Review: One Taste of Scandal by Heather Hiestand

One Taste of Scandal by Heather Hiestand
Series: Redcakes, Book 2
Publisher: eKensington
Genre: Historical Romance

ISBN: 9781601831385
Source: Publisher
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N

A cup of sugar…a dash of cream…and a craving for a cake decorator that won't be denied…

When Captain Judah Shield learns he is more bastard than noble born, he goes in search of his true lineage. Determined not to lean on his family's wealth, he accepts a job managing Redcake's Tea Shop. Despite the flurry of excitement a single soldier creates among the staff, Judah clearly has no time for a wife. Though what man doesn't have time for a delectable beauty like lovely Magdalene Cross?...

He has the bearing of an English gentleman and the fiery touch of a true rake. Which is precisely why Magdalene must avoid Judah if she hopes to escape her family's reputation for scandal. Surely no good can come from a man whose kiss leaves her hungry for more. Certainly not the kind of marriage that could restore her social status. Still, Magdalene cannot help imagining what an incredible wedding night it would be—and when fate steps in, she may not have to imagine after all…

Delicious confections, unique characters, and a slow-burn romance are a great combination in One Taste of Scandal. For the most part, author Heather Hiestand eschews the usual ballroom and boudoir in favor of a working tea shop and the less-than-glamorous homes of the lower levels of the aristocracy. The change of pace works well and makes the story feel fresh.

Judah Shield has returned home from India with the knowledge that he isn’t the son of the late Marquess of Hatbrook. In fact, he has no idea who his real father is and though his brother (the current marquess) wants him to leave well enough alone, Judah must have answers. He also doesn’t want to live off his brother and needs employment, so he accepts a job managing Redcake’s, his sister-in-law’s tea shop. Judah is a likeable, interesting hero. He’s a hard worker with good business sense, but he isn’t perfect and isn’t afraid to acknowledge that he’s learning as he goes. Learning of his illegitimacy has made him question his place in the world, and it was nice to see him find where he belongs. Finding love is, of course, part of his journey, and what better heroine could there be for a (potentially) scandalous hero than a member of the Scandalous Cross family?

Magdalene Cross was born and raised to be a society girl, but instead she’s working herself to the bone caring for her dying sister-in-law and trying to manage her brother’s household. When Judah offers her employment, Magdalene is both grateful and ashamed. I actually liked that Magdalene isn’t proud of her employment – it would be incredibly unrealistic for the times and the way she was raised if she were. Magdalene is torn between two worlds just as Judah is, and she’s far less accepting of it. This leads to a bit of push-pull and slows down the romance aspect of the story. I liked that Judah and Magdalene took things slowly and fell in love as they got to know each other, but there was a bit of spark missing from their romance. Judah and Magdalene make a good couple, and it their story was enjoyable, but there’s no snappiness to their dialogue, and the chemistry is a little underwhelming. With a bit more liveliness to the tale, One Taste of Scandal would shine. As it stands, Magdalene and Judah’s book is solidly entertaining and I finished it looking forward to reading more Redcakes stories.


FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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Review: Trifling Favors by Heather Hiestand

Trifling Favors by Heather Hiestand
Series: Redcakes, Book 7
Publisher: Lyrical Press
Genre: Historical Romance

ISBN: 9781616507978
Release Date: March 15, 2016
Source: Publisher
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N

The sweetest treat is a kiss…

Greggory Redcake’s plate is full. Widowed young and left with two small children, the manager of the Kensington location of the illustrious tea shop is besieged on all sides between the bakery and family matters. If only his remarkably efficient shop assistant, Betsy Popham, could manage his home life, too! But Greggory can’t linger on thoughts of Betsy’s fetching smile when a dead body is discovered in the bakery…

Betsy has no time for romance, not even with the delectable Mr. Redcake, whose kisses are all too unforgettable. Haunted by a specter from her family’s past, Betsy is terrified that the man blackmailing her has turned to deadly violence. Yet the only way to save her position--and possibly her life--is to accept Greggory’s help as their delicious attraction sweetens into the tantalizing promise of true love…

Trifling Favors is a story I wanted to like far more than I did, which makes it a bit difficult for me to review. Hardworking Betsy Popham has been an interesting secondary character in the Redcakes series and I was excited that she finally got a book of her own. I loved learning more about Betsy and my heart broke for her more than once over the course of the story. She’s the daughter of a convicted killer and has lived her life with that hanging over her head. Not only that, she’s been blackmailed, used, stolen from, and disappointed by love. Through it all, Betsy has remained a determined, hardworking woman who keeps her head held high even when life throws yet another curveball at her. In other words, she’s the perfect example of a strong heroine who you want to see find love with a hero who will appreciate all that she is.

