Artfully Yours is a standalone novel by Joanna Lowell but there is reference to other characters from the Duke Undone series. Despite that, you can definitely read this without having read those books as you won't miss a thing.

Our main characters are Nina and Alan. Both are somewhat at the mercy of their relatives in this story and it was great to see how they engaged both with each other as well as with the outside forces that essentially put them in the situations they currently find themselves in.

Nina is not interested in a life of crime but having been raised by her art-forger brother, she hasn't had much of a choice. When she'd rather be running her own bakery, her brother has pushed her to use her painting skills to fool the wealthy. Unfortunately, she now finds herself right in the path of London's most discerning art critic Alan De 'Ath and he's determined to figure out where the fake paintings are coming from.

Alan takes pride in seeing things other people miss and plans to catch the forger and cement his reputation. When he offers Nina a job as a secretary in his household, he has no idea just how close to the forger he really is.

I thought the story was well written and pretty low steam but engaging enough to keep me turning the pages. Alan and Nina's relationship has it's ups and downs due to the secrets but I enjoyed how it developed and how they handled all the outside forces. Consider checking this one out when you can.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Counterfeit Scoundrel is the first book in The Chessmen series by Lorraine Heath and I'm here for it.

Our main characters are Daisy and Bishop. Both are well developed and I loved how their relationship was built and then progressed. Daisy is from an aristocratic family but has always wanted to be an investigator and her current case has her working in the household of her client's wife's lover to obtain evidence that she is cheating on her husband. The last thing she expected was to be attracted to her mark.

Bishop has his own secrets and they revolve around the ladies he is rumored to be having affairs with. He can't let anyone know what he's really up to but when he finds himself attracted to the maid he's tempted to share his secrets. As he figures out just what Daisy is up to, he realizes that he'll keep his secrets and use her to help push things along.

When one of Bishop's love interests husbands turns up dead and he is accused of the murder, he turns to Daisy for help. She is more than interested in finding out the truth and proving his innocence but what they end up finding at the end isn't what was expected. Both the culprits and the desire they have for each other.

I loved how the relationship was developed between these characters - there's a definite enemies to lovers vibe here as they start out with opposing objectives but quickly recognize that they are made for each other. There are some twists and turns along the way that kept me turning the pages and I definitely recommend picking this book up. It's a quick and engaging read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

Her Lessons in Persuasion is the first book of the School for Scoundrels series which means you can pick this one up and dive right into the book without worrying you may have missed something.

Our main characters are Wilhelmina and Bram. Wilhelmina has never wanted to marry and she only has to hold off her father for another few months until her inheritance is available to her but when her father comes home from a visit to one of his estates with a much younger wife on his arm (younger than Wilhelmina even), she is pushed into a situation where she needs do whatever she can to stall them on getting her married off by the end of the season....including navigating a fake relationship to keep her family from forcing her into a marriage before her inheritance is available.

Enter Bram. He just happens to be the man who is pushed into helping her find a husband and having unexpectedly "saved" Wilhelmina one evening on a bridge (and she kissed him), he is surprised to find that her family wants him to pretend to be a suitor to encourage others to court / marry her. He has no desire to join Society but he wants to be a judge and he knows if he can engage with the right people, he has a better chance of making that happen. Unfortunately for him, he finds it difficult to remember it's supposed to be an act.

I enjoyed how Frampton built the relationship between the main characters. They come from different parts of society so there's not only that aspect but they both have very different goals in mind at the start and seeing how they navigated both the expectations of others as well as each other, was what kept me turning the pages. If you're looking for a new historical romance, consider picking this one up.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

Riven is the first book in a new Young Adult series by Mindee Arnett and if you don't have this on your TBR yet, definitely go add it now.

Mars is one of the main characters and having grown up an orphan and under the thumb of Una, the crime boss who pulled him off the streets as a child and trained him as an assassin, he's ready to do whatever he needs to in order to get away and build a new life for himself. Oh - he's also been keeping a pretty big secret - he has magic that if found out, would make him a slave.

Unfortunately for Mars, Una has other plans and if Mars wants out, he needs to complete one final job - protecting Fura Torvald, the heiress of the Torvald kith and the daughter of the last man Mars was sent to kill. Not only does he have to protect her, he also needs to steal the Primer while protecting her but when he finally meets her, he realizes this may not be as simple as he originally thought it would be.

Fura has no interest in Mars being around - not only can she protect herself but she doesn't trust him at all. She's got plenty of secrets herself and she ,can't accomplish what she wants to with someone following her around. Unfortunately for her, the only way her mother will allow her to go to the next Assembly is with Mars at her side.

As these characters get to know each other and figure out who can be trusted...and not, they find themselves in a bigger game than originally expected.

