Update #1 (June 25, 2020)

9 novellas read (about 25% of total novellas)

1 anthology finished

1 anthology DNF; read 2 out of 11 stories (18%)

I feel like I should be further ahead than I am. I am going to read more from my NOOK. No need for random number generator since the BL-opoly game is doing the job. 

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Original Post

I decided that my summer reading project was to read anthologies and novellas/shorter works (150 pages or less) off my NOOK and Kindle. Short and sweet is the theme for this year, as I wanted space to read longer works at my leisure without feeling unproductive. Also, I want to have short works ready to read so I can structure my days around reading and other hobbies, errands, and such and not the news or social media (BL exception, of course) - I really need to get off my phone more, that screen time tracker is not good for my health.

Dates for this reading project: May 25th (Memorial Day) to Labor Day (Sep 7th) - 106 days. I am aiming for one story from an anthology or novella per day, with the goal of averaging about 100 pages per day. I put a few winter holiday ones on the list for a Christmas-in-July reading week. To kick off the project, I will be starting the longest anthology and use Random Number Generator to pick a novella. After that I will use RNG or go by mood - probably the second method most of the time.

Anthologies

1. No Dukes Allowed by Various Authors 0/3 stories read

2. This Wedding is Doomed! by Various Authors 0/4 stories read

3. Hearts Entwined by Various Authors 0/4 stories read

4. Once Upon a Wedding by Various Authors 2/11 stories read; DNF the rest.

5. Because He's Perfect by Various Authors 20/20 stories read - FINISHED!

6. Love by the Letters by Various Authors 0/3 stories read - Currently reading

7. The Christmas Heirlooms by Various Authors 0/4 stories read

8. Serving Up Love by Various Authors 0/4 stories read

Novellas

Nook:

1. Changing Leaves by Edie Bryant

2. The Cost of Hope (The Cost of Love #1) by G.S. Carr

3. Once Upon a Winter's Eve (Spindle Cove #1.5) by Tessa Dare

4. A New Life (West Meets East #1) by Merry Farmer Done!

5. Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell

6. Hollywood Holiday (Hollywood Headlines #2.5) by Gemma Halliday Done!

7. Out of the Storm (Beacon of Hope #0.5) by Jody Hedlund

8. A Lady of Esteem (Hawthorne House #0.5) by Kristi Ann Hunter

9. A Search for Refuge (Haven Manor #0.5) by Kristi Ann Hunter Done!

10. Love by the Letter (Unexpected Brides #0.5) by Melissa Jagears

11. Love on the Prairie (McKinnie Mail Order Brides #1) by Ciara Knight

12. Love in the Rockies (McKinnie Mail Order Brides #2) by Ciara Knight

13. Mrs. Sartin's Secretary (Lords of Chance #2.5) by Wendy LaCapra

14. That Healing Touch (Cutter's Creek #1) by Kit Morgan

15. The Christmas Mail Order Bride by Kit Morgan

16. What Lies Behind Us (World War II Sisters) by Sierra Rose

17. A Little Light Mischief (The Turner Series #3.5) by Cat Sebastian

18. Tycoon (The Knickerbocker Club #0.5) by Joanna Shupe

19. A Hero's Promise (Culpepper's Ring Novella) by Roseanna M. White

20. Fairchild's Lady (Culpepper's Ring Novella) by Roseanna M. White

21. Mail Order Cowboy (Gold Valley #1.5) by Maisey Yates

22. Hometown Heartbreaker (Copper Ridge #3.5) by Maisey Yates

23. Claim Me, Cowboy (Copper Ridge #4) by Maisey Yates

Kindle:

24. Proper English (England #0) by KJ Charles Done!

25. Dance All Night (Dance Off #2.5) by Alexa Daria Done!

26. Willow: Bride of Pennsylvania by Merry Farmer

27. Engaging the Competition (With This Ring? Novella) by Melissa Jagears

28. Mrs. Martin's Incomparable Adventure (Worth Saga #2.75) by Courtney Milan Done!

29. Dueling the Desperado (Brides of Blessings #4) by Mimi Milan Done!

30. Where Snowy Owl Sleeps (Brides of Blessings #9) by Mimi Milan Done!

31. Birth of the Butterfly (Brides of Blessings #11) by Mimi Milan Done!

32. Miracle on Ladies' Mile by Joanna Shupe

33. After a Fashion (A Class of Their Own #0.5) by Jen Turano

34. The Husband Maneuver (A Worthy Pursuit #0.5) by Karen Witemeyer

35. Worth the Wait (Ladies of Harper's Station Novella) by Karen Witemeyer

It's Juneteenth, the day the last enslaved person was told the war was over and they were free. Yesterday, I attended (via Zoom) a panel discussion organized by Next Gen Climate Action Committee, a political action group my friend works for, on Celebrating Juneteenth and Ensuring Black Voices in Progressive Spaces. It was a great discussion and I am glad my friend invited me, considering I live in Kansas and the group works in VA on VA matters/policies. Rep Don Scott really spoke to my head and heart and he was on for just a few minutes. 

