Lady and the Scamp by Shana Galen

Lady and the Scamp (The Royal Saboteurs #2) by Shana Galen is now available! 

Goodreads link

Blurb:

Willoughby Galloway was born to be an agent for the King and Country. His parents were two of the most celebrated agents of the Napoleonic Wars, but despite his illustrious parentage, Will hasn’t yet distinguished himself in the service of the Crown. He sees the Royal Saboteurs as his chance to show his true abilities and prove he is more than a pale shadow of his parents. When Will is assigned a mission to sabotage an assassin’s efforts to slay young Queen Victoria, the last thing he needs is a distraction. But then he meets the ethereal blond beauty, Lady Averley.

Emily Blythe-Coston, Lady Averley, accepted a position as lady-in-waiting for Queen Victoria after the death of her beloved husband. Emily agreed with the queen that serving in the royal household might alleviate her lingering sorrow and grief. She doesn’t expect to develop feelings for the newest member of the court, a handsome young scamp who shares her interest in fossils. Emily’s budding attraction to Willoughby Galloway is most unwanted. But when she becomes caught in the crossfire of an attempt to murder the queen, she’s drawn into a world of secrets and lies, where Will might just be the only person she can trust. Trusting him with her life is easy. Trusting him with her heart is another matter entirely.

Lady and the Scamp is available in paperback and ebook:
   

I Want You to Want Me by Shana Galen

I Want You to Want Me 

(The Survivors, #12)

by Shana Galen

Released: March 8, 2022

Goodreads Link

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Blurb:

 A cruel twist of fate…

Nicholas St. Clare, youngest son of the Marquess of Averstow, was an avid horseman until his legs were crushed on the battlefield. The injury sent him home to England a broken man. Ashamed of his injury, he’s become a virtual recluse on his country estate until his mother, the dowager marchioness, insists he marry. Nicholas doesn’t want a bride who would be shackled to his broken body and privately despise him for being a cripple. He hates his weakness and doesn’t believe anyone can see past it.

A stroke of good luck…
Amelia Blackstock has always followed her family motto: A Blackstock doesn’t run from trouble. It runs from us. Unfortunately, trouble caught up with her, and when the world finds out, she’ll be ruined. When Lord Nicholas stumbles upon her sobbing, he tries to comfort her. His kindness backfires when they are discovered alone together, and Amelia faces even more scandal. Nicholas offers to marry her, but only if she’ll agree to a separate bed chambers.

A happily ever after in jeopardy.
Amelia concedes to a platonic marriage, but as her feelings for Lord Nicholas grow, she wants more. Nicholas is drawn to Amelia as well, but he fears risking it all by revealing the ugly truth of his injury. When Nicholas’s brothers-in-arms arrive for a house party, it seems everything that can go wrong, does. Between a lost pet pig, a fugitive wanted for treason, and a night of drinking gone awry, Nicholas and Amelia grow further apart. Nicholas is the last of the Survivors. Will he be the only one without a happily ever after?

My review:

I Want You to Want Me is the twelfth and final book in The Survivors Series.  The series is based on a group of soldiers during the Napoleonic war called the Survivors.  They were a team of soldiers that Lieutenant Colonel Benedict Daven (from the fifth book in the series) was ordered to put together to take on suicidal missions.  There were thirty men in the group but only twelve made it back to England alive. 

“… put on your dancing shoes and prepare to dance with the devil.”

Nicholas St. Clare, the youngest son of a marquess, had danced with the devil and came home a broken man with legs crushed.  His family expected him to marry but he knew no lady of Society would consider marrying him unless she was desperate.  He hates people seeing his weakness and showing pity for him.  When found in a compromising situation with Amelia he offers her a platonic marriage.  She intrigues him but his fear of being rejected if she sees his legs is bigger than his feelings.

“I’m falling in love with you, and I’d feel the same even if you had no legs at all because your legs do not make you who you are any more than your arms or your hair or your eyes do.”

Amelia Blackstock’s feelings for Nicholas grew as she came to know him.  She sees the love the other Survivors have for their wives and family, and she wants that same thing.  She wants more than a platonic marriage and does not understand why Nicholas resists.  She sees the real Nicholas and does not consider his injuries as defining him. 

This was a heart-breaking story and so beautifully written.  It was fast-paced and had fabulous characters. I have loved seeing all the Survivor men find their happy ever after in this series and am truly sad that the end is here.  I enjoyed seeing them all reunited together and hopefully we will see them make appearances in future books.  I highly recommend this book and the entire series. 

I received an ARC and am voluntarily leaving a review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

 

Review: Her Royal Payne

Her Royal Payne by Shana Galen

About the book: 

He’s a pain…literally.
Rowden Payne, known as The Royal Payne, makes his living in the high stakes world of bareknuckle boxing. The disavowed son of a duke likes the focus boxing requires. It keeps his mind off the tragedies in his past. But just as he’s poised to knock out his biggest rival, he’s mesmerized by a pair of exotic hazel eyes in the crowd. He finds himself flat on his back and short fifty pounds.

