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The Duchess Society #1
The Brazen Bluestocking
In this Regency romance by award-winning author Tracy Sumner, a willful bluestocking matches wits with a devilish scoundrel she never expected to desire with every beat of her heart.
A defiant society outcast.
A forbidding rogue who doesn’t believe in love.
And a passionate wager.
Daughter of an earl, Lady Hildegard Templeton hasn’t conformed to what society expects from a woman of her station. Industrious and unique, she’s created an emboldened organization for women on the cusp of marriage, The Duchess Society. Called a bluestocking to her face and worse behind closed salon doors, she vows to marry for love. And nothing but. Although the emotion has never shown itself to her. Until she meets him.
Bastard son of a viscount and king of London’s sordid streets, Tobias Streeter has spent a lifetime building his empire, and he needs the Duchess Society to find a suitable wife. An asset to expand his worth in society’s eyes. But he vows his search will have nothing to do with love and everything to do with vengeance. Until he meets her.
Soon, Tobias and Hildy’s plans are in turmoil as they choose between expectation, passion, and love.
The Duchess Society Series
#1 The Brazen Bluestocking
#2 The Scandalous Vixen
#3 The Wicked Wallflower
Prequel: The Ice Duchess
A defiant society outcast.
A forbidding rogue who doesn’t believe in love.
And a passionate wager.
Daughter of an earl, Lady Hildegard Templeton hasn’t conformed to what society expects from a woman of her station. Industrious and unique, she’s created an emboldened organization for women on the cusp of marriage, The Duchess Society. Called a bluestocking to her face and worse behind closed salon doors, she vows to marry for love. And nothing but. Although the emotion has never shown itself to her. Until she meets him.
Bastard son of a viscount and king of London’s sordid streets, Tobias Streeter has spent a lifetime building his empire, and he needs the Duchess Society to find a suitable wife. An asset to expand his worth in society’s eyes. But he vows his search will have nothing to do with love and everything to do with vengeance. Until he meets her.
Soon, Tobias and Hildy’s plans are in turmoil as they choose between expectation, passion, and love.
The Duchess Society Series
#1 The Brazen Bluestocking
#2 The Scandalous Vixen
#3 The Wicked Wallflower
Prequel: The Ice Duchess
250 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 16, 2021
2242 people are currently reading
3494 people want to read
About the author
Tracy Sumner
63 books1,638 followers"Witty dialogue and steamy sensuality.”
—Publisher’s Weekly
The USA Today bestselling author's storytelling career began when she picked up a historical romance on a college beach trip, and she fondly blames LaVyrle Spencer for her obsession with the genre. She’s a recipient of the National Reader’s Choice, HOLT Medallion, Golden Leaf and MAGGIE among others. She lived in New York, Paris and Taipei before returning to NYC.
When not writing sizzling love stories about feisty heroines and their temperamental-but-entirely-lovable heroes, Tracy enjoys reading, snowboarding, college football (Go Tigers!), yoga, and travel. She loves to hear from romance readers!
Find me everywhere on social here!
https://linktr.ee/tracysumner
—Publisher’s Weekly
The USA Today bestselling author's storytelling career began when she picked up a historical romance on a college beach trip, and she fondly blames LaVyrle Spencer for her obsession with the genre. She’s a recipient of the National Reader’s Choice, HOLT Medallion, Golden Leaf and MAGGIE among others. She lived in New York, Paris and Taipei before returning to NYC.
When not writing sizzling love stories about feisty heroines and their temperamental-but-entirely-lovable heroes, Tracy enjoys reading, snowboarding, college football (Go Tigers!), yoga, and travel. She loves to hear from romance readers!
Find me everywhere on social here!
https://linktr.ee/tracysumner
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 565 reviews
February 25, 2022
I’m so full of feels that I’m finding it difficult to write a proper review so I’m going to keep it simple and say I loved everything about this book. I loved Tobias, madly. Loved Hildy. Loved their insane, intense chemistry and the way they burned for each other. Loved the story arc and every one of the side characters.
And oh, I’m calling dibs, my friends… Tobias Streeter is MINE 😍
Some of my favorite quotes:
Hazy light from a careless sun washed over him from windows set at all angles, allowing her to peruse at her leisure. She didn’t fool herself; it was an opportunity he allowed. Skin the color of lightly brewed tea. Eyes the shade of a juicy green apple you shined against your sleeve and then couldn’t help but take a quick bite of—the glow from the sconce turning them a deep emerald while she stared. Highlighted by a set of thick lashes any woman would be jealous of. Jaw hard, lips full, breath scented with mint and tea. Dark hair, no, more than dark. Black as tar, curling over his rumpled shirt collar and around his ears. So pitch dark, she imagined she could see cobalt streaks in it, like a flame gone mad.
“Talking with her was like shooting that flintlock pistol in the alley behind the mercantile when we were lads. Our bare feet sliding over the cobbles as we sought to steady our aim. A rush. This feeling of being swept up in something larger than me and my ridiculous problems. On my toes, Mac. On. My. Toes.” Macauley swore and vaulted to a stand, pointing accusingly. “You like her.” “Respect is the word I’d choose.” “Ah, blimey,” Macauley muttered. “That’s worse.”
Their kiss had dismantled him in a way he’d never been taken apart before. A kiss of promise. A kiss of affection, obsession, exploration. A kiss of the soul.
…his smile a hundred shades of flirtatious.
Kicking her counterpane from her legs, she stumbled to the window and jerked aside the curtain to find Tobias pacing back and forth across her untidy back lawn. […] Maddened, she turned on her heel, snatched her dressing gown from the lounge at the end of her bed, and shoved her arms into the sleeves. Knotting the ties over her belly, she rushed from her bedchamber, taking the servants’ stairs two at a time. “Of all the snide, arrogant—” Tobias didn’t let her get the door fully open after throwing the latch before he forced his way into the cramped vestibule and pressed her against the wall. His body was blazing and in such contrast to the cool plaster that she shivered. “I want every part of you,” he whispered against her neck, his lips trailing her jaw to seize her lips. “Every bloody part. You fill my dreams, pushing aside the nightmares and making me delirious with yearning. A minute doesn’t pass without the thought of you intruding. The memory of touching you, your ragged whisper ringing in my ears. Your body melting beneath mine. I’m begging you to let me in. Invite me upstairs, Hildy girl.”
And oh, I’m calling dibs, my friends… Tobias Streeter is MINE 😍
Some of my favorite quotes:
Hazy light from a careless sun washed over him from windows set at all angles, allowing her to peruse at her leisure. She didn’t fool herself; it was an opportunity he allowed. Skin the color of lightly brewed tea. Eyes the shade of a juicy green apple you shined against your sleeve and then couldn’t help but take a quick bite of—the glow from the sconce turning them a deep emerald while she stared. Highlighted by a set of thick lashes any woman would be jealous of. Jaw hard, lips full, breath scented with mint and tea. Dark hair, no, more than dark. Black as tar, curling over his rumpled shirt collar and around his ears. So pitch dark, she imagined she could see cobalt streaks in it, like a flame gone mad.
“Talking with her was like shooting that flintlock pistol in the alley behind the mercantile when we were lads. Our bare feet sliding over the cobbles as we sought to steady our aim. A rush. This feeling of being swept up in something larger than me and my ridiculous problems. On my toes, Mac. On. My. Toes.” Macauley swore and vaulted to a stand, pointing accusingly. “You like her.” “Respect is the word I’d choose.” “Ah, blimey,” Macauley muttered. “That’s worse.”
Their kiss had dismantled him in a way he’d never been taken apart before. A kiss of promise. A kiss of affection, obsession, exploration. A kiss of the soul.
…his smile a hundred shades of flirtatious.
