How to Train Your Earl by Amelia Grey

A roguish earl must fight using his honor and not his sword to win his lady’s hand in How to Train Your Earl, the third book in the First Comes Love trilogy from bestseller Amelia Grey.

Brina Feld has settled into a life devoted to helping others since the sinking of the Salty Dove left her widowed. She has no need for a man in her contented life. But when the notorious and handsome Lord Blacknight returns and awakens her desires, her peace and serenity vanish. If she agrees to an alliance with him, she knows she will have to battle her heart to keep from being snared under his spell.

Zane, the Earl of Blacknight, was never supposed to inherit the earldom, so he didn’t much care to lead a respectable life before then. Fistfights, card games, and drinking are the order of the day. Now he’s determined to change his rakish ways and he knows the proper lady who can help him. There’s just one problem: He's already bet he’ll win her hand before the Season is over. With her resolve to out-scheme him, how can he show her that his love is true?

Don’t miss our reviews of the rest of the First Comes Love series!
For book one, The Earl Next Door, click HERE.
For book two, Gone With the Rogue, click HERE.

 

 

Book 3
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo
Paperback (US)
St. Martin’s Press

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆☆
How to Train Your Earl is the third installment in the First Comes Love series and can easily be read as a standalone with little to no confusion.

Brina is the widow of a hero, given the same respect and admiration as a man within society. Brina's charitable efforts and decorum have made her someone all look to as a good example, from the gutter to the cream of the crop. Brina is content in her life, happy to remain unmarried, as to remarry means to lose all of her independence and autonomy.

Zane unexpectedly became an earl, his entire family mourning while also fearful on whether or not Zane can be responsible enough to take good care of the family and its holdings. He's a gambler and a rake, refusing to follow the rules of polite society.

Zane needs a wife, one society respects, because he truly adores his family and wishes to make them proud, hopes to be a good earl and keep their family name respectable. Rake that he is, Zane traps Brina with a bet at White's, and that isn't something that puts him in the best light.

The angst and conflict: Brina may wish for some excitement here or there, but she is not willing to lose all her hard-earned independence, especially to a man she doesn't know, especially when he wants to marry her to satisfy a bet and his family. Then there is Zane, experiencing infatuation at first sight, willing to do anything to win Brina as his wife.

With a delightful balance of humor, romance, and banter, Zane and Brina dance around their attraction. Sweet, a little bit angsty, warm and fuzzy, How to Train Your Earl is sure to please Amelia Grey fans.

 

 

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author AMELIA GREY read her first romance book when she was thirteen and she's been a devoted reader of love stories ever since. Her awards include the Booksellers Best, Aspen Gold, and the Golden Quill. Writing as Gloria Dale Skinner, she won the coveted Romantic Times Award for Love and Laughter, and the prestigious Maggie Award. Her books have sold to many countries in Europe, Indonesia, Turkey, Russia, and Japan. Several of her books have also been featured in Doubleday and Rhapsody Book Clubs. Amelia is the author of more than twenty-five books, including the Heirs' Club trilogy and the Rakes of St. James series. She's been happily married to her high school sweetheart for over thirty-five years and she lives on the beautiful gulf coast of Northwest Florida.

Connect with Amelia

Facebook  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

 

 

 

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of How to Train Your Earl (First Comes Love #3) by Amelia Grey to read and review.

Gone with the Rogue by Amelia Grey

A powerful handsome rogue finally meets his match in Gone with the Rogue, the second book in the First Comes Love series from bestseller Amelia Grey.

She had an acceptable marriage of convenience. Now widowed, can this determined and beautiful mother find true and forever love?

The sinking of the Salty Dove took her husband’s life—but it didn’t drown Julia Fairbright’s courage to endure. She creates a proper life for herself and her young son. But now, the ton’s most notorious rogue is back, and how he makes Julia feel is anything but proper. She can’t deny the desires he awakens in her, even though she knows that the handsome devil will surely break her heart.

