Book Review: "Because of Miss Bridgerton (Rokesbys #1)" by Julia Quinn

***** - The Bridgertons and the Rokesbys have lived on neighbouring estates for centuries. Their children, through proximity, have grown up together. Billie Bridgerton has always been best friends with Edward, Andrew and Mary Rokesby and assumed she'd marry one of the boys when the time came.

Billie is unlike any other English miss. She wears breeches around the estate, handles her father's management affairs, climbs trees and throws herself at any task with abandon. The eldest Rokesby, George, has always found Billie to be intolerable, and they have enjoyed a long history of sniping and baiting one another.

When Billie inconveniently finds herself in need of rescue one afternoon, she is dismayed when it's George who happens upon her and must provide aid. But so begins their story as they discover that there's more to each than meets the eye.

I adored both of the main characters in this book. Billie is an excellent heroine, strong but soft in places, very relatable. I was surprised that I liked George as much as I did, I tend to find in regency romances the hero of the story is very two dimensional. But his passion, propriety and morality were in perfect combination, and he was charmingly realistic.

This book has passion, it feels romantic, and the whole story is made sweeter by the fact that these two have a history. This isn't some spur of the moment fascination with one another. They know the other's faults before their love story even begins. Finding this sort of foundation in a regency romance is rare, and this story almost feels like it could have unfolded in any era.

I loved it, so 5 stars it is.

Book Review: "Bend: Vegas Heat Book 1" by Molly McLain

*** - Sergeant Trent Clark can be a real asshole, and loves to give his Captain's daughter, Kinsey, a hard time. When Kinsey requests help from the local police and Trent shows up, she is tempted to handle things on her own. But she is even more tempted by Trent - his body is every bit as good as his attitude is bad.

This is a really quick read, and while the story is engaging, it goes too quickly to really be memorable. There is no real character development; Trent's issues seem to be solved through the power of love alone, which feels like a cop-out. These characters have great appeal and could have been great with a more fleshed-out plot.

I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for this review.

Book Review: "The Captain's Bluestocking Mistress" by Erica Ridley

*** - Jane is smart, well-read and heading towards spinsterhood, which makes her an interesting and new kind of heroine in this regency romance. She places Xavier on a pedestal and he is just the right mixture of tortured and honorable, the perfect romantic hero.

Jane decides to seduce Xavier and he predictably resists. There isn't much else to this novel until the inevitable happily-ever-after. Cute, a quick read, and I imagine fans of the series will enjoy this one.

I received a free copy from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for this review.

Book Review: "What You Do To Me" by Barbara Longley

*** - Handyman Sam doesn't do serious relationships. After he foolishly outs himself as the local lothario, Heroine Haley's meddling mother hires Sam to fix up her house and get her out of her post-breakup funk. The set-up and beginning of this story are great. Haley is a really likable character and Sam is very endearing. They have great chemistry when they deny their attraction towards each other and try to operate as business as usual.

Unfortunately the book gets a little bit hard to read when Sam and Haley actually hook up and "the drama" is introduced to the story. The outcome is inevitable and anticlimactic. I eagerly read through the start of this book but I wasn't in a hurry to finish.

Perfectly cute romance novel, well-written and great characterization. I just don't think it has anything new to offer. If the premise interests you, it's worth a read.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my review.