Of dukes, a magistrate, and happily ever afters.

Hello, everyone! How is your reading this week?

Honestly, I’m having a blah week. Academic-wise, I need to submit the complete draft of my Master’s thesis to my supervisor in a week, and wrapping up my writing is the single, most hardest thing to do right now.

Boring stuff aside, I finally created a shelf for single parents on my Goodreads, and because I love multiple shelves, I decided to split them into separate shelves for single mothers and single fathers. I’m also reorganizing books in my age gap shelf. For some reason, I’ve been shelving books with minimum age difference of five years and above into that shelf, and I now realized that it didn’t really make sense; five years aren’t that big of a gap, right?

On a bookish-related note, the first book in one of my all-time favourite series, the All Souls trilogy, is getting a TV adaptation! I thought I was over books with vampires in them, but then I got hooked on A Discovery of Witches and proved myself wrong. The author, Deborah Harkness, announced on Monday that the main characters Diana Bishop and Matthew Clairmont will be played by Teresa Palmer and Matthew Goode. 

Granted, they aren’t how I pictured Diana and Matthew, but I’m excited nonetheless. Now onwards for some mini reviews!

LADY SOPHIA’S LOVER [★★★★]

Lady Sophia's Lover is the second book in Lisa Kleypas' Bow Street Runner series. When I read Worth Any Price, book #3 in the series, Sir Ross intrigued me mainly because he was an enigma. He was influential and powerful, and he was the only one who could bring the notorious Nick Gentry to the right side of the law and keep him in line. We got to learn more about him in this book, and everything I learned about him I loved. He is the perfect alpha hero, I feel; he strives to give the best judgment and uphold the law in the best way that he could. He treats and cares for his employees very well, and he is so kind and honourable. Sir Ross is definitely one of my favourite LK heroes now! 

I love the relationship between Sophia and Sir Ross. I love seeing Sophia so frazzled because Sir Ross kept proving her preconceived notions about him wrong. The chemistry between them is strong and intense. Sir Ross had been celibate for years after his wife died, he's been dubbed the Monk of Bow Street for it, and yet he was not immune to Sophia's beauty, smarts, and charms. I honestly didn’t care much for the revenge plotline and Sophia didn’t, either; the girl was gone for the man by the third chapter and you can't blame her. It’s so hard not to love Sir Ross Cannon. 

THE DUCHESS DEAL [★★★★★]

I have absolutely no words to describe how much this book has blown me away. Listen, I loved Any Duchess Will Do with all my two feelings, yet I thought Do You Want to Start a Scandal was Tessa Dare’s best work after I finished it and I couldn’t imagine how she would beat that one. 

But somehow Tessa managed to outdo herself with The Duchess Deal. This book, to simply put it, is a delight. I laughed out loud multiple times at so many points in the book; the banter between Ash and Emma was amazing. Oh, the witty comebacks! Ash swearing in Shakespeare! The Beauty and the Beast vibe! The whole Monster of Mayfair thing reminds me of the Lords of Perdition. This book is also sexy as hell; there is some serious heir-begetting in here, against and on every flat surface, all the time (ok I exaggerated) (or was I?).

In short, I just love this book so much and I can’t wait to see how Tessa will top this one.

THE DUKE OF SHADOWS [★★★★]

Meredith Duran is one of the historical romance authors I always hear about but never get the chance to read until now. The Duke of Shadows was Duran's debut novel and it was so intense I couldn’t put it down until I finished. 

The first part of the book was set in India during the British colonization, and it wasn’t pretty. I love that the plot was so rich in history and did not whitewash the sufferings of the people of India at the hands of the British. The romance between Julian and Emmaline was slow but strong amidst the challenges and danger they found themselves in during the Indian Rebellion. My heart was in my throat for the most part, and I almost died when Part One ended. Part Two began in England four years after the events in Part One, so we also get a second chance romance in the plot. 

The best part of this book for me is the angst, for sure. If you love lots of pain, yearning, and tortured feelings with your romance, then this book is for you. 

Trigger warning for attempted rape, gory details, murder.

What is your favourite historical romance book?
Tell me in the comments!