Title: Road Trip with a Rogue
(Her Majesty’s Rebels #3)
Author: Kate Bateman
Published: July 2025
Genre: Historical Romance, Brother’s Best Friend, Second Chance

 

Blurb:

Mistakenly holding up the coach of the man who broke her heart is bad enough, but having to endure his sinfully alluring company all the way to Scotland is Daisy’s Hamilton worst nightmare ... and her most secret desire.

A midnight mishap.

Daisy Hamilton’s new mission for King & Co., London’s premier private investigation firm, is simple: stop heiress Violetta Brand from eloping. But her case is derailed when she mistakenly holds up the carriage of Lucien Vaughan, Duke of Cranford – cynical war hero, infamous libertine, and the very man who broke her heart five years ago.

A reluctant road trip.

Lucien’s determined to see his lovestruck nephew married to Miss Brand, but the unexpected appearance of Daisy – the one woman he’s never been able to forget – could ruin his plans. As they follow the runaway couple together, Lucien decides that delaying the headstrong Daisy by any means possible – including seduction – will be his absolute dangerous pleasure ... and hers.

A dangerous desire.

After Daisy’s reputation is threatened, Lucien makes a scandalous claim, but when an unexpected enemy threatens her life, he realizes she’s the only woman for him. Their past encounters have made Daisy almost as jaded about love as Lucien himself, and it’s going to take action, not words, to convince this knife-wielding hellion to risk her heart on him again ...

My Review:

Dorothea, aka, Daisy Hamilton has a simple mission: to thwart an elopement, bring back Violet to her father, and get paid. Yet when the carriage she thought belonged to her quarry is ambushed by highwaymen, she steps in to help, she doesn’t expect to meet the occupant of the carriage would be her brother’s most despised friend.

Lucien’s mission is simple: follow his nephew to ensure that he marries Violet. Yet he doesn’t expect the woman disguised as a lad would be his long-desired and best friend’s sister, Daisy.

They both have to proceed and succeed on their pursuit, but will they be able to keep their sexual desire separate from their mission?

With a blend of action and romance, this book has simultaneously engaged and brought me to a fun, compelling read with so much passion and longing. Daisy’s characters didn’t disappoint at all: she is stubborn, determined, loyal, and merciful, what’s more is her skill at wielding her three knives. She won’t back down without a fight, that’s what I loved about her. Oh and Lucien, his teasing and knowing smile always put me on the edge while reading. He embodies all the qualities I look for in a duke.

The swift action and engrossing plot, coupled with two characters who can no longer contain their sexual tension, make this book a wonderful read.

About the author

Kate Bateman / K.C. Bateman, is a bestselling author of Regency and Renaissance historical romances, including the Secrets & Spies series, Bow Street Bachelors series, Ruthless Rivals series and Her majesty's Rebels series. Her books have received multiple starred Reviews from Publishers Weekly and Library Journal, and her Renaissance romp The Devil To Pay was a 2019 RITA award nominee.

Kate's books have been translated into multiple languages, including French, Italian, Brazilian, Japanese, German, Romanian, Czech, and Croatian.

When not writing, Kate leads a double life as a fine art appraiser and on-screen antiques expert for several TV shows in the UK. She currently lives in the UK with her husband, three inexhaustible children, and a naughty toy poodle named Monty.

Kate loves to hear from readers. Contact her on Twitter @katebateman, Facebook, or via her website at https://www.kcbateman.com/

Blurb, photo, and Bio source: goodreads.com

Title: The Duke’s Dream
Author: Giovanna Siniscalchi
Published: May 2025
Genre: Regency Romance, Forbidden Love, Historical Romance,

Blurb:

Helene de Beaumont, a French émigré in Regency London, is poised to become the star of Sir Walter Scott’s new ballet, La Sylphide. With flawless technique and a self-taught mastery of dancing en pointe, her dreams of ballet glory are finally within reach.

But when she captures the attention of William Harcourt, the powerful and enigmatic Duke of Albemarle – known in political circles as the Silent Sovereign – everything changes.

He’s spent years haunted by the image of a sprite glimpsed only in restless dreams – graceful, untouchable, and maddeningly out of reach. Now she stands before him on stage: Helene. And the moment he sees her, he knows one thing with certainty – he must have her.

As fascination turns to obsession, Helene is swept into a dangerous waltz of power, passion, and surrender. In a season glittering with promise and peril, she must choose between the life she’s fought... or the man who could unravel it with a single touch.

A steamy historical romance with high stakes and heart. Perfect for lovers of forbidden romance, brooding dukes, and heroines who rise from the shadows to claim centre stage.

My review:

How would you react when your dream came true? A regency romance featuring a ballet dancer heroine and an obsessed duke, what an alluring dramatic historical romance!

When a recurring dream leads William, a cold obsessive duke, to Helene, a French émigré whose only ambition is to become a ballet dancer, he doesn’t pursue her merely to soothe his unease. Instead, she turns out to be the woman he truly desires, even though she is forbidden to him. Oh Giovanna’s evocative writing makes their story feel both poetic and deeply romantic.

