PinkcowlandReads

When a Duke Loves a Governess  Unlikely Duchesses, Book 3 by Olivia Drake ⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5 A Cinderella rags to riches story where an orphaned hat maker dreams of opening her own shop one day and uses a governess gig for a Duke to find her long lost aristocratic father in the hopes that he will loan her capital for her venture…  At fist glance I thought that I would’d find the characters or the story real enough to enjoy, but I was pleasantly surprised by this book!  I got into the mystery of the unknown aristocrat father. The grumpy Duke, who had no clue how to deal with his child he abandoned and now wants back in his pulled me in too and as for Tessa James, our plucky milliner is willing to do anything to get a leg up in the world? I just loved her spunk! The child Sophy won me over as well and I felt for her and her need for a mother figure. Lastly, what is a Cinderella story without a spark? Tessa and our Duke definitely have a spark and their chemistry played well...

A Fiancée's Guide to First Wives and Murder Countess of Harleigh Mystery, Book 4 by Dianne Freeman ⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5 Frances, Countess of Harliegh and Mr George Hazelton are back and better together as they investigate a murder mystery from their own backyard that puts their future at risk! The visiting members of the Russian royal family in London seems to have brought with them more that just parties and their pomp and circumstances - when one of the far flung branches shows up on Hazeltons doorstep claiming to be his wife, George and Frances jump into damage control as fast as they can so that this confusion doesn’t effect their engagement. Soon the investigations into this lady’s claims turn into a murder investigation, when she winds up dead in Frances’s backyard. Now George and Frances have more than their reputations at risk by being suspects in the murder… I love how George and Frances work together so well in their relationship and in their investigations. These two are tr...

Highland Legend Scots and Swords, Book 3 by Kathryn Le Veque ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5 We are back at the legendary fight club Ludus Caledonia (the Cal) where men fight for infamy and become a family while they do it! I have read and loved all the books in this series and this one is just as good. Magnus, known as the Eagle in the fighting ring has come from his unwanted bastard roots to become the best fighter at the Cal. He has found everything from riches , a life purpose and a family of friends… he is happy. That is until he runs into Diantha, a long lost acquaintance on the streets of Edinborough and agrees to help rescue her from a situation similar to his situation before he found the Cal. Magnus is a rake and used to having any woman in sight, so when he falls for Diantha and finally has to work for her affection and respect, it makes it all the sweeter when they finally come together. I am an absolute sucker for a rake who reforms for the right lady! I have enjoyed all the boo...

The Dating Dare A Sweet Mess, Book #2 by Jayci Lee Narrated by Natalie Naudus ⭐⭐⭐ /5 Trigger Warning - past partner abuse discussed. What happens when you put two people together that are very attracted together but also very broken from past relations? The dating dare, in which one dares the other to go on 4 dates with them without strings and not fall for each other… …Of course they fall for each other, but that’s where the real dare begins. Do they dare to do the work and look into themselves to let them make this 4 date arrangement into something more permanent? Both Tara and Seth have a history of partner abuse that tarnishes their views on relationships and love. They both had so much to work on that at points I found this romance hard to read. There was a lot of self sabotaging and generalizing about the opposite sex or partners. I did find it interesting that both he male and female leads used casual relationships to both boost their self esteem and to erect a barr...

Not the Kind of Earl You Marry An Unconventional Ladies of Mayfair Novel, Book 1 by Kate Pembrooke ⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5 A trick perpetrated by a political rival results in an unlikely alliance and a fake engagement… soon this fake engagement is feeling all too real and has both questioning what they really want in life and can they turn this fake engagement into a real marriage! One would think that Miss Charlotte Hurst would be ecstatic with he prospect of marrying William Atherton, Earl of Norwood, but they would be wrong! Though her feelings definitely grow for him throughout their fake engagement, she knows that they come from different social levels and she could never fit into his lofty rank or become the political wife that he needs for with ambitions… I loved that this is His. Rom. that shows a true distinction between the levels of the aristocracy. So ofter we see a duke falling for a lowly village girl that really omits to show the realities of the time. As well, the characters...

The Duke Goes Down   The Duke Hunt, Book #1 by Sophie Jordan ⭐⭐⭐/5 Sophie Jordan introduces us to her latest series, The Duke Hunt with the first book, The Duke Goes Down. This is an interesting tale of tables turning where the childhood bully and social better has their circumstance ripped away from them and they return to have the “victim” proceed to bully them… then they fall in love! OK- stay with me on this! Imogen Bates and Peregrine Butler (former Duke of Penning) have known each other since childhood. Always seeing himself as far above the young vicar’s daughter, Perry was never kind to her… Fast forward 10 years and things have changes drastically, Perry is stripped of his dukedom and returns to the small town where Imogen still resides and tends to her vicar father. He no longer has his titles or inheritance and he needs to find an heiress to marry in order to return to some semblance of his former life. Imogen is still nursing hurt feelings and takes it up...

The Viscount Made Me Do It A Clandestine Affairs Novel, Book #2 by Diana Quincy ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 Hanna Zaydan has dedicated her life to her practice of bonsetting, so much so as to claim that she is married to her work. It’s not lake Andy of the good Arab boys her family try to set her up withhold ever permit their wife to continue in her practice. Hannnah has not even noticed what she is missing until Mr. Thomas comes to her practice to treat an injury that has left him in pain and his arm useless for 2 years. Thomas Ellis, Viscount Griffin spied Mrs. Zayden in a coffee shop wearing a necklace that was on his mother at the time of her death- a death he has been blamed for since his youth. Under the guise of treating his old injury he goes to her practice to find out how she got his mothers necklace.  Over the course of treatment, she heals his arm and captures his heart! But these two are not just from different classes, they are from ethnicities and Hannah risks being banished f...

