Saturday, March 19, 2022

Historical Romance Bracket Challenge: Round of 64 Day Two


Our bracket adventure is officially in full swing! We're on day two of eight for the Round of 64. Read on for the current bracket standings and information about the books you can now vote on.

Current Standings:
For the Group 1 race, Her Wicked Marquess by Stacy Reid triumphed over The Prince by Katharine Ashe.  For Group 9, The Good Girl's Guide to Rakes by Eva Leigh blew it out of the water over The Duke Who Loved Me by Jane Ashford. Alexis Hall's most recent release, Something Fabulous, won the Group 17 contest over Highland Sword by May McGoldrick. Lastly, The Suffragette Scandal by Courtney Milan took the cake over The Hunter by Kerrigan Byrne.

Enemies to Lovers Alley
Only One Bed Lane
Marriage of Convenience Avenue
Aristocrat in Disguise Road

Today's books:
Group 2 - Claiming the Highlander's Heart by Lily Maxton vs Beauty Tempts the Beastby Lorraine Heath (March 19th, 8pm)
Group 10 - An Unconditional Freedom by Alyssa Cole vs Girls Before Earls by Anna Bennett (March 19th, 8pm)
Group 18 - The Earl and the Reluctant Lady by Robyn DeHart vs Governess Gone Rogue by Laure Lee Gukrke (March 19th, 8pm)
Group 26 - The Infamous Duchess by Sophie Barnes vs A Good Duke Is Hard to Find by Christina Britton (March 19th, 8pm)

Title: Claiming the Highlander's Heart
Author: Lily Maxton
Publisher: Entangled
Release: July 9, 2018
Series: The Townsends #4
Pages: 260

Synopsis:

Georgina Townsend has never behaved like a "proper" lady. Her family accuses her of being impulsive, sometimes to the point of recklessness. And they must be right. Because when a band of Highland outlaws steals Georgina's late mother's music box, instead of letting the proper authorities take care of the matter, she disguises herself as a Highland lass and joins the group of outlaws to find the stolen item. She certainly doesn’t plan on falling for their charming leader…

Malcolm Stewart has never met a more bold and captivating woman than the mysterious lass who suddenly shows up to join his small band of outlaws. But while she fits in easily, she’s more distracting than he expected. When he returned from the war to find his life destroyed, Mal decided to get revenge on the Highland landlords, whom he blames for the death of his family. Falling in love isn’t part of that plan—especially not with the sister of one of the very landlords he's sworn to fight against.

You Can Find it At:

Title: Beauty Tempts the Beast
Author: Lorraine Heath
Publisher: Avon
Release: September 29, 2020
Series: Sins for All Seasons #6
Pages: 370

Synopsis:

She wants lessons in seduction

Althea Stanwick was a perfect lady destined to marry a wealthy lord, until betrayal left her family penniless. Though she’s lost friends, fortune, and respectability, Althea has gained a scandalous plan. If she can learn to seduce, she can obtain power over men and return to Society on her terms. She even has the perfect teacher in mind, a man whose sense of honor and dark good looks belie his nickname: Beast.

But desire like this can’t be taught

Benedict Trewlove may not know his parentage but he knows where he belongs—on the dark side of London, offering protection wherever it’s needed. Yet no woman has ever made such an outrageous request as this mysterious beauty. Althea is out of place amongst vice and sin, even if she offers a wicked temptation he can’t resist. But as the truth of his origin emerges at last, it will take a fierce, wild love to overcome their pasts.

You Can Find it At:

Title: An Unconditional Freedom
Author: Alyssa Cole
Publisher: Kensington
Release: February 26, 2019
Series: The Loyal League #3
Pages: 320

Synopsis:

Daniel Cumberland’s uneventful life as a freed man in Massachusetts ended the night he was kidnapped and sold into slavery. To then have his freedom restored by the very man who stole his beloved’s heart is almost too much to bear. When he’s offered entry into the Loyal League, the covert organization of spies who helped free him, Daniel seizes the opportunity to help take down the Confederacy and vent the rage that consumes him.

When the Union Army occupies Janeta Sanchez’s small Florida town, her family’s goodwill and ties to Cuba fail to protect her father from being unjustly imprisoned for treason. To ensure her father’s release, Janeta is made an offer she can’t refuse: spy for the Confederacy. Driven by a desire for vengeance and the hope of saving her family, she agrees to infiltrate the Loyal League as a double agent.

Daniel is both aggravated and intrigued by the headstrong recruit. For the first time in months, he feels something other than anger, but a partner means being accountable, and Daniel’s secret plan to settle a vendetta and strike a blow for the Union can be entrusted to no one. As Janeta and Daniel track Jefferson Davis on his tour of the South, their dual hidden missions are threatened by the ghosts of their pasts and a growing mutual attraction—that might be their only hope for the future.

You Can Find it At:
The Ripped Bodice
Kobo
iBooks
Indiebound
Barnes & Noble
Amazon

Title: Girls Before Earls
Author: Anna Bennett
Publisher: St. Martin's
Release: December 28, 2021
Series: Rogues to Lovers #1
Pages: 307

Synopsis:

WHAT A GIRL WANTS

To survive her difficult childhood, Miss Hazel Lively relied on two things:a tough outer shell and a love of books. Now, at the age of twenty-eight, she’s finally realized her life-long dream of opening a school for girls. She’s hoping that the wealthy families who flock to the shore for the summer will entrust their daughters to Bellehaven Academy―and help pay the way for less fortunate students. All Hazel must do is maintain a flawless reputation and raise a good deal of money. It’s a foolproof plan…till a sinfully handsome earl strides into her office.

