Harry Blackwood comes to London to return a portrait to Louisa Devereaux. Unfortunately, he cannot as she has recently died. Instead, he returns it to her daughter Christina who has taken over the male brothel her mother owned. Both are attracted to the other. Christina asks him to take her to a ball given by her father. Harry agrees but finds out the reason and is reluctantly. Harry finds himself unable to stay away from Christina, so he leaves London and returns home. Will they remain apart?

I enjoyed this story. I laughed as Christina and Harry got under each other's skins. Both say what they mean. Both are determined not to let the other get their way. Love does get to them though and they have to decide whether to trust their heads or their hearts. I was glad with what they chose. I look forward to the other books in the series.

The Duke's Den #1, Great story, great characters, great setup for the series. Nick Lyons was born the second son of a Duke but his father hated him never believed that he was legitimate; it wasn't true but his father made his life hell. It got so bad His mother had to run away with him to keep him safe. Now Nick is a self made man co-owner of a gaming hall and much to his dismay he's the new Duke of Tremayne. Thomasina  "Mina" Thorne was raised like a lady she on the other hand had other plans. Raised by her father the Steward to Enderley Castle and was taught everything she needed to know to run the land; her father also instilled in her an unwavering sense of loyalty to the land and its people so much so that when he died she seamlessly stepped into his role. Nick hates Enderley Castle it's filled with nothing but bad memories he plans to liquidate its assets and lease the house to the highest bidder but then he meets Mina Thorne.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one. I loved all the internal conflict that both Nick and Mina deal with. Nick with his memories of the house and Mina with her sense of duty to the house despite her own dreams and then them dealing with their feelings for each other and their very different stations. 

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an ARC copy of this novel, which I freely chose to review.

I do not read many novels in this genre, but I am due to translate a novel in the genre from Spanish into English and wanted to do some research by reading some modern novels set in the period.

I have not read any of the other novels in the series, although I understand, from reading some of the reviews, that it is quite popular.

The story seems to be one of opposite attracts, with the man being a stickler for facts and lover of adventures, while the woman loves fantasy and is afraid of travel. As we get to know the characters, we realise that Gloria is knowledgeable and both share a love for technology and astronomy. When she ends up being his matchmaker, we know what to expect. There is love at first sight, a sex-scene that it is explicit but not as detailed as others I have read (and of course, it is wonderful even if it is the first time for her, at least), and a happy ending as required. I quite liked the characters, although they were both quite extreme in their positions, and the speed at which things developed between them required some suspension of disbelief, but I don’t think it was beyond the standards of the genre.

The story is told in the third person, without relying too heavily on descriptions, but provides enough details to help us imagine a romantic setting that perfectly suits the story. It flows well, and it has the usual will they/won’t they moments, without going over the top and making readers get impatient.

A short and light read, with engaging characters and fun moments and although the story is not outstanding for its originality, it should satisfy fans of the genre.  

The Kickstarter for the English dub of Emma: A Victorian Romance is fully funded for both Seasons 1 and 2 (the entire series), which means I'll get to hear an English dub of Hans. When it comes to William vs. Hans, I'm Team Hans, especially in the anime. I think it was more of a toss-up in the manga, but it's been so long since I last read the manga that I can't really remember. I plan to do a reread project in 2019 in order to gear up for an English dub viewing.

In the meantime, I might try to catch up on A Bride's Story, another beautiful manga series by Kaoru Mori.

In case someone other than me is interested in this, Nozomi Entertainment has a Kickstarter up to create an English dub of the first season of Emma: A Victorian Romance (the link goes to legally streaming English subtitled episodes). No, not Jane Austen's Emma. It's the anime version of Kaoru Mori's manga about the romance between William, the eldest son of a wealthy merchant middle class family, and Emma, a maid.

I'm hoping that the Kickstarter will not only get fully funded, but that it'll reach the Season 2 stretch goal, so that I can hear the English dub for this guy (Hans, the footman, aka the guy I still kind of wish Emma had ended up with):

If I had the money for those tiers, I'd love the Emma figure, Emma doll with amazingly detailed period clothing (seriously, the doll comes with instructions explaining how to tie her corset), and even the custom cosplay outfit, although I don't cosplay. Alas, I must settle for a tier that won't make my bank account scream in agony.

If you're at all interested in manga and haven't read this series before, I highly recommend it. No Kickstarter necessary for those, they're all already published and available. The series jumps off the rails a bit near the end, with action and melodrama, but Mori's gorgeous artwork helps make up for it. I do remember one cringe-y bit - an Indian prince character, Hakim, who comes across as a giant stereotype at the beginning of the series. Mori adds a bit of depth to him and his family later on, but I could still see the character being a problem for folks.