What Betsy gets is Greggory Redcake, who – though likeable on his own – is lackluster as a romantic hero. Greggory is a widower with two babies and a teashop he and Betsy have worked hard to make a success. I was looking forward to seeing them fall in love and work together, but ultimately the romance never rang true for me. Greggory was certainly attracted to Betsy, but his “love” for Betsy felt more like lust mixed with wanting her organizational skills to run his chaotic home. He didn’t seem to appreciate Betsy for who she was, but instead tried to cherry pick what he liked about her and then fit her into the mold of what he thinks a wife of his should be. Needless to say, this was incredibly disappointing. As for Betsy, though she cared for Greggory, she still seemed more hung up on Ewan Hales, the man she loved and lost. Greggory was almost like a consolation prize, one I doubted if she was wholly certain she wanted before her hand was forced. I finished Trifling Favors wishing there was more to the ending so that I could feel the romance come together. As it stands, the story ended more with a whimper than a strong happily ever after that would satisfy.

Though I did have a number of issues with the romance, Trifling Favors wasn’t a bad read. It was slow to start, but once it picked up I enjoyed author Heather Hiestand’s writing. There’s a mystery involving theft and murder that was fun to watch Betsy and Greggory pick apart and solve. It’s this plotline that is the book’s saving grace, for it adds excitement and offers readers the opportunity to become invested in the tale.

Trifling Favors is the seventh book in the Redcakes series, and as I have been reading the series out of order I can safely say the book stands on its own. That being said, a lot of past Redcakes heroes and heroines are mentioned or briefly appear, which should delight fans. Trifling Favors isn’t the strongest book in the series and I was sadly disappointed in the love story, but I enjoy Ms. Hiestand’s writing enough that I will definitely finish catching up on the series.


FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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Review: The Marquess of Cake by Heather Hiestand

The Marquess of Cake by Heather Hiestand
Series: Redcakes, Book 1
Publisher: eKensington
Genre: Historical Romance
Release Date: July 4, 2013
ISBN: 9781601831118
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N

Michael Shield, Marquess of Hatbrook, has a sweet tooth, which is why Redcake’s Tea Shop and Emporium is his favorite place in London. It doesn’t hurt that Michael’s also captivated by cakie Alys Redcake. Alys has no interest in anything other than decorating cakes and working at her family’s business, but that doesn’t stop Michael from pursuing her. The attraction is mutual and when Michael decides he needs to marry, he can’t picture anyone other than Alys as his bride. Can he convince her to be as passionate about a life with him as she is about the cakes she bakes?

Don’t start The Marquess of Cake when you’re hungry, or Alys’s creations will have you hunting for pastry in the middle of the night. Even if you don’t have a sweet tooth like Michael, The Marquess of Cake is still delicious thanks to Alys and Michael’s romance.

Alys is a woman who was raised to work hard and her family’s rising fortune has turned her world upside down. Alys is happy being a spinster and decorating cakes, but her father is determined she marry and there’s nothing she can do to change his mind. I appreciated Alys’s passion for her work and it saddened me a bit that conventions of the Victorian era dictated she had to give a lot of that up, even though Michael does come up with a compromise for her. The titular marquess is a handsome hero with a taste for Scotch trifle. What was most interesting about Michael (to me) was that Heather Hiestand made him hypoglycemic. The way Alys came to recognize his health problem (though obviously it was never named or formally diagnosed, given the time period) and how she and Michael ultimately addressed it made The Marquess of Cake unique, in my opinion.

Aside from the romance, The Marquess of Cake has family drama aplenty. I admit, I wasn’t very fond of Alys’s sisters, particularly toward the end of the book, and I really had to question Michael’s judgment given his choice of friends. I was, however, interested in Michael’s sister, Beth, Alys’s twin brother, Gawain, and her cousin, Lewis. All in all I found The Marquess of Cake to be a highly entertaining read and I’m looking forward to the next book in the Redcakes series.

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Review: Captain Gravenor's Airship Equinox by Heather Hiestand

Captain Gravenor's Airship Equinox by Heather Hiestand
Series: Steampunk Smugglers, Book 3
Publisher: Coffee on Sundays
Genre: Steampunk Romance
Blue Ribbon Rating: 3 out of 5
Original Review Link
Book Purchase Link

All Philadelphia Hardcastle wanted to do was invent machines to make her family’s farm operation more profitable. After learning that her brother sold her inventions to the British Air Enforcement — who then manipulated and turned her technology onto people — Philadelphia feels there’s no better penance for what she’s done than taking her own life.

When smuggler and airship builder Brecon Gravenor rescues a woman from the edge of a cliff, he has no idea he’s just saved the infamous “Dr. Castle.” Even after he learns the truth, it’s clear to him that Philadelphia’s no monster. But the smugglers Brecon works with don’t see it that way. They’re determined to have Philadelphia make inventions for their own purposes.

Philadelphia is eager to help undo the damage the BAE has done, but she’s not happy being thrown in a jail cell with Brecon and commanded to work. Philadelphia will have to work with her unlikely rescuer if she ever hopes to escape. What she doesn’t expect is to find love with her handsome cellmