A Proper Scoundrel - Review

A Proper Scoundrel (A Proper Scandal, # 3)

By: Esther Hatch

Publication: May 10th 2021 by Covenant Communications

256 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction, Adult

Source: Personal Kindle Library (birthday present)

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*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--As the successful owner of multiple railroad lines, Diana Barton is all too accustomed to fending off suitors seeking to stake their claim on her wealth. In order to keep the wolves at bay, Diana has contrived the perfect plan: appeal to the most notorious rake in London, the Baron Lord Bryant, to ruin her reputation and scare off the worst of the time wasters. The ruse will be no hardship—she’s secretly been fascinated by the man for years.

Lord Bryant is well aware of his questionable reputation. Indeed, he has cultivated the image carefully, and the last thing he wants is a wife. But when he’s approached by the younger sister of a business associate, he tells her in no uncertain terms that he cannot help. However, when he sees for himself what she is up against, Bryant grudgingly offers his assistance. Faced with his most complicated entanglement yet, Bryant is firm in his conditions—and Diana knows that to get romantically involved with Bryant would spell certain heartbreak. But as the counterfeit couple grow ever closer, the line between truth and lies becomes blurred, threatening both Lord Bryant’s well-laid plans and the future of Diana’s railroad business.

Esther Hatch has become a favorite author of mine. Each of her stories have jumped off the page, and the characters and storylines have hooked me from early on. I have truly struggled with read in 2021, but A Proper Scoundrel hooked me immediately. I do think being familiar with Lord Bryant from the previous two books did help.

I was wondering how in the world Esther Hatch would take a notorious scoundrel and rake and turn him into the leading male of any story. But she did a wonderful job of creating a believable backstory with reason and motivation for his actions.

Diana is the sister of Nate from A Proper Scandal. She's already scandalous on her own as a woman both owning and running her own railroad company. I loved Esther Hatch's play on the opening line from Pride and Prejudice: "As everyone knows, a single woman in possession of a railroad company must be in want of a husband." Diana had the confidence needed to be a proper match for Lord Bryant.

I loved the build between these two, and I don't want to get into too much of the specifics due to spoilers. I will say that this is the 3rd book in a row I have read that has used the fake relationship trope, and I have loved every one of them. The banter between these two was so enjoyable.

Favorite quotes:

-"When I win, I will be sure to let you know."

A missed opportunity not to refer to this later, IMO.

-Half the time, I'm not sure what is real and what is pretend.

-He smiled. She was becoming almost tired of his smile and the way it sucked in everyone around him. She wished he would be rid of it for a day and allow her to not dwell on whom else he had been smiling at.

-"But when he dropped his burden in the pond, he became happy for what he could be happy for--that he no longer had a burden. He didn't mourn the things he couldn't change." ..."He didn't want to lose his burden. It was only after it had slipped in that he rejoiced it was gone."

-You couldn't love a dragon, nor could you get close to one, but you wouldn't wish it to become a fish.

-She would not trust her heart if her head didn't agree with it.

-"Since the moment I saw you, I've been on a train hurtling down a track that always leads to you."

Diana and Lord Bryant made such a good story. I was happy with the background and explanation for his scoundrel ways. I could easily root for both of these characters. And I can't wait to read more from Esther Hatch. A Proper Scoundrel gets 4 Stars. Have you read A Proper Scoundrel? What did you think? Let me know!

Sunday Post - 08/08/21

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ The Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~this meme was inspired in part by ~ In My Mailbox~ It's a chance to share News. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog.

This week was mostly chill and normal. House work is slowly comming along. We've been at this for three months now and the end is still not in sight. But we have much to be thankful for. Thursday we went to Open House for Little Girl. She's starting Kindergarten tomorrow. Prayers for my mommy heart if you will. Saturday after my grocery run, we ran to buy school shoes. Then we went out to eat and drove by our house to see the progress and grab some things needed for school. I had no thought in my mind that we still would be in the middle of construction by the time school started. Little Boy also starts Pre-K3 on Monday. We're going to have many trips back and forth every day for the foreseeable future.

