Review: Earls Trip

Jenny Holiday has written sweet romances and spicy romances and those books are always very enjoyable. So, I was intrigued when I heard she was writing a historical romance. And, friends, she can write the hell out of a historical romance, too! Earls Trip was too much fun and I enjoyed it so much. It’s out next week, April 23, so get those library holds and preorders in!

Here’s the book’s description:

Even an earl needs his ride-or-dies, and Archibald Fielding-Burton, the Earl of Harcourt, counts himself lucky to have two. Archie (the jock), Simon (the nerd), and Effie (the goth) have been BFFs since their school days, and their annual trip holds a sacred spot in their calendars. This year, Archie is especially eager to get away—until an urgent letter arrives from an old family friend, begging him to help prevent a ruinous scandal. Archie’s childhood pal Olive Morgan must be rescued from an ill-fated elopement—and her sister Clementine must be rescued from rescuing Olive. Suddenly the trip has become earls-plus-girls.
This . . . complicates matters. The fully grown Clementine, while as frank and refreshing as Archie remembers, is also different to the wild, windswept girl he knew. This Clem is complex and surprising—and adamantly opposed to marriage. Which, for reasons Archie dare not examine too closely, he finds increasingly vexing.
Then Clem makes him an indecent and quite delightful proposal, asking him to show her the pleasures of the marriage bed before she settles into spinsterhood. And what kind of gentleman would he be to refuse a lady?

I recognize that many books, TV shows, movies, etc are being created because of the “Bridgerton Effect” - that they (the powers that be who decide what to publish or create for screen) recognize there’s an appetite for stories that are as fun, frothy, and historical (ish) as the Bridgerton TV show. Earls Trip had a similar vibe as Bridgerton which I was totally into. Holiday paid attention to the historical elements she needed to but she wasn’t so strict about language or social norms. I find that authors sometimes force the language so much that it sounds…ridiculous. Holiday didn’t do that, thankfully!

I’m excited that this appears to be a series because I’m really looking forward to hanging out with all of these characters again. Holiday created a group of earls (well, two earls and a viscount) who were so delightful. I loved the ladies but the guys were the stars. Their friendship would be refreshing in a contemporary romance so to have it be the focus of a historical romance was a delight. They weren’t shy about their friendship and feelings for each other. Archie maybe mentioned that it wasn’t normal for them to be expressing those feelings a bit too often but it was nice to see how much they cared for each other, their found family. And they willingly embraced the ladies and brought them into the fold, too. Love!

Even though the main purpose of this novel was to be a fun romance, Holiday wove some more serious issues into the story as well. Some had to do with society of the time, such as how Clem (and all other women) were basically just things to be owned and ordered about by men, whether that was their father or their husband (because of course their life goal had to be marriage and marriage to a man - there was no other option). Others issues were more general and something contemporary readers can understand, such as Archie’s mother’s dementia. I felt everything was handled well and respectfully and added to the overall story in a really great way.

Earls Trip was such a fun read and I’m already missing the characters I met in Jenny Holiday’s latest novel. I can’t wait for the next book in the series and I think romance readers everywhere will also thoroughly enjoy this book!

*An egalley of this book was provided by the publisher, Kensington Books, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: Canadian Boyfriend

I’m a big fan of Jenny Holiday - both her as a person and her writing. I even got the chance to interview her and Farah Heron at a literary festival last year! So, naturally, I was going to be excited about whatever book she wrote next. Add in the fact that it was called Canadian Boyfriend and I was definitely going to read it. Read it I did - and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Here’s the book’s description:

The fake Canadian boyfriend. It's a thing. The get out of jail free card for all kinds of sticky social situations. “I can't go to prom; I'm going to be out of town visiting my boyfriend in Canada.” It's all over pop culture. But Aurora Evans did it first. Once upon a time she met a teenage hockey player at the Mall of America. He was from Canada. He was a boy. She may have fudged the “friend” part a little, but it wasn't like she was ever going to see him again. It wasn't like she hurt anyone. Until she did—years later—on both counts.
When pro hockey player and recent widower Mike Martin walks into the dance studio where Aurora Evans teaches, he's feeling overwhelmed with the fact that his wife may not have been exactly who he thought she was and the logistics of going back to work. As one of the few people his angry, heartbroken daughter connects with, Aurora agrees to be a pseudo nanny to help him navigate the upcoming school year and hockey season. To his surprise, she turns out to be the perfect balm for him as well. Aurora gets him. The real him underneath his pro jersey. And yet, he still finds himself holding back, unable to fully trust again—especially when he finds out the secret Aurora’s been hiding from him.

I was a wee bit worried about the single parent storyline. Traditionally, I’m not a fan. But I didn’t mind this one at all and I think it has to do with the fact that Olivia is older. She’s her own person and her personality and issues were just as important as Rory and Mike’s were. I felt for the kid and was hoping for a tween version of a non-romantic Happily Ever After for her because she sure as hell deserved it.

