and can assure you that A Match Made in Bed can be read with no spoilers for the first book, and without any pieces missing from the story of the second book. It does end with some hints and leads into the third book, which is about the third woman in their little spinster trio, Willa, titled The Duke That I Marry.   
      

Excerpt

He’s here. I know he is,” Cassandra whispered in the ear of her friend Willa, lest she be overheard by either Lady Bainhurst sitting on the settee with them or the very handsome, highly desirable Duke of Camberly. He stood by Lady Bainhurst but Cassandra felt he gave her and Willa most of his attention.

“Who? Dewsberry?” Willa managed around the smile spread across her face for the duke’s benefit. She was far more interested in him than Cassandra’s sudden premonition that Soren York was close at hand.

Willa was as petite as Cassandra was tall and perfectly formed in every way. Her hair was raven black, and the two were dear friends—well, except when it came to their competition to earn the attention of the Duke of Camberly.

They’d even made a flirting game of it, attaching points for different actions of courtship—a point for an introduction, three points for each dance, five points if he called upon them. When a woman had been on the Marriage Mart as long as they had, she needed a bit of competition to sharpen her skills . . . not that either of them required the edge of a game when it came to Camberly.

He was young and amazingly handsome. He had broad shoulders, a lean jaw, and dark hair that emphasized the jewel blue of his eyes. What woman wouldn’t want to become his duchess?

Cassandra was actually ahead in the game by one point. She’d been wondering how many points being invited to this weekend would earn her when Willa had made her appearance in the reception room. They had not known the other was coming.

And now here was Camberly, ignoring his other guests and spending his time focusing on both of them.

Everyone knew he needed to marry money. She and Willa were the only two marriageable women invited to the dowager’s house party as far as Cassandra could see. Did this mean the duke intended to decide between the two of them? Perhaps even this very week?

The thought made her giddy. She wanted Camberly. He was “the one.” The very embodiment of all her romantic dreams. No other could match him. And she was not going to let Soren York ruin this country party and her one chance for marital happiness with his presence.

Willa proved what a good friend she was by momentarily turning her attention from hanging on to the duke’s every word to murmur, “I don’t see Dewsberry.”

“He’s here,” Cassandra insisted. She sat up straighter so that she could unobtrusively gain a better look around the room.

There had been someone lurking in the hall leading to the dining room. That was when she’d first experienced the suspicion that things weren’t completely right. However, she’d been so distracted with Willa’s presence and what it meant to her chances with the duke, she’d not been interested in concentrating on her inner sense.

Then again, the duke had come from that direction, making an appearance that had surprised everyone in the room by his lack of  fanfare. Still . . . Soren was here.

The tingling of the hairs at the nape of her neck had never failed her, especially since she’d been exercising it more than she wished for the past month. Soren seemed to be everywhere she went in spite of her best efforts to avoid him because she knew what he wanted—marriage.

Dewsberry might be an old and respected title but the earldom was done up. Ruined by generations of poor decisions and unwise gambling. Soren was hunting her because of the money she would inherit upon marriage and because her father’s lands abutted his. He was that obvious. However, she thought herself safe here. Why would Camberly, who also needed a rich wife, invite a competitor?

Unless the duke thought to hand off whichever heiress he didn’t want to Dewsberry?

The walls in the room seemed to close in around her.

She would not marry Dewsberry. She couldn’t. Her father would never  allow  it.  The Yorks were his enemies. They looked down on the Holwells, and neither she nor her father would subject themselves to their high-handed treatment.

But also, Soren had betrayed her. She could recall perfectly the pain of what he’d done to her. It had been close to eleven years ago, and the hurt, the disappointment was still surprisingly raw.
 

About Cathy Maxwell

CATHY MAXWELL spends hours in front of her computer pondering the question, “Why do people fall in love?” It remains for her the great mystery of life and the secret to happiness. Fans can contact Cathy at www.cathymaxwell.com; Twitter: @maxwellcathy

Author Links

    

This promotion is brought to you by Pure Textuality PR.

Co-Review: A Duke in Shining Armor (Difficult Dukes #1) by Loretta Chase

A Duke in Shining Armor

Author: Loretta Chase
Series: Difficult Dukes, Book 1
Publisher: Avon
Published: November 28, 2017
Mass Market Paperback, 400 pages
Rating:
Ariel: 4 stars ★★★★☆
Elley: 5 stars ★★★★★

Goodreads  Amazon

Summary: Not all dukes are created equal. Most are upstanding members of Society. And then there’s the trio known as Their Dis-Graces.
Hugh Philemon Ancaster, seventh Duke of Ripley, will never win prizes for virtue. But even he draws the line at running off with his best friend’s bride. All he’s trying to do is recapture the slightly inebriated Lady Olympia Hightower and return her to her intended bridegroom.