It's rainy and much cooler here, so no poolside reading today. I've got a beef soup simmering in the slow cooker for dinner; just have to whip up some cornbread to go with it and I am good to go. Spending the day reading and tonight I am going to watch Soledad O'Brien's documentary on the early days of COVID-19 in the US (it is airing on Hearst stations, so I am hoping to catch it streaming online).

Tomorrow is Litha/Summer Solstice and I have plans: including a hamburger picnic (using a plant-based "ground beef") and making Lemon-Ginger-Raspberry Zinger sun tea, while reading in the sunshine. Sunday is Father's Day, so I making a special easy breakfast for the hubby to enjoy, followed by pool time and a nice dinner. 

I'm finishing up Birth of the Butterfly for BL-opoly, then taking the weekend off from the game; right after that I want to knock out finally Proper English by KJ Charles. For COYER #BLM RAT, I am reading The A.I. Who Loved Me by Alyssa Cole and New Year, Same Trash by Samantha Irby. That's my weekend. 

Next week I will be working my way through Beneath a Ruthless Sun and One Person, No Vote for the library's adult SRP prompts. I swapped out Once Upon a Wedding anthology (that first story is a slog and I am still not done with it) with Love by the Letters anthology which I should get done by the end of the week (it is only 3 stories). I might just skip to the Sonali Dev's and Pricilla Oliveras' stories in the Wedding anthology and call it good - those were the reasons for picking up the anthology in the first place. And then whatever the BL game goddesses decide for me to read. 

Happy Juneteenth! Happy Father's Day! Happy Reading!

Sebastian (known as Girard at the chateau) was the villain in the previous book. Towards the end of The Captive, Sebastian was humanized, but I was curious if he would become a likable character. While in France, through no fault of his own, he was trapped when war broke out and did what he could do to survive. More is revealed in this book regarding his efforts to save the captured British troops under his care. And the help he had.
Millicent (Milly) was a poor relation thrown into an engagement not of her choosing. With her elderly aunts she comes up with a plan to avoid said engagement. That plan was, to go into service as a companion. She become the companion to Sebastian's aunt Freddy.
This was a wonderful slow burn romance. I could get behind the romance. Sebastian I could understand. I loved how they talked to each other. There was no big misunderstanding. I really liked Aunt Freddy, Micheal Brodie (whose story is next). Brodie's "mission" is revealed in this one.
My only complaint was Henri Anduvoir. The villain got his off the page and I wanted more regarding his punishment. I think he got off too easily.

Reviewed for Wit and Sin

Two lonely souls find love among the Yorkshire moors in A Duke by Any Other Name. Every Rogues to Riches book I’ve read I’ve enjoyed more than the last and Althea and Nathaniel’s romance is my favorite to date.

Nathaniel is the kind of hero I adore. To all the world he’s a fierce, terrifying figure, but in reality he’s a total cinnamon roll. Nathaniel has a reason for his seclusion, for not allowing anyone near his home and frightening off anyone who would dare trespass, but to reveal why would be a spoiler. Suffice it to say he’s not doing it for kicks and giggles. But Althea isn’t one to be cowed by a fearsome reputation. Althea may be the sister of a duke, but she grew up in extreme poverty and has faced true evil, selfishness, and greed. She can see Nathaniel isn’t the horrible man he pretends to be and besides, she needs his help. Althea just about broke my heart. She survived a hellish (to put it mildly) childhood and grew up to be a strong, caring woman who does what she can to help others. All she wants is to find love and have a family but society resents her family’s wealth and title. Since they cannot take it out on her brother and sister-in-law because they are a duke and duchess, they target Althea. She’s been bullied to the point where she cannot bring herself to face another season and she hopes that as a duke and her neighbor Nathaniel can give her some tips to make her more successful on her quest to find happiness.

Althea and Nathaniel have fantastic chemistry from the start. She’s unfazed by his growling and blustering and he finds himself intrigued by her against his will. Both of them are unique, well-drawn characters who will grab your heart and not let go. Althea has a quiet dignity and an inner strength that makes her a heroine to cheer for. Nathaniel has a good heart and the mistakes he makes are because he loves so deeply. Individually, they’re fantastic characters. As a couple? They’re dynamite. I didn’t want to put A Duke by Any Other Name down because I so wanted Nathaniel and Althea to find their happily ever after. Getting there isn’t easy; the problems they face aren’t simply Yorkshire mean girls (though those are present and worthy of your loathing) but true obstacles I won’t spoil that cannot be overcome easily. But Althea and Nathaniel’s love is worth fighting for and I was captivated watching their romance unfold.

A Duke by Any Other Name is the fourth book in Grace Burrowes’s Rogues to Riches series but it can be read as a standalone. That being said, I feel that having read the first book, My One and Only Duke, gave me a better sense of the Wentworth family dynamic and made me enjoy this story even more. Althea’s siblings – in particular her intriguing, interfering younger brother – play supporting roles and add warmth and support to Althea’s journey. I love the uniqueness of this series, how harsh realities are woven into the fantasy. None of the main characters have been cardboard heroes or heroines in history, attitude, or behavior and that makes this series memorable. I loved A Duke by Any Other Name from beginning to end and I cannot wait to see what Ms. Burrowes has in store for Constance Wentworth!


FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.