BOOKS AND BLOGGING PHILOSOPHY

Philosophy is defined as a theory underlying or regarding a sphere of activity or thought. Well, my theory is if I can add at least 10 new books to my Wishlist and move at least 5 older Wishlist selections to my TBR list every month, then life is a ice cream sundae. And if I can find those 10 books from at least 5 new blogs each month then that's the cherry on top.

NEW VISITORS AND OLD- WELCOME!

NEW VISITORS AND OLD- WELCOME!
Well, I've made it almost 5 years now, so for better or worse, I continue on. I tend to blog in spurts as the urge to be creative erupts. As I don't have an artistic bone in my body, you will see very few changes in the layouts. Hey, I'm a reader not an artist like so many of the awesome bloggers I follow. I know you don't always have the time but if you stopped and looked, take a half a minute and say your piece. Recommend a book that you have enjoyed or hated for that matter. Thank you to all who visit.
Oh, and I moved my Google Friend Connect info and share this buttons to the top, as without our friends, who are we?


Monday, December 17, 2018

Review For NOT THE DUKE'S DARLING By Elizabeth Hoyt- 4*

Title: NOT THE DUKE'S DARLING

Series: Greycourt #1
Author: Elizabeth Hoyt
Genre: Historical Romance
Rating: * * * * 
Publishers: Forever
(Dec 18, 2018)
Paperback: 496 pages
FTC Disclosure: ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley

Freya de Moray is many things: a member of the secret order of Wise Women, the daughter of disgraced nobility, and a chaperone living under an assumed name. What she is not is forgiving. So when the Duke of Harlowe--the man who destroyed her brother and led to the downfall of her family--appears at the country house party she's attending, she does what any Wise Woman would do: she starts planning her revenge.

Christopher Renshaw, the Duke of Harlowe, is being blackmailed. Intent on keeping his secrets safe, he agrees to attend a house party where he will put an end to this coercion once and for all. Until he recognizes Freya, masquerading amongst the party revelers, and realizes his troubles have just begun. Freya knows all about his sins. Sins he'd much rather forget. But she's also fiery, bold, and sensuous-a temptation he can't resist. When it becomes clear Freya is in grave danger, he'll risk everything to keep her safe. But first, Harlowe will have to earn Freya's trust-by whatever means necessary.

Features a bonus novella from New York Times bestselling author Grace Burrowes!
 


While this isn't Maiden Lane (which I loved, loved, loved), I still enormously enjoyed the start of Hoyt's new series. Hoyt manages again to create some simply awesome heroines and heroes. Freya is definitely not the typical female from 1760 London nor is Christopher the typical Duke. 
It's always a treat to get to read a new book by Hoyt and it blew me away to realize that it was almost 500 pages long.(One of the things I love and hate about the Kindle is not getting a true feel of the length of a book. I  always feel kind of shocked and sad when I realize the story has ended.) It was a weekend read for me that seemed to speed by much, much to fast. Presumably, I slept and ate this weekend (I don't recall) but obviously I must have had the Kindle attached to my hand most of the time as I did finish it so quickly. I love Hoyt's details of life from both the upper class point of view and the staff's. It's rather like getting a Downton Abbey moment with Hoyt's particular recipe for suspense and romance blended to produce a meal that is totally satisfying and filling.
One additional note that I just must add, if you haven't read the Maiden Lane series, it is now complete. Picking up this series for a binge read would be so awesome and I almost hate (nah, not really) I've already read it all cause I never reread a series. Just not enough time to indulge in rereading no matter how great it was.

Greycourt
1. Not the Duke's Darling (2018)


Elizabeth Hoyt is the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weeklybestselling author of historical romance, including reader favorite, The Raven Prince.
Elizabeth was born in New Orleans but grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota. She was fortunate to be able to travel extensively as a child, visiting St. Andrews, Scotland; Germany; France; and Belgium. She spent a year in Oxford, England and was a summer exchange student to Kawasaki, Japan.
Elizabeth has a BA in anthropology from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and, as a result of having no clue what to do with her life thereafter, a career history as a barista, a (terrible) sales clerk, a Wisconsin Revenue Service data entry slave, and an archeological field work grunt. Fortunately, Elizabeth married relatively young and produced two children who kept her busy until her mid-thirties. At about this time, when her youngest was entering Kindergarten, Elizabeth’s mother hinted that perhaps Elizabeth should get a Real Job.

Sadly, Elizabeth was so delusional she thought writing a romance novel might qualify as a Real Job.
But! Five years later, to everyone’s surprise, she actually sold that romance novel (The Raven Prince) and began a rather successful career as a Romance Novelist. This was most fortunate since Elizabeth is singularly unqualified to do anything else but Make Up Stories. Since then Elizabeth has written over twenty books to critical acclaim including three contemporaries under the pen name Julia Harper.
Elizabeth lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota with three dogs, a garden in constant need of weeding, and the ever faithful Mr. Hoyt.



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