My review:????

The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn (Bridgertons 2) is set a year after the first book, and is about Anthony, the eldest Bridgerton brother.  

Lady Whistledown has decided that Anthony isn’t interested in marrying, but Anthony has decided this season is the season for him to marry, and he’s going to have the cream of the crop, the diamond of the season.  But her older sister, Kate is getting in the way.

Kate wants to be sure about this marriage, for her sister’s sake.  Anthony on the other hand needs to get married as he’s sure he will die soon.  Afterall, his father died young from a bee sting, and he’s been certain for years that the same fate will happen to him.

I enjoyed the characters, and the settings.  The story was fun and engaging, and I was rooting for the couple you know you wanted!  We do see Daphne and Simon, but they are very much background characters for this book.

The Viscount Who Loved Me was published on 27th June 2006, and is available on Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Julia Quinn on Facebook, Instagram and her website.

You can read my review for the previous Bridgertons books below:

The Duke and I – Bridgertons 1

My review:?????

The Love Square by Laura Jane Williams is a great modern romance, with Penny, who owns and runs a cafe in London, who has to suddenly drop her life in London, and the beginnings of a romance, and move to Derbyshire, to take over her uncle’s pub.

This is an enjoyable story, with Penny putting self care high on her list of priorities, and explaining it to others.  

The Love Square was published on 29th June 2020, and is available to buy from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

I’ve reviewed Laura Jane William’s first fiction book, which you can find here: Our Stop.

You can follow Laura Jane Williams on Twitter, Instagram and her website.

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Avon Books.

My review:?????

The Secrets of Meadow Farmhouse by Katie Ginger has Amelia returning from Paris to renovate her late Great Aunt Vera’s house, which she’s inherited. 

Amelia was last in the village of MeadowBank just before she left for university, and ten years later, there’s been a lot of change in some ways, but not in others.

Amelia wants to find out more about her Great Aunt Vera, and why she was so cold to Amelia and along the way she might find out what matters to her.

I really enjoyed this book – there were great characters, a lovely village and mysteries that were unravelled along the way.

The Secrets of Meadow Farmhouse was publishing on 17th March 2021, and is available on Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Katie Ginger on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and on her website.

I was given this book in return for an unbiased review, and so my thanks to NetGalley and to HQ.

My review:?????

The House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J Maas is set on a world where there are fae, shifters of all kinds, angels, demons, and also humans. Bryce is half human, half fae, loves to party, and is aware that she’s in a world that doesn’t treat every race the same.  

Bryce is a very conflicted character, who feels like she shouldn’t be alive after a horrible event, but now she is out to find out what happened, and get revenge.

I read the first five chapters of this book before, but have now read all of it, and really enjoyed the story. 

Sarah J Maas is good at sweeping you along with the story, and leaving you wanting more!  She does romance and danger well, and I enjoyed the twists and turns of this book that’s part romance, part crime and a lot of fantasy!

House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City #1) by Sarah J Maas was published on 3rd March 2020, and is available to buy from Amazon, Waterstones (an exclusive edition!) and Bookshop.com.

You can follow Sarah J Maas on her website or on Instagram.

I’ve also read and reviewed A Court of Thorns and Roses which is book 1 in another series!

My review:❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

What else do you write about on Valentine’s Day than a series about romance! ?

Like so many people, I have watched and loved the Bridgerton series on Netflix!  And it wasn’t just the romance that I enjoyed! I loved the diversity of the cast, the sets, the outfits, and yes, the story was good!  

Photo of Queen Charlotte from @bridgertonnetflix on Instagram

I was fascinated by the bees that popped up, that the Bridgertons were in pastels, and the Featheringtons were in acid colours, which were both such lovely palettes! And oh, Lady Whistledown voiced by Julie Andrews was perfect!

Photo of The Feartherington’s from @bridgertonnetflix on Instagram
Photo of Dowager Lady Bridgerton and 7 of her 8 children from @bridgertonnetflix on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And so here we are, I’ve finished the Netflix series, but I wanted more (this was before the second series was confirmed), so I’ve started reading the books!  

The Duke and I isn’t the same as the Netflix series, which has weaved some other plot elements in.  There’s quite a list of things that don’t happen in the book, so don’t think they are exactly the same.  They have the same feel, and Lady Whistledown is in both and of course we have Simon and Daphne.

If you haven’t watched Bridgerton (I’m sure there’s a couple of people), then welcome to the Regency period!  Daphne is the eldest daughter (and fourth child) of the Dowager Lady Bridgerton, and is out for in society, which means she’s on the look out for a husband!