Helene practices her ballet dancing tirelessly in the hope of becoming La Sylphide, until William interrupts and turns her life upside down. Hiding her true identity, she is unaware of how fragile her position in London society is, especially when she is associated with William.  Conversely, despite his brooding and forbidding presence as a powerful duke, William’s only desire is to possess Helene, however he doesn’t know how precarious their bond is. Their desire and love might be forbidden, but nothing can stop William from acting on his uncontrollable desire.

I loved everything about this book, William and Helene, Helene’s friends, the political twist, the poetic and dramatic storyline, and the ballet performances. It all sounds like a fairy tale movie. The story is so immersive and steamy. Giovanna’s vivid writing truly transports me into a poetic, heart-wrenching world with a beautiful ending, accompanied by the sound of intangible music and fairies.

About the author

Giovanna Siniscalchi chased narrative arcs and climax points in the Nasdaq for twelve long years working as an economist. still, her romantic imagination was wasted in the financial markets, so she decided to put it to better use: write fiction. she is married and has two great kids. her passions are eclectic, including reading, traveling, surfing, wine, and of course, historical romance.

picture, blurb and bio source: goodreads.com

 

Title: The Viscount’s Forbidden Flirtation
Author: Sarah Rodi
Published: March 2025
Genre: Regency Romance, Enemies-to-Friends-to-Lovers, Historical Romance, Harlequin Historical, Mills & Boon Historical, Forbidden Love, Love at First Sight

Blurb:

Four soldiers face their greatest battle yet – in the Regency marriage mart! Be enthralled by the second instalment of A Season to Wed.

A dance with temptation...

Sets his world ablaze!

Lieutenant Colonel Ezra Hart finds himself in urgent need of a wife – inheriting the viscountcy relies on it. But while he’s dutifully spinning the season’s jewels around society’s ballrooms, he finds himself desiring the one woman he shouldn’t covet...

French émigré Seraphine Mounier is as beguiling as she is vivacious, but Ezra knows she has no interest in the marriage mart. What’s worse, she represents the very enemy he fought at Waterloo. As an undeniable connection sparks, resisting Seraphine seems one battle Ezra’s destined to lose!

My Review:

Who would have thought that Sarah Rodi – known for her magical Viking stories – could write a Regency romance that completely melts your heart?

A life that both Seraphine and Ezra don’t fit into and yet they have to keep hiding who they really are...

One wrong word and Ezra finds himself duelling with a Frenchman, and suddenly fate brings him to a woman he shouldn’t desire – but can’t stop thinking about. Seraphine is a French émigré who keeps her distance from society to protect herself. After Ezra’s remark about émigrés, she wants nothing to do with him. But when her family faces injustice, Ezra steps in to help and tries to fix his mistake.

As they spend more time together, their hatred slowly turns into something deeper. I loved watching their enemies-to-friends-to-lovers journey filled with sweet, forbidden moments and real emotion. The class divide, the drama, the slow-burn to sizzling romance – it kept me hooked!

Seraphine is strong and kind, and Ezra is charming but struggling with his own worries. Their chemistry is real, and I couldn’t stop reading as, wanting to know how their love would survive against the weight of prejudice and the expectations of Ezra’s father. And – voilaaa... Sarah Rodi knows how to please her readers, the turn of events is truly satisfying and delightful.

This story has everything I love. A fascinating dramatic Regency setting, emotional depth and a love that grows when and where it shouldn’t! Thank you Sarah Rodi for the e-arc, which I voluntarily reviewed.

About the author

Sarah Rodi has always been a hopeless romantic. She grew up watching old romantic movies recommended by her granddad or devouring love stories from the local library. Sarah lives in the village of Cookham in Berkshire, where she enjoys walking along the River Thames with her husband, her two daughters and their dog. She has been a magazine journalist for over twenty years, but it has been her lifelong dream to write romance for Harlequin. Sarah believes everyone deserves to find their happy-ever-after. You can contact her via @sarahrodiedits or sarahrodiedits@gmail.com. Or visit her website at sarahrodi.com

picture and blurb source: goodreads.com
 

Title: The Lord’s Maddening Miss
Author: Lucy Morris
Published: May 2025
Genre: Regency Romance, Sunshine-Grumpy Trope, Historical Romance, Harlequin Historical, Mills & Boon Historical, Opposite Attract

Blurb:

A sunny Miss, a scowling bachelor

A recipe for disaster...or romance?

Since returning from the Waterloo, Lord Hawksmere has been a bad-tempered recluse. Having sworn never to burden a wife with his dour disposition, Hawk plans to spend the season helping his impoverished sister. But her annoyingly cheerful friend Miss Maggie Mackenzie is a distinct distraction!

Whisky heiress Maggie prefers brewing alcohol to being wooed. Or that’s what she tells herself from her pace on the shelf! Hawk is imposing, interfering, yet, as their heated animosity melts into something even hotter, will the self-proclaimed spinster admit he’s also infuriatingly attractive?

