NetGalley Review: When the Earl Was Wicked by Jess Michaels

When the Earl Was Wicked by Jess Michaels

My Rating: ✩✩✩✩✩

Just a solid historical that delivers exactly what it promises.

This second book in The Comerford Courtesans series was a fast read that hits all the historical tropes we love. Two jilted lovers stage a fake relationship for revenge and get an HEA along the way. I have enjoyed the small scale worldbuilding in this series and the way that the supporting characters are thoroughly woven into each story, this makes the connectivity of the books very solid and believable. That our fair protagonists are courtesans, and solidly of age, means we can skip the whole having to be precious about ruination. This effectively short hands a lot of what slows some historicals down. The chemistry is A+ and the HEA doesn't require any great leaps of disbelief or anyone acting wildly out of character.

Looking forward to the two books to follow in this series.

Published on 6 January 2026 by The Passionate Pen LLC

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NetGalley Review: The Beast (Deluxe Edition) by Katee Robert

The Beast (Deluxe Edition) by Katee Robert

My Rating: ✩✩✩✩✩

This was probably my favorite book in this very much enjoyed series. Robert excels in writing amazing spice while also furthering complex plots and world building. In this Beauty and the Beast variant, we get so much character and plot development. While it may feel like smut for the sake of smut (which is 100% great too), but then suddenly, the whole spy vs. spy world comes together alongside the throuple...just wow. The clever "why choose" take on the two male leads of the fairy tale lends itself to so much character growth and here the chemistry, and relationship growing pains, felt very real. I am excited to finish up the series, but also not looking forward to it being over!

Published on 17 February 2026 by Sourcebook Casablanca

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NetGalley Review: The Re-Do List by Denise Williams

The Re-Do List by Denise Williams

My Rating: ✩✩✩✩✩

I generally enjoy this author, but this book just didn't do it for me.

The premise was cute, the idea of what happens when you become a meme was so promising. Add in some favorite contemporary tropes (brother's best friend, age gap, teach me, etc.) and this should have been great. The writing was solid and the spice excellent...but, outside of people talking about and having sex, there wasn't much there.

The brother angle only served to manufacture fake angst and the return of said prodigal son didn't really further the plot beyond toxic male posturing. The leaning heavily into the military hero complex stuff was also a turn off for me. Men who make their service their whole personality are a HUGE red flag, so much so in real life that I couldn't suspend belief. The meme thing basically disappears so not sure why that was important.

Alas, this one just didn't hit for me.

Published on 27 January 2026 by Berkely Publishing Group  

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NetGalley Review: Melting Point by Cici Williams

Melting Point by Cici Williams

My Rating: ✩✩✩✩✩

While I enjoyed reading this book, overall it is a solidly mid-pack contemporary. While advertised on NetGalley as Adult Romance and Erotica, it really reads as a mild spice, new adult novel. While those genres are great, and I enjoy them as much as the next reader, getting over this book not feeling at all like I expected made getting into the narrative a bit difficult.

I liked:

• Great setting-romance in the Olympic Village is fun and the wintery atmosphere made for a cozy read.
• Good tropes-friends to lovers, he falls first, first loves reunited and fake relationships all make an appearance-we love the tropey romance for a reason and this did not disappoint.
• An HEA that makes some sense-there is some tension and conflict, but no one has to act wildly out of characters or do an unpredicted personality inversion to make it all work in the end.

I didn't enjoy:

• Slightly too tropey supporting characters. The tragic brother, the unavailable father, the conflicted sports stars...eh, this could have gone better
• Immature behavior-this may be on me since I am running out of steam for how 20-somethings behave at the crone-esque age of 43, but some of this felt less like banter and competition, and more like tantrums and impulse control issues.

All together, the plot was OK, the spice was less spicy than promised and the setting was a delight. I would still say to cozy up with this fun winter read, but it is not 100% what's on the tin.

Published on 4 December 2025 by Avon Books UK

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NetGalley Review: Can't Get Enough of the Duke by Lenora Bell

Can't Get Enough of the Duke by Lenora Bell

My Rating: ✩✩✩✩✩

In so many ways this was a great book that hit all the high points of the historical genre. All our favorite tropes are here for our enjoyment. The grumpy hero has a solidly tragic past and sense of duty to play the "I want to, but I must not" game perfectly. The heroine is plucky and shiny even when life is not going very well. Add in some marriage of convenience and a cleverly inserted feminist subplot? This should have been a winner.

The hitch? The age-gap trope here was a little too much of a gap to feel OK. While this trope is common in historicals, because historically cis-het men have been free to sexuaize and partner with teenagers, here it was a bit much. Given that the seminal incident for all of this is Ana attempting to break the glass ceiling of getting a book published, making her "barely legal" feels gratuitous. Either the feminism is ahistorical and we all suspend disbelief or not. Given the plot progression and time between our stoic Duke being assigned as Ana's guardian and when they actually meet up, making her solidly in her 20s (and still "on the shelf" by historical standards) was a viable option that would have taken this book right to a five-star rating.

While this was a solidly enjoyable book for the genre, beware the ick that this age gap creates.

Published on 7 April 2026 by Avon and Harper Voyage

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NetGalley Review: Once Upon a Courtesan by Jess Michaels

Once Upon a Courtesan by Jess Michaels

My Rating: ✩✩✩✩✩

This was a great, light and comfy, historical romance that is exactly what is on the tin.

The premise is realistic, though just fun enough to get you into that fun romance headspace. The pasts are tragic, but in a manner that gives the characters dimension, not triteness. The FMC being a courtesan means the story can fast track to the good stuff. In this book the spice is instant while the love is slow-burn. The climactic drama happens to the couple, not between the couple, so the HEA really works.

Overall, a great historical that will please fans of the genre.

Published on 7 October 2025 by  The Passionate Pen LLC

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NetGalley Review: Witchcraft by Sole Otero

Witchcraft by Sole Otero

My Rating: ✩✩✩✩✩ 

There was so much about this graphic novel that I really liked.

The art is great. The style and color palette gave great witchy vibes and felt a bit "Gorey-esque." I loved it.

The premise is pretty good...who doesn't love three weird sisters and murmurings of witchcraft? It is a classic for a reason. The story, in parts, plays well into the intersection of colonization, xenophobia and the misogyny that labels anything by women/for women as somehow deviant. There were also some interesting subplots, though these don't get too deeply explained or resolved.

What kept this from being a great read is the slightly disjointed feel of the narrative. Now, this is a translation and it is possible that vital nuance has been lost. Regardless of the origin, the story still felt choppy and then concluded in a big rush.

I would love to see more in this setting and storyline, but as a stand alone graphic novel this was missing something for me.

Published on 7 October 2025 by Fantagraphic Books

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