eyes.2c Reviews

The Earl That Got Away  (Sirens in Silk #2) by Diana Quincy       ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Vivacious young Palestinian American woman Naila Darwish falls in love with a young Englishman visiting Philadelphia. Basil Trevelyn is looking at his uncle’s business concerns with a view to staying and eventually taking over the company. Basil proposes and Naila accepts only to break it off when her Aunt Majida points out how such a marriage would effect the honor of her family. Later that day, realising she’s made a mistake Naila goes to tell Basil she was wrong but hed already left for England. Naila is brokenhearted. She returns to her family and becomes the faded spinster aunt, instead of the bird of paradise she’d once been. Eight years later the Darwish family journeys to England for Naila’s sister’s  engagement ball and wedding to the Duke of Strickland. Naila and Basil meet again. Basil is now the Earl of Hawksworth, and Strick’s best friend. How these two finally come together i...

The Nanny's Handbook to Magic and Managing Difficult Dukes  (The Parasol Academy #1)   by Amy Rose Bennett                  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Dizzying, delightful romp that puts Mary Poppins in the background seat. Mrs. Emmeline Chase has just finished her nanny training with the Parasol Academy for Exceptional Nannies and Governesses. The Academy has been given a Royal Charter by Queen Victoria and fae Queen, Mauve. Ley lines and magical words are all par for the course. To say that Emmeline seems to more often than not find herself in curious situations is an understatement. En route to an interview with a prospective employer by te-Ley-porting she finds herself on the roof of a large house and is rescued by a magnificent talking Raven and the master of the abode, Xavier Mason, the seventh Duke of St Lawrence. Next thing we know our heroine is employed by the Duke to oversee his three wards, a handful. But our nanny is no slouch. Meanwhi...

Is This Real or Just Pretend?  by Emily Sullivan    ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Lucien Taylor returns from Paris after some years to visit his father, head groom at the wealthy Atkinson’s country home. Lucien ran a very successful supper club in Paris which unfortunately hit some financial snags. When he’d left Winifred (Freddie) Atkinson had been the object of Lucien’s adoration. Freddie hadn’t even noticed him. That hurt. It was Alexandra (Alex) Atkinson who told him to go far away from there where he could be whomever he wanted to be. He did just that. Alex has meanwhile been the driving force behind her father’s company, Atkinson Enterprises. She needs to be on the Board. Now there’s an opportunity for her to do just that but unfortunately the Board doesn’t understand her contributions to the company. Alex’s father feels that if she were married there would be no bar to her. Alex proposes that Lucien become engaged to her as a part of her move towards Board membership. In return she wil...

The Secret Book Society : A Novel by Madeline Martin           ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Three women are brought together by Clara Chambers, the Countess of Duxbury,  ostensibly for afternoon tea. In reality they are being invited to form  a  Secret Book Society, encouraged to read literature, and discuss a variety of issues. Whatever they like. As they meet the women unfurl and friendships are formed. All hide shameful secrets. Elenor Clarke has a controlling husband who tells her what to wear, forbids her from reading, monitors her time with her son and beats her. Lady Lavinia Cavendish has a passionate nature whose family are fearful she will suffer from hysteria and have to be committed to a lunatic asylum.  Rose Wharton is an American. She and her husband are in love but when her husband becomes the heir to the current Earl, he changes. Both her husband and his brother berate and belittle her. They require Rose to change, to fit into society.  A sy...

Bad Luck Bride  (Scandal at the Savoy #3) by Laura Lee Guhrke                  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Lady Kay Matheson had never forgotten the man she’d eloped with to Gretna Green fourteen years ago, Devlin Sharpe. Stopped by friends before they’d crossed into Scotland, Kay had returned home after Devlin swore he’d come for her. He never did. No answers to her letters. Nothing! It took years for Kay to crawl back into some sort of place in society, because yes, as much as she denied the elopement, the gossips were far from satisfied. Then came Kay’s next wedding that failed because her bridegroom-to-be listened to the old scandals and called the wedding off. Once more plunging Kay into society’s awareness. Now Kay is engaged to American millionaire, Wilson Rycroft. Finally she can care for her mother and support her sister Jo in her first season. Except Devlin Sharpe has turned up, engaged to Lady Pamela Stirling. Really! Not only that Kay and Devl...

The Confessions of a Lady  (Queen’s Deadly Damsels #3) by Darcy McGuire ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫  Housemaid Penny Smith was trained in the school of hard knocks down in St Giles. She survived by fighting, claiming her own space, and “take no hostages” sorts of actions. Which is exactly how her relationship with Lord William (Liam) Rehnquist seems to be going. All she has to do is find letters that prove he’s a member of the Devils Son’s cohort. Little does Penny know he works for the Queen. She’s under the impression that he’s linked to the fearful organisation. They’re working towards same ends but from different perspectives.  Penny is working for Constable Sweet gathering information about the Devil’s Sons for the reward money promised by Commissioner Worthington, in a desperate bid to free her mother from prison. Harriet Smith has been held in prison under the Vagrancy Act of 1838. The problem is for Penny is that Liam sees her, he really sees her, lowly maid that she is, and that...