Garrett Stockton owns a successful shipping company and is rumored to have a woman on every continent and half-a-dozen in England. The truth, however, is that Garrett has but one mistress: the wide open sea. That is, until he meets Julia, whose spirit of independence matches his own. What begins as a flirtatious battle of wits turns far more passionate than either of them could have imagined. Suddenly, Garrett’s only desire is to sail into the sunset with Julia as his wife and young Chatwyn his son. But she won’t take his hand—how can he convince her that his love is real and his heart is hers?

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆☆
Gone with the Rogue is the second installment in the First Comes Love series. It can be read independently of the series with little to no confusion as a standalone.

As the daughter-in-law of a duke, a widowed Julia Fairbright is left to raise her son without a father. Under the duke's protection, Julia struggles as her son is used as a leash to keep her under control. Imprisoned by society as a woman, trapped due to her circumstances, after many years, Julia is willing to do anything to gain some independence while keeping her son. An animal cornered.

Julia resonated deeply with me, her emotions were spot-on in the beginning, the eggshell walking, the hopelessness of being trapped in a way of life that she didn't want to lead, while feeling as if there was no way out.

In walks Garrett Stockton, the roguish charming shipping scoundrel. As a prominent business owner, he's always on the fringes, catching sight of Julia. Always getting what he wants, and he wants Julia. Instant attraction, instant need and want, leads to instant love.

As a reader, I'm more prone to believe in the romance if it's more on the slower-building side. If it's too instant, I have a hard time connecting. While a faster pace keeps me engaged while reading, the emotions don't necessarily ring true for me. I enjoyed both characters independently of one another, wanted them to find their happily ever afters with one another, the journey there left me wanting more, maybe wanting something else.

I was confused, because there were scenes where I adored the banter, but other times I felt a disconnect, as if reading different characters with the same names. Sometimes the characterization was rich and alive, other times it came off as one-dimensional, shallow, with forced interaction.

I enjoyed the story, but was confused by how sometimes it felt like I was reading a different book from one scene to the next. The vibe. The way Julia and Garrett interacted with one another and others around them.

A worthy addition to the series, I do look forward to more, and do recommend to fans of the author and historical romance.

Also Available in the First Comes Love Series

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

For reviews & more info, check out our The Earl Next Door post.

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Amelia Grey read her first romance book when she was thirteen and she's been a devoted reader of love stories ever since. Her awards include the Booksellers Best, Aspen Gold, and the Golden Quill. Writing as Gloria Dale Skinner, she won the coveted Romantic Times Award for Love and Laughter, and the prestigious Maggie Award. Her books have sold to many countries in Europe, Indonesia, Turkey, Russia, and Japan. Several of her books have also been featured in Doubleday and Rhapsody Book Clubs. Amelia is the author of more than twenty-five books, including the Heirs' Club trilogy and the Rakes of St. James series. She's been happily married to her high school sweetheart for over thirty-five years and she lives on the beautiful gulf coast of Northwest Florida.

Connect with Amelia

Facebook  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Gone with the Rogue (First Comes Love #2) by Amelia Grey to read and review.

The Earl Next Door by Amelia Grey

What does a fiercely independent young widow really want? One determined suitor is about to find out...

When Adeline, Dowager Countess of Wake, learns of her husband’s sudden death, she realizes she’s free. At last, she can do, go, and be as she pleases. Finally, she can have the life she has always dreamed of. She doesn’t need, or want, to remarry. Especially not the supremely dashing future Marquis of Marksworth, who makes Adeline yearn for his desire...

Lord Lyonwood, son of a philandering marquis, will not be like his father. He wants to run his estates and watch them flourish—and find a wife who brings love to his life. When he meets spirited and self-reliant Adeline in a case of near-scandalous mistaken identity, Lyon feels he’s met his match. But Adeline isn’t interested in a marriage proposal. She will only accept becoming his lover—and Lyon finds it hard to refuse. Unless the fire of his passion can melt Adeline’s resolve...

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆☆
The Earl Next Door is the first in a brand-new series by Amelia Grey, which does an excellent job of introducing the characters while setting up future books.

Romance, especially historical romance is filled with novels featuring pretty young things, right on the cusp of womanhood, no longer a child yet not a full grown woman either, where they are easily manipulated by family, friends, and the hero – their only life purpose to get married, taught to lie, scheme, manipulate, and plot to get a husband. Those portrayed as the median age of the reader, are often times shown in a negative light. On a shelf by age 24, with the males always in their prime, no matter their ages. Generally, with a large age-gap, because the males had to sow their wild oats and grow up first.

Adeline is a different type of woman. Not shown as the on-the-shelf, out-of-date wallflower. While still young, she's a widow, and with that affords her respectability in her maturity. She knows how life works, because she's lived it, not because she's daydreamed and plotted about it with her mother and friends.

Adeline resonated with me as a heroine, because she wasn't impressionable, easily warped by the hero into who he wanted a wife to be. She was set in her ways, feisty and lively, but not in an over-the-top obnoxious fashion that is often used in this genre. While flawed, she accepts what she wants, and refuses to accept anything but what she sees for her future.

After losing her husband at sea, while there was no love lost between the two, Adeline uses her influence to open a school for girls who lost their guardians in a similar fashion, with her widow friends. Adeline and her new neighbor, Lyon, have a misunderstanding of a meet-cute, where he thinks she's doing something vastly different (don't want to spoil this, as it was cute yet infuriating yet hilarious).

Misunderstanding out of the way, Lyon is patient and kind, a man who also knows who and what he wants out of life, but is mature enough to coax it, not demand it. A bit of banter and tension, most of the time, the newly forming couple comes off as comfortable...

Adeline and Lyon did seem a bit boring, and I say that in a positive way, even if it doesn't sound like it. It was a more mature take on the mating dance and romance, where they were honest and didn't get in their own way. Readers who are looking for juvenile behaviors, while this brings excitement and keeps things angsty, the mature romance in The Earl Next Door is befitting of a widow and a grown man.

The main reason I didn't hand out a 5-star rating is the flow, the execution, and the meandering nature of too much inner monologue. Adeline and Lyon liked to explain their actions, reactions, and motivations, sometimes at ad nauseam. This affected the overall flow, making the novel feel longer than it was, slowing the pacing to a crawl, while pulling me from the storyline.

I look forward to future installments, intrigued by the stories for Adeline's widow friends. The premise of a series surrounding widows will have me coming back for more and more, looking for a more mature take on romance, especially in the Historical Romance genre. Highly recommend to fans of the author and the genre, and I can't wait to get my hands on more.

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Amelia Grey read her first romance book when she was thirteen and she's been a devoted reader of love stories ever since. Her awards include the Booksellers Best, Aspen Gold, and the Golden Quill. Writing as Gloria Dale Skinner, she won the coveted Romantic Times Award for Love and Laughter, and the prestigious Maggie Award. Her books have sold to many countries in Europe, Indonesia, Turkey, Russia, and Japan. Several of her books have also been featured in Doubleday and Rhapsody Book Clubs. Amelia is the author of more than twenty-five books, including the Heirs' Club trilogy and the Rakes of St. James series. She's been happily married to her high school sweetheart for over thirty-five years and she lives on the beautiful gulf coast of Northwest Florida.

Connect with Amelia

Facebook  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of The Earl Next Door (First Comes Love #1) by Amelia Grey to read and review.

It's All About the Duke by Amelia Grey

Nearing thirty, the Duke of Rathburne is finally ready to make amends for the wager that caused him and his best friends such scandal―but taking on a ward who needs a husband is a feat he’s not sure he can manage. The last he saw of Miss Marlena Fast, she was a spirited little ruffian, not the sort of bride most bachelors on the marriage mart sought. But one glance at the lovely lady she has become is enough to convince him otherwise…

Orphaned young and shuffled from family to family, Marlena counts on her fierce independence and quick wits to keep herself content. Being the responsibility of a notoriously wicked duke who upended so many lives is an unexpected challenge when she realizes he arouses her decidedly feminine desires. Marlena must be careful. She has her own scandalous secret to protect. If he finds out, will it shatter her chances of a happily-ever-after with the notorious rake?

It's All About the Duke is the next Regency romance in The Rakes of St. James series from Amelia Grey.

Book 3
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆
I was highly anticipating this installment, after handing out a 5-star rating to To the Duke, with Love. While this is a continuation, and it will benefit the reader to start at the beginning of the series and read in order, there would be little to no confusion if read as a standalone.

I will admit, I struggled throughout the course of the novel with keeping my interests. I was able to read a chapter here or there until completion, and this may have affected my overall enjoyment. However, I did read the first 40% in one sitting.

The pacing was a big issue for me. It starts off molasses slow. While I enjoyed Marlena and Rath's narration, my pet peeves were popping out everywhere. Their initial meeting took almost 20% of the book, filled with conversation, inner musing/monologues breaking up dialogue, excessive description which also interrupted the flow of conversation, and eye-humping each other while thinking about how amazingly beautiful/handsome the other was.

Attraction is definitely what I expect from an initial meeting, but this was too close to self-admitting being in love. While this took a great portion of the novel, it was literal minutes of their lives.

Rath was a naughty boy in the past, he and the heroes of the previous installments. Wagering on ladies and treating them less than human. They've all learned the error of their ways, character growth. He is now picking up the duty of introducing his new ward to the ton for a season. Rath, the insulter of ladies, will be protecting one – I loved the juicy irony of that.

Marlena is an orphan, but also a grown woman. After witnessing how naughty men treated the fairer sex, she penned Miss Honoria Truth. In the previous installments, I loved the witty, feminist bent to the little ditties scattered throughout the series, and I just couldn't wait for the author to narrate a book of her own.

Marlena fell short of my expectations. I felt she was too focused on the vapid, outside package of Rath's, when I expected more from her. She was always mooning (inside her head) over how handsome he was, reminding the reader every few paragraphs, as if we could somehow forget Rath's impressive attributes. It felt shallow, as if Marlena was not the Miss Honoria Truth I'd come to love – entertainer and avenger of ladies everywhere.

In a nutshell, I'm a sucker for a guardian and his ward entanglement. Added to the fact he was a reformed reprobate and she was the one who took him to task in the media, sparks should have been flying everywhere. But it all felt forced, due to the pacing, repetition of inner monologue via both narrators, and description breaking up every conversation to be had and any and all action scenes.

I do believe it was a solid installment of the series. These are my pet peeves that made it difficult to enjoy the novel. If we don't share these same issue, no doubt you will highly enjoy it. I do recommend to fans of the author and the series.

Also Available in The Rakes of St. James Series

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

For reviews & more info, check out our Last Night with the Duke post.

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

For reviews & more info, check out our To the Duke, With Love post.

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Amelia Grey read her first romance book when she was thirteen and she’s been a devoted reader of love stories ever since. Her awards include the Booksellers Best, Aspen Gold, and the Golden Quill. Writing as Gloria Dale Skinner, she won the coveted Romantic Times Award for Love and Laughter and the prestigious Maggie Award. Her books have sold to many countries in Europe, Indonesia, Turkey, Russia, and most recently to Japan. Several of her books have also been featured in Doubleday and Rhapsody Book Clubs. Amelia is the author of twenty-five books. She’s been happily married to her high school sweetheart for over thirty-five years and she lives on the beautiful gulf coast of Northwest Florida.

Connect with Amelia

Facebook  ~  Google+  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of It's All About the Duke (The Rakes of St. James #3) by Amelia Grey to read and review.

To the Duke, With Love by Amelia Grey

The next lush, romantic novel in the Regency romance series, The Rakes of St. James, from New York Times bestselling author Amelia Grey!

There may be times when a gentleman is desperate to gain a lady’s attention, but a gentleman would never resort to desperate measures to obtain it.
―A Proper Gentleman’s Guide to Wooing the Perfect Lady

Sloane Knox, the Duke of Hawksthorn is guardian for his sweet, younger sister. Due to his misguided past as one of the infamous Rakes of St James, Hawk is hoping to avoid the Season by securing a match for her before it begins. He has the perfect gentleman in mind, but for one infuriating―and unexpectedly intoxicating―obstacle: the intended groom’s own sister, Miss Loretta Quick.