My Review:

What would happen when a maddening heiress and a grumpy Lord crossed paths? Yupzz, it’s a romantic disaster!

It’s been a while since I last read about a Scottish heroine, and Maggie lives up to the characters I expected in this book. A redhead, a hopeless romantic, a social butterfly and a meddling sunshine heroine that will brighten your reading time!

As always, Lucy Morris’s opening had me riveted as Maggie confronts the infuriatingly attractive Hawk, a brother of her friend, when her friend is on the verge of misery. There, Hawk and Maggie’s fates become intertwined with a romantic limbo and a family secret.

For me, Hawk is ridiculously grumpy when he has to deal with his sister and Maggie. Thanks to Lucy Morris’s incredible writing which helps me imagine the chaos of his sister’s estate with four boys and Maggie’s provocative presence. Also, I couldn’t stop laughing at how ridiculous Hawk must look when sitting in a broken chair!

The story isn’t merely about the romantic journey between Hawk and Maggie. I was able to get a glimpse of the romantic affair of Hawk’s best friends, especially his sister and Maggie’s uncle. Maggie and her uncle are as thick as thieves. I really loved this relationship because it warmed my heart. Her uncle’s support of her brilliant invention of wine is also very pleasing.

The story is absolutely wonderful, although I was a little disappointed because Maggie is too forgiving and kind after what Hawk did, but hey! That’s why Hawk loves Maggie! The epilogue perfectly beautifully and happily ends the series of A Season to Wed with all the characters and the children!

About the author

Lucy Morris lives in Essex, UK, with her husband, two young children and two cats. She has a massively sweet tooth and loves gin, bubbly and Irn-Bru. She is a member of the UK Romantic Novelists’ Association and is delighted to begin her publishing journey with Harlequin Historical in 2021 with her first release ‘The Viking Chief’s Marriage Alliance’.

She adores writing strong, passionate women and the brave honourable men who fall in love with them. Weaving her fascination with the dark age of medieval Europe with her compulsion to give her characters a happily ever after. But only after they’ve had an adventure along the way. Follow her on twitter https://twitter.com/LMorris_Author

picture and blurb source: goodreads.com

 

Title: A Governess to Redeem Him
Author: Lotte R. James
Published: April 2025
Genre: Second Chance at Love, Gothic Romance, Historical Romance, Mills and Boon Historical, Harlequin Historical

 

Blurb:

What happened when a governess’s first love comes back from the dead? Find out in this Gothic second-chance romance.

To claim their future

They must rewrite their past...

Eighteen years ago, Juliana Myles fled her home and built a new life as a governess, believing her childhood sweetheart had been sentenced to death! Now Sebastian Lloyd is back from the dead and wants Juliana’s help in proving his innocence...

Sebastian has spent a lifetime running from an unjust verdict. But he’s tired of being haunted by his past. Yet working with Juliana to capture the true culprit also means being confronted by searing memories of their passionate history. And the temptation to bring their love back to life...

My Review:

A gothic love story where death cannot separate a true love...

Juliana, a governess with the most reasonable and calm attitude despite her predicament, must have suffered a lot for the loss of her first and only love. I could feel the suffering she must have endured all her life, the guilt, the memories, the loss, how could she bear it? She doesn’t believe in ghost, but when she hears that Sebastian is still alive, her fear and despair come back to haunt her until he confronts her himself. I loved how dramatic the encounter was.

Wrongly convicted of murder, Sebastian who escaped and created a new identity couldn’t forget the past. He must find the real culprit and regain his identity, thus he returns and demands Juliana, his past sweetheart to assist him, to go back to Barrow Heath, a place where their love blossomed until tragedy tore them apart.

Oh dear, I couldn’t believe it, how could these two sweethearts who loved one another, bring up so much hatred and rage? I must praise Lotte for her brilliantly emotional metaphorical writing which bring so much emotion permeating within Juliana and Sebastian, because who wouldn’t, after what they had been through? And Now, Juliana must face the reality of another tragic life? Tracing back their past as husband and wife, will they be able to redeem themselves?

Despite the heart-wrenching angst storyline, this has become one of my most favourite books by Lotte. Lotte’s powerful writing brings out a beautiful second chance love story where Juliana and Sebastian’s love never ends even after death has separated them. It’s truly a beautiful love story where in the end love could eventually conquer and redeem them. Thank you Lotte for sending me the E-ARC, which I voluntarily reviewed.

About the Author

Lotte R. James trained as an actor and theatre director, but spent most of her life working day jobs crunching numbers while dreaming up stories of love and adventures. She’s thrilled to finally be writing those stories, and when she’s not scribbling on tiny pieces of paper, she can usually be found wandering the countryside for inspiration or nestling with coffee and a book. You can reach her on Twitter https://twitter.com/lottejamesbooks.

 picture and blurb source: goodreads.com