Only For You A Sapphire Springs Novel, Book 2 by Barb Curtis ⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5 We are back in Sapphire Springs and this time some reality TV drama sparks up a fake relationship that soon turns all too real for two best friends! Emily has lusted for her friend Tim for years, but she has been firmly in the friend zone for just as long! So when Tim’s ex comes to town to break up with in on with reality crews rolling and he becomes a sensation over night, she reluctantly agrees to pretend date to hopefully ward off all of his new fans… Pretend dating starts to feel pretty real for these two, but Tim has commitment issues after growing up the son of Navy captain who was not around for his wife and kids and being burned by his ex. Can these two create the fantasy forever after that Emily has always dreamed of or will Tim pull up anchor and leave this relationship high and dry? Emily and Tim; what can I say, these two were so perfect for each other! They were practically a relationship wit...

John Eyre A Tale of Darkness and Shadow by Mimi Matthews ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5 Moody, atmospheric and true in its’s original; this was the Jane Eyre retelling that I have been waiting for! In this gender reversal retelling of Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, we meet John Eyre as he embarks on his trip to a new post as a tutor for two young boys at a remote estate. These boys are the Rochester wards and John soon finds out that things are not quite as they seem when he arrives at the house. His employer, the mysterious Mrs. Rochester keeps him on his toes as he tries to navigate this difficult teaching assignment… I don’t want to give too much away, but reader’s can rejoice on the similarities found in this retelling with the original, only they are delivered with a new zest! John Eyre os given an almost horror treatment and it fits so well! As a Jane Eyre fan, I can safely say that this retelling is perfection; enough of the original to keep the intended story and plenty of twists and adap...

Out of Character True Colors, Book #2 by Annabeth Albert Narrated by Kirt Graves, Joel Froomkin ⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5 I remember last year reading Conventionally Yours and thinking before I started “Am I really going to read a book about gamers going to a convention??” … fast forward to now and I couldn’t have been more excited to get back to my favourite Odyssey gamer nerds! In Out of Character we get to see the lovable Jasper find his HEA in a most unexpected place- with his ex bestie who shunned him in high school to fit in with his new jock friends. Jasper is still pretty hurt over Milo’s treatment when they were kids- but when Milo comes to him in need of help recouping some valuable lost Odyssey cards, Jasper can’t resist the chance to play the hero. In return for his help, Milo is conscripted to join Jasper’s cod-play group for their children’s hospital visits. Jasper and Milo are completely adorable together and I loved seeing them work together as a team. Milo’s character goes t...

The Gentleman’s Daughter The Gentleman Spy Mysteries, Book 2 by Bianca M. Schwarz ⭐⭐⭐💫 /5 [ Trigger warning at end of review ] Sir Henry March is back and he is still searching for the the illusive Knights of the Snake Pit before they can hurt anymore innocent females in their rituals… and he is also on the prowl for a wife! Sir Henry is quite busy, he must find a wife in order for his illegitimate daughter to have a proper come out in a few years time. His family is his priority and soon he starts to see the fair Isabella in the same light. She would make the perfect wife for Henry and already loves his daughter, but her secrets put a wedge in-between them and the Sanake Pit uses this wedge to get its revenge on Sir Henry and his family! This book was a little lighter than the first in the series, The Innkeepers Daughter, but still is heavily focused on the Snake Pit organization and their dastardly dealings.  I was surprised to see that Sir Henry was the hero agai...

How Sweet It Is by Dylan Newton ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5 What do you get when you pair up a workaholic, perfectionist who is the master of her craft; creating the perfect happily-ever-after wedding events with a reclusive horror writer with a secret soft side? The romantic comedy event of the summer! Kate Sweet has gone as far as she can go in her career crafting perfect wedding events- so when an opportunity comes to her to craft the ultimate Halloween horror book launch for an uber famous writer, she literally jumps at the chance! Drake Matthews, horror writer extraordinaire is not a fan of the spotlight, so when event planner Ms Sweet jumps into his life and starts to shake up his routine, he gives in to her elaborate plans once she agrees to be his research helper as he secretly starts writing a new book! The spark of inspiration kicks his writing into high gear and continues with a romantic spark infighting between Drake and Kate. I loved that both Drake and Kate had to step out of th...

West End Earl Misfits of Mayfair, Book 2 by Bethany Bennett ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5 Secret identities, boys who are girls, friends becoming lovers; this book was a tour de force!  Calvin, the Earl of Carlyle has become dependant on his land steward and friend, Adam Hadriwck. These two are inseperabale, so of course when Adam gets attacked after a night out with the Earl and his friends, Calvin is the first to arrive and help him recover… only to discover after 2 years of friendship and working together that Adam is not a he, but a she… and now that he’s looking, what a she she is! Ophelia has been masquerading as deceased twin, Adam for 11 years. She is so close to reaching her majority and finally getting her inheritance and being rid of her reprehensible uncle forever… too bad that Calvin has discovered her true self and now all her lusty thoughts are becoming a reality as they explore their attraction! Oh my! I haven’t read a good gender surprise like this in a ling time! I loved ...