WHAT AN EARL NEEDS

Gabriel Beckett, Earl of Bladenton, has had a monstrous headache since the day his teenaged niece became his ward. She’s been expelled from two London boarding schools and is doing her damnedest to scare off his potential fiancée. But Blade has a plan of his own―enroll his niece at Bellehaven Academy, where she’ll be out of town and out of his hair. He just needs to convince the buttoned-up headmistress with the soulful brown eyes to take on his niece.

LEAD TO AN IRRESISTIBLE DEAL

When Blade makes a generous offer to the school, it’s impossible for Hazel to refuse. But she has one non-negotiable condition: the earl must visit his niece every other week. Soon, Blade discovers there’s much more to Hazel than meticulous lesson plans. In moonlit seaside coves and candlelit ballrooms, their sparring leads to flirtation…and something altogether deeper. But the passion that flares between them poses a threat to Hazel’s school and Blade’s battered heart. They say a good thing can’t last forever, but true love? Well, it just might…

You Can Find it At:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Books-A-Million
Chapters Indigo
IndieBound
The Book Depository

Title: The Earl and the Reluctant Lady
Author: Robyn DeHart
Publisher: Entangled
Release: November 12, 2018
Series: Lords of Vice #3
Pages: 249

Synopsis:

He knew he could never have her…

From the very moment Agnes Watkins walked into his life, Fletcher Banks, Earl of Wakefield, has wanted her. Agnes is not just beautiful, she’s clever and determined. Despite her uncommon beauty, she refuses to conform to society’s standards. She’s also the sister of the man who holds Fletcher’s career as a spy in his hands. And that makes her completely off-limits.

She thought she could change him…

Tall, impossibly broad, and handsome as a sin, Fletcher Banks is a brazen scoundrel. Known for his reputation as the greatest lover in London, he’s the only man who’s ever proved a temptation for Agnes. Her duties with the Ladies of Virtue means she can’t overlook his lustful ways. The time has come to reform this rake.

Together their desire is undeniable.

With Agnes setting her virtuous sights on him, Fletcher can’t ignore her any longer. Maybe spending more time with her will release him from his infatuation with her without falling further from her brother’s good graces. But the more time they spend together, the harder it is to deny that this infatuation may be more than lust…

You Can Find it At:
Amazon

Title: Governess Gone Rogue
Author: Laura Lee Guhrke
Publisher: Avon
Release: January 29, 2019
Series: Dear Lady Truelove #3
Pages: 372

Synopsis:

Dear Lady Truelove...

My twin brother and I need a new mother, though Papa insists he'll never marry again. Must be nice, brainy, and fond of cats...

Lady Truelove may be London's most famous advice columnist, but James St. Clair, the Earl of Kenyon, knows his wild young sons need a tutor, not a new mother. They need a man tough enough to make his hellions tow the line, and James is determined to find one.

Miss Amanda Leighton, former schoolteacher and governess, knows she has all the qualifications to be a tutor. And while female tutors are unheard of, Amanda isn't about to lose the chance at her dream job because of pesky details like that. If Lord Kenyon insists on hiring a man, then she has only one option.

Jamie isn't sure what to make of his new employee, until he realizes the shocking truth—beneath the ill-fitting suits, his boys' tutor is a woman. An unconventional, outspoken, thoroughly intriguing woman. Despite Amanda's deception, he can't dismiss her when his boys are learning so much. Yet Jamie, too, is learning surprising lessons—about desire, seduction, and passionate second chances.

You Can Find it At:

Title: The Infamous Duchess
Author: Sophie Barnes
Publisher: Avon
Release: March 26, 2019
Series: Diamonds in the Rough #4
Pages: 376

Synopsis:

A woman with a shocking past… 

Branded a money-hungry con artist for marrying the elderly Duke of Tremaine days before his death, Viola Cartwright has found refuge in her work at St. Agatha’s Hospital. No one must know the painful reason behind her marriage. She steers clear of attachments—until Henry Lowell, heir to the Viscount Armswell, lands on her operating table after a duel. Charming and wickedly handsome, Lowell is one of London’s most inveterate scoundrels. Yet he may not be all that he appears.

And the man who can promise a future filled with love… 

Posing as an unrepentant rake has helped Lowell avoid women pursuing him only for his title. But now that duty has finally called on him to marry, he finds himself entranced by the mysterious, independent-minded Viola. Then her late husband’s son returns from overseas, contesting Viola’s inheritance. Lowell longs to help her and sets out to convince Viola that a strategic union may be the best way to save all she holds dear. But can he also persuade her to take a chance on love…?

You Can Find it At:
Indiebound
Amazon
B&N
Kobo
Apple Books
Google Play

Title: A Good Duke Is Hard to Find
Author: Christina Britton
Publisher: Forever
Release: June 30, 2020
Series: Isle of Synne #1
Pages: 351

Synopsis:

After her third fiancé leaves her at the altar, Lenora Hartley is beginning to think she's cursed. One thing's for certain: she needs to escape London and her father's tyrannical attempts to find her yet another suitor. The Isle of Synne, an isolated and idyllic retreat off Britain's northern coast, is blessedly far from society's gossip, but it also carries haunting reminders of her first fiancé. Letting go of the past to find happiness seems impossible—until Lenora is thrown in the path of a gruff, mysterious blue-eyed man who makes her pulse race.

Next in line for a dukedom he doesn't want to inherit, Peter Ashford is only on the isle to exact revenge on the man who is responsible for his mother's death. Once he's completed the task, he'll return to America where his life can finally be his own. Yet when he meets the beautiful and kind Miss Hartley, he can't help but be drawn to her. Can Peter put aside his plans for vengeance for the woman who has come to mean everything to him?

You Can Find it At:
Ripped Bodice

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