The Austen Affair by Madeline Bell came out earlier this month, and though I only found it by surprise, it's become one of my favorite reads of 2025. It starts out in modern times, where Tess Bright and Hugh Balfour are the leading actors in an adaptation of Northanger Abbey. They're opposites in every way,... Continue Reading →
Alexandra Vasti's Belvoir's Library trilogy comes to end with the newly released Ladies in Hating. Set seven years after the first book, it stars Lady Georgiana Cleeve (she was so funny in Ne'er Duke Well!) and Cat Lacey. Both are popular Gothic novelists who publish under pseudonyms (it is the 1820s, after all). Some strange... Continue Reading →
Virginia Heath's books are always a ton of fun, and that's certainly true of her latest: Look Before You Leap, the second in her Miss Prentice's Protégées series. This one follows Lottie after she's been fired (again) and gets a new job for the famously cranky Lady Frinton. Together they go to Kent for Lady... Continue Reading →
Hazardous to a Duke's Heart by Sabrina Jeffries has been on my radar for sometime, and I greatly enjoyed this brief preview of the prologue and first two chapters. It begins in April 1814 when Jon, a détenu trapped in France for the past decade, is finally freed and able to return home to England.... Continue Reading →
In just a few days, Vanessa Riley will release her second Betting Against the Duke book... but I still had to read the first! A Gamble at Sunset came out last year, and at long last I've made time to read it. Kicking off the series, this one focuses on a fake engagement scheme between... Continue Reading →
Happy book birthday to TJ Alexander's A Gentleman's Gentleman! This has been one of my most anticipated books this year, and it absolutely lived up to my expectations. Set in Regency England, Lord Christopher Eden has been living a quiet, solitary life on his estate, but before his upcoming birthday, he's required to marry in... Continue Reading →
Following Ne'er Duke Well last summer, Alexandra Vasti is back with the second book in her Belvoir's Library trilogy, Earl Crush. Wallflower and heiress Lydia Hope-Wallace has been secretly writing radical political pamphlets for years, and has been corresponding with a like-minded Scottish earl. She's now shown up at his estate in Scotland to propose... Continue Reading →
After reading three of Suzanne Allain's books, I'm happy to say that her newest release is my favorite so far. The Wrong Lady Meets Lord Right is out today, and it's the perfect balance of whimsical and scintillating. Since being orphaned at only three years old, Arabella Grant has lived with her sweet cousin Isabelle... Continue Reading →
Fans of Jane Austen and historical mysteries won’t want to miss Murder in Highbury, the first in Vanessa Kelly's new Emma Knightley Mystery series. Now married to George Knightley, Emma is off of matchmaking and on to... solving crimes! When she and Harriet Martin stumble across the body of Mrs. Elton, it's immediately clear to Emma... Continue Reading →
Several months ago, when Alexandra Vasti announced her debut novel, I was so excited to read it. Ne'er Duke Well is out now, and it is a delight. It has matchmaking, a marriage of convenience, a secret (scandalous) library, and two kids in need of a home. This is the first in the Belvoir's Library... Continue Reading →
For the past few years, I've been loving the Regency Vows series by Martha Waters. Today, the series has reached its fifth and final installment with To Woo and to Wed, giving readers the long-awaited HEA between West and Sophie. It's bittersweet to end the series, but this final love story was worth the wait.... Continue Reading →
Next week, K. Lyn Smith releases her fourth Hearts of Cornwall novel, Kissing Kate. Though I haven’t yet read the earlier books in the series, this Regency romance works perfectly as a standalone. It highlights a decade-long friendship between Kate and Ben, and when the two are thrown together in putting on a Shakespeare stage... Continue Reading →
My introduction to Suzanne Allain’s work was with her novel, Mr. Malcolm’s List. I read the book in 2022 and watched the movie adaptation immediately after—I thoroughly enjoyed both! Today she is back with her latest historical romance, The Ladies Rewrite the Rules. When a young widow finds out about an offensive directory meant to... Continue Reading →
Since discovering a love of historical romance four years ago, I’ve dived deep into this delightful genre. However, I’m reaching the point where I now veer towards stories with something a little different to offer, whether it’s diversity in characters or a less conventional plot. This is what drew me to Jane Dunn’s recent novel,... Continue Reading →
Today marks the release of Every Duke Has His Day by Suzanne Enoch. This is my first time reading this author, and it was a thoroughly pleasant experience! This historical romance almost reads like a cozy mystery when a duke and a viscount’s daughter both end up victims of a dognapper. Their black poodles, nearly... Continue Reading →
One of my most anticipated debut novels this year has been Where Ivy Dares to Grow by Marielle Thompson. With comparisons to Mexican Gothic and Outlander, it follows a woman struggling with her mental health and her cruel soon-to-be in-laws, the eerie presence she feels in their mansion, and an unexpected timeslip to the past.... Continue Reading →
Last year, Claudia Gray began a new Regency mystery series with The Murder of Mr. Wickham. As you may have surmised from that title, the story is inspired by Jane Austen and indeed features characters from all six of her novels. It also introduced several new characters, including our sleuthing protagonists, the respective children the Darcys... Continue Reading →
In the past couple of years, I've been loving Martha Waters's Regency Vows series. Following To Have and to Hoax, To Love and to Loathe, and To Marry and to Meddle, the newest book is To Swoon and to Spar. It follows our beloved Penvale and a new character, Jane. They're pushed into a marriage neither... Continue Reading →
Last summer, J. J. McAvoy released Aphrodite and the Duke, the first book in her new Regency romance series, the DuBells. Like the Netflix adaptation of Bridgerton, this series features people of color in aristocratic roles in a society void of racism. I've been looking forward to reading Aphrodite and the Duke, and now felt... Continue Reading →
One of my most anticipated books this month was The Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Gray. It's the Jane Austen-inspired cozy mystery I never knew I needed, featuring some of her best-known characters as well as brand new faces. I was thrilled to get an early copy of the book, and now that it's... Continue Reading →
After adoring everything about To Love and to Loathe last summer, I was eager to continue Martha Waters's Regency Vows series. I finally read its predecessor, To Have and to Hoax, earlier this month (yes, I read the first two books out of order - oops!), partially in preparation for the newest book in the series: To Marry... Continue Reading →
Last summer, I committed an offense to book series that I rarely do: I skipped the first book and decided to start with the second. This was no innocent accident; I did it knowingly. Indeed, I started Martha Waters's Regency Vows series with its second installment, To Love and to Loathe. And I regret nothing, because there was... Continue Reading →
In the past two years, I've slowly been dipping my toes into historical romances, and now more than ever, I'm finding that I really like them! Up to now, I had only read four (two by Evie Dunmore and two by Harper St. George), but in August I bought a couple more. I was in... Continue Reading →
Amanda's Book Corner 