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Tuesday, May 19, 2020

Rakes and Roses by Josi S. Kilpack (Rakes and Roses Blog Tour)



Bestselling author Josi S. Kilpack tours the blogosphere May 4 through May 22, 2020 to share her third novel in the Mayfield Family series, Rakes and Roses. Forty popular book bloggers specializing in historical romance, inspirational fiction, and Austenesque fiction will feature guest blogs, interviews, exclusive excerpts, and book reviews of this acclaimed Regency romance.

Can a notorious rake reform and become a better person?  Lady Sabrina was married to an evil man who beat her. One evening a mysterious young man helped her when she was in fear of her husband.  Little did she know she would repay his kindness years later. After a miscarriage and her husband’s early death, she is able to become an independent business woman with her inheritance and live life on her own terms.  She is happy with her life and getting to help out those around her, but she wishes that she could have found love and a family of her own.

Harry Stillman is a gambler, drinker, and womanizer who can’t keep himself from the pull of the gambler’s den.  His rich uncle has cast him off, and he has hit rock bottom with no money, great debt, and only the selling of his estate left.  He learns of the mysterious Lord Damion who will loan him the money to pay off his debts if he will work towards being a better man.  It’s one last chance that he’s happy to take, but he is beat up by thugs after meeting with Lord Damion.  Lady Sabrina finds him after the attack, and realizes it’s the man who helped her in the past.  She takes him home to nurse him back to health.  Will Harry be able to change?  Will Lady Sabrina be able to keep her independence and her secrets?

I loved this novel.  I have talked about previously on this blog that Regency historical romance books are my comfort reads, especially during these trying times.  Rakes and Roses is also a clean Regency romance, which I enjoy.  I really love the focus on romance without throwing in a lot of gratuitous steamy sex scenes.  Rakes and Roses had great main characters in Lady Sabrina and Harry Stillman.  I loved how Lady Sabrina was able to take her life in her own hands and have success as a woman during a time when that was not typical.  I also loved that she felt a great desire to help other people.  I loved the chemistry between her and Harry.  They were intellectually matched.  Harry had a journey to go on as he hit rock bottom and I loved how he realized how much he had hurt those he loved.  The story was very interesting and unique to any other Regency romance I have read. 

I also loved discovering that it is part of a Trilogy.  I need to find the other books in this trilogy!  They are all linked by the fact that Harry’s uncle will only give him money if he settles down and finds a wife.  This is a pact he has made with all of his nephews.

Favorite Quotes:
“The only people who cannot change are those who are unwilling to face the pain behind the poor choices they have made.”

“Would it be possible for someone to truly see her, know her, and understand her?”

“I am wearing a nightshirt and knitting.  Dignity is no longer an option.”

“It was perhaps the first time he understood that sacrifice was giving up something good and immediate for something better and long-term.”

Overall, Rakes and Roses is a heartwarming story of redemption with great characters and chemistry.  I loved it!

What do you read for comfort reads?

Book Source:  Review copy from Shadow Mountain Publishing for being a part of the Blog Tour put together by Austenprose.  Thank-you!

 
QUICK FACTS:

  • Title: Rakes and Roses: A Mayfield Family Romance (Book 3)
  • Proper Romance series
  • Author: Josi S. Kilpack
  • Tour Dates: May 4 – May 22, 2020
  • Genre: Historical Romance, Regency Romance, Inspirational Fiction
  • Publisher: Shadow Mountain Publishing (May 5, 2020)
  • Length (320) pages
  • Trade paperback ISBN: 978-1629727356
  • eBook ASIN: B085FSQNGV
  • Audiobook ASIN: B0844W7ZQM


BOOK DESCRIPTION:

A standalone novel in the Mayfield Family series with an unusual premise and an uplifting ending.

