Mrs. Brodie's Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies - Shana Galen,Theresa Romain 

I'd describe this duo as one of those that give you an AWWWW! feeling and that feeling stays with you long after you put the book down. Both stories are about second chances. 

The Way to A Gentleman's Heart by Theresa Romain stars Marianne, a lady of society-turned cook, and James, a man with plenty to regret but willing to make amends and hoping for forgiveness. I always find this author’s stories kind of hard to understand in the sense that I don’t connect with the characters right away. At first I thought James had hurt Marianne too much and grueling for the rest of his life wouldn’t be enough to deserve forgiveness, however once Marianne’s musing put their relationship in a different light and she realized he was a worthy man I too realized just as much. 

Counterfeit Scandal by Shana Galen intertwines characters from No Earls Allowed, book 2 in her The Survivors series but you don’t need to read that book first in order to read this one. Bridget and Caleb were forced to part ways at a moment when Bridget needed him the most. Fast forward several years later and Caleb seems to be the only one to help her find what she once lost but loves the most. I liked this story a lot. The author was able to pack plenty of character development, emotions, action, and redemption in only a few pages. The fact that Caleb was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for Bridget was kind of the cherry on top. 

I think this set perfectly represents what each author is about so if anyone's thought about trying something by either one I encourage you to give these novellas a go. 

I received this book at no cost to me and I volunteered to read it; this is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.

Sweet, cute story with plenty of light moments and interesting characters. 
Cait is a strong-willed woman but not to the point of being annoying, and that is something I like in heroines. She has trust issues when it comes to men, mainly because one broke her heart not long ago but also because she’s tired of being treated like a witless person just for being a woman. I liked the way Daniel treated her from the beginning. He had an easygoing personality that didn’t clash with Cait’s strong one. If anything, I think they brought out the best in each other and complemented each other flawlessly. The one thing I didn’t like about Daniel, and as usual this is a personal preference, is that I like my rogues to be more roguish in action and not so much in description. He spent too much time smiling wolfishly and winking wickedly but other than that he wasn’t much of a rogue. That being said, I liked how they took their time to know each other and how the pace of the relationship felt real. I was glad that even though there was an instant attraction, neither one of them rushed into anything. As a side note, there are no graphic intimate scenes in case you were wondering. Just a peck here and there and some harmless flirtation, nothing more. 

Other characters helped moved the story along but to be honest, there were times there was too much going on and I felt I needed to read the other books (which I haven’t read yet) to understand better what was going on. Thankfully, that was later remedied when all knots were tied, so I think I can safely say this can be read as a standalone. 

I received this book at no cost to me and I volunteered to read it; this is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher

Generally speaking, I usually pass on books where a woman disguises herself as a man in order to achieve her goals because most of the time they are so fantastically far-fetched that I end up with headaches from rolling my eyes in disbelief so much. Not here, not with Libby. She was such a unique woman to begin with that pretending to be anything but a woman of the ton wasn’t hard to believe. She was both endearing and sensual and her oddities make her a refreshing, different character, setting her apart from other bluestockings. As a matter of fact, Libby is on a whole other level of heroine archetype all by herself. 
Ziyaeddin became captivated by Elizabeth when they first met so when she asked for his help he knew there would be trouble ahead. In spite of their obvious attraction, he tries to keep their relationship as distant as possible, not only because he knows his future is yet to be determined but because he knows of her dreams and doesn’t want to be in the way of them (if that’s not sexy I don’t know what is.) All that sexual tension was just as frustrating for the characters as it was for me as a reader! Yet what I loved the most about his character was that his always cool demeanor was able to reel Libby’s mind back in from the chaos it sometimes was proving once more that a man doesn’t have to be dominant or possessive to be the perfect hero. 

Secondary characters were a true delight. They all added that perfect touch of variety to keep the story moving, and the fact that both Libby and Ziyaeddin had overcome many of their initial fears made the story even more memorable. And that epilogue! I don’t think I’ve ever read one full of so many emotions and feelings. With a heart-melting, enthralling storyline; complex and larger-than-life characters; and the perfect history backdrop this book is for sure an instant re-read. 

**I received this book at no cost to me and I volunteered to read it; this is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.**

The Prince (Devil's Duke) - Katharine Ashe 

Get your copy here: 
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More www.katharineashe.com/The-Prince

Kept by the Viking (Forgotten Sons) - Gina Conkle 

Release Date: May 14th, 2018

Buy Links 

Harlequin: http://bit.ly/2Elt9Sw
Carina Press: http://bit.ly/2jidyHp
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2DgK9GA
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The story takes place in a time when Vikings were settling in and around the Frankish kingdom. The setting felt authentic and real, with lots of interesting facts and vivid descriptions of how people lived at the time. That was a real treat for me since I love historical bits in my romances. 
After being separated from her family, Safira asks the leader of the Forgotten Sons to help her return home, and while Rurik can tell she’s hiding something, he agrees to help her in exchange for the one thing Safira cannot give. 

I love the way Safira was depicted. From the moment they met, she proved to be resourceful and clever in a way Rurik had never before seen in a woman. Her powers of persuasion and perception came in handy at some crucial times, winning the respect of every one.

There was also the political intrigue, that although I can never get into because it’s all too confusing, it was still interesting enough to keep me turning the pages. The romance though was a slow-burn, not because it wasn’t good but because there were too many things against them as a couple. They did find a way to stay together but it sure took them a sweet long time to get there.

**I received this book at no cost to me and I volunteered to read it; this is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.** 

Second book in the series, this story is centers on Lady Daphne Forsyth, a unique woman trying to find her place in a world that doesn’t seem to understand her, and Dalton Beauchamp, the Duke of Maitland, the man that falls for her. 
The suspense aspect of the story was ok, I mean, it kept me entertained but not to the point that I was unable to put the book down. There were some twists but for the most part they were kind of predictable. 

It’s always interesting to read about characters with unique traits, unfortunately in this case Daphne didn’t hold my interest for long. She was described as someone on the autism spectrum and perhaps for that reason I was hoping to find a more endearing character but instead I got a character with whom I could not connect at all. I was also unable to understand the love between Daphne and Dalton. I think I would have liked it better if they took more time falling in love because to me it just felt forced and even trite at times.

I still plan to read more from this author but in all honesty I don’t think I’ll continue this series. 

** I received this book at no cost to me and I volunteered to read it; this is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher. **