Lady Bridgerton is keen for her to find a match, and so is Daphne, but she’s far too likeable and men don’t see her as the one they want to marry.

Simon, newly the Duke of Hastings, does not want a wife.  He is only in society to wrap up his late father’s dealings, to say his hellos to Lady Danbury, and then he’s heading off out of the country again.  Except, society Mama’s and their eligible daughters are all over him like a rash whenever he’s present.

Daphne and Simon concoct a plan.  They’re going to act as if they’re courting, which will mean Simon won’t be so sought after, and Daphne will be, because men will see that the Duke wants her, therefore they should want her as well.  And they say women are fickle creatures.

This is an enjoyable Regency romance, in the style of Georgette Heyer, but with more sex! 

The Duke and I was published on 27th June 2006, and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Julia Quinn on Facebook, Instagram and her website.

 

 

My review:????

Love is for Losers by Wibke Brueggemann is a YA story of 15 year old Phoebe in her GCSE year, with her doctor mother off helping everyone else, and her best friend having fallen off the planet as she’s gotten a boyfriend.

This is written as a diary, which works so well as you get such an insight into Phoebe and her feelings.  I enjoyed this book, and wanted to see what would happen next.  I thought the situation was well created, and Phoebe’s feelings of abandonment, uncertainty and stress was well written.

P.S Love is for Losers by Wibke Brueggemann was published on 21st January, and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

P.P.S You can follow Wibke Brueggemann on Instagram.

P.P.P.S I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Pan Macmillan.

My review:????

The Christmas Swap by Sandy Barker is about 3 friends, 1 in England, 1 in Australia and 1 in the US who swap their Christmas locations, like in the film The Holiday.

I thought this was a fun read, with added romance, and a lot of Christmas events.  I enjoyed seeing the different ways they celebrated in Australia, Colorado compared to England.

The Christmas Swap by Sandy Barker was published on 16th October 2020, and is available to buy from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Sandy Barker on Twitter, Facebook and her website.

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to One More Chapter.

My review:????

The Twelve Dates of Christmas by Jenny Bayliss is about Kate Turner, who has gone back to the village where she grew up, to look after her father after her mother left him.  She’s a fabric designer who works for Liberty, and so can work wherever she likes, and as she specialises in nature, this is perfect.

She hasn’t had a lot of luck with love, and so when her friend Laura pesters her into signing up for the Twelve Dates of Christmas, she’s a little bit hopeful.  She’s going to have 12 different dates in different settings, and with different men.  Her friend Matt is worried about her doing this, but she’s confident it’s going to be fine. After all, she might meet the one.

This is a wonderfully festive read, with lots of festive activities, food, drink and snow!  I very much enjoyed reading it, and found it very evocative.  

The Twelve Dates of Christmas by Jenny Bayliss was published on 12th November 2020, and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and your local independent bookshop.

You can follow Jenny Bayliss on Twitter and her website.

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Pan MacMillan.

My review:????

A Surprise Christmas Wedding by Phillipa Ashley is the sweet story of Lottie after her fiancé walks out on her.  She has gotten her life back together, and works at a beautiful manor house that is just opening back up for weddings and other events.  It’s a crucial time, and what would really help is a Christmas wedding!

Which makes it such luck that a couple turns up wanting to have their Christmas wedding there.  Lottie knows before meeting the couple that she’ll do whatever she needs to in order to make this wedding happen.  Then her former fiancé turns out to be the groom.

A Surprise Christmas Wedding by Phillipa Ashley was published on 19th October 2020, and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and your local independent bookshop.

I have previously read A Perfect Cornish Christmas, which is also by Phillipa Ashley.

You can follow Phillipa Ashley on FacebookTwitterInstagram, or through her website.

I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to  Avon Books for this book.

My review:?????

Ghosts by Dolly Alderton is about relationships.  Nina is a food writer, has a column in a paper, published one part cook book part memoir, and has her second book coming out soon.  She has good friends, loves her dad and has an ok relationship with her mother.  And then she meets Max on a dating app, and they hit it off.

But, life isn’t all that it seems.  Nina feels disconnected with her oldest friend.  Her father has been diagnosed with dementia, and it’s showing.  Her mother seems obsessed with socialising, and groups that alliterate. 

This is a powerful read, with relationships of all sorts examined.  There are moments of joy, confusion, horror and sadness.  It’s a very good book, and one that makes you think about 

Ghosts by Dolly Alderton was published on 15th October 2020, and you can buy it from Amazon, Waterstones and your local independent bookshop.

You can follow Dolly Alderton on Twitter, Instagram and her website.

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley, and to Fig Tree, Penguin.