Kicking her counterpane from her legs, she stumbled to the window and jerked aside the curtain to find Tobias pacing back and forth across her untidy back lawn. […] Maddened, she turned on her heel, snatched her dressing gown from the lounge at the end of her bed, and shoved her arms into the sleeves. Knotting the ties over her belly, she rushed from her bedchamber, taking the servants’ stairs two at a time. “Of all the snide, arrogant—” Tobias didn’t let her get the door fully open after throwing the latch before he forced his way into the cramped vestibule and pressed her against the wall. His body was blazing and in such contrast to the cool plaster that she shivered. “I want every part of you,” he whispered against her neck, his lips trailing her jaw to seize her lips. “Every bloody part. You fill my dreams, pushing aside the nightmares and making me delirious with yearning. A minute doesn’t pass without the thought of you intruding. The memory of touching you, your ragged whisper ringing in my ears. Your body melting beneath mine. I’m begging you to let me in. Invite me upstairs, Hildy girl.”
April 25, 2022
To tell you the thruth, it took me a couple of tries and some push for me to keep reading this book. The reviews I have seen are so positive that I pushed myselt to hold on a little longer.
As you must have surmised, I thought the beginning of this book quite boring. Even though when the hero and heroine were in the same room it cracked with sexual tension. I simply don't care much for a triangle romance. And I found the writing style a trifle weird and needed getting used to it.
But I definitely need to tell you that when they first kissed, hmmmmm, it was so explosive that I needed a fan in winter! Phew. Their chemistry was perfection.
I found the romance quite realistic, as they took their time to understand their feelings. Nothing was rushed. The whole story takes place in about a 6 months period.
I believe life as a bastard must have been a very hard one back then. You belong nowhere, if you don't do anything abut it, no one respects you, and you're somehow less than anybody else only due to something you had no control over. The hero suffered a lot but he did everything in his power to rise above his birth. I loved his vulnerability even though he was a fool and pushed people away when he showed without meaning to his vulnerable side.
The heroine also suffered, from an abusive father, and she simply don't want to put herself in a position where she will depend on another man.
And here is the key to the story, she is highborn but wants nothing to do with the aristocracy that judges her and cuts her because she has to work to eat, and he is a bastard that wants to enter the aristocracy through marriage to be able to belong somewhere and achieve his dreams.
Good beginning of a series and I will continue it. The next hero was not a favorite of mine though.
As you must have surmised, I thought the beginning of this book quite boring. Even though when the hero and heroine were in the same room it cracked with sexual tension. I simply don't care much for a triangle romance. And I found the writing style a trifle weird and needed getting used to it.
But I definitely need to tell you that when they first kissed, hmmmmm, it was so explosive that I needed a fan in winter! Phew. Their chemistry was perfection.
I found the romance quite realistic, as they took their time to understand their feelings. Nothing was rushed. The whole story takes place in about a 6 months period.
I believe life as a bastard must have been a very hard one back then. You belong nowhere, if you don't do anything abut it, no one respects you, and you're somehow less than anybody else only due to something you had no control over. The hero suffered a lot but he did everything in his power to rise above his birth. I loved his vulnerability even though he was a fool and pushed people away when he showed without meaning to his vulnerable side.
The heroine also suffered, from an abusive father, and she simply don't want to put herself in a position where she will depend on another man.
And here is the key to the story, she is highborn but wants nothing to do with the aristocracy that judges her and cuts her because she has to work to eat, and he is a bastard that wants to enter the aristocracy through marriage to be able to belong somewhere and achieve his dreams.
Good beginning of a series and I will continue it. The next hero was not a favorite of mine though.
September 29, 2021
This tale fairly hummed!
If you love that bad boy with heart of gold meets the woman who stops him in his tracks trope, as much as I do, this read is for you!
Lady Hildegard Templeton and her partner Georgiana, the Duchess of Markham are matchmakers for those who need guidance through the pitfalls of society as they move to secure a partner.
Hildy, almost destitute with a decaying mansion and an equally as crumbling “cadre of servants” to support has taken up this occupation, soiling her hands to many as one in ‘trade.’ Given the cut direct even! She’s known as the ‘Mad Matchmaker.’
Their business, the Duchess Society, has been approached by the Earl of Hastings to facilitate the marriage between his daughter and Tobias Streeter, shipping magnate amongst other things and known as the Rogue King of Limehouse Basin, in a way that’s acceptable to society. Once that’s done and dusted the Duchess Society will be employed to assist Hasting’s five other daughters thread the path of high society. The smell of success is being dangled before Hildy’s nose.
Here’s the thing the Earl’s daughter, Lady Matilda Delacour-Baynham, is mad keen to be a doctor. She already works in the slum areas learning as much as she can. Mattie wants a husband who will leave her free to pursue her passion. And here’s the other thing, Mattie’s not actually drawn to men. A marriage of convenience will suit the almost courting couple.
Tobias has a Romani background and is the illegitimate son of an Earl. An Earl who’s never acknowledged him. Toby is now very wealthy, lives in the Limestone Basin Lock area, and still keeps a hand in with his smuggling concerns, although most of his business is now legitimate. He cares for the well being of those in his area, and has a young boy and a couple of cats sharing his quarters. (But that’s not all—Tobias has fascinating depths, including a love of architecture, that Hildy will unravel them one by one.)
Hildy’s task is to bring Tobias up to scratch as a courting swain, following society’s rules. Now there’s the challenge!
The thing is when they meet the air simply becomes incandescent. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end! And when Hildy’s eyes “so… blue they hurt” meet Streeter’s “sea-green gaze”. Omph! The strength of their eye encounter is physical.
There’s so much happening in this story that gives it interest and depth. Summer’s writing is tight, descriptive and enchantingly explosive
Yes there’s lot of heavy breathing, heaps of “Oh My’s” and I loved every word!
A splendid beginning to the series, I can hardly wait for what is to follow!
A WOLF Publishing ARC via NetGalley
Please note: Quotes taken from an advanced reading copy maybe subject to change
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)
If you love that bad boy with heart of gold meets the woman who stops him in his tracks trope, as much as I do, this read is for you!
Lady Hildegard Templeton and her partner Georgiana, the Duchess of Markham are matchmakers for those who need guidance through the pitfalls of society as they move to secure a partner.
Hildy, almost destitute with a decaying mansion and an equally as crumbling “cadre of servants” to support has taken up this occupation, soiling her hands to many as one in ‘trade.’ Given the cut direct even! She’s known as the ‘Mad Matchmaker.’
Their business, the Duchess Society, has been approached by the Earl of Hastings to facilitate the marriage between his daughter and Tobias Streeter, shipping magnate amongst other things and known as the Rogue King of Limehouse Basin, in a way that’s acceptable to society. Once that’s done and dusted the Duchess Society will be employed to assist Hasting’s five other daughters thread the path of high society. The smell of success is being dangled before Hildy’s nose.
Here’s the thing the Earl’s daughter, Lady Matilda Delacour-Baynham, is mad keen to be a doctor. She already works in the slum areas learning as much as she can. Mattie wants a husband who will leave her free to pursue her passion. And here’s the other thing, Mattie’s not actually drawn to men. A marriage of convenience will suit the almost courting couple.
Tobias has a Romani background and is the illegitimate son of an Earl. An Earl who’s never acknowledged him. Toby is now very wealthy, lives in the Limestone Basin Lock area, and still keeps a hand in with his smuggling concerns, although most of his business is now legitimate. He cares for the well being of those in his area, and has a young boy and a couple of cats sharing his quarters. (But that’s not all—Tobias has fascinating depths, including a love of architecture, that Hildy will unravel them one by one.)
Hildy’s task is to bring Tobias up to scratch as a courting swain, following society’s rules. Now there’s the challenge!
The thing is when they meet the air simply becomes incandescent. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end! And when Hildy’s eyes “so… blue they hurt” meet Streeter’s “sea-green gaze”. Omph! The strength of their eye encounter is physical.
There’s so much happening in this story that gives it interest and depth. Summer’s writing is tight, descriptive and enchantingly explosive
Yes there’s lot of heavy breathing, heaps of “Oh My’s” and I loved every word!