THE PAST WEEK:

Monday: Review of The Prince of Spies (Hope & Glory, # 3) by Elizabeth Camden (3.5 Stars)
Wednesday: Can't Wait for The Playbook (The Boyfriend Project, # 2) by Farrah Rochon

UPCOMING THIS WEEK:

Monday: Review of A Proper Scoundrel (Proper Scandal, # 3) by Esther Hatch
Tuesday: Top Ten Tuesday?
Wednesday: Can't Wait for Wednesday

Don’t forget to link up for the 2021 Series Enders Reading Challenge! You have until December 15th, 2021 to sign up. Each month there will be a giveaway for those participating with an end of the year giveaway too! Click on the picture below or the link above to find out more!

NEW BOOKS THIS WEEK:

This May End Badly

By: Samantha Markum

Expected Publication: April 12th 2022 by Wednesday Books

384 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--When a high stakes boarding school prank war leads to a fake dating scheme, two teens must decide if they are ready to take the ultimate risk — falling in love.

Pranking mastermind Doe and her motley band of Weston girls are determined to win the century-long war against Winfield Academy before the clock ticks down on their senior year. But when their headmistress announces that The Weston School will merge with its rival the following year, their longtime feud spirals into chaos.

To protect the school that has been her safe haven since her parents’ divorce, Doe puts together a plan to prove once and for all that Winfield boys and Weston girls just don’t mix, starting with a direct hit at Three, Winfield’s boy king and her nemesis. In a desperate move to win, Doe strikes a bargain with Three’s cousin, Wells: If he fake dates her to get under Three’s skin, she’ll help him get back his rightful family heirloom from Three.

As the pranks escalate, so do her feelings for her fake boyfriend, and Doe spins lie after lie to keep up her end of the deal. But when a teacher long suspected of inappropriate behavior messes with a younger Weston girl, Doe has to decide what’s more important: winning a rivalry, or joining forces to protect something far more critical than a prank war legacy.

This May End Badly is a story about friendship, falling in love, and crossing pretty much every line presented to you—and how to atone when you do.

That's it for my shelves and recaps of my past and upcoming week. What did you add to your shelves this week? Any bookish news you want to talk about? Let me know!

Can't Wait for The Dating Playbook

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released as well. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine. Find out more here.

The Dating Playbook (The Boyfriend Project, # 2)

By: Farrah Rochon

Expected Publication: August 17th 2021 by Forever

368 pages

Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Sports

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--When a personal trainer agrees to fake date her client, all rules are out the window in this delightful romantic comedy from the USA Today bestselling author of The Boyfriend Project!

When it comes to personal training, Taylor Powell kicks serious butt. Unfortunately, her bills are piling up, rent is due, and the money situation is dire. Taylor needs more than the support of her new best friends, Samiah and London. She needs a miracle.

And Jamar Dixon might just be it. The oh-so-fine former footballer wants back into the NFL, and he wants Taylor to train him. There's just one catch -- no one can know what they're doing. But when they're accidentally outed as a couple, Taylor's game plan is turned completely upside down. Is Jamar just playing to win . . . or is he playing for keeps?

What are you guys waiting on this week? Let me know!

The Prince of Spies - Review

The Prince of Spies (Hope and Glory, # 2)

By: Elizabeth Camden

Publication: February 16th 2021 by Bethany House Publishers

352 pages

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Luke Delacroix has the reputation of a charming man-about-town in Gilded Age Washington, DC. In reality, he is secretly carrying out an ambitious agenda in Congress. His current mission is to thwart the reelection of Congressman Clyde Magruder, his only real enemy in the world.

But trouble begins when Luke meets Marianne Magruder, the congressman's only daughter, whose job as a government photographer gives her unprecedented access to sites throughout the city. Luke is captivated by Marianne's quick wit and alluring charm, leading them both into a dangerous gamble to reconcile their feelings for each other with Luke's driving passion for vital reforms in Congress.

Can their newfound love survive a political firestorm, or will three generations of family rivalry drive them apart forever?

I came into this series with book 2 not knowing it was part of a series. Luke seemed like a larger than life character, and I was excited to come around to his book. Yet I tried to start The Prince of Spies the week before Baby Boy was born. Honestly, that was a terrible time to try to start something new. I wasn't hooked immediately so I put it down. Of course, having a newborn doesn't lend itself to much reading time so I put off getting back to this book for a while. However when I finally returned to the story, I only needed a few more pages before I found myself invested in the story and characters.

Luke is still larger than life. He's one of those people that have varied interest. He's just gotten home from a 15 month stint in a Cuban jail while spying for the US. Plus he's a journalist. He's interested in politics. He's got a vendetta against a company that the family business had a deal with that led to the deaths of 3 people. He's translating a book. And he joins an experiment group. Luke is a risk taker if nothing else. I can admire him but also know I could never be in a relationship with someone similar.

Marianne is the daughter of the business owner Luke's family had the partnership with that resulted in 3 deaths. Marianne only knows what she's been told and has no reason to doubt those things. She's a photographer for the Department of Interiors and has been called to some dangerous places in the name of getting a good shot. Even still, Marianne doesn't considered herself a risk-taker. She actually calls herself a coward more than once.

I liked Luke and Marianne's story. These two didn't skirt around their attraction with each other which I appreciated. They have a Romeo and Juliet story being from families feuding with each other.

I usually don't love when a book spends too much time focusing on historical events. I don't mind a mention or a nod, but I don't want to feel like the book is setting out to teach me something (much like not wanting to be preached at). So The Prince of Spies teetered on the edge of the line for me. I actually found the food preservatives aspect interesting but it was almost too much history for me.

Favorite quotes:

-“Oh, for pity’s sake, they’re ghosts, Gray! The kind who wake you up at night and steal your joy and make you pray to God for forgiveness. That kind of ghost.”...“Then you’re going to have to defeat them. Or turn them into something that inspires you to be a better man.”

-"We seem like complete opposites, but we fly together in tandem.”

-"Having a best friend,” Luke said. “A port in a storm. A person to laugh and flirt with. To hold and kiss and comfort.”

-She was a jeweled memory that flashed and glinted in the darkness, keeping him awake at night and fueling his days. He would probably never see her again, but the fire she inspired drove him to keep dreaming, keep trying, keep enduring.

The Prince of Spies took me a little while to get into, but I think that had more to do with my life circumstances than the book. I loved Luke and Marianne's story. And even though I don't normally, I enjoyed the inclusion of the history of food preservatives as used in this story. The history was close to being too much of the focus for me though. Prince of Spies gets 3.5 Stars. Have you read Prince of Spies? What did you think? Let me know!

Sunday Post - 08/01/21

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ The Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~this meme was inspired in part by ~ In My Mailbox~ It's a chance to share News. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog.

Oh my word this was a busy week! Monday, Baby Boy had his 6 month check up. He weighs 22 pounds (97%). Little Boy was 13 months old when he weighed 22 pounds. Tuesday was the only day we didn't have anything going on. Wednesday, the big kids and I met my friend Amanda, her mom, and her two kids at a local farmer's market. Wednesday night, I went to have some mom time with Holly. Thursday, the big kids went to the dentist. Friday, I had to go up to the school to finish registration for Little Girl going into Kindergarten. Saturday, I had to meet my mother-in-law to have Baby Boy's hand print made and do grocery pick up. It has been a whirlwind. I'm no longer doing Stacking the Shelves. The host blog hasn't updated in months, so I'll just include my new books with my Sunday Post. I know many people do this anyway. But it turns out that I didn't get any new books this week anyway.

THE PAST WEEK:

Sunday: 2021 Series Enders Reading Challenge - July Wrap Up
Monday: Review of A Good Day for Chardonnay (Sunshine Vicram, # 2) by Darynda Jones (4.5 Stars)
Wednesday: Can't Wait for Love, Chai, and Other Four-Letter Words by Annika Sharma
Saturday: EOM Wrap Ups for June & July 2021

UPCOMING THIS WEEK:

Monday: Review of The Prince of Spies (Hope & Glory, # 3) by Elizabeth Camden
Tuesday: Top Ten Tuesday?
Wednesday: Can't Wait for Wednesday

Don’t forget to link up for the 2021 Series Enders Reading Challenge! You have until December 15th, 2021 to sign up. Each month there will be a giveaway for those participating with an end of the year giveaway too! Click on the picture below or the link above to find out more!

That's it for my shelves and recaps of my past and upcoming week. What did you add to your shelves this week? Any bookish news you want to talk about? Let me know!