I gotta say, though, I didn’t buy the Third Act Breakup. This might get a bit spoilery so skip this if you hate any hint of anything. Right. So throughout the whole novel, Rory is struggling with whether or not to tell Mike that they had actually met in passing years before and, wouldn’t you know it, he inspired her to create a fake boyfriend. When she does eventually tell him, he’s pissed. Which I found stupid. I also found it slightly silly that Rory was so worried about telling him but I guess it makes sense since he reacted just as she expected him to. It just didn’t work for me - even with Mike’s hangups about lying (which I also struggled with but I could kind of get it) and Rory’s tendency to be a doormat (her and her BFF’s terms, not mine) - and it was a bit of a bummer to deal with right at the end of the book.

Also - why on earth did Rory refer to him as Mike Martin throughout the entire novel? It was so bizarre. The chapters alternated perspectives and whenever Rory was talking about/describing interactions with Mike, it was almost always “Mike Martin” instead of just Mike. I don’t get it and I’m weirdly fixated on it. *shrugs*

I loved how therapy and looking after one’s mental health was so important in this book and was approached in such a positive light. Mike was doing everything he could to make sure he and his daughter were mentally healthy after Sarah’s death, and that included therapy for the both of them. And it was at his urging that Rory finally went back to therapy herself. They talked about it openly together, and with their friends, and it was all just so…normal. While it wasn’t great that they had such serious issues to work through - grief for Mike and anxiety/panic attacks/eating disorder for Rory - it was great to read about how they were getting the help they needed in a romance novel.

You don’t have to like sports to like this novel. Yes, Mike is a professional hockey player and there are lots of references to the sport but Rory is a total newbie and things are explained well to her (and, by proxy, to any reader who doesn’t know hockey). And for those of us who do know a little bit about the sport, we’re not bored with info we already know. It was well done. I also enjoyed the juxtaposition of a hockey player dating a (former) ballerina and how Holiday approached the toxicity of the world of ballet.

As you can tell, there’s a lot to unpack with this romance novel. But even with all of the serious (and incredibly important) topics, Canadian Boyfriend is, at its core, a romance. I loved the little Canadianisms sprinkled throughout and fell in love with all the characters. I’m so glad we’re going to get Gretchen’s book next! I think Jenny Holiday has a winner on her hands with this romance and I think other readers will agree.

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Forever, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: Duke, Actually

Somehow I managed to miss reading A Princess for Christmas in 2020. I saw Jenny Holiday’s book, wanted to read it and then…didn’t. So, when I realized it was a sort of but not really series and Duke, Actually was releasing in 2021, I jumped at the chance to review it. And, oh boy, am I glad I did. I absolutely loved it. I laughed. I swooned. It was an absolute delight.

Here’s the book’s description:

Maximillian von Hansburg, Baron of Laudon and heir to the Duke of Aquilla, is trapped. Under pressure from his domineering father, he must marry a suitable bride before he inherits a title that feels like a prison sentence. In New York to meet a prospective wife, he ditches his responsibilities and appears on Dani Martinez’s doorstep. He’s been intrigued by the no-nonsense professor since he met her at the Eldovian royal wedding and is determined to befriend her.
Newly single Dani is done with love—she even has a list entitled “Things I Will Never Again Do for a Man”—which is why she hits it off with notorious rake Max. He’s trying to escape relationships, and she’s resolved to avoid them at all costs. All they want from each other is friendship and a distraction from their messy lives.
As their bond begins to deepen, so does their attraction, until they end up in bed together. Falling in love was never part of the plan—Max’s family doesn’t see Dani as a perfect match, even as his heart tells him she’s the one, and Dani isn’t sure she can make it in Max’s world. Can they find the courage to live they life they desire, even if it means risking everything?

First things first…you don’t have to read this one 1. At Christmas or 2. After A Princess for Christmas. Will you perhaps get more out of it if you do that? Hmmm…maybe a bit. But the main couple from the first book isn’t really in the second book all that often and the story does start and end at Christmas but there’s a lot going on in between. Buuut if you want to be true to the series and the season, there will be a third book coming out this fall so you can binge all three leading up to Christmas this year!

I loved loved loved Dani and Max’s relationship. It is a sloooooow burn but, my god, I have never read a sexier slow burn. And Holiday makes sure we get a great payoff when the pair finally get together. So. Satisfying. A bookstagrammer friend of mine, megmcreads, is always searching for Hallmark After Dark reads around Christmas and this one definitely fits the bill. It’s sexy and steamy and definitely not rated PG. *fans self* What made the sexy times so satisfying (for me, anyway) was the fact that the emotional relationship between Dani and Max had been solidified over the course of the year. They were getting to know each other and there was trust between them that translated into a romantic relationship. (And then a break up and then a reconciliation. We can’t be reading a romance novel without those elements!)

Duke, Actually is so much more than a romance, which is part of why I loved it so much. Dani and Max as people were so great to read about. They’re both wicked smart and funny so the banter between the two was a delight to read. They’re also so very loyal to the people they care about so the reader knows they’re great people and deserve each other and a Happily Ever After. Their careers (or lack thereof) are important to them and they help each other focus on career goals, instead of how to hop into bed with each other. The balance between real life events and romance made for an amazing reading experience.

Read Duke, Actually. That’s all you really need to hear me say about Jenny Holiday’s novel. But if you need a bit more, know that it’s funny, smart, well-written, romantic, and so freaking good. Just read it, already!

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, HarperCollins Canada, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*