A splendid beginning to the series, I can hardly wait for what is to follow!
A WOLF Publishing ARC via NetGalley
Please note: Quotes taken from an advanced reading copy maybe subject to change
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)
March 1, 2022
Hildy, co-owner of the Duchess Society and daughter of a disgraced earl, is working with Tobias Streeter to finalize his marriage settlement with another daughter of the aristocracy. It might be a problem, then, when they both experience an inconvenient attraction to each other...
When Hildy and Tobias take things a little too far, they have to decide how to handle her loyalty to her business. In addition, Tobias seems to be the target of several villains. Will their relationship be too dangerous for them to continue? And what about Tobias's fiancee?
We always feel like Sumner's books are throwbacks in the best sense of the word. They're straightforward romances with lots of sexual tension. They don't feel anachronistic, although they do take on the misogynistic ideals of their setting. Here the class conflict is well-depicted, but also doesn't feel like too much to overcome. Hildy and Tobias are appealing characters and their HEA feels deserved.
This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.
When Hildy and Tobias take things a little too far, they have to decide how to handle her loyalty to her business. In addition, Tobias seems to be the target of several villains. Will their relationship be too dangerous for them to continue? And what about Tobias's fiancee?
We always feel like Sumner's books are throwbacks in the best sense of the word. They're straightforward romances with lots of sexual tension. They don't feel anachronistic, although they do take on the misogynistic ideals of their setting. Here the class conflict is well-depicted, but also doesn't feel like too much to overcome. Hildy and Tobias are appealing characters and their HEA feels deserved.
This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.
January 28, 2022
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥
Humor: Yes, a bit
(These are all personal preference on a scale of 1-5 (yours ratings may vary depending what gives you feels and how you prefer you sex scenes written, etc) except the Steam Scale which follows our chart from The Ton and Tartans Book Club )
Should I read in order?
I think it’s worthwhile to read the prequel novella titled The Ice Duchess. There’s some character overlap in the books and it shows how the heroine started The Duchess Society.
Basic plot
Working within the organization The Duchess Society, Lady Hildegard helps women of marriageable age navigate into proper relationships while protecting what rights they can. While investigating Tobias Streeter for a client, she finds she’s miscalculated quite a bit regarding him...
Give this a try if you want:
- Late Regency time period - 1822
- Matchmaking trope – while Hildie isn’t really a matchmaker – she’s trying to get Tobias up to snuff for his fiance and society’s strict standards.
- Hero – tattooed, ex-soldier, architect
- Heroine – working woman, nurses hero back to health
- Forbidden love/class difference trope feel
- Medium steam – 2 scenes and steamy kisses
My thoughts:
There was so much I loved about this story, I’m unsure where to start.
Tobias Streeter is my catnip hero. I cannot get enough of these heroes that have struggled in life, and made something of themselves. He’s created a successful shipping company from nothing. Perhaps gets his hands a touch dirty (that smuggling always mentioned with a quirked eyebrow). The ton tries to turn their backs on him due to his Romani blood, but he’s determined to get what he wants out of life – to be a recognized architect. Labeled The Rogue King, I was already half in love with him by his initial introduction.
Then he meets Hildie, and I just continue to swoon. Known as The Mad Matchmaker, he’s in love with her dimples. Hes imagining kissing them. He’s sniffing her bonnet she left in his office, like the first real breath he’s taken. He’s playing my romance heart strings like a fiddle and I’m not even 20% in. He’s rescuing street urchins and pregnant cats named Nick and I am utterly lost to him. Completely. Irrevocably. Lost.
Both of our main characters have such wonderful depth. Tracy gives her characters passion for each other, but also passion for life. I can feel their drive for their work and how much they care about what they do.
Hildie was a wonderful heroine. Sweet and strong, she lives with her aging staff, including her deaf maid, she has a lot on her shoulders but doesn’t let it get her down. She’s a heroine I’m left thinking I would love to be friends with.
I’d also like to note a kudos to Sumner for normalizing LGBTIQA+ interactions. In the prequel novel I love that two lords busted in the room together for a quick tryst, and in this novel Tobias’ fiance isn’t interested in men. Thank you!
Some parts I loved:
Content Warnings:
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥
Humor: Yes, a bit
(These are all personal preference on a scale of 1-5 (yours ratings may vary depending what gives you feels and how you prefer you sex scenes written, etc) except the Steam Scale which follows our chart from The Ton and Tartans Book Club )
Should I read in order?
I think it’s worthwhile to read the prequel novella titled The Ice Duchess. There’s some character overlap in the books and it shows how the heroine started The Duchess Society.
Basic plot
Working within the organization The Duchess Society, Lady Hildegard helps women of marriageable age navigate into proper relationships while protecting what rights they can. While investigating Tobias Streeter for a client, she finds she’s miscalculated quite a bit regarding him...
Give this a try if you want:
- Late Regency time period - 1822
- Matchmaking trope – while Hildie isn’t really a matchmaker – she’s trying to get Tobias up to snuff for his fiance and society’s strict standards.
- Hero – tattooed, ex-soldier, architect
- Heroine – working woman, nurses hero back to health
- Forbidden love/class difference trope feel
- Medium steam – 2 scenes and steamy kisses
My thoughts:
There was so much I loved about this story, I’m unsure where to start.
Tobias Streeter is my catnip hero. I cannot get enough of these heroes that have struggled in life, and made something of themselves. He’s created a successful shipping company from nothing. Perhaps gets his hands a touch dirty (that smuggling always mentioned with a quirked eyebrow). The ton tries to turn their backs on him due to his Romani blood, but he’s determined to get what he wants out of life – to be a recognized architect. Labeled The Rogue King, I was already half in love with him by his initial introduction.
Then he meets Hildie, and I just continue to swoon. Known as The Mad Matchmaker, he’s in love with her dimples. Hes imagining kissing them. He’s sniffing her bonnet she left in his office, like the first real breath he’s taken. He’s playing my romance heart strings like a fiddle and I’m not even 20% in. He’s rescuing street urchins and pregnant cats named Nick and I am utterly lost to him. Completely. Irrevocably. Lost.
Both of our main characters have such wonderful depth. Tracy gives her characters passion for each other, but also passion for life. I can feel their drive for their work and how much they care about what they do.
Hildie was a wonderful heroine. Sweet and strong, she lives with her aging staff, including her deaf maid, she has a lot on her shoulders but doesn’t let it get her down. She’s a heroine I’m left thinking I would love to be friends with.
I’d also like to note a kudos to Sumner for normalizing LGBTIQA+ interactions. In the prequel novel I love that two lords busted in the room together for a quick tryst, and in this novel Tobias’ fiance isn’t interested in men. Thank you!
Some parts I loved:
Content Warnings:
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:
May 19, 2023
First book I have read by this author.
Okay read 3.5 stars
Okay read 3.5 stars
December 20, 2023
4.5 “Rogue King” stars✨
“She was learning from a maestro being taken by a master.”
This book was everything! Strong heroine and the best kind of manly hero that has a ooey gooey center underneath all that masculine steel. This was my first book by Tracy and you might as well consider me hooked!
“She was learning from a maestro being taken by a master.”
This book was everything! Strong heroine and the best kind of manly hero that has a ooey gooey center underneath all that masculine steel. This was my first book by Tracy and you might as well consider me hooked!
January 6, 2022
Lady Hildegard Templeton and her best friend, the Duchess of Markham, run The Duchess Society, and organization that helps women enter marriage with their eyes wide open. Her current project requires her to apply "ton polish" to Tobias Streeter and turn him into an acceptable betrothed for a daughter of an earl. Tobias, known as the Rogue King, is the bastard son of a viscount and a Romami woman, a smuggler, and self-trained architect. His marriage of convenience to an earl's daughter will open doors to a project he's itching to get involved in, so why can't he stop falling for Hilde?