Having narrowly avoided her own arranged marriage to an unacceptable nobleman, Loretta is determined that her dear brother―a gentle, good-natured soul―should marry for love. Matching wits with Hawk may be her greatest challenge yet… until she realizes it may also be her greatest pleasure. For the young duke’s irresistible charm has not only begun to crumble her stubborn resolve, it has claimed her heart in true love as well…

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆☆☆
To the Duke, With Love was a fast-paced, page-turning historical romance. This is the second installment of The Rakes of St. James series, but can easily be read as a standalone novel with little to no confusion.

After taking a vow to never marry, Loretta Quick has been imprisoned at Mammoth House by her ego-bruised uncle. She fled the altar to an arranged marriage, and would rather never marry, never have a life of her own, than be forced to do something without autonomy.

Stubborn, willful, and independent, Loretta is also a compassionate, passionate heroine, with the drive to do good for those who can't help themselves.

The duke, Hawk is fearful of his past misdeeds coming back to harm his little sister. The ton isn't known for being altruistic and compassionate, more like the three Vs – vicious, vindictive, and vapid. Hawk loves his sister, and would do anything to make sure she doesn't have to suffer through the Season, like she's on an auction-block with people who are out to get Hawk through her. An arranged marriage is the only other option... drawing Hawk to seek out Mr. Quick, Loretta's brother.

The plot connecting the hero and heroine together was original and inventive. Sparks fly, heads butt, challenges are made between Hawk and Loretta, as they battle over arranged marriages and their own passions. Banterific, tension-filled, push-pull romance. Hawk knows what he wants, and Loretta believes in the vow she took inside a church, but the drive to be near one another is addictive.

The side stories are heartwarming, yet the realism is slightly dark, ensuring the romance doesn't become saccharine. A young, ill orphan joins the cast, showing Loretta's compassionate and maternal sides, while keeping it real with the orphan's actions/reactions. At the same time as the romantic entanglement, the siblings show another side to love and connection.

Thoroughly entertained, I read the novel in a single sitting, after having several books in a row that didn't resonate with me – no matter the small page-count, those books dragged, filled with unnecessary detailing, bogging down the pacing and burying the plot. Amelia Grey crafted a fast-paced read, filled with everything that makes a novel engaging, while leaving out all the fluff and filler that stalls reading enjoyment and makes it feel tedious.

I highly recommend this series and novel to fans of Historical Romance, who enjoy a more contemporary writing style, versus the industry standard of purple prose, right-clicking the thesaurus, unnecessary filler, and over-description.

I cannot wait to get my hands on the third installment next summer.

Also Available in The Rakes of St. James Series

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

For reviews & more info, check out our Last Night with the Duke post.

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Amelia Grey read her first romance book when she was thirteen and she’s been a devoted reader of love stories ever since. Her awards include the Booksellers Best, Aspen Gold, and the Golden Quill. Writing as Gloria Dale Skinner, she won the coveted Romantic Times Award for Love and Laughter and the prestigious Maggie Award. Her books have sold to many countries in Europe, Indonesia, Turkey, Russia, and most recently to Japan. Several of her books have also been featured in Doubleday and Rhapsody Book Clubs. Amelia is the author of twenty-five books. She’s been happily married to her high school sweetheart for over thirty-five years and she lives on the beautiful gulf coast of Northwest Florida.

Connect with Amelia

Facebook  ~  Google+  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of To the Duke, With Love (The Rakes of St. James #2) by Amelia Grey to read and review.

Last Night with the Duke by Amelia Grey

Could finding love be his greatest scandal of all?

The Duke of Griffin has never lived down his reputation as one of the Rakes of St. James. Now rumors are swirling around London that his twin sisters may bear the brunt of his past follies. Hiring a competent chaperone is the only thing Griffin has on his mind--until he meets the lovely and intriguing Miss Esmeralda Swift. In ways he could never have expected, she arouses more than just his curiosity.