If you're looking for a story with great world building, well-developed characters, and plenty of action, consider picking this one up. I'll be keeping an eye out for the next book in this series.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

One Wedding and an Earl is book four in the Duchess Society series by Tracy Sumner and I enjoyed it just as much as the other books in this series. While you can pick this one up as a standalone I would recommend the whole series as there are references to other characters (who do show up) in this book so you might miss something. Plus they're all good so you should read them anyway!

Ollie and Necessity are the main characters and both have their own reasons to not marry but when Ollie's brother hires Necessity to fix up Ollie's gardens, they can't fight the attraction they have for one another which seems to work out fine until Ollie decides he wants to keep Necessity in his life.

The writing by Sumner is always well done and I always love a scarred hero, independent heroine book so this one caught my attention right away. The banter between these characters and the relationships they have with family and friends was great. I definitely recommend picking this book / series up when you get a chance.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

While this one was short and sweet, it was great to revisit the world Rogerson created in the Sorcery of Thorns book.

Elisabeth and Nathaniel along with Silas and Mercy are trapped in Thorn Manor and have to figure out how to fix the malfunctioning wards before they have to host the Midwinter ball. As they navigate the manor and it's secrets, we get more romance between Elisabeth and Nathaniel along with a side of learning more about Silas.

I'm definitely looking forward to more of these characters so hopefully this is a sign that there are more books coming. I recommend reading the first book in this series if you're interested in this one as you'll miss a lot if you just jump to this book.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Runaway Viscount is book 3 in the Matchmaking Chronicles trilogy by Darcy Burke and I have to say I think I like this one the most so far and while this is the third book, I don't think you have to read all books in order to appreciate the story. Also, I love a good snowed in, one bed available story.

Juliana and Lucas are the main characters in this book and when they find themselves snowed in at an inn things quickly heat up. The next day Juliana wakes up to an empty bed and they go back to their normally planned lives. Fast forward to a matchmaking house party that a mutual acquaintance throws and they both realize that that one night was more than just one night. Unfortunately for Lucas, Juliana has realized she was more hurt than anything and her goal is to torment while his goal is to convince her to marry him.

I enjoyed the back and forth with these two but also was a little on the fence about how I felt about Lucas' past. All in all I liked the story and will pick up more books by Burke. If you're looking for a quick and enjoyable read, consider picking this one up.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

One Duke Down is book two in the Rogues to Lovers series by Anna Bennett. If you haven't read book one, I recommend picking it up but I also don't think you miss a ton if you want to read it as a standalone. You just might not get some of the references to things that may have occurred prior to this book.

In this book, Poppy and Keane are our main characters. For context, Poppy is the daughter of a fisherman and Keane is a Duke. When Keane washes up on the beach that Poppy fishes from, she gives him a place to stay and works with him to try to sort out who tried to kill him. At first Poppy is a bit standoffish. She hasn't had great experiences with the nobility but Keane eventually wins her over and they are definitely more than friends. With that said, Poppy is convinced she can't have anything more with Keane while he is doing whatever he can to win her over and understand he will do anything to have her in his life long-term. He just needs to figure out who wants him dead first.

I loved how Poppy and Keane's relationship developed and the storyline allowed them to engage with each other without the societal restrictions which made things a bit easier...if you count hiding out on the beach easier. As the story moves forward, Poppy needs to make some decisions as Keane has already made his.

If you're looking for a new historical romance, I recommend picking this book up. There are interesting characters and a page turning story that will keep you engaged.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

A Love by Design is book three in the Secret Scientists of London series by Elizabeth Everett and if you haven't picked up this series yet, I highly recommend that you do. I enjoyed this one just a much as books one and two and if you read the first two, you won't miss out on the references that flow throughout this book.

This book focuses on Maggie and George. Along with Violet, they grew up together and had a relationship well before we are introduced to them in this series. With that said, things didn't necessarily pan out for Maggie and George (for reasons that come to light in the book) but now that Maggie is back in London and involved with Athena's Retreat, she is seeing George more often and it is bringing back old feelings.

While their relationship is an important part of this book, the other plot line to note is that Maggie is an engineer. She spent years working at her husband's firm and when he passed away, she tried to get her father-in-law to pass the firm on to her but that didn't pan out because of course, she's a woman. When makes the decision to move back to London, she is engaged by a group to build a tunnel underneath the Thames. The issue is that Maggie finds out who is funding the project and while she definitely has second thoughts about doing it, she moves forward knowing it might cause some issues with her friends.

As the story moves forward, not only do George and Maggie start to talk with each other about their past, but they move ahead and realize they still have strong feelings for one another. With their roles reversed now (he is a Lord and she is a working lady), they have to figure out what's truly important. On top of that, the project Maggie has been working on has some weird things going on and as she gets into the middle of it, she finds out just how much danger she is in.

That's about all I can say - there are some great characters and a well-written story within these pages and I recommend picking this one up for your next read!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.