For reasons that elude her, bookish, bespectacled Olympia is supposed to marry a gorgeous rake of a duke. The ton is flabbergasted. Her family’s ecstatic. And Olympia? She’s climbing out of a window, bent on a getaway. But tall, dark, and exasperating Ripley is hot on her trail, determined to bring her back to his friend. For once, the world-famous hellion is trying to do the honorable thing.

So why does Olympia have to make it so deliciously difficult for him...?

Review

Ariel here, of Peekabo’s corner fame, bringing you the what’s what on the new Loretta Chase novel A Duke in Shining Armor. This is book one in her “disgraceful dukes” series, and if this book is any indication, this series is going to be AMAZING.

But let’s start at the beginning.

The Plot

A: I dug it. I liked the fleeing bride concept, the stalwart best friend who tries to save the day, but sort of makes a hash of things, and ends up falling for his best friend’s bride. I wasn’t totally into all the bro guilt that was a fairly constant thread throughout, but I thought it worked out well.

E: The bro guilt is because Ripley is extremely fond of Ashmont, and they’re like brothers by choice if not by blood. And he thinks Olympia is super awesome, and knows she’d be a great influence on Ashmont, plus he wants Ashmont to have the best possible wife (which is CLEARLY Olympia, duh). But then he starts to see it from other angles, like while Olympia would be great for Ashmont, would HE be great for HER? And then you factor in his own feelings into the mix… As for the rest of the plot: I love a runaway bride, and I love that Ripley is so adamant that Olympia is perfect for Ashmont. (Yes, sure Ripley… She’s perfect for “Ashmont.” Mmmhmm.) I like that this is basically a road trip romance, and Ripley and Olympia are thrown together and forced to be in close proximity for the duration.

A: I respect their bro love. And I am 100% here for when Ashmont finds a love of his own, and Ripley is like “yasssss”.
The Characters

A: Let me tell you how here I was for Olympia and her sassy self. HERE FOR IT. Every time I thought she was going to cave and whine or complain or do something stupid, she turned around and showed some attitude, stood up for herself and her own wants and desires, and was generally a badass. Even when she decided to throw caution to the wind, she did it in a way that I respected.

E: OK, I will admit - drunk Olympia is so me. Well, drunk me. Like “Get this damn uncomfortable stuff off me! I’m out of here!” Though I’m usually trying to escape a crowded bar or club, not my own wedding. To each her own, I guess? But I definitely agree that every time I thought for sure Olympia was about to go all damsel in distress or get weepy, she turned that crap around and lady-balled up like a boss.

A: I liked Ripley! For the most part. I appreciated his restraint, and the fact that even though he had a serious boner for our heroine, he was trying to be noble and honorable. Their banter was top notch too. I appreciate that they were snarky and bantering without being mean at all.

E: I love how PLAYFUL they randomly burst out into being! That scene with the racing around the library? Adorbs. A thousand times adorbs. I must have smiled my stupidly goofy grin so many times reading this book. They’re both so upright and serious and then all of a sudden - shenanigans! I also love how persnickety he is about his clothing (especially his headwear).

A: Also: Can we just talk about Lady Charles for a second? Someone give that woman an awesome woman of the year award because I loved her SO much. And I want her love story with Other Old Dude to progress in the rest of the books, and for them to have lots of hot old people sex because clearly they’re in love and need to be together.

E: Hooray for hot old people romance! Um, I don’t think I need to read those sex scenes though?

A: I could take or leave Ashmont. Ashmoor? I don’t even remember his name. Once he gets his own book, I’ll probably be into it, but for right now he seemed kind of eh.

E: I assume Ashmont will do some serious cleaning up and have some sort of reality check, because I certainly wouldn’t want to read a story about him as portrayed in this book. He reminded me of a big, naughty, not terribly bright puppy… I’ll be interested to see where things go with Blackwood and his wife (Ripley’s sister). There’s CLEARLY a story there.

A: Right? They’re married, right? But are on the outs? That’s sort of the vibe I got from them. I am hoping the next book is about them.

The ending

A: Uhhh what? I feel like everything was chugging along nicely and then SOMETHING happens, and then SOMETHING ELSE is revealed that made me simultaneously go “wtf?” and “uggh, men!” But once all that was done, I thought the ending was very satisfying.

E: That’s not unheard of, for them to do that… UGH, it’s hard to have a conversation about this with no spoilers! But that’s sort of the done thing, because you can’t go around murdering people or you’d be hanged or, at best, banished. (And now aren’t you DYING to know what we’re talking about, Dear Reader? Guess you’ll have to read the book and find out!)

Heat level

A: The tension is really good, because they are both clearly warm for each other’s form, but there wasn’t a TON of gettin’ up on each other. (Maybe there was a little bit.) It didn’t make me all tingly in my lady parts though. Honestly, I tended to skip the sex scenes. Were they hot?

E: LMAO, “warm for each others’ form.” I am dying. :D I don’t normally skip sex scenes, but I found myself skimming over them in this one too. /shrug They were very “meh” for me.