Lady Sabrina endured an abusive marriage, a miscarriage, and early widowhood to emerge as a smart, successful, confident woman who found a way to make her mark in a man's world. She has friends and purpose, but cannot hide from the emptiness she feels when the parties are over and the friends have gone home to families she will never have.
Harry Stillman may be charming and handsome, but he's a gambler and a rake who has made a mockery of his privileges. He turns to the mysterious Lord Damion for financial relief from his debts, but still ends up beaten nearly senseless by thugs and left in an alley.

When Lady Sabrina comes upon Harry after the attack, she remembers the kindness Harry once showed to her six years ago and brings him to her estate to heal. Though their relationship begins on rocky footing, it soon mellows into friendship, then trust. But Lady Sabrina needs to keep Harry at a distance, even if he is becoming the kind of man worthy of her heart. After all, she is keeping a secret that, if exposed, could destroy everything she's so carefully built.

PURCHASE LINKS:


ADVANCE PRAISE:
"Uplifting...Kilpack flips the typical Regency romance script, with the heroine rescuing the hero. Kilpack's strong, upright heroine who finds a way to claim her power in Regency society sets this love story apart. This magnetic tale will appeal to fans of emotional romance."—Publisher’s Weekly 
 “Kilpack takes traditional regency roles and challenges them. She shows how one person can make an impact in the world. I found the story and premise unique.”—Heather Gardner, Fire and Ice
“This is a story of redemption above all else…the ending was perfect.”— Lucinda Whitney, author of Rescuing the Prince

AUTHOR BIO:
Josi S. Kilpack is the bestselling author of several Proper Romance and Proper Romance Historical series and a Cozy Culinary Mystery series. Her books, A Heart Revealed and Lord Fenton's Folly; were Publishers Weekly Best Romance Books of the Year. She and her husband, Lee, are the parents of four children.


RAKES AND ROSES BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE:

May 04           My Jane Austen Book Club (Guest Blog)
May 04           Historical Fiction with Spirit (Review)
May 04           Austenprose—A Jane Austen Blog (Review)
May 04           All About Romance (Guest Blog)
May 05           Timeless Novels (Review)
May 05           Literary Time Out (Review)
May 06           For Where Your Treasure Is (Review)
May 06           Courtney Reads Romance (Review)
May 07           Fire and Ice (Excerpt)
May 07           Gwendalyn's Books (Review)
May 08           History Lizzie (Review)
May 08           Wishful Endings (Review)
May 09           Encouraging Words from the Tea Queen (Spotlight)
May 09           Relz Reviewz (Character spotlight)
May 10           Book Confessions of an Ex-Ballerina (Review)
May 10           Delighted Reader (Excerpt)
May 11           Frolic Media (Guest Blog)
May 11           A Bookish Way of Life (Review)
May 11           Bringing Up Books (Review)
May 12           Lu Reviews Books (Review)
May 13           English Historical Fiction Authors (Guest Blog)
May 13           Adventure. Romance. Suspense (Review)
May 14           Chicks, Rogues, and Scandals (Interview)
May 14           So Little Time…So Much to Read (Spotlight)
May 15           Storybook Reviews (Excerpt)
May 16           The Book Diva’s Reads (Review)
May 16           The Fiction Aficionado (Review)
May 17           Inkwell Inspirations (Spotlight)
May 17           Half Agony, Half Hope (Review)
May 18           Romance Junkies (Guest Blog)
May 18           Christian Chick's Thoughts (Review)
May 18           The Lit Bitch (Review)
May 19           The Caffeinated Bibliophile (Interview)
May 19           Heidi Reads (Review)
May 19           Bookworm Lisa (Excerpt)
May 19           Laura's Reviews (Review)
May 19           Katie's Clean Book Collection (Review)
May 20           The Silver Petticoat Review (Excerpt)
May 20           Joy of Reading (Review)
May 20           Austenesque Reviews (Review)
May 21           The Calico Critic (Spotlight)
May 21           Getting Your Read On (Review)  
May 21           From Pemberley to Milton (Excerpt)
May 22           Wishful Endings (Interview)

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