THE CRAWFORDS SERIES
SOPHIE BARNES
ISBN: 978-1393778431
March 2021
Self-Published
Sophiebarnes.com
E-book & Paperback
$7.99
786 Pages
Historical Romance/Regency
Rating: 4 Cups
The Crawford triplets:
Caleb is an architect who never wanted to be a duke, but has to take up the responsibilities after his father’s and elder brother’s death.
Griffin ran away to Vienna and apprenticed to a clockmaker. He is very successful at his craft and is very happy not to be a soldier.
Devlin was supposed to go into the law, but loved the sea and now owns his own ship. He and his crew sail around the world and are very successful merchants.
The Ladies of Clearview:
Mary Benson is a beautiful woman from one of the wealthiest families in England. She thought she was in love with a nobleman, but one kiss ruined her reputation and she fled to Clearview.
Emily Howard was a bit more plump than fashionable with a domineering mother. When the gentleman who was courting her dropped her because of said mother, she has no other option but to go to Clearview.
Lady Cassandra is the daughter of an earl, but that did not protect her from scandal. She and her fiancé anticipated their wedding night resulting the birth of a daughter he would never meet. He was killed on the way to the wedding. Her brother refused to abandon her and bought her Clearview, where she and her friends take in orphaned or abandoned children.
No Ordinary Duke
Caleb’s best friend implores him to go to his sister’s home to make repairs as she and her friends have run off another caretaker. The women feel that feeding and clothing their brood of orphaned children should take precedence over the leaky roof. Caleb is happy to forget about being a duke for a while and go back to doing the work he loves. He is entranced by Mary, but unaware that his own father and brother were the cause of her disgrace.
This novel has two very strong characters in Mary and Caleb and their love story has more than its share of ups and downs. The two of them have immediate chemistry and it was great fun reading about them.
More Than a Rogue
Emily Howard never really had a chance at romance. She was banished from London before she even had her first kiss. She decides that she wants that experience, and at Mary and Caleb’s ball in London, she has her chance. She kisses Lord Griffin Crawford and is caught in the act by her mother, sister, and aunt who demand they marry. She does not want to force anyone to marry her for a mere kiss, so she is forced to run again.
Emily and Griffin’s trip back to Clearview is quite an adventure. I enjoyed Emily’s transformation from wallflower to independent woman very much. There is so much more to her than we saw in the previous book.
Her Seafaring Scoundrel
Devlin Crawford is back in London after one of his long sea voyages, but not to stay, much to his mother’s dismay. She wants to see all of her sons married and starting families, but they are not cooperating quickly enough for her.
Lady Cassandra has no desire to marry or fall in love. She has had enough heartbreak and has a young daughter to think of. She has had her share of scandal and does not want her daughter to suffer as she has.
To avoid another scandal, Lady Cassandra agrees to marry Lord Devlin Crawford, in name only. Lady Cassandra has her work at Clearview and Devlin is going back to sea, but from now on both she and her daughter will have the protection of his name. Neither one of them is looking to fall in love, but fate has other plans.
This book has a decidedly more exotic setting than the others and I really enjoyed reading about the ship and their voyage. This romance had more twists and turns than the other two and a big surprise connection to Lady Cassandra’s almost wedding. It was quite engrossing.
This compilation gives the reader and excellent opportunity to by three complete novels in one volume. I loved that the three were so connected, not just by the Crawford triplets but also by the three spinsters of Clearview. Each book is a standalone, but greatly enhanced when read with the others.
Maura
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance and More
Leave a Comment