Indomitable Women Save the Day

Dukes in Danger

Always Be My Duchess (Taming of the Dukes #1) by Amalie Howard

historical romance

Forever, April 11, 2023

from chapter 3: "Woman's intelligence. The dread of the patriarchy and the scourge of the aristocracy. Provocative at best, deadly at worst."

The Duke Who Ravaged Me (Rebellious Brides #4) by Diana Quincy

historical romance

Loveswept, April 2018

Double trouble becomes a triple threat.

One Duke Down (Rogues to Lovers #2) by Anna Bennett

historical romance

St. Martin's, January 2023

A fisherwoman catches a whole lot more than she expected to find in her net.

A Scandalous Kind of Duke (Longhope Abbey #3) by Mia Vincy

historical romance

Inner Ballad Press, September 2022

Childhood friends-to-lovers situationship leads to crossroads, betrayals, fisticuffs, duels, and declarations.

Duke-adjacent Featured Characters

A Tempest at Sea (Lady Sherlock #7) by Sherry Thomas

historical mystery

Berkley, March 2023

from chapter 27: Charlotte, too, very much enjoyed being alone. But she was fortunate: Those who loved her never saw her inclination toward solitude as something that needed to be overturned to make room for them.

This historical mystery exudes some clever Mission: Impossible vibes along with engaging tenderness and a playful buoyancy despite addressing serious themes handled with deft nuance. Plus, Charlotte and Ash interactions abound.*

*They are my primary reason for reading this most excellent series. The intrigue and all of the other notable elements are lovely perks.

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The Best Man: Unfinished Business by Malcolm D. Lee with Jayne Allen Delivers All the Feels

Black love. Black joy. Black drama. Humanity in its vast melanin array. [front cover of a paperback ARC for The Best Man: Unfinished Business; silhouette of three adults] The Best Man: Unfinished Business by Malcolm D. Lee with Jayne Allen adult contemporary fiction with romantic elements Storehouse Voices, July 2025 First, dedicated fans of The Best Man franchise and its beloved characters need not fear how they’re treated in this first of three novels. In fact. One thread of Harper’s storyline seems to reflect the real-life author/screenwriter/director’s battle to protect and maintain the integrity of The Best Man universe. Mission accomplished. Second, once readers - fans or not - start this novel they won’t want to stop. The compulsion to re/watch The Best Man movies and limited series and maybe even to reread this book while anticipating the release of book two in 2026 will prove difficult to resist. Who are you? Who are your people?...

A Million Lives Book Festival - An Unfortunate Exception, Not the Event Rule

[2 decorative stickers on lined writing paper from left to right: a round smiley face arranged upside down to look like a frown and a round smiley face arranged right sight up] By now most bookish folk and others have heard about the inaugural A Million Lives Book Festival held at the Baltimore Convention Center last Friday and Saturday. To recap: according to participating authors and attendees many promises were made and almost all of them were broken. As outreach director and co-organizer for The Write Women Book Fest scheduled to host its 6th event Saturday, July 19 & Sunday, July 20 of this year at the Bowie Comfort Inn & Conference Center in Bowie, Maryland, U.S.A., my reaction to the feedback being shared about A Million Lives is nightmarish. Even though we aren't connected to it in any way or familiar with the event organizer or her company, our completely unrelated event has felt some minor residual effects because people are worried. And that's an understanda...

Hot Love in the Kitchen & Travelling Through Time

Redemption of the Heart by Moni Boyce contemporary romance Love Snacks Publishing 8 January 2019 Despite addressing heavy themes of domestic violence, incarceration, and grief, Redemption of the Heart is a charming and sweet spicy read in the tradition of a 21st-century interracial homage to Janet Dailey’s monthly romance era. Gemma’s open-hearted ingénue contrasts starkly with Alex’s jaded workaholic. They struggle with a variety of challenges, but ethnicity isn’t one of them—a spin that feels particularly modern. Once readers commit to their suspension of disbelief regarding the cascading impact of lacks in due diligence by several characters, it’s easy to settle in to enjoy this love story. The recent public debate about the pros and cons of Gillette’s “We believe the best man can be” campaign ties in with the contradictory messages in the story threads about toxic masculinity. There’s a scene in which Alex apologizes to someone who was openly bragging among cowork...

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