Emily and the Dark Angel by Jo Beverley

Title: Emily and the Dark Angel (Renfrew/Kyle #4)

Author: Jo Beverley

Publisher: Signet Eclipse

Genre: Regency Romance

Pages: 273

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mount TBR; Seasonal Series - Read while Eating Ice Cream

Emily Grantwich lives quietly with her crippled father and eccentric aunt, managing the family's land, until the fateful day she walks down the main street of Melton Mowbray and is showered with Poudre de Violettes, thrown by a lady of loose morals at the handsomest man Emily has ever seen.

He is Piers Verderan, known by many as the Dark Angel. His friends lay the blame for his scandalous ways on his troubled past. No decent woman should be seen in his company, but Emily must dutifully manage her father's estate-which Verderan's land adjoins.

Soon Emily learns that the Dark Angel is very dangerous, especially to her sanity and her heart...

Another great Regency romance. I really fell for Piers Verderan in the last book and couldn't wait to see more from him. I immediately fell for Emily but over the course of the book, I really wanted to see a bit more fire from her. Her character progressed over the course of the story, but I was still left wanting more from her. On the other hand, I really loved Ver so much!

Renfrew/Kyle

#1 The Stanforth Secrets
#2 Lord Wraybourne's Betrothed
#3 The Stolen Bride
#4 Emily and the Dark Angel
#4.5 If Fancy Be the Food of Love
#5 The Fortune Hunter
#6 Deirdre and Don Juan

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Stolen Bride by Jo Beverley

Title: The Stolen Bride (Renfrew/Kyle #3)

Author: Jo Beverley

Publisher: Signet Eclipse

Genre: Regency Romance

Pages: 274

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mount TBR; Seasonal Series - Set in Summer

When Beth Hawley journeys to Lord Wraybourne's castle to help young Lady Sophie Kyle prepare for her wedding, she has to share her carriage with two unexpected travelers, the rakish Sir Marius Fletcher, who is stranded after his curricle overturns, and an unidentified elderly woman, found unconscious in a wrecked carriage.

As the date of Sophie's wedding draws near, Beth realizes some mysterious shadow from the past seems to haunt the bride and groom. The elderly woman, suffering from memory loss, may hold the key. Beth turns to Sir Marius for help, but her efforts are thwarted at every turn as she encounters a most unlikely villain-while her only ally seems to have his mind set more on romance than the danger at hand...

This volume is a great addition to the series. I loved seeing the continuation of Randal and Sophie's love story even if I wanted to knock their heads together every few pages. But beyond them, I really loved Beth and Marius's story and even the introduction of Ver. I especially can't wait for Ver's story in the next volume. The big mystery wasn't hard to figure out, but I still appreciated the story and call back to previous volumes.

Renfrew/Kyle

#1 The Stanforth Secrets
#2 Lord Wraybourne's Betrothed
#3 The Stolen Bride
#4 Emily and the Dark Angel
#4.5 If Fancy Be the Food of Love
#5 The Fortune Hunter
#6 Deirdre and Don Juan

Next up on the TBR pile:

Lord Wraybourne's Betrothed by Jo Beverley

Title: Lord Wraybourne's Betrothed (Renfrew/Kyle #2)

Author: Jo Beverley

Publisher: Signet Eclipse 1988

Genre: Regency Romance

Pages: 283

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mount TBR; Seasonal Series - Second Book

Even if the handsome, debonair Lord Wraybourne is only marrying Jane Sandiford for her fortune as she suspects that does not diminish the powerful sway her betrothed seems to hold over her. The Sandiford Heiress has lived a sheltered life and is known for being stuffy, so her passionate responses to her fiancé's attentions catch her by surprise.

As confused and mortified as she is by her own emotions, Jane is even more scandalized when the dread Whisperer, the scourge of polite Society, rasps unspeakable vileness into her ear. And she is troubled by the news that someone is assaulting young women ?of the middling class? in the streets of London. Yet she remains unaware that an adversary closer to home schemes to sabotage the relationship between Lord Wraybourne and his betrothed?

At first I was very confused about how this book connected with the first book that I read in this series. But then I realized that Lord Ashby was the connector. Okay so I group loosely connected but different stories in each volume. While I enjoyed Jane and Sophie as characters, Lord Wraybourne's wasn't the most interesting male protagonist. I wish he had been a bit more fleshed out. At any rate, it was a typical fluffy Regency romance. It was a nice quick enjoyable read.

Renfrew/Kyle

#1 The Stanforth Secrets
#2 Lord Wraybourne's Betrothed
#3 The Stolen Bride
#4 Emily and the Dark Angel
#4.5 If Fancy Be the Food of Love
#5 The Fortune Hunter
#6 Deirdre and Don Juan

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Stanforth Secrets by Jo Beverley

Title: The Stanforth Secrets (Renfrew/Kyle #1)

Author: Jo Beverley

Publisher: 1989

Genre: Regency Romance

Pages: 312

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mount TBR

Though the widowed Chloe Stanforth loves her house by the sea, a series of puzzling incidents has left her unsettled and anxious to find a new home. Her situation is complicated by the arrival of her husband's cousin, for whom she has long harbored a deep and guilty attraction.

Back from the war, Justin Delamere hopes he can finally woo Chloe, until he suspects her guilty of treason-and murder. Can he trust the woman he's always desired, and can Chloe surrender her most private secrets to the man who controls her freedom and now her heart?

I needed a fun Regency romance series for this month and I think I have found it. Apparently the copies I have of this series are the reissues from the 2000s. The series was originally writing in the 1980s and 1990s. I started with #2 according to release date, but #1 according to chronology. At any rate, I really enjoyed this fun story of espionage and romance. Justin and Chloe were a fun couple. I will definitely be picking up the next in the series.

Renfrew/Kyle

#1 The Stanforth Secrets
#2 Lord Wraybourne's Betrothed
#3 The Stolen Bride
#4 Emily and the Dark Angel
#4.5 If Fancy Be the Food of Love
#5 The Fortune Hunter
#6 Deirdre and Don Juan

Next up on the TBR pile: