We love this series! This is book one. (Here’s our review.)

Of all of her wonderful books, the four titles in Jude Deveraux’s Velvet series are classics and particular favorites of mine. In these books, Deveraux introduces us to the wonderful, proud and gorgeous Montgomery brothers. We meet Gavin Montgomery in Velvet Promise in which he marries, sight unseen, the outrageously gorgeous, red-headed, golden-eyed Judith Revedoune. Gavin sees the marriage as a way to re-establish his tarnished family name. Judith is the daughter of an abusive and powerful earl who sees this marriage as his way to continue the family line. All his sons are dead, and though he’s left with this puny and worthless daughter, the least she can do is give him grandsons. Judith’s mother, on the other hand, has trained her to become a prioress to protect her from the same sort of abusive marriage she herself suffered. But when the earl threatens his wife with serious, bodily harm if Judith doesn’t go through with the marriage, she capitulates.

Judith and Gavin’s initial meeting on their wedding day starts as a fairy tale but soon turns disastrous when Gavin’s conniving, deceitful former lover, Alice, turns up hoping to keep Gavin chained to her. Throughout the book, Gavin and Judith have to overcome obstacles due to their having married as total strangers. Judith must come to the realization that not all men are abusive, controlling beasts (although Gavin does possess quite a temper) and Gavin must see the deceptive Alice for what she really is and come to love and trust his bride.

It’s at Amazon for 1.99 here.

This is a DIK for us as well!

The Wicked City is a delicious puzzle box of a book with handsome writing that gives a new look to stories set in the Jazz Age. Switching between 1920s New York and  contemporary times, the book is peopled by a witty irreverent flapper, a tough Prohibition agent, a young innocent Princeton student, an accounting wizard, and a musician carpenter. The contemporary and historical storylines intersect at various points in the book as two smart, clever women journey through life discovering themselves and their romantic inclinations….

I cannot recommend The Wicked City highly enough. The novel moves between the storylines smartly and quickly with powerful cliff-hangers and the two women leap off the page with a clarity and strength of purpose that is rare in stories. The connections forged between them across the decades is a journey of discovery for the reader.

It’s at Amazon for 1.99 here.

We raved about this one. (Our review is here.)

Cloud White is one of Fearne Hill’s best books to date, right up there with last year’s Two Tribes, which made my Best of 2022 list. It was great to catch up with the Carter triplets and their other halves, and to experience the very real warmth and affection that underpins their relationships and interactions, and although I wish that Frankie or Tristan had seen what was going on with Mungo sooner, the fact that they don’t is testament to the fact that abusers like Cav are extremely good at what they do and know how to hide it. But the beating heart of the book is the beautiful, frustrating and heartfelt romance between Milo and Mungo, a relationship that positively oozes with longing between two people who love each other to bits but have to get their heads out of their arses to see and embrace the soul-deep connection that has always been there. Mungo has always been an intensely loveable character, and my heart broke for him over and over as he slowly morphs into someone almost unrecognisable – and Milo is a revelation; learning his backstory made it easier to understand why he turned Mungo down all those years ago, and I loved his fierce protectiveness of those he cares for – razor-sharp, abrasive and absolutely no-fucks-to-give, he’s definitely someone you’d want in your corner.

Insightful, honest, emotional, warm and funny, Cloud White may not be an easy read, but it’s an incredibly good one that will break your heart, make you laugh and make you want to throw things, sometimes all at once! On to the keeper shelf it goes.

 

It’s at Amazon for 0.99 here.

We called this DIK “a romance that leaves you feeling glad all over.“

Can’t Let Her Go is warm, tenderhearted and cheerful; a great story about friends who figure out how to fall in love without losing the spark of their friendship.

Barber shop owner Patricia – Peaches – Monroe and nail tech and chemistry student Jamie Hunt have been best friends for ages. They and their other buds, Claudia, Taylor and Aiko and Summer (Can’t Resist Her) have been through everything together, and their joint friendship means everything to them. But Peaches and Jamie have always been tempted by one another in the romantic and sexual department.

Deciding to test out how how they might work as lovers and potential mates, Peaches accompanies Jamie on a road trip to Houston, far from their San Antonio neighborhood. While they take their time journeying across Texas, they’re given the opportunity to act on their attraction and also see if they have a forever thing between them. But will family and job pressures tear them apart for good?

It’s at Amazon for 1.99 here.

Love the real life royals? This one’s for you! (Our DIK review is here.)

A Most English Princess is a most fascinating read and those 512 pages just flew by! The novel is listed as Biographical Historical Fiction, so many readers will be aware of most of Vicky’s story but there will be some parts that have been imagined as well. I am not a student of Victorian history but I found that this narrative matches well with what I have previously read about Victoria and Albert’s family.

The story begins when Vicky is seven years old and we see what her young life is like. Albert is an adoring, if demanding father, Victoria a self-centered, critical mother. Vicky idolizes her father, and they spend time together reading poetry and debating the political and social climate of the day. Vicky is like a sponge, soaking up all the knowledge and opinions Albert shares with her. Albert, originally from Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, yearns for a united Germany that follows the English example of a parliamentary government. In Vicky, he has the perfect vessel to put into motion the changes he envisions in Europe. When Prince Friedrich (Fritz) from Prussia (the largest and strongest of the German states) visits England, Albert sees a natural ally and he starts imagining Vicky as Fritz’s bride. A few years later, at the tender age of seventeen, Vicky marries Fritz and heads to Prussia.

For Vicky and Fritz their marriage is a love match, but the Prussians think it’s a disaster – they see the English as bossy, not understanding Prussian ideals, and always trying to interfere in Prussia’s government. Vicky also has to adjust to life with Fritz’s cold and sometimes nasty parents. After her mostly loving home in England, Prussia is a disappointment to her. But, Albert didn’t raise a quitter, so Vicky gets busy trying to change Prussia for what she considers “the better”. Fritz shares her dreams for a united Germany, but he is pulled in many different directions – his loyalty to his undeserving father, his role in the army, and his commitment to Vicky (and Albert’s) ideals.

It’s at Amazon for 1.99 here.

You can see all our current deals at our Amazon storefront here.

As an Amazon Affiliate, we earn a very small percentage of whatever you buy using our links. And remember, we get a percentage of EVERYTHING in your cart when you’ve begun your shopping with our links. That tiny sliver of money is what enables us to stay on line, so please, visit our links and click through to Amazon. Thanks!