Author: ramblingmads

The gorgeous and spicy new romance from Emma Orchard, perfect for everyone waiting for their next Bridgerton fix!

June, 1817

Sir Dominic De Lacy – one of the season’s most eligible gentlemen – has recently proposed marriage… to a woman he scarcely knows. But his father’s choice for him, Miss Maria Nightingale, seems amiable, and at 29, Dominic cannot live the life of a bachelor forever. He hopes he can provide a happy future for her as they learn to care for each other.

Maria, however, has other ideas. Midway through their engagement celebrations, she confesses to Dominic that she is not Maria at all, but her identical twin sister, Margaret. Maria has disappeared, and Margaret’s been persuaded to take her place until she’s found – and for that she needs Dominic’s help. The pair quickly find they make a formidable team, but with just three weeks to avoid the biggest scandal of the season, time is against them.

But even if they find Maria, can they really hope the wedding will happen? Because, as they are starting to realise, chemistry can’t be arranged – and Sir Dominic might just be engaged to the wrong Miss Nightingale…

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Emma Orchard grew up in Salford and was given tickets to the grown-up library at the age of 11 because she’d read all the children’s books and the librarians were sick of the sight of her. She became obsessed with Georgette Heyer and hasn’t stopped reading her novels since. She studied English Literature at university and went on to work at Mills & Boon and behind the scenes in television and in publishing.

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My thoughts: This was lots of fun, and as Francis (the twins’ brother) pointed out, has something of Twelth Night about it, what with twins swapping places, as well as misunderstandings, blackmail, potential scandals, a doddering buffoon, a fortune gone awry, and love finding a way. 

When Meg pretends to be her missing twins sister Maria, she finds that Sir Dominic de Lacy might just be rather the one for her, than for her sister. Who is fine, just didn’t quite get around to letting anyone know.

As Meg and Dominic untangle the web of lies, blackmail, misunderstandings and money their families are wrapped in, they discover that most of their relations are pretty good people and that they can resolve things so everyone gets what they need and want most. Including themselves.

Super enjoyable, funny, romantic and entertaining. What more could you want?

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

Lucia loved her brother Dinu to the depths of her soul, but she also worried about him. He was intelligent yet ambitious, resilient yet hot-headed, and there was a dark side to him that could lead him into terrible trouble one day.

Sicily, 1943: Lucia and her twin brother Dinu have always been inseparable, but their bond is threatened when Gero, the son of close family friends in America, arrives in their village. Although she finds herself developing feelings for him, Lucia worries about Gero’s dangerous connections and their influence on her brother.
As the chaos of World War II closes in, Lucia must navigate love and loyalty to make a difficult choice.
Will she risk that the consequences of her decision could bring untold horrors and affect her family for decades to come?

2005: When Jess inherits a baglio, an ancient feudal farmhouse in Sicily, from the grandmother she never knew, she’s determined to uncover the truth about her family’s hidden past. Following the death of her parents and on the brink of divorce, Jess travels to the island alone. There, with the help of a charming Sicilian, she embarks on a quest to unearth a web of long-buried secrets.

But answers come at a price, and Jess must decide if she’s ready to confront a truth that could change everything…

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Siobhan Daiko is a British historical fiction author. A lover of all things Italian, she lives in the Veneto region of northern Italy with her husband, a Havanese dog and a Siberian cat. Siobhan was born of English parents in Hong Kong, attended boarding school in Australia, and then moved to the UK — where she taught modern foreign languages in a Welsh high school. She now spends her time writing page-turners and living the dolce vita sweet life near Venice. Her novels are compelling, poignant, and deeply moving, with strong characters and evocative settings, but always with romance at their heart.

Facebook: @SiobhanDaiko
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My thoughts: Sicily in the Second World War, at one point fighting alongside the Germans, then later, with the Allies. A Sicilian friend once told me Sicily is a bit like Italy, but better.

Lucia worries about her twin brother being drawn into the circle around the local Cosa Nostro don, but is powerless to stop it from happening, her family are poor and Dinu sees become one of the Mafia as an easy way to make money, not thinking of the violence and crime involved. As Lucia worries, she also falls for Gero, the son of old family friends.

Jess is getting to know the area of Sicily her grandmother came from, but she has so many questions. She knows nothing about her mother’s family, a rift before she was born means she is in the dark completely. Learning about Lucia and Gero, and about her great-uncle Dinu will draw her into a terrible tale of family division that lasted generations. She’s also distracted by a handsome Sicilian of her own, just as she’s ready to move on after her divorce.

As the two women’s stories slowly collide, bringing the past into the present, can Jess heal the wounds of the past and fulfil her grandmother’s wish that she find a home and happiness in Sicily?

Charming, romantic, and shocking too, this was a great read, and highly enjoyable.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

A man on the hunt for a traitor. A woman in search of the truth.

Gabrielle Mercer is in trouble. Her cousin is missing, her father’s death looks like murder, and now there are rumours she is spying for the French. With no one to turn to, dare she accept help from a man she doesn’t like?

Jack Ashdown is on a mission to unmask a ruthless spy. Could it be the reclusive young Frenchwoman who has made no secret of her contempt for Englishmen like himself? Perhaps Gabrielle’s predicament will be the perfect opportunity to win her trust and do some spying of his own.

Getting close to one’s enemy is a dangerous option, but the stakes for Jack and Gabrielle are too high to ignore. Will their gamble to trust one another lead to disaster, or will they discover that neither of them is what they seem?

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Penny Hampson writes mysteries, and because she has a passion for history, you’ll find her stories also reflect that. A Gentleman’s Promise, a traditional Regency romance, was Penny’s debut novel and the first of her Gentlemen Series.
Penny lives with her family in Oxfordshire, and when she is not writing, she enjoys reading, walking, swimming, and the odd gin and tonic (not all at the same time).

For more on Penny’s writing, visit her blog
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Penny’s books are all available on Amazon

My thoughts: I really liked Gabrielle, not least because she shares a last name with my great-grandmother who was also French. She’s a survivor, and despite coming from an aristocratic background isn’t afraid to work hard and support herself and other refugees from Napoleon Bonaparte’s France.

When her cousin Michel disappears, leaving her sick uncle worried, she wants to find him, and her new friend recommends asking her dashing nephew Jack to help. Jack is however on the trail of a spy. Could it be Gabrielle?

As the duo (and Jack’s delightful aunt) head to Bath and then Cornwall on Michel’s trail, can they resist the connection between them and can Jack resist the urge to demand Gabrielle tells him where her allegiances truly lie?

A fun romp around the English countryside hunting spies, pretending to be a married couple and drinking the gross Bath waters, bickering all the way! A delight.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.