FINAL DECISION: Just okay for me. The story is hot, but I never got any connection between Rachel and Grayson personally. She doesn’t know anything about him that would explain their relationship other than lust.

THE STORY: Rachel Banford is fascinated by Mr. Grayson Long although he is of lower class, being the steward of her friend’s fiance and he is also much older than Rachel. Despite their explosive initial meeting, the two circle around one another. Grayson has a secret and he certainly doesn’t intend to become involved with an innocent aristocratic young woman.

OPINION: I never got any connection between Gray and Rachel and so the rest of the book was just okay for me. I don’t expect much from these stories which are mostly hot sex in with a slight story and character, but this one just didn’t do anything for me. It was an okay read but I wanted more connection between the characters.

WORTH  MENTIONING: This book is novella length.

CONNECTED BOOKS: SCANDAL is the sixth book in the Regency Lovers series. The books are connected with couples and characters starting in one book to the next. This book can be read as a standalone although there is overlap.

STAR RATING: I give this book 2.5 stars.

FINAL DECISION: A quick read, this isn’t a brilliant book but it was entertaining for what it is. A quick and easy hot historical with plenty of drama and crazy situations.

THE STORY: Clara Catchpole was rescued from her kidnappers by Lord Ezra Stone. After being rescued, Clara doesn’t want to be separated from Ezra and knows that there is a connection between them despite the big age gap between them. (She is eighteen and he is thirty-eight.) But Ezra insists on keeping a distance between them. However, when another threat on Clara’s life arises, Ezra and Clara get closer and it threatens his insistence on keeping things proper between them.

OPINION: This was an enjoyable little read. Crazy circumstances, crazy hot scenes. Nothing about it felt historically accurate or realistic, but it was a quick read with plenty of dramatic situations. I also enjoyed getting to see characters from the series who have important roles to play in this book. Ezra has plenty of secrets that cause serious problems in this book, and they are totally over the top. Clara is definitely not a shrinking violet. She goes after what she wants and that is Ezra despite all the potential obstacles in their path.

WORTH MENTIONING: At about 100 pages, this book is really a novella.

CONNECTED BOOKS: SURRENDER is the fifth book in the Regency Lovers series. Although there are overlapping characters, this book can be read as a standalone.

STAR RATING: I give this book 3 stars.

FINAL DECISION: I enjoyed this story which really felt like a continuation of the previous book in the series. There is plenty of insta-love here, but that aside, the story was enjoyable. I wanted more heat to the story, however.

THE STORY: When Zachary Nobel, Earl of Harrogate, saves the life of Lady Rissa Spencer, he finds himself entranced by the young outspoken woman. But just when he begins to think of romance between them, he discovers that her stepmother is the woman he was accused of raping a decade ago. Even though he was eventually cleared of the crime, he doesn’t have much hope that Rissa’s father will welcome him as a suitor for his daughter. But when a common enemy from the past reappears, Zachary is determined to protect the woman he calls his Angel.

OPINION: I liked this story primarily because I really enjoyed the prior book in the series and this one was closely related. I liked seeing characters I knew from that book again and for two of them to get their own happy ending.

This is a novella length story and thus there is some insta-love involved. Zachary and Rissa are quickly involved but then the story actually starts. One negative is that Zachary seemed somewhat younger than his chronological age. Positives are that I enjoyed the story because it was intertwined with the closure from the prior book.

I also liked that this was a quick and easy read. For fans of the prior book, this one is a great addition.

There is plenty of foreplay in this book, but no actual consummation “on stage” which was a bit of a disappointment. I needed one more chapter.

WORTH MENTIONING: There are appearances from Sophia and Magnus from CRAVING.

CONNECTED BOOKS: FORBIDDEN is the fourth book in the Regency Lovers series. Although it is a standalone, it is closely connected to the third book in the series CRAVING so I recommend reading at least these two in order.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars.

FINAL DECISION: I really enjoyed this novella. Yes, it isn’t very deep and the events happen quickly, but I thought the story was well constructed and I really liked the relationship between Sophia and Magnus.

THE STORY: Miss Sophia Marchment is the head of a school for young women where she teaches her students her independent and somewhat scandalous ideas. When she is in London, she meets with a prospective student and her father. Magnus Spencer, Duke of Weston is shocked by his attraction to the young headmistress and while he knows that Sophia has secrets, the heat of the attraction between them brings them together. But someone is threatening Sophia and her past may be the reason.

OPINION: This is my favorite of the series so far. I think I grade these books on a curve. A book trying to be a different length and level of sophistication, or a different author, my rating might be different. But I read these Mortimer books with the intent to enjoy the story alone and not to look for an introspective or complex story.

As a novella this one works very well and I enjoyed the characters more than I expected. Although there is some deep material here, the characters do manage to develop a relationship (although there is some insta-love). I also thought that Magnus ended up being a nice character especially with how he treats Sophia (with one exception — he is a jerk with how he breaks the twist in the story to her).

I especially liked Sophia who is nobody’s doormat here. She is independent and determined to do what she thinks is right. I thought that the strong wills of Sophia and Magnus worked well here. Sometimes the Mortimer heroines are overwhelmed by her strong Alpha heroes, but not here. Sophia definitely holds her own.

WORTH MENTIONING: This is novella length.

CONNECTED BOOKS: CRAVING is the third book in the Regency Lovers series. Although there are some overlapping characters, this book can be read as a standalone.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4.5 stars.

FINAL DECISION: Unrealistic and simplistic in many ways, but I enjoyed this easy and short read. More impression than full story, this was an okay one time read.

THE STORY: Lord Alexander Stirling was made the guardian of a fifteen year old girl, sent her to a boarding school and promptly forgot about her. Years later, that ward, Amanda Fullerton has come to London to confront Alex and demand that she be recognized. Alex is shocked by Amanda who isn’t the demur young woman he expects.

OPINION: This is a easy and uncomplicated read. The characters are written in broad strokes, their relationship is mostly drama without much emotional depth. This isn’t one of the complicated romances that I love, but I still thought this book was okay.

Some books are meant to be complicated journeys and some can be enjoyable popcorn that can be read in a quick manner and then put aside. This book is that second type. I enjoyed the quick and dirty story with plenty of heat between the characters. Once the book was done, I put is aside. There wasn’t really much to the story beyond the blurb description, but that was okay because I knew what I was getting.

In many ways, this book is like a novella that is focused on the broad outlines of the story.

WORTH MENTIONING: This book has a lot of sexual activity, but no full sexual consummation.

CONNECTED BOOKS: OBSESSION is the second book in the Regency Lovers series. This book can be read as a standalone although there are overlapping characters from the first book.

STAR RATING: I give this book 2.5 stars.