The Governess's Guide to Spells and Managing Misfit Marquesses

 The Governess's Guide to Spells and Managing Misfit Marquesses

The Parasol Academy #2

Amy Rose Bennett

Reviewed by Helen

I am loving this series, the first one was brilliant and now we get to know Parasol Academy Governess Hermina Davenport when she takes matters into her own hands to protect a child, come along for a journey filled with danger, fun and so much more.

Mina Davenport takes her job very seriously and when she is sacked form her job as Governess to a young, orphaned Viscount, she will use all of her magical powers that she needs to protect him and gets herself on the ship that is whisking him away to The Artic by his new guardian, too late to walk down the gangplank she uses her tel-ley-porting spell and finds herself and young Christopher on another boat this one belongs to an Irishman a huge man who has recently become a Marquess and here the journey starts with Phineas O’Connell , Lord Kinsale and his rather pugnacious pug Brutus.

Phineas grew up on the streets of Dublin and being a Lord was the last thing he expected and his life so far has not been easy he stutters and his accent is strong and he is finding it hard to fit in with The Ton, but when a mysterious woman and young child just arrive on his yacht, are they stowaways he has no idea but before long he comes up with a plan that this governess can help him with his etiquette and his elocution but first he must have a young ward to be able to hire her and in steps young pick pocket Tom Fleet, soon Mina, Phineas, Christopher and Tom are living and learning together.

This really is a fabulous story Phineas and Mina are perfect together and it shows when evil and supernatural forces make themselves known putting them all in danger Phineas stands his ground and will do anything to protect the woman he has fallen in love with and Mina a true Parasol Academy Governess uses all of her powers magical and beyond to keep them safe as she falls for her big bulking Irishman.

I do highly recommend this one, a fabulous historical romance with a twist it is as fabulous as the first one in the series and I am really hoping we will have more in the series, I loved it is filled with emotion, it is sensual and so much fun, Brutus is the best so many awesome characters.

My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my copy to read and review.

5 stars

March 31, 2026 by Kensington

The Hobart Hotel

 The Hobart Hotel

Mary-Lou Stephens

Reviewed by Helen

I loved this one, again MS Stephens has not disappointed me this story, it is absolutely fabulous told in two time lines, with wonderful characters and settings I fell into it and savoured the story.

1939 and it is the big opening for the Riviera Hotel in Wrest Point Tasmania and Mrs. Sabine Winters has travelled from Europe to be at the opening she is looking forward to the glamour after all that she has been through in Spain and now what is happening in Europe, she will have some choice selections for her (stolen) collection of jewellery she is sure, what happens is she is blackmailed by Mr. Grey into joining him in spying and she soon finds herself married to Mr. Grey and landing in Uruguay, South America where she puts herself in danger to get information about the Nazis who are doing their best to take over the country.

In 1973 Hobart is the place to be with the opening up of Australia’s first casino at The Wrest Point Hotel Casino and twenty year old Jenny Davis and her friends attend the opening and Jenny has found a gorgeous gold dress at the back of her mother’s wardrobe and she wears it, it really is special and she is soon approached by one of the managers and asked if she would like to become a Ladybird and Croupier but she knows that her mother will not stand for it she is against the Casino, but matters are taken out of her hands and soon Jenny finds herself, training to become a Ladybird, making new friends and earning more money that she ever did but is also causes a rift between her and her mother and soon she is living in The Riviera Hotel. With Jenny’s twenty first birthday coming up she finds a letter with a key that says this will change her life and soon Jenny and her friends will be uncovering an old mystery that will change her life.

This is a fabulously told story of two strong woman, two awesome settings it really is a page turner and has everything an historical fiction story needs, mystery, romance and adventure, I loved both Sabine and Jenny and the two timelines, the 1973 one bought back lots of memories for me with bands and music and The House or Merewether, I remember The Casino opening and all the fanfare that went with it. The ending is just the best, a fitting end to an awesome story.

I do highly recommend this one I loved it.

My thanks to Harlequin AU and Netgalley for my digital copy to read and review.

