Time Period – Specifically England 1811-1820 but the era can stretch 1795 to 1837 (end of reign of George III and including reigns of George IV and William IV)
Sub-Genre
The Prestons, Book #1
Heat Factor: Sometimes you just gotta bone in a shed
Character Chemistry: “We have fundamentally different values but we are still very attracted to each other.”
Plot: Max goes undercover to an estate that actually pays its workers to uncover wrongdoing in an attempt to get his dad to love him.
Overall: An interesting take on the “divided by politics” romance
Heat Factor: Closed door
Character Chemistry: When he kisses you, you know
Plot: Pride and Prejudice, from the servants’ perspective
Overall: This is a great read
Something Something, Book #2
Review of Something Something, Book #1
Heat Factor: There’s an orgy. At a poetry reading.
Character Chemistry: “I am very attracted to you but I know I can’t keep you and that is preemptively breaking my heart.”
Plot: Peggy woos an opera singer.
Overall: Spectacular indeed.
The Doomsday Books, Book #1
Heat Factor: We open with sex, then get a whole lotta feelings, and then some more sex toward the end.
Character Chemistry: Both the antagonism and the support hit perfectly.
Plot: Gareth inherits a barony, a house, and a whole lot of trouble with smugglers when his father dies. Luckily, Joss is only too happy to help him out.
Overall: An enjoyable read.
Second Sons, Book 1
Heat Factor: She’s a slow burn, friends
Character Chemistry: They have shockingly fantastic chemistry, and the way this was executed was superb and that’s my thesis
Plot: Georgette wakes up in Scotland smelling of brandy, unable to remember anything from the night before, and is clearly married to a handsome Scot. James is a second son, deeply invested in becoming a solicitor his town (and family) might respect, and is also suddenly unable to remember anything about the night before. The two of them have to retrace their steps to figure out what happened, save Georgette, and see if they have something worth saving together.
Overall: Obsessed.
The Smut Report 