*being books I read in 2020, for the first time, rather than only limited to books published in 2020, and in no specific order, except for probably by author because I tend to read an author’s whole backlog when I ~discover~ them
**These are also, exclusively, books I gave 5 stars to. Didn’t intend it, but here we are.
Did this for my own gratification to sift through all the books I read this year, but thought it could serve as a recommendation list too! I pretty much exclusively read Historical (Regency) Romances, so that’s what this is.
1. The Captive by Grace Burrowes- Absolutely moving book, my new standard for hurt comfort
2. The Traitor by Grace Burrowes- ~villain~ from book 1 on this list as the MC and also super moving and just generally Great
3. Andrew: Lord of Despair by Grace Burrowes- I read the summary. I was not interested. I decided to read the first 10 pages before bed. Read the first 190 pages.
The rest of the list is under the cut, 29th entry has a spoiler so just be pre-warned.
4. Darius by Grace Burrows- I hate the trope this book covers, and yet I loved this book
5. The Seduction of an English Scoundrel by Jillian Hunter- So funny, actually I loved this whole series and since it is 15 books long, I won’t list them all. Just know I loved them. Most of them.
6. Teresa Medeiros. Seriously almost all of her books. Specifically, though: The Vampire Who Loved Me, After Midnight, One Night Of Scandal, Charming the Prince, and Thief of Hearts
7. Yours Until Dawn by Teresa Medeiros- This one was so good, it needs its own spot even though I also loved the ones above. This book though.
8. The Wedding Night by Barbara Dawson Smith- love people already married who come back together and fall in love, and this one delivered
9. The Markham Hall Series by Sierra Simone- erotica, Good book, I reread favorite scenes all the time
10. Duke I'd Like to F... and Naughty Brits- Two anthology that had to be read for their titles alone, liked all the stories which is all that really matters to me with anthologies
11. Two Rogues Make a Right by Cat Sebastian- so sweet, another hurt/comfort
12. The entire Sebastian St. Cyr Series by C.S. Harris- murder mysteries set after the Napoleonic Wars. LOVED. Also nice to see a love story play out over several books.
13. Someone to Romance by Mary Balogh- I’m going to be honest: I love everything Mary Balogh writes. Her books just work for me.
14. The Deadly Hours- another anthology, but I really only liked Susanna Kearsley and C.S. Harris’ stories. Still, worth it for me!
15. The Will Darling Adventures Series by KJ Charles- these boys. Charles makes me feel her books viscerally in a way I like.
16. Daring and the Duke by Sarah MacLean- Another villain (sort of) turned MC for this one. MacLean makes me like characters I don’t expect to like, and I would legitimately like anything she wrote so here we are.
17. A Dark and Stormy Knight by Kerrigan Bryne- I hated the MC of this book in the rest of this series and now I like him, so again, here we are
18. The Earl of Christmas Past by Kerrigan Bryne- healed my pain from the Ghost and Mrs. Muir, and that is all I will say on the matter
19. All Scot and Bothered by Kerrigan Bryne- I think its clear that I just like Bryne’s books.
20. Marry in Scarlet by Anne Gracie- I was so excited for this book and it managed to exceed by expectations.
21. Amanda Quick- Just, all of them yet again. I literally gave most of them 5 stars and cannot reduce them to my favorites. I liked all of them. You can message me for specifics cause they do cross genres ect., but just know that I loved them all.
22. The Lord I Left by Scarlett Peckham- as a person with a complicated relationship with religion, this book appealed to me, and you know ~I hope that didn’t awaken anything in me~
23. The Rakess by Scarlett Peckham- loved the thesis of the book (if you can call it that in a fiction book). Thought it was really well done.
24. Something Wicked by Jo Beverly- it has been months since I read this book and every time I think about it, I’m like, damn that was a good book. Enemy-ish characters and like....my stomach hurt when I was reading it? I was that emotionally distressed. This book made me feel some kind of way.
25. That Scandalous Evening by Christina Dodd- young woman sculpts crush, gets the proportions of his....manly bits wrong because she’s an innocent, he’s embarrassed, she’s ostracized for 10 years! and then they meet again and its great and hilarious
26. My Favorite Bride by Christina Dodd- I’m 1000% sure this is a The Sound of Music retelling and it’s Perfect
27. House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas- I just think it was Neat. World building, characters, Maas, I liked it.
28. Chasing Cassandra by Lisa Kleypas- there was a scene cut from a previous book in this series about the characters in this book and it appears in this book, but someone posted it and every so often, I would read that scene over and over because it was so good and the full book did not disappoint me.