The Muse of Maiden Lane  (Belles of London #4) by Mimi Matthews          ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Artist Edward (Teddy) Hayes  is astounded, awed when he first sees Stella Hobhouse. They’re at an exhibition at the British Museum. He can’t take his eyes off her. Her hair is unusual—pure silver! He’s mesmerised,  struck by Stella’s beauty. He must paint her!  Stella must be his muse!  Stella is entranced by the gentleman in the wheel chair who speaks his mind, who sees her, who discusses art with her free from condescension. Stella’s a gentlewoman with an impatient vicar for a brother. He wants to marry her off, even if the potential suitors are years older than Stella. After all her hair is gray! A match! Grr! Her brother’s also casting his eyes over someone who wouldn’t and doesn’t suffer Stella gladly. What can Stella do? A member of the Furies, four women who galloped their horses in the early morning on Rotten Row, who became known as the Four Hor...

Duchess Material  by Emily Sullivan        ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Phoebe Atkinson is in trouble. Arrested and taken to Bow Street, in desperation, she sends a note to the one person she hasn’t communicated with for years. An old friend who she’d had feelings for. Out  of the blue, he’d became not plain Will, but the heir to a dukedom, the Viscount Middlefield. Will Margrave, the Duke of Ellis, of course went to the aid of his friend Alex’s impetuous sister. He wasn’t prepared for the leap of his heart when he saw her. Will had a safe course planned out. Marriage to the reigning debutante Lady Gwendolyn Fairbanks, daughter to his mentor Lord Fairbanks who was guiding him through the House of Lords. Now here was Phoebe, a schoolteacher in a school for underprivileged girls. Phoebe has been looking for a missing student when she was arrested. Will ends up helping her in her search and from there it’s a short step to becoming more and more involved. He has a few shocks on th...

A Lady's Lesson in Scandal  (Queen’s Deadly Damsels #2) by Darcy McGuire          ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Millicent Whittenburg is a member of a secret group of Queen Victoria’s sleuths led by the formidable Duchess of Dorsett. Millie’s been training with the Duchess, Phillipa Winterbourne, to be a Queen’s investigator. The Queen needs to keep an eye on her House of Lords and certain villainous members. Unfortunately Millie is being forced into marriage with a repulsive, elderly man, Viscount Tread, a friend of her father’s and “wicked” (truly!) stepmother. (I’m frequently disgusted by Millie’s avarice stepmother Patricia. A nasty piece of work. How did Millie’s beloved father, Marquess Whittenburg, allow Patricia to make so much angst and trouble for Millie? Dreadful woman! Pitiful father!) Millie’s  attending a ball where her betrothal is to be announced.  Her way to escape? Entrap someone into marriage, and then refuse to marry them. Only Millie didn’t hav...

I will Steal You the Stars (Scandalous Daughters of Duke Street #2)   by Alivia Fleur       ⭐️⭐️⭐️ An interesting novella looking at Victorian times from the point of view of rookery inhabitants Enzo and Mina first met the day she entered the orphanage  Years later they meet again. Mina’s been dismissed from her job because she’s fallen pregnant. All she wants is the wages owed her. She finds Enzo, now called the “Duke” and asks him to help her steal back what’s hers.  What neither of them counted on was the frisson of attraction between them. Can Enzo let go of his position in the rookeries and take a chance with Mina? A lively and challenging short read. A Spencer & Co. ARC via Booksirens                                            Many thanks to the author and publisher.

Daring Debutante (Duchess Society #8) by Tracey Sumner  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ What to do with a wild child who stirs your blood? Nigel Streeter knows he’s not worthy of his mentor’s daughter Arabella. Xander Macaughley was his father’s closest friend. Tobias Streeter is hailed as the Rogue King of Limehouse Basin. Nigel sees Xander more like an uncle who’s befriended and guided him. He now runs Xander’s gambling palace the Devil’s Lair near the Limehouse Docks. Nigel’s known Bella from a childhood. In his eyes he’s too old for her. He has no society background, nothing except his wits. Besides he’s vowed never to fall in love or become entangled with innocent young things. The problem is that Bella has set her sights on Nigel. He’s not going to win when pitted against the determination of this wilful young woman. A young woman who’s been very much brought up to be an independent thinker.  Part of Sumner’s Duchess society series, this one’s a winner, An amusing, steamy novella where the ...