This is the first full length book in the Duchess Society series, but there is a prequel featuring Hilde's partner that introduces them and their work. Following the death of her father, Hilde is left alone in the world with a home but no money to maintain it. She knows what it's like to be a woman without protection, so her society helps women understand marriage contracts and make the best marriage deals they can...even when they are without affection. She can't seem to accept the arrangement between Tobias and Mathilda though, even though it's mutually beneficial. I liked Tobias a lot. He had grit, determination, and just enough "lovable scoundrel." The couple had low expectations of each other but find a quick connection.
For me, this felt like it could have been a novella though. I didn't love the "last act" and would have been happier with an earlier conclusion. 3.5 stars rounded to 4.
Tropes: Working Heroine, Class Difference, Matchmaker
Steam: 2
* I received a copy from the author and this is my honest review.
This is the first full length book in the Duchess Society series, but there is a prequel featuring Hilde's partner that introduces them and their work. Following the death of her father, Hilde is left alone in the world with a home but no money to maintain it. She knows what it's like to be a woman without protection, so her society helps women understand marriage contracts and make the best marriage deals they can...even when they are without affection. She can't seem to accept the arrangement between Tobias and Mathilda though, even though it's mutually beneficial. I liked Tobias a lot. He had grit, determination, and just enough "lovable scoundrel." The couple had low expectations of each other but find a quick connection.
For me, this felt like it could have been a novella though. I didn't love the "last act" and would have been happier with an earlier conclusion. 3.5 stars rounded to 4.
Tropes: Working Heroine, Class Difference, Matchmaker
Steam: 2
* I received a copy from the author and this is my honest review.
October 7, 2021
'A defiant society outcast.
A forbidding rogue who doesn’t believe in love.
And a passionate wager.
Daughter of an earl, Lady Hildegard Templeton hasn’t conformed to what society expects from a woman of her station. Industrious and unique, she’s created an emboldened organization for women on the cusp of marriage, The Duchess Society. Called a bluestocking to her face and worse behind closed salon doors, she vows to marry for love. And nothing but. Although the emotion has never shown itself to her. Until she meets him.
Bastard son of a viscount and king of London’s sordid streets, Tobias Streeter has spent a lifetime building his empire, and he needs the Duchess Society to find a suitable wife. An asset to expand his worth in society’s eyes. But he vows his search will have nothing to do with love and everything to do with vengeance. Until he meets her.
Soon, Tobias and Hildy’s plans are in turmoil as they choose between expectation, passion, and love.'
______________
The Brazen Bluestocking is the first book in Tracey Sumner’s new series, The Duchess Society and is a historical romance.
I have read a few books by this author and I’ve really enjoyed her League of Lords series. I enjoyed this book, but I’m not invested in the series yet. Although I would read more of it.
I liked the characters and the plot flowed well. There were some wonderful moments of danger, although they had a tendency to fizzle out. This bothered me particularly in one instance: the mystery of who may have wished to harm Tobias is one of the biggest sources of conflict in the book but it leads nowhere and is then just swept under the rug. I enjoyed the drama of when it was first introduced, but if it wasn’t going to do anything for the story then I don;t see the point of it. I would have liked to see some resolution on that.
It did feel like there was some absent background information regarding Hildy, her best friend, and the business they run together. I see that there is a prequel to this series and I wish that I had read it beforehand because it felt like there was a bit of information missing. Their business plans seemed a bit half-baked to me, but I’m thinking that is because the background is defined more previously and I am missing that.
I like the book overall and I would give the next book in the series a read.
_____
I would like to thank WOLF Publishing and Tracey Sumner for sharing an eARC of The Brazen Bluestocking with me. This is my honest opinion.
A forbidding rogue who doesn’t believe in love.
And a passionate wager.
Daughter of an earl, Lady Hildegard Templeton hasn’t conformed to what society expects from a woman of her station. Industrious and unique, she’s created an emboldened organization for women on the cusp of marriage, The Duchess Society. Called a bluestocking to her face and worse behind closed salon doors, she vows to marry for love. And nothing but. Although the emotion has never shown itself to her. Until she meets him.
Bastard son of a viscount and king of London’s sordid streets, Tobias Streeter has spent a lifetime building his empire, and he needs the Duchess Society to find a suitable wife. An asset to expand his worth in society’s eyes. But he vows his search will have nothing to do with love and everything to do with vengeance. Until he meets her.
Soon, Tobias and Hildy’s plans are in turmoil as they choose between expectation, passion, and love.'
______________
The Brazen Bluestocking is the first book in Tracey Sumner’s new series, The Duchess Society and is a historical romance.
I have read a few books by this author and I’ve really enjoyed her League of Lords series. I enjoyed this book, but I’m not invested in the series yet. Although I would read more of it.
I liked the characters and the plot flowed well. There were some wonderful moments of danger, although they had a tendency to fizzle out. This bothered me particularly in one instance: the mystery of who may have wished to harm Tobias is one of the biggest sources of conflict in the book but it leads nowhere and is then just swept under the rug. I enjoyed the drama of when it was first introduced, but if it wasn’t going to do anything for the story then I don;t see the point of it. I would have liked to see some resolution on that.
It did feel like there was some absent background information regarding Hildy, her best friend, and the business they run together. I see that there is a prequel to this series and I wish that I had read it beforehand because it felt like there was a bit of information missing. Their business plans seemed a bit half-baked to me, but I’m thinking that is because the background is defined more previously and I am missing that.
I like the book overall and I would give the next book in the series a read.
_____
I would like to thank WOLF Publishing and Tracey Sumner for sharing an eARC of The Brazen Bluestocking with me. This is my honest opinion.
August 28, 2025
3.5 to 4 stars. I enjoyed the story of Toby and Hildie, whose strong attraction right from the beginning led inevitably to their HEA. There was a kind of a triangle thing going on for a while, as Hildie was supposed to be helping arrange Toby's marriage to another woman, the capable and likeable Matilda. I liked that Toby was up front with Matilda about ending their engagement once he realised he was in actually love with Hildie. Luckily it was only going to be a marriage of convenience, and Matilda wasn't hurt by the breakup.
It seemed a bit of a stretch to call Hildie a 'bluestocking' - there wasn't really much of this as a focus in the story. But *shrug* I just went with it. I like Ms Sumner's writing style. Her characters and plot lines draw me in, and I plan to read the rest of the series :)
It seemed a bit of a stretch to call Hildie a 'bluestocking' - there wasn't really much of this as a focus in the story. But *shrug* I just went with it. I like Ms Sumner's writing style. Her characters and plot lines draw me in, and I plan to read the rest of the series :)
February 27, 2022
It started great but after the first half I felt like there were a lot of fillers and honestly I lost interest... I was quite disappointed on how their relationship "progressed" or better said didn't...
August 6, 2022
5 full stars❤️
Added Tobias Streeter to my top fic boyfriend list💕💕💕
I need to gather my thoughts on this book but definitely one of top read for this year✨✨✨
Added Tobias Streeter to my top fic boyfriend list💕💕💕
I need to gather my thoughts on this book but definitely one of top read for this year✨✨✨
January 8, 2022
The Brazen Bluestocking is the fabulous first book in Tracy Sumner’s historical romance series The Duchess Society, and it follows Lady Hildegard “Hildy” Templeton and Tobias Streeter as they work together to arrange his marriage to someone else. Known across the ton as The Mad Matchmaker, Hildy spends her days tirelessly working to foster fair contracts for women looking to marry. With a crumbling house in desperate need of repair and an aged staff who is more like family, Hildy has a lot on her plate. Hildy is such a great character! She’s so ambitious and passionate about her beliefs, and her wit is fantastic. Smart, determined, and brave, this daughter of an Earl defies societal norms and takes her life into her own hands, which is how she meets Tobias.