29. The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo- ok, this is a well written book but it has low ratings on goodreads for its ****SPOILERS**** psuedo-incest between two step-siblings. ***END SPOILERS*** I think its a little unfair, because it is a good book, and I love Choo’s writing, but I mean I understand that it can be a problematic read for some people.
and finally
30. Ten Things I Hate About the Duke by Loretta Chase- I’ve been waiting 3! years! for this book and boy was it worth that wait. I’m not even done with it yet, but yeah, it’s working for me.
Oh, the seductive power of cover art. Whereas my intellect reminds me that a connected novel showed this book will probably not work for me, my eyes are protesting that such a gorgeous package could not possibly contain anything less than a sumptuous reading experience. Until I look up reviews and rediscover for the nth time that this is a Regency, not, alas, a Georgian, and draw a sigh, half relieved, half wistful.
(The Duchess Diaries by Jillian Hunter, part of her Bridal Pleasures/Boscastle series. Art by Jon Paul Ferrara.)
Jillian Hunter is the pen name of Maria Gardner, an American author of historical romance novels. She is the author of twenty critically acclaimed novels, among them the bestselling Boscastle series. She has received several awards, including the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award. She lives in Southern California with her husband and three daughters. Taken from her Fantastic Fiction page.
Books Include:
Boscastle Family || Other Historicals || Anthologies
My favorite series by Jillian Hunter is her Boscastle Family series.
Boscastle Family: The Seduction of an English Scoundrel: "It would have been the wedding of the year-had the groom, Sir Nigel Boscastle, bothered to put in an appearance. To the shock of her distinguished guests, the respectable Lady Jane Welsham is left humiliated at the altar. Yet truth be told, although outwardly ruined she is elated to have escaped marriage to a man she does not love.
Enter Grayson Boscastle, the irresistible Marquess of Sedgecroft (and cousin to Nigel). Grayson's duty is clear: salvage the young lady's pride and reestablish the family's good name, while repairing his own tarnished reputation as one of London's most notorious scoundrels. Their whirlwind affair is the talk of the ton. Yet nothing is as it seems between the bewitching Lady Jane, who knows that her wedding was cleverly sabotaged, and her charming rogue, as they are drawn into an amusing game of seduction and secrets." Taken from the novel's Fantastic Fiction page.
Boscastle Family:
The Seduction of an English Scoundrel
The Love Affair of and English Lord
The Wedding Night of an English Rogue
The Wicked Games of a Gentleman
The Sinful Nights of a Nobleman
The Devilish Pleasures of a Duke
Wicked As Sin
A Wicked Lord at the Wedding
The Wicked Duke Takes a Wife
A Duke's Temptation
A Bride Unveiled
The Duchess Diaries
The Mistress Memoirs
The Countess Confessions
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Book Review For "Wicked As Sin"
Book Review for “Wicked as Sin”
Written by: Jillian Hunter
Ballantine Books
ISBN: 978-0-345-503930
327 pages
4.5 Stars
Hunter spins a tale of passion which has lasted seven long years with “Wicked as Sin.” As a young boy, Gabriel Boscastle was put in the local pillory to be disgraced. The only person who showed him an ounce of compassion was the graceful Lady Aletha Claridge. Her compassion remained with Gabriel after he left Helbourne and stayed buried in his heart for seven long years. When he finally returns to the place of his upbringing, he’s a celebrated cavalry officer and a rake. Aletha is still graceful and compassionate, awakening the love that Gabriel has harbored in his heart for her after seven long, hard years.
The novel opens with Gabriel’s return to Helbourne. He’s crossing a condemned bridge. Aletha spies him from her estate and goes to help. Gabriel makes it across, but seeing Aletha again has ignited his long dormant passion he had for her. To his surprise, Aletha is still single. Her fiancé was killed in the war. Unknown to Gabriel, her fiancé, Jeremy Hazlett, had raped her before he left. Aletha harbors no fondness for Jeremy’s memory. Jeremy’s brother, Guy, makes a proposal to Aletha to be her protector, but Gabriel shows up and kicks the married man of four out of the house. Aletha is grateful. Gabriel and Aletha share a kiss that reawakens the passion between them.
Gabriel initially intends to sell Helbourne Hall, but decides to hold onto it for a little longer. Over the course of five weeks, Aletha invites Gabriel over for Friday night dinner parties and the parties fan the flames of their desires. Finally, Gabriel returns after leaving late one night and the couple make love.
Gabriel proposes to Aletha. She accepts. He takes her to London to announce his engagement to the London Boscastles, but on the night of the engagement party, he learns that Aletha has met the acquaintance of Audrey Watson, a woman who runs a bordello. Gabriel thinks Aletha is a courtesan. He leaves without announcing his engagement, making Aletha look bad. Aletha is heartbroken.
While Gabriel is gone, he learns the truth about Aletha from Guy Hazlett – that his brother raped Aletha. Gabriel feels guilty for treating Aletha so poorly. He goes to the Claridge townhouse and the couple have a passionate argument before making up. The wedding is back on and the couple marry, but not before Gabriel has an encounter with his long, lost brother Sebastien.
This is the seventh of the Boscastle series and just as enjoyable as the others. The novel is fast paced. The plot is tight and consistent. It was nice to see how the other Boscastle women (Jane, Julia, Chloe, Emma) were doing, but I missed the presence of Eloise and Jocelyn in this book. I enjoyed Aletha’s character. She was very warm and compassionate – very earthy. I also liked how freely Gabriel and Aletha admitted and embraced their love.
Hunter’s love scenes are graphic, yet tasteful. The dialogue is sharp and witty between Aletha and Gabriel. The introduction of Sebastien seemed a little forced, and I think I’d like to see a novel taking a second look a few of the previous Boscastles romances instead of moving onto to a new romance. Overall, “Wicked as Sin,” is a sinful delight to read.
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Book Review For "The Seduction of an English Scoundrel"
Book Review for “The Seduction of an English Scoundrel”
Written by: Jillian Hunter
Ballantine Books
ISBN 978-0-345-46121-6
371 pages
$6.99
5 Stars
Hunter dives into regency England, weaving a delightful heart-warming romp of seduction and romance. Set in 1815 England, Hunter introduces the roguish Boscastle family – four men and one girl full of passion and a desire to live life to its fullest. “The Seduction of an English Scoundrel” tells the story of Grayson Boscastle, the fifth Marquess of Sedgecroft. Grayson has it all – charm, wit, and style, yet he wants to set an example for his roguish siblings and he’s not quite sure where to start.
The novel opens with Grayson hosting a wedding between his cousin, Nigel, and Lady Jane Belshire. Unfortunately, Nigel never shows up. As Jane waits at the bleak altar, Grayson notices her and is impressed by her ability to weather such a devasting event. He admires her fortitude and her physical attributes. His heart goes out to the jilted bride and he offers to save her reputation with the ton by being seen with her. Her parents agree. Jane, who had conspired with Nigel to be jilted at the altar so neither of them would be forced to enter into a loveless marriage, is stunned by Grayson’s offer. She has no recourse but to agree to his plan.
For Grayson, this offer is a bit out of character for him. He’s a scoundrel, not a knight on a white horse. He begins to escort Jane out on the town and quickly finds her alluring. The scoundrel in him can’t help himself – he boldly takes kisses from Jane – kisses that hint of a deeper hunger between them.
As Grayson “falsely” courts Jane for the ton, the courtship takes an unspoken deeper meaning for him. He aches to be with Jane, to show her how desirable she is, and Jane, despite herself, revels in his attention. The white-hot chemistry between the two leads Grayson to take indecent liberties with Jane who gives in with little protest. After all, she’s falling in love with him.
Grayson soon realizes his “false” courtship is real to him. He wants to make Jane his wife – even after discovering how she plotted with Nigel to bring about her wedding disaster. Jane wants to tell him or her duplicitous wedding plot, but fears Grayson will leave her if he does.
Grayson soon contracts with her parents to marry her. Then he takes her to his family’s villa near the sea. They consummate their relationship in a pleasure filled night of bliss. The next day, Jane realizes Grayson knows what she did to wreck her wedding to Nigel. She tries to disentangle herself from Grayson, but it proves a challenge. When Grayson finally admits to it, Jane says she wants him to court her for real or she won’t marry him.
Hunter’s writing is sharp. The plot moves at the right pace, keeping the reader turning the page. Grayson and Jane are perfectly matched and the supporting cast also have their own interesting stories to tell. The love scenes are tasteful and passionate.
Hunter writes in a point of view that shifts between characters within scenes. Known as a “Lonesome Dove” perspective, (after the same novel) this point of view can be confusing to readers, but the romance genre in general is forgiving of it.
“The Seduction of an English Scoundrel” is a wickedly sinful romance that the reader will enjoy.
