Sadie Bosque

Mad Duke March by Sadie Bosque
The Rake Review #3

Not your easy-going simple debutant meets, falls in love, and lives happily ever after story – nope – this is a deeper, darker, complex story with imperfect main characters who get off to a rocky start but do find their happily ever after by the end of the book.

What I liked:
* Emily: eldest daughter, responsible, wise, taking care of her widowed mother and younger siblings, is engaged to a man she loves, has to deal with broken dreams, a husband that is not her first choice, and grows a lot in this story
* Alexander: Duke of Tyrone, enjoys drunkenness and debauchery, was abandoned when young by his mother and abused by his father, suffers from PTSD, surly, selfish, and damaged, and he grows a lot in this story
* Emily’s devotion to her family and those she loves
* Watching the development of the relationship between Emily and Alexander
* Being able do a 360 in how I was feeling about Alexander - didn’t think much of him at all at first
* Emily’s family – supportive and kind and a loving group that provided her skills that Alexander never had
* The communication between the main characters as it is so essential to healthy relationships
* The Earl of Sutton: good friend, helpful, wants the best for his friends, am curious about his relationship with his wife and would like to read his book when it is ready
* All of it really except…

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* Bernard and his family – so glad she didn’t end up with him

Did I like this book? Yes
Would I read more by this author? Yes

Thank you to the author for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars… (meer)

The Brazen Belles Anthology

What a delightful way to read favorite authors and meet new ones!

I had to read the book because I love Tracy Sumner’s stories and hers was perfection. This story stars a watchmaker who makes clocks that keep perfect time and a housemaid that believes he is too far elevated for them to have a future together. Though he has loved her since he first saw her years before…they only meet and get to know one another in Sumner’s story.

I went on to read and enjoy each and every story in the book with a courtesan’s daughter making an outstanding match, a youngest son never loved gambling on a dance but perhaps eventually winning much more, a book fairy a bit like the elves and the shoemaker as a way to woo a woman, misguided words that put a wedge between two people that might be able to overcome them to find happiness together, horrible parents, wickedness to overcome, children born on the wrong side of the blanket, murder, and more are sprinkled through this book and though I have a few more stories to read…do believe I will return to some of the stories again in the future…after finishing the every one of them the first time through.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Are there new authors I have found that I would read again? Yes

Thank you to BookSirens and the authors for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars… (meer)