The bastard son of a viscount and often referred to as “The Rogue King,” Tobias spent his life building his name and career and is now an impressively successful businessman. However, he needs a wife, preferably one of the ton, to help expand his empire. His is not a love match but more of a business agreement, and he has found the perfect woman for the role. However, when he meets Hildy, a woman who will only marry for love, and begins working on his marriage contract, Tobias starts to question his future. Does he want to enter into a marriage of convenience with another woman when his feelings for Hildy are so strong? With so much on the line, including Tobias’s dreams and Hildy’s job, will these two take a chance on love?
Hildy and Tobias are such wonderful characters, and I couldn’t get enough of their love story. They’re both so well-developed and interesting, and I love how each defies and challenges societal constraints. Most people want Hildy for her beauty or her title or what she can offer them. However, Tobias sees the intelligent, curious, and acerbically witty woman underneath. Hildy, in turn, looks past the roguish, confident, and enigmatic businessman and sees the sensitive, caring, creative, and generous man beneath. He is so much more than his tough exterior. Like Hildy, Tobias is a layered and fascinating character, and I became so invested in their stories, both as individuals and as a couple. I love that they slowly open themselves up to each other and show parts of themselves that they don’t usually reveal. It definitely says something about their connection.
Of course, Tobias and Hildy’s relationship is not without obstacles. Inner conflicts, miscommunication, secrecy and lies, societal expectations and rules, as well as some dangerous and potentially life-threatening situations, stand in their way, and it’s interesting to see how they deal with all of these challenges. Nevertheless, Hildy and Tobias have a brilliant romance filled with angst, passion, tenderness, feistiness, and a soul-deep connection. They are from very different worlds, and their future seems unfathomable. However, from their first meeting, there is something special between them, and their chemistry is palpable! I like how this strong fearsome man with a tough reputation is completely undone by her, and that she shows him a future he never expected or dared dream about.
Tracy Sumner sure knows how to write a first kiss. Wow! Both books in this series have THE BEST FIRST KISSES! Passionate and emotional and sexy, the first kiss between Hildy and Tobias is epic! Remember at the end of The Princess Bride when they talk about the most profound kisses? The grandfather says, “Since the invention of the kiss, there have been five kisses rated the most passionate, the most pure.” Well, the first kisses in this book and The Scandalous Vixen would both make that list! There’s so much yearning and hunger, and there’s a tenderness mixed in too. At one point, Tobias describes it as a “kiss of the soul,” and I clearly remember feeling a little faint and needing a fan when I read those lines. His feelings are so romantic!! Lol
Other characters in the story are equally interesting, including young Nigel, who Tobias took under his wing, and Tobias’s best friend. Hildy’s partner is also funny and pretty sharp, and there’s a super cute cat that has a special connection to Tobias. The author created such endearing characters that I’m so eager to learn more about, and I’m excited to see if they have prominent roles in future books in the series.
I always say I’m a sucker for a swoon-worthy romance, and this book epitomizes why I love them so much. It’s the kind of story that makes you feel all the feels, and it has great messages about love, life, gender inequalities, prejudice, social inequities, and more. It also has a unique found family aspect that is sweet and special. I can’t wait to read more of The Duchess Society series, and I would most ardently recommend The Brazen Bluestocking to readers who enjoy sexy historical romance with brilliant characters and interesting storylines. Special thanks to Tracy Sumner for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.
The bastard son of a viscount and often referred to as “The Rogue King,” Tobias spent his life building his name and career and is now an impressively successful businessman. However, he needs a wife, preferably one of the ton, to help expand his empire. His is not a love match but more of a business agreement, and he has found the perfect woman for the role. However, when he meets Hildy, a woman who will only marry for love, and begins working on his marriage contract, Tobias starts to question his future. Does he want to enter into a marriage of convenience with another woman when his feelings for Hildy are so strong? With so much on the line, including Tobias’s dreams and Hildy’s job, will these two take a chance on love?
Hildy and Tobias are such wonderful characters, and I couldn’t get enough of their love story. They’re both so well-developed and interesting, and I love how each defies and challenges societal constraints. Most people want Hildy for her beauty or her title or what she can offer them. However, Tobias sees the intelligent, curious, and acerbically witty woman underneath. Hildy, in turn, looks past the roguish, confident, and enigmatic businessman and sees the sensitive, caring, creative, and generous man beneath. He is so much more than his tough exterior. Like Hildy, Tobias is a layered and fascinating character, and I became so invested in their stories, both as individuals and as a couple. I love that they slowly open themselves up to each other and show parts of themselves that they don’t usually reveal. It definitely says something about their connection.
Of course, Tobias and Hildy’s relationship is not without obstacles. Inner conflicts, miscommunication, secrecy and lies, societal expectations and rules, as well as some dangerous and potentially life-threatening situations, stand in their way, and it’s interesting to see how they deal with all of these challenges. Nevertheless, Hildy and Tobias have a brilliant romance filled with angst, passion, tenderness, feistiness, and a soul-deep connection. They are from very different worlds, and their future seems unfathomable. However, from their first meeting, there is something special between them, and their chemistry is palpable! I like how this strong fearsome man with a tough reputation is completely undone by her, and that she shows him a future he never expected or dared dream about.
Tracy Sumner sure knows how to write a first kiss. Wow! Both books in this series have THE BEST FIRST KISSES! Passionate and emotional and sexy, the first kiss between Hildy and Tobias is epic! Remember at the end of The Princess Bride when they talk about the most profound kisses? The grandfather says, “Since the invention of the kiss, there have been five kisses rated the most passionate, the most pure.” Well, the first kisses in this book and The Scandalous Vixen would both make that list! There’s so much yearning and hunger, and there’s a tenderness mixed in too. At one point, Tobias describes it as a “kiss of the soul,” and I clearly remember feeling a little faint and needing a fan when I read those lines. His feelings are so romantic!! Lol
Other characters in the story are equally interesting, including young Nigel, who Tobias took under his wing, and Tobias’s best friend. Hildy’s partner is also funny and pretty sharp, and there’s a super cute cat that has a special connection to Tobias. The author created such endearing characters that I’m so eager to learn more about, and I’m excited to see if they have prominent roles in future books in the series.
I always say I’m a sucker for a swoon-worthy romance, and this book epitomizes why I love them so much. It’s the kind of story that makes you feel all the feels, and it has great messages about love, life, gender inequalities, prejudice, social inequities, and more. It also has a unique found family aspect that is sweet and special. I can’t wait to read more of The Duchess Society series, and I would most ardently recommend The Brazen Bluestocking to readers who enjoy sexy historical romance with brilliant characters and interesting storylines. Special thanks to Tracy Sumner for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.
July 13, 2022
The chemistry between the MCs is undeniable, the initial flirt super believable. A cute romance!! I liked that the love triangle was not dramatic. I have a weakness for self made men so it was great meeting Tobias.
However...the writing is too heavy for my taste, I was often bored, lost in descriptions. Even the sex scenes I found boring, they were written with class but boring..basically the chemistry of the characters was what made me keep reading until the end.
The epilogue introduces the characters from the next book, they have potential but it's 30 degrees outside...I need lighter writing right now. 🥵
Note: if I get into the nervous habit of rotating my ring on my finger..it's this book's fault!!! The amount of times we read that the heroine rotates the ring on her finger, omgggg 😮💨
However...the writing is too heavy for my taste, I was often bored, lost in descriptions. Even the sex scenes I found boring, they were written with class but boring..basically the chemistry of the characters was what made me keep reading until the end.
The epilogue introduces the characters from the next book, they have potential but it's 30 degrees outside...I need lighter writing right now. 🥵
Note: if I get into the nervous habit of rotating my ring on my finger..it's this book's fault!!! The amount of times we read that the heroine rotates the ring on her finger, omgggg 😮💨
July 29, 2023
Give me a self-made man over a titled man any day! When Toby starts talking I wanted to listen 😏
Anyway Lady Hildy and her bestie run The Duchess Society and they have been employed to turn Tobias (a wealthy but not necessarily honorable business man) into a man the Ton will accept. Tobias will than be allowed to marry Lady Maddy. Here’s the deal though, Maddy and Toby don’t love each other, this is a business transaction.