She’s a prude with a problem.
Modesty Brown’s father has vanished. The strict minister has never disappeared before, and Modesty is left having to rely on elders of the church for help. But when she becomes a burden to them, she has to seek out her aunt, a woman of high rank. Modesty’s only way of finding her is by asking the only man she knows of that class—Rowden Payne. Unfortunately, she’s the one responsible for the Royal Payne losing his crucial fight.

Sometimes the hardest hit is the one to the heart.
Rowden doesn’t want to care for anyone or anything, but if he can just help Modesty find her father, he can be rid of her. Soon the revelation of her father’s secrets and lies puts Modesty, Rowden, and their friends in danger, and if Rowden can’t admit his feelings for Modesty, he’ll lose her forever.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
My review:
Her Royal Payne is the tenth book in The Survivors Series. This has been such an amazing series and each book can be read as a standalone but once you start reading one, you will want to read them all. The series is based on a group of soldiers during the Napoleonic war called the Survivors. They were a team of soldiers that Lieutenant Colonel Benedict Daven (from the fifth book in the series) was ordered to put together that took on suicide missions. There were thirty men in the group but only twelve made it back to England alive. Now they are trying to adjust to civilian life but still need the help of their comrades when they are in a bind. So, starting at the beginning gives the reader a chance to meet all the men that are in the series.
Rowden Payne, known as The Royal Payne, was a disowned son of a duke who makes his living from bare-knuckle boxing. He had lost his wife and child in childbirth. Now he avoids responsibilities, but he can’t ignore Modesty’s problem. Modesty Brown’s father was a minister who seemed to disappear one day while she was running errands. Modesty went to the church elders, but they had no information. Modesty has no funds which leave her with the option to find her mother’s sister who is part of society. The only person she knew that had access to society was Rowden, the bare-knuckle boxer she had caused to lose his match.
This was another wonderful book for the series, and it was beautifully written. The pacing was perfect, and the characters were developed. Once I started reading, I could not put it down until I was finished. The intrigue of Modesty’s father's disappearance kept me reading and I was very surprised by where they found him. I look forward to the next book in the series.
I received an ARC and am voluntarily leaving a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.


View all my reviews

Review: Sweet Rogue of Mine

Sweet Rogue of Mine by Shana Galen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Goodread link: Sweet Rogue of Mine (The Survivors, #9) by Shana Galen | Goodreads

Blurb:

A sharpshooter who’s lost his sight…

When a stray pistol ball from the battlefield took Nash’s sight, it also took his entire identity. He’s retreated to his father’s county home to lick his wounds, but his drinking and isolation have only made things worse. When Nash’s father, a powerful earl, threatens to send Nash to an asylum, his former brothers-in-arms call in one of their own to set Nash back on the right course. Nash fears he’s fallen too far and perhaps ending it all is the best solution. Until he encounters a woman in the garden signing a bawdy tune at the top of her lungs.

An outcast who sees too much…

Prudence Howard has traveled the world with her missionary parents. But after the scandal she caused in Cairo, they’ve foisted her on a vicar in the small town of Milcroft and sailed to the Far East to evangelize without her. Pru doesn’t mean to cause trouble; it’s just that being good is so very hard. When she meets Nash Pope, she’s instantly intrigued. He might be hot-tempered, but he’s handsome and unusual and arouses her interest and passion like no one she’s ever met. He might not know he needs or even wants her help, but Pru has a plan to save him.

Together they glimpse a brighter future.

Nash is bewildered by the unconventional woman who keeps turning up on his doorstep. She tries to teach him night writing, claims a feral peacock is a momentous sign, and makes his toes curl when she kisses him. She refuses to give up on him. But though Nash finds it easy to believe in Pru, can he ever trust himself again?

My review:

Sweet Rogue of Mine is the ninth book in The Survivors Series. This has been such an amazing series and this book continues the trend. The series is based on a group of soldiers during the Napoleonic war called the Survivors. They were a team of soldiers that Lieutenant Colonel Benedict Daven (from the fifth book in the series) was ordered to put together that took on suicide missions. There were thirty men in the group but only twelve made it back to England alive. The books can be read as standalone but it’s such a great series that you will want to read them all.
Nash Pope had lost his sight on the battlefield. As a sniper for the military, losing his sight devastated him. He has not been able to resume a normal life after returning to London. Certain triggers send him back to the battlefields and the memories haunt him. The Earl of Beaufort, his father sent him to Wentmore, the family’s country house, to hopefully recover. When Beaufort threatens to send Nash to an asylum, one of the Survivors is sent to help get Nash straightened out.

Prudence Howard had traveled with her missionary parents her entire life until she created a scandal in Cairo. They brought her to England and then left her with the vicar in the small town of Milcroft. She tries to behave and not cause trouble, but trouble seems to follow her. Meeting Nash set off her curious mind and she’s intrigued by him. When she hears about his father’s threats of sending him to an asylum she’s determined to help him.
I was so glad to finally read Nash’s story. We saw him in the previous books and his bitterness and anger made him lash out at his brothers-in-arms. The book captured my attention in the beginning and I could not stop reading until the end. It draws you in and you feel like you are part of the story. The characters were charming and they were perfect for each other. As always with this series, I can’t wait for the next book!
I received an ARC and am willingly leaving a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.