Esmeralda Swift considered herself too sensible to ever fall for a scoundrel, but that was before she met the irresistibly seductive Duke of Griffin. His employment offer proves too tempting for her to resist. She can’t afford to be distracted by his devilish charms because the stakes are so high for his sisters’ debut Season... unless one of London’s most notorious rakes has had a change of heart and is ready to make Esmeralda his bride in Last Night with the Duke, the first novel in the brand-new Regency Rakes of St. James series by New York Times bestselling author Amelia Grey.

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆
3.5 stars

I need to preface this review by stating my current mood wasn't favorable for this genre. Explanation: you know how when you read a bunch of books back-to-back and they all start sounding similar? While the first few, you were in deep love with the genre, the premise, eager for more of the same, but then you get burnt out on the same tropes. That's how I felt reading Last Night with the Duke. This doesn't mean it's a bad book. If this had been the first in a string of historical romances, I would be raving about it. That's not fair to the book or the author. So I'm going to state what's within the book, and leave my skewed personal opinion out of it.

What's in the book: Esmeralda is the granddaughter of a viscount, but after the actions of her mother, their branch of the family was disowned, so she has to work her way through life. She oversees a governess and chaperone business.

Griffin is a Duke who is seeking a chaperone to help pave the way for his sister's debut – this sets up how the two love interests meet. He has a past, and he fears it tainting his sister's future.

If you're looking for a book featuring a scoundrel (our duke) who butts heads with his sister's chaperone, one who doesn't want to marry a commoner, where we discover Esmeralda (being the granddaughter of a viscount) is exactly what he's looking for, which leads to a happily ever after between the pair.

Last Night with the Duke was written well, the flow fluid, as Amelia Grey is a good writer. The characters were engaging, with mystery, closed-door-fade-to-black romance, and added banter/humor. The pacing was on the slow side, without much occurring until the final climax.

As I stated at the start of this review – this is on me. The book was a solid historical romance, with all the elements needed, but I couldn't help feeling as if I've read this all before, many times over. Maybe I'm burnt out on the genre. Maybe I'm looking for an original take on historical romance.

Recommended to fans of Amelia Grey and historical romance, especially those who love the tropes that have stood the test of time. This is a clean romance, solid writing, with a guaranteed happily ever after.

For those looking for a book that stands out from the crowd, has a different take on the culture in historical romances, more heat, I'd suggest you download the sample.

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Amelia Grey read her first romance book when she was thirteen and she’s been a devoted reader of love stories ever since. Her awards include the Booksellers Best, Aspen Gold, and the Golden Quill. Writing as Gloria Dale Skinner, she won the coveted Romantic Times Award for Love and Laughter and the prestigious Maggie Award. Her books have sold to many countries in Europe, Indonesia, Turkey, Russia, and most recently to Japan. Several of her books have also been featured in Doubleday and Rhapsody Book Clubs. Amelia is the author of twenty-five books. She’s been happily married to her high school sweetheart for over thirty-five years and she lives on the beautiful gulf coast of Northwest Florida.

Connect with Amelia

Facebook  ~  Google+  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Last Night with the Duke (The Rakes of St. James #1) by Amelia Grey to read and review.

Mistletoe, Mischief, and the Marquis by Amelia Grey

The Marquis of Wythebury, is expecting an ordinary Christmastide at Hurst—until he is set upon by a beautiful miss who takes him to task for not allowing his young nephews to play outside. In his mind, a five and seven year old needn’t get chilled in the snow; better to plop them in front of the fire with a book. Few people have ever been brave enough to challenge him over anything, much less the rearing of his wards. The cheeky Miss Prim has no such compunction. No matter how fetching he finds her, he can’t give in to his attraction…for she is the sister of his best friend.

Growing up the middle child of five rambunctious girls, Lillian Prim doesn’t understand why two young boys visiting Hurst don’t know how to play until she meets their dashing guardian. The Marquis of Wythebury is commanding and intensely serious-minded. To her surprise, she’s captivated by him. It’s all she can do not to give into her feminine fantasies about her kissing him. Lillian has no intention of falling in love with the Marquis, but she will create Christmastide mischief and teach the boys and the handsome Marquis how to play, in Mistletoe, Mischief, and the Marquis, by New York Times bestselling author Amelia Grey.

Book 3.5
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆
3 Holiday-filled stars.

Being a fan of Amelia Grey's The Heirs' Club of Scoundrels series, I was eager to read this holiday novella. On the pages, there is everything you expect: a holiday house party, featuring kids and matchmaking, giving a glimpse of past narrators readers love. Being that it was a shorter novella, the romance was the sole focus without major buildup.

Infatuation at first sight.

Perhaps it was my mood, being that I'm more stuffy like Seth, I just couldn't deal with Lilian's childishness. I understand how the author was trying to balance their personalities, but I couldn't see her as a grown woman worthy of marriage and a family of her own.

There was the foundation of push-pull, tension-filled, love-hate romance with a ton of banter, but it all felt forced from the get-go, and got thicker and harder to digest as I read along.

The butting of heads.

The initial meeting, where Lilian engaged with Seth's wards, between their dialogue was paragraphs and paragraphs of lusty description. I wasn't sure if it was a description, or if the author was trying to sell the reader into courting the characters themselves. Lilian and Seth were so hyper-focused on the shallowness of the physical, the reader didn't get to know their personalities. Using dialogue to show who they were, I was distracted by the amount of inner musings about how delicious the narrator thought the other was.

Seth is the guardian of his 7 and 5 year old nephews, after his sister and her husband succumbed to illness after being stuck in the cold. On the way to the house party, the boys' governess succumbed to illness, also after being in the cold. So when he finds his nephews with Lilian having a snowball fight, he is obviously nervous.

Lilian came off as believing she is right, no matter what. Whether Seth is wrong or not, is not up for debate. He is their guardian, and his job is to protect their welfare at all costs. Lilian is a stranger making demands the instant she meets Seth. While some readers may find this overstepping to be by a spunky spitfire heroine, I found it to be disrespectful.

It's not unreasonable that Seth wouldn't want his nephews to fall into ponds through broken ice (Lilian disregarding it because it was only to the ankles, as if it didn't take a long time to get home in order to dry off. We're talking a long horse and carriage ride in freezing temperatures with wet shoes and socks, not a car with heater), or stay outside for at least two hours a day in the frigid air. Especially after they were exposed to a contagious governess. But, obviously, Lilian is in the right, and Seth is just a stifling guardian... and those who read and loved this novella think me exactly like Seth (shrugs).

There is balance between the two. The uptight, nervous guardian and the flighty, immature girl who wants to watch after the children. Sure, Seth needs to make sure they have fun, but Lilian reminded me of someone who would not only allow them to play in traffic, but push them into it.

The butting of heads over the children's welfare versus their fun was the tension for this romantic holiday novella. I do believe most historical romance fans will enjoy the book, as well as those who have read and enjoyed the series. It wasn't to my tastes, finding it difficult to enjoy a story where one of the narrators rubs me wrong. Truth be told, my fellow serious readers, read the sample. The majority, no doubt you will be delighted and enchanted by this holiday romance.

Also Available in The Heirs' Club of Scoundrels Trilogy

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca

For reviews & more info, check out our stop on The Duke in My Bed Blog Tour.

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca

For reviews & more info, check out The Earl Claims a Bride post.

Book 3
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca

For reviews & more info, check out Wedding Night with the Earl post.

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Amelia Grey read her first romance book when she was thirteen and she’s been a devoted reader of love stories ever since. Her awards include the Booksellers Best, Aspen Gold, and the Golden Quill. Writing as Gloria Dale Skinner, she won the coveted Romantic Times Award for Love and Laughter and the prestigious Maggie Award. Her books have sold to many countries in Europe, Indonesia, Turkey, Russia, and most recently to Japan. Several of her books have also been featured in Doubleday and Rhapsody Book Clubs. Amelia is the author of twenty-five books. She’s been happily married to her high school sweetheart for over thirty-five years and she lives on the beautiful gulf coast of Northwest Florida.

Connect with Amelia

Facebook  ~  Google+  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Mistletoe, Mischief, and the Marquis (The Heirs' Club of Scoundrels #3.5) by Amelia Grey to read and review.