Enter Lady Hildy into Toby’s life and now he wants to ditch all his plans and just plan to seduce Hildy.
Anyway Lady Hildy and her bestie run The Duchess Society and they have been employed to turn Tobias (a wealthy but not necessarily honorable business man) into a man the Ton will accept. Tobias will than be allowed to marry Lady Maddy. Here’s the deal though, Maddy and Toby don’t love each other, this is a business transaction.
Enter Lady Hildy into Toby’s life and now he wants to ditch all his plans and just plan to seduce Hildy.
September 27, 2024
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.
Lady Hildegard Templeton - Hildy to her friends - may be the daughter of an Earl, but following his death, she's impoverished and alone in the world, except for her closest friends who make up the Duchess Society with her. She knows what it's like to be a woman without protection, and endeavours to make sure other young ladies have the best protection they can, with the best husband and marriage contract. When the eldest daughter of a duke is betrothed to The Rogue King, Tobias Street - rumoured by blow of a viscount who controls more of London than the ton - Hildy has to make sure he will treat his wife properly, and that he gains some ton polish too. But as the two butt heads, it's clear that the attraction and chemistry between them is more than most married couples have. Will Tobias go through with his marriage to the Duke's daughter, in order to further his own goals, or will he go with his heart and choose Hildy?
I was blown away by this book. I started it thinking it would be an enjoyable read, probably 3 stars, but as soon as I'd started, I needed to read on. All of the characters, from the servants up to the main couple, were amazing, and this book has definitely set up for the rest of the series. Hildy and Tobias had a chemistry unlike most I've seen before, and they really overcame the expectations they placed on themselves, rather than of the ton. Really, they didn't care for what the ton thought, both being outcasts of a kind, but they wanted the other to achieve all their goals and aims, and would rather be heartbroken and lose the other, than be the cause of their loss. There's a sort of found family feeling to the book too, with the main group not quite what you would expect for friends, but work together so well. I'm glad I've got a copy of book 2 to read now, because Leighton and Helena are definitely a enemies-to-lovers romance waiting to happen!
Lady Hildegard Templeton - Hildy to her friends - may be the daughter of an Earl, but following his death, she's impoverished and alone in the world, except for her closest friends who make up the Duchess Society with her. She knows what it's like to be a woman without protection, and endeavours to make sure other young ladies have the best protection they can, with the best husband and marriage contract. When the eldest daughter of a duke is betrothed to The Rogue King, Tobias Street - rumoured by blow of a viscount who controls more of London than the ton - Hildy has to make sure he will treat his wife properly, and that he gains some ton polish too. But as the two butt heads, it's clear that the attraction and chemistry between them is more than most married couples have. Will Tobias go through with his marriage to the Duke's daughter, in order to further his own goals, or will he go with his heart and choose Hildy?
I was blown away by this book. I started it thinking it would be an enjoyable read, probably 3 stars, but as soon as I'd started, I needed to read on. All of the characters, from the servants up to the main couple, were amazing, and this book has definitely set up for the rest of the series. Hildy and Tobias had a chemistry unlike most I've seen before, and they really overcame the expectations they placed on themselves, rather than of the ton. Really, they didn't care for what the ton thought, both being outcasts of a kind, but they wanted the other to achieve all their goals and aims, and would rather be heartbroken and lose the other, than be the cause of their loss. There's a sort of found family feeling to the book too, with the main group not quite what you would expect for friends, but work together so well. I'm glad I've got a copy of book 2 to read now, because Leighton and Helena are definitely a enemies-to-lovers romance waiting to happen!
October 7, 2021
There are two things I need to absolutely adore a historical romance, and The Brazen Bluestocking hits them both--gorgeous writing and romantic tension that is so intense I'm basically a stick of melting butter.
Tobias Streeter is the stuff book boyfriends are made of, street tough with a heart of gold. And Hildy is so perfectly practical on the outside and vulnerable on the inside that you want nothing more in the world than for Toby to love and protect her. As quickly as these two fell for each other, I fell for them. Just ... swoon.
Every word creates a feeling here. The prose is rich and evocative and playful. You want to dive into the book and never resurface.
With quick pacing, perfectly steamy scenes, and a cast of loveable side characters, I need the next book in hand, well, yesterday!
Tobias Streeter is the stuff book boyfriends are made of, street tough with a heart of gold. And Hildy is so perfectly practical on the outside and vulnerable on the inside that you want nothing more in the world than for Toby to love and protect her. As quickly as these two fell for each other, I fell for them. Just ... swoon.
Every word creates a feeling here. The prose is rich and evocative and playful. You want to dive into the book and never resurface.
With quick pacing, perfectly steamy scenes, and a cast of loveable side characters, I need the next book in hand, well, yesterday!
February 26, 2025
Loved it!! Tobias is one of my favorite H’s ever! I love him so much! This was a great HR that’s going straight to my favorite books of 2022. I can’t wait to read more from Tracy Sumner!
October 2, 2021
Daughter of an earl, Lady Hildegard Templeton hasn’t conformed to what society expects from a woman of her station. Industrious and unique, she’s created an emboldened organization for women on the cusp of marriage, The Duchess Society. Called a bluestocking to her face and worse behind closed salon doors, she vows to marry for love. Tobias Streeter, illegitimate son of a viscount & king of London’s sordid streets has spent a lifetime building his empire, and he needs the Duchess Society to find a suitable wife. An asset to expand his worth in society’s eyes, he vows his search will have nothing to do with love and everything to do with vengeance. Then the pair meet.
This is the start of a new series although there has been a prequel. I loved both Hildy & Tobias who were endearingly imperfect but perfect for each other, I loved their banter & I loved the chemistry & I loved their journey to a HEA. A very well written story with characters who were well portrayed & had depth. I was drawn in from the start & totally engrossed until the end. I can’t wait for more in the series
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
This is the start of a new series although there has been a prequel. I loved both Hildy & Tobias who were endearingly imperfect but perfect for each other, I loved their banter & I loved the chemistry & I loved their journey to a HEA. A very well written story with characters who were well portrayed & had depth. I was drawn in from the start & totally engrossed until the end. I can’t wait for more in the series
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
October 20, 2021
So so good
This was such a great story.. A couple that you can instantly feel the sparks fly between them.. But the two characters are both damaged determined to not find love however fate always has a way of changing things.. And with the desire for each other love is bound to happen..
I look forward to the next book in this series..
This was such a great story.. A couple that you can instantly feel the sparks fly between them.. But the two characters are both damaged determined to not find love however fate always has a way of changing things.. And with the desire for each other love is bound to happen..
I look forward to the next book in this series..
December 25, 2021
I enjoyed the start somewhat and found Tobias interesting, a little gruffly and mysterious. Hildegard was not as interesting, i did not connect with her as much. Their insta-love/romance was so quick and sudden that i just went; What? Why? It wasn`t enjoyable to me. But it is a personal reference, i know other reviews that liked it, and i think the writing was good but the book could be longer, take some time to explore their relationship and not jump into it.
January 26, 2022
Hildy and Tobias. 4.5 stars. A modern Historical Romance. For one example- the hero and heroine are at one point friends with benefits...or in this story it is called friends with advantages. Also, a little too much will they marry or will they not marry back and forth. However, a very enjoyable read to me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
December 25, 2023dnf
boringgg
boringgg
September 16, 2021
Tracy Sumner is one of my favorite authors of historical fiction, combining compelling characters, unique storylines, and a luxuriant writing style. I’ll confess that when I open one of her books, I wonder if it will be the first of them to not meet my expectations. Well, “The Brazen Bluestocking” not only met my expectations, it exceeded them in every way. This is the first book in ‘The Duchess Society’ series. If you haven’t read the prequel yet, “The Ice Duchess”, it won’t affect your enjoyment of this book. If you have read that, you’ll recognize some of the secondary characters in this story, as well as the brazen bluestocking herself, Lady Hildegard Templeton.