5 stars

April 1, 2026 by HQ Fiction

The Italian Correspondent

 The Italian Correspondent

Belinda Alexandra

Reviewed by Helen

Rome 1951 and Italian correspondent for Vogue, Veronica Gold is working hard after the war years and the loss of her daughter it is not always easy there is still a lot of conflict about the past and the fascists and the horrors she has seen while reporting the war are not easy to forget but she has her sister Penny and her cat Oggi and life will go on, but will she find love again?

With her life settled she is living in Rome when some men from her past arrive, Professor Marcello Fabbri, archeologist and former Partisan a man she spent one glorious night with during the war, her ex-husband Lyle Cooper who is an American diplomat he left her to marry her best friend heiress Emerald Evergreen add to that Count Carlo Durazzo, Emerald’s current husband and her life is just about to get turned upside down in so many ways.

When Lyle asks her to cover a story for him and then he is found murdered and it is looking like Emerald has killed him, Veronica is convinced she did it but Carlo says she is innocent but evidence shows that she may not have done it, Veronica and Carlo work together to set her free, this will need more help and Marcello steps in to help and a tangled web of emotions between all of these people grows making decisions for Veronica very hard, a couple of twists will really change the way she thinks, spies, the threat of nuclear war and so much more, but what of her heart will she finally find the love that she so very much deserves after all she has been through?

This is a story that is well written, Veronica Gold is based partly on the woman correspondents who worked so hard and made a difference back then, she is strong and determined but honest and real in herself, I could feel all that she was going through, there are so many fabulous characters in this story that made it what it is good and bad. There is adventure, mystery and murder and it is one that I highly recommend, I loved it.

My thanks to Harper Collins AU for my copy to read and review.

5 stars

March 31, 2026 by HarperCollins AU

Harbored Desires

 Harbored Desires

The Hazelby Sisters #1

Shannon Frances James

Reviewed by Helen

I do love an historical romance and this debut hit the spot beautifully I loved getting to know Harriet Hazelby and Alexander Ordell, come along and meet them for a rollicking sensual adventure.

Harriet is the third sister and has always been happier helping her father with his estates, riding horses and has been known to dress as a stable boy here and there for an adventure, it is one of these times when she has left her home after her eldest sister Eliza who is a duchess is insisting that she come for tea at the home of a Duke that she takes off into the town of Hull here she is mistaken for a sailor and ordered to board the The Seren with a message, this day could change Harriet’s life.

Captain Alexander is in a hurry to sail with the tide but when he discovers a stowaway on board who he wants off immediately that is until the young lad gives him a message and this message changes everything not only that but this young lad is not a lad at all but a young woman. This message cannot be ignored and it puts her life in danger so young Harry is soon sailing the seas with him and his crew and he puts her to work, was this the right thing to do, who is she really?

As they sail the sparks fly between them, Alexander is enjoying his spitfire she does not back down easily and Harriet is learning to be a sailor and quite enjoying it but she is also enjoying her time with Alexander and his dog Shadow. Alexander has sworn of marriage after what his mother went through but could Harriet be breaking down those walls and as for Harriet she has always thought she was not good enough to find a match as her parents did, could she be wrong?

This is a fabulous debut a beautiful story witty and sensual as we know love doesn’t always run smoothly and there are a few hurdles for Harriet and Alexander to jump before they find their gorgeous HEA, I loved both of them and the other characters in this story that help make it what it is and I am very much looking forward to more in this series and see what the authors has installed for them. I do highly recommend this one to any lover of a good historical romance it had me turning the pages and cheering them on and very happy at the end.

My thanks to the author for my digital copy to read and review.

5 stars

April 11, 2026 by By The Fire Publishing

A Bride for Marcus

 A Bride for Marcus

The Devil Riders #6

Anne Gracie

Reviewed by Helen

Another beautiful story one of the best authors I do love a good regency and Anne Gracie does them so well and we have been awaiting for this one for a long time and finally Marcus has his story and it was worth the wait, I loved it, I loved Marcus and Tessa come along and meet them, although part of a series it can be read as a standalone.

Marcus Earl of Alverleigh is a most eligible bachelor but he is never going to marry he learnt enough from his parents’ marriage so that is not for him he has heirs in his brothers that will be enough, he is known as dull and quiet and that suits him well, that is until he reunited with an old friend someone he has not seen for many years his old neighbour and forest exploring friend Tessa Blaxland.

Tessa now Lady Hewitt has been widowed again and her brother Edgar has her back in London to do his best to marry her off again to pay his gambling debts she is known as the ice widow but this time she is refusing Edgar’s push to marry another old man, something that she is determined to never do again, she want her freedom, when at a ball she meets up with her old friend Marcus they had had so much fun together when they were young but her reputation is ruined and she keeps him at arm’s length.

But when Marcus steps in and rescues her things change with rumours spreading through the ton, Marcus offers her a convenient marriage of friendship and companionship, no passion, no love can she refuse and let her reputation be tarnished more and even worse what about Marcus’s reputation, maybe this will be good for both of them after all they are friends.

On their honeymoon though they are open and honest with each other and Tessa soon learns what making love is all about and Marcus’s walls are breaking down, could this be a match made in heaven, friends to lovers and a HEA so beautiful?

This is just the best story, fun, witty filled with humour but emotional and moving with such awesome characters, who cannot love Aunt Maude and Barney, Billy, Joey and Flora I laughed, I smile I cheered them on and felt for Tessa in so many ways but she stayed strong and so caring and Marcus what a hero he is the best, he knows how to love after all. I do highly recommend this one, sigh worthy and just what I needed.

My thanks to the author for my digital copy to read and review.

5 stars

March 25, 2026 by Gracie Enterprises

My Fair Scot

 My Fair Scot

The MacKenzies Take London #1

Sara Bennett

Reviewed by Helen

When Callum MacKenzie is told by his father The Duke of Bonnyrigg that he must leave his beloved home in Scotland to go to London to find a wife who will bring respectability to the family he is not happy at all, Callum is very happy wandering the forests and caring for the animals but he must do what his father says, so off to London he goes to stay with his aunt but his first appearance amongst the ton does not go well, his aunt decides that he needs a tutor someone who can teach him the rules and manners of the ton and this person is Penelope Armstrong.

Penelope lost her parents in a carriage accident at the age of eighteen and with a young brother to care for Penelope does what she has to, but now she must find a way to keep food on the table and becomes a tutor in etiquette and manners for those who need it, this has not been easy to start with as she is known as a fallen woman but soon she is making a success of her small business but when she is hired to transform Callum MacKenzie she might just break her rule about her students.

The pull between these two is instant and soon Callum is becoming a gentleman but also falling for the beautiful Penelope and Penelope is feeling the same way and their time spent together is getting very sensual is there a chance that Penelope could be the wife that Callum needs, will his father accept her?

This is such a great story and I loved it I do love a good Scotsman and Callum is the best and Penelope is so caring and strong after all she has been through, their journey to a HEA was a beautiful one and I do highly recommend it and am looking forward to the next one.

My thanks to Dragonblade Publishing, Inc. and Netgalley for my copy to read and review.

5 stars

March 6, 2026 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc

The Valkyrie Begins

 The Valkyrie Begins

The Valkyrie of Birca Series (a prequel)

Tanya Nellestein

Reviewed by Helen

I absolutely loved The Valkyrie of Birca series and was thrilled when the author put out a prequel before re-releasing this awesome series, it was fabulous getting to know Brenna from when she started her journey firstly to becoming a shieldmaiden then on to become who she is today The Queen of Birca and her relationship with her best friend Vali.

The seer has spoken she is destined to lead and heal the scars of her ancestors will the Gods be correct in their prophecy for what will happen with Brenna?

This story is just fabulous as is the series learning about The Vikings and their beliefs, the strength they carry and the deep love they share with each other, Tanya Nellestein has researched very well and brings the Vikings way to life on the pages, a must read, one that I highly recommend.

5 stars

February 18, 2026