Hildy is a woman trapped by gender, lack of financial resources, and her dead father’s bad reputation. Her own intelligence and her independent spirit are scorned by a society with strict expectations and cold restrictions. No longer a naïve young debutante and lacking a dowry, Hildy also has no family. She’s given up on her dream of marrying for love and instead dreams of having enough money to put food on the table and maintain her shabby home. She is partners in a business created to help young women enter into marriage as prepared as possible to protect their own futures. Hildy is hired by a nobleman to help improve Tobias, the man who is his daughter Matilda’s scandalous choice of husband. She must guide the wealthy ‘King’ of the underbelly of London in an attempt to make him somehow socially acceptable. Once she meets the man, she has to figure out a way to ignore the powerful attraction she feels towards him.
“Words crowded her throat, melted on her tongue. Thought melted into sensation along with them. She was lightheaded, drunk on his nearness and the thrill of touching him.”
Tobias Streeter is the unacknowledged, illegitimate son of a British peer and a beautiful gypsy woman. With his brilliant mind and his dashing good looks, he’s managed to amass a fortune that makes him among the wealthiest men in the nation. But his status at birth deprives him of any respectability. Love destroyed his mother and he has no intention of letting it anywhere near him. He just needs a strategic marriage that will give him enough social capital to let him achieve his most cherished dream. A marriage of convenience to Matilda Is the perfect solution. But then he meets Hildy, and nothing is clear anymore.
“Frankly, it was her smile that killed him. Measured, subtle, and almost hesitant – but when it broke, it broke. Wicked and alluring, as glorious as a blazing sunset you weren’t expecting that you caught sight of around a bend in the road.”
Both main characters are beautifully, painfully real. As the layers of the story effortlessly unfold, Hildy and Tobias are each revealed to be unique and endearing, perfectly imperfect and so very memorable. The chemistry between them just about shimmers in the air around the words as you read. Secondary characters add depth and humor to the story, and various interactions between all the characters magnify the impact of the book. Beyond being a great love story, this is a story about the power of resilience, honor, friendship, and respect. I can’t wait to read the next book in this outstanding series!
i read an ARC copy of this book and i'm sharing my honest opinion.
Hildy is a woman trapped by gender, lack of financial resources, and her dead father’s bad reputation. Her own intelligence and her independent spirit are scorned by a society with strict expectations and cold restrictions. No longer a naïve young debutante and lacking a dowry, Hildy also has no family. She’s given up on her dream of marrying for love and instead dreams of having enough money to put food on the table and maintain her shabby home. She is partners in a business created to help young women enter into marriage as prepared as possible to protect their own futures. Hildy is hired by a nobleman to help improve Tobias, the man who is his daughter Matilda’s scandalous choice of husband. She must guide the wealthy ‘King’ of the underbelly of London in an attempt to make him somehow socially acceptable. Once she meets the man, she has to figure out a way to ignore the powerful attraction she feels towards him.
“Words crowded her throat, melted on her tongue. Thought melted into sensation along with them. She was lightheaded, drunk on his nearness and the thrill of touching him.”
Tobias Streeter is the unacknowledged, illegitimate son of a British peer and a beautiful gypsy woman. With his brilliant mind and his dashing good looks, he’s managed to amass a fortune that makes him among the wealthiest men in the nation. But his status at birth deprives him of any respectability. Love destroyed his mother and he has no intention of letting it anywhere near him. He just needs a strategic marriage that will give him enough social capital to let him achieve his most cherished dream. A marriage of convenience to Matilda Is the perfect solution. But then he meets Hildy, and nothing is clear anymore.
“Frankly, it was her smile that killed him. Measured, subtle, and almost hesitant – but when it broke, it broke. Wicked and alluring, as glorious as a blazing sunset you weren’t expecting that you caught sight of around a bend in the road.”
Both main characters are beautifully, painfully real. As the layers of the story effortlessly unfold, Hildy and Tobias are each revealed to be unique and endearing, perfectly imperfect and so very memorable. The chemistry between them just about shimmers in the air around the words as you read. Secondary characters add depth and humor to the story, and various interactions between all the characters magnify the impact of the book. Beyond being a great love story, this is a story about the power of resilience, honor, friendship, and respect. I can’t wait to read the next book in this outstanding series!
i read an ARC copy of this book and i'm sharing my honest opinion.
June 13, 2025
What a beauty! I couldn't put it down!
I'm gonna be honest: I loooved everything about this book! 🙈
It's the story of Hildy, a self made matchmaker a bit desperate to have a successful business as she has to handle her estate without any helping family. And Tobias, a half Romani man, entrepreneur with a touch of smuggler who needs to marry Mattie, a woman whose status will bring him closer to his dream. Hildy is supposed to mediate this union but things turn out differently then the initial plan, from the very first moment Hildy and Toby meet.
There is so much liveliness to these pages, so many easy turns that the actions simply swipes you away. There were so many things I liked abo0ut this book, from Hildy's character, the way she approaches life and her beauty, to how complex a character even Mattie is, hard not to be impressed by her choice of work and a bit set aback by her honesty, and all the supporting characters who have such defined traits.
But most of all, Tobias. He is an amazing hero. His kindness starts to show right from the beginning, his confidence, his passion for different domains, a truly Renaissance man. But his Romani spirit, his words, his tattoo, his aunt, his stories, they all give a sort of mystical allure, a sort of spice, of fragrance to his presence, it's absolutely wonderful.
Last but definitely not least is the way he loves and shares his love. There is so much heat between Hildy and Toby, very hot sensual encounters. But more than anything, the way he burns for Hildy, how he feels his love is so palpable, you feel it like a smoke coming from the pages swirling in the air. It is a work of pure beauty. I cannot recommend this book enough!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I'm gonna be honest: I loooved everything about this book! 🙈
It's the story of Hildy, a self made matchmaker a bit desperate to have a successful business as she has to handle her estate without any helping family. And Tobias, a half Romani man, entrepreneur with a touch of smuggler who needs to marry Mattie, a woman whose status will bring him closer to his dream. Hildy is supposed to mediate this union but things turn out differently then the initial plan, from the very first moment Hildy and Toby meet.
There is so much liveliness to these pages, so many easy turns that the actions simply swipes you away. There were so many things I liked abo0ut this book, from Hildy's character, the way she approaches life and her beauty, to how complex a character even Mattie is, hard not to be impressed by her choice of work and a bit set aback by her honesty, and all the supporting characters who have such defined traits.
But most of all, Tobias. He is an amazing hero. His kindness starts to show right from the beginning, his confidence, his passion for different domains, a truly Renaissance man. But his Romani spirit, his words, his tattoo, his aunt, his stories, they all give a sort of mystical allure, a sort of spice, of fragrance to his presence, it's absolutely wonderful.
Last but definitely not least is the way he loves and shares his love. There is so much heat between Hildy and Toby, very hot sensual encounters. But more than anything, the way he burns for Hildy, how he feels his love is so palpable, you feel it like a smoke coming from the pages swirling in the air. It is a work of pure beauty. I cannot recommend this book enough!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
February 4, 2023
When I first read this book, I literally fell asleep. Then I blamed the book for not holding my attention. I know. That was probably not nice. But then so many of my reader friends seemed to love this book, and I thought that I must have missed something. I decided a reread was in order. The first time I read it, it was on KU. Because supporting authors is important to me, I bought the ebook to read and review. I don't regret the purchase.
I have to say - I really liked this book. I must have been completely exhausted the first time I read it for me to have thought as little of it as I did. I totally get why this is a favorite of so many.
I will be adjusting my rating on Goodreads and will likely review it there.
It did take a minute for me to get invested in the story. However, once it took hold, I was hooked. The hero and heroine were perfect for each other. When some books end, you can't imagine how they will possibly stay happy forever - but not this couple. They are both so dang 😎 🆒️ 😎 and just crazy unflappable.
The use of incomplete sentences were quite distracting, and I don't recall them being used as abundantly in the following books in the series.
This is a book you need to pay attention to as you read it. It was often very funny, but to catch the more subtle humor, closer reading is required. Toby and Hildy talked circles around each other and laid pretty effective verbal traps for the other - and somehow, it never felt like I was reading an adolescent contest of wits and wills. It just worked. Every sparring match moved the story forward and developed the characters.
So - this reading I stayed awake (ha!) and can safely add this book with the rest of the series in my 'must read' recommendations.
Good job!
I have to say - I really liked this book. I must have been completely exhausted the first time I read it for me to have thought as little of it as I did. I totally get why this is a favorite of so many.
I will be adjusting my rating on Goodreads and will likely review it there.
It did take a minute for me to get invested in the story. However, once it took hold, I was hooked. The hero and heroine were perfect for each other. When some books end, you can't imagine how they will possibly stay happy forever - but not this couple. They are both so dang 😎 🆒️ 😎 and just crazy unflappable.
The use of incomplete sentences were quite distracting, and I don't recall them being used as abundantly in the following books in the series.
This is a book you need to pay attention to as you read it. It was often very funny, but to catch the more subtle humor, closer reading is required. Toby and Hildy talked circles around each other and laid pretty effective verbal traps for the other - and somehow, it never felt like I was reading an adolescent contest of wits and wills. It just worked. Every sparring match moved the story forward and developed the characters.
So - this reading I stayed awake (ha!) and can safely add this book with the rest of the series in my 'must read' recommendations.
Good job!
September 28, 2021
Hildegard Templeton is known as the Mad Matchmaker because not only she helps young ladies find a suitable husband through her Duchess Society, but she also makes sure that their marriage contract protects them during and after the marriage.
Tobias Streeter is a viscount’s by-blow with Romani blood and he’s built an empire from scratch. But he has a dream and to fulfill it he has to marry a lady and use her connections to enter Polite Society. And so the Mad Matchmaker meets the Rogue King of Limehouse Basin and unfortunately for them - and luckily for us readers, I’d say - there is an instantaneous but “inconvenient” attraction, as they themselves call it.
This is my first book by Tracy and I must say that she’s now firmly in my top ten list of favorite authors, rapidly climbing to the very top! And that’s because she’s a veritable master with words. I was in awe of her amazing descriptions of places throughout the book. From the docks of London to the ballrooms of Polite Society, it was like being swept into a period movie. I saw what the characters saw and even smelled the spices brought from the far Indies on Tobias’s ships. And what can I say about the emotions I felt while reading the book? The chemistry between the main characters was so strong that I looked forward to their interactions when they were apart! Tobias can easily be my new favorite hero. Handsome, but most of all smart, talented and kind. Hildy is equally smart, strong, but also vulnerable. A perfect match for a perfect book. Five richly deserved stars!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Tobias Streeter is a viscount’s by-blow with Romani blood and he’s built an empire from scratch. But he has a dream and to fulfill it he has to marry a lady and use her connections to enter Polite Society. And so the Mad Matchmaker meets the Rogue King of Limehouse Basin and unfortunately for them - and luckily for us readers, I’d say - there is an instantaneous but “inconvenient” attraction, as they themselves call it.
This is my first book by Tracy and I must say that she’s now firmly in my top ten list of favorite authors, rapidly climbing to the very top! And that’s because she’s a veritable master with words. I was in awe of her amazing descriptions of places throughout the book. From the docks of London to the ballrooms of Polite Society, it was like being swept into a period movie. I saw what the characters saw and even smelled the spices brought from the far Indies on Tobias’s ships. And what can I say about the emotions I felt while reading the book? The chemistry between the main characters was so strong that I looked forward to their interactions when they were apart! Tobias can easily be my new favorite hero. Handsome, but most of all smart, talented and kind. Hildy is equally smart, strong, but also vulnerable. A perfect match for a perfect book. Five richly deserved stars!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
September 25, 2021
Bold, Brazen, and Utterly Bewitched
Hildegard "Hildy" Templeton is a brazen bluestocking who has sworn off men and marriage and, as she tells the story's villain at one point, you'd best not forget it.
Yet somehow stubborn, spinsterish (and excessively beautiful) Hildy winds up in a very steamy entanglement with a very wrong man--wrong in as many ways as you can think of: Tobias "Toby" Streeter is her client, he's a rough street rogue who is essentially her opposite, he's a "lowborn" titan of illegal industry, and he's engaged to be married in three weeks. An arrangement which could not have come about without the assistance of Hildy's Duchess Society, which helps noblewomen find truly suitable husbands who will allow them their independence.
Of course, the fact that Tobias is scheduled to marry a lady who prefers women and is only marrying him so that she can pursue her own vocational endeavors means there is no uncomfortable love triangle in the story and absolutely no cheating as such (and I have a low tolerance for it).
What there is, is a lovely amount of steamy scenes, many well-written turns of phrase ("He wanted to uncover her secrets in the hazy twilight, in a bed they creatively destroyed with their passion.") and a great deal of banter between the heroine and hero, culminating in a deliciously fun story that ends on a high-note of drama with the kind of villains I like the best: the redeemable and accidentally comical.
Steam Level: Steamy
Hildegard "Hildy" Templeton is a brazen bluestocking who has sworn off men and marriage and, as she tells the story's villain at one point, you'd best not forget it.
Yet somehow stubborn, spinsterish (and excessively beautiful) Hildy winds up in a very steamy entanglement with a very wrong man--wrong in as many ways as you can think of: Tobias "Toby" Streeter is her client, he's a rough street rogue who is essentially her opposite, he's a "lowborn" titan of illegal industry, and he's engaged to be married in three weeks. An arrangement which could not have come about without the assistance of Hildy's Duchess Society, which helps noblewomen find truly suitable husbands who will allow them their independence.
Of course, the fact that Tobias is scheduled to marry a lady who prefers women and is only marrying him so that she can pursue her own vocational endeavors means there is no uncomfortable love triangle in the story and absolutely no cheating as such (and I have a low tolerance for it).
What there is, is a lovely amount of steamy scenes, many well-written turns of phrase ("He wanted to uncover her secrets in the hazy twilight, in a bed they creatively destroyed with their passion.") and a great deal of banter between the heroine and hero, culminating in a deliciously fun story that ends on a high-note of drama with the kind of villains I like the best: the redeemable and accidentally comical.
Steam Level: Steamy
September 20, 2021
Tobias and Hildy are a couple not to be messed with.
A willful bluestocking matches wits with a devilish scoundrel, that she never expected to desire with every beat of her heart.
A defiant society outcast.
A forbidding rogue who doesn’t believe in love, and a passionate wager.
Bastard son of a viscount and king of London’s sordid streets, Tobias Streeter has spent a lifetime building his empire.
Daughter of an earl, Lady Hildegard Templeton hasn’t conformed to what society expects from a woman of her station. Together they make for a witty and complimentary couple. Soon, Tobias and Hildy’s plans are in turmoil as they choose between expectation, passion, and love.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley. This in no way affects my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.
A willful bluestocking matches wits with a devilish scoundrel, that she never expected to desire with every beat of her heart.
A defiant society outcast.
A forbidding rogue who doesn’t believe in love, and a passionate wager.
Bastard son of a viscount and king of London’s sordid streets, Tobias Streeter has spent a lifetime building his empire.
Daughter of an earl, Lady Hildegard Templeton hasn’t conformed to what society expects from a woman of her station. Together they make for a witty and complimentary couple. Soon, Tobias and Hildy’s plans are in turmoil as they choose between expectation, passion, and love.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley. This in no way affects my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.
November 19, 2021
Oh so good to read. Loved Tobias and the gutsy Lady Hildegard. Great characters and storyline. An entertaining and enjoyable story - and a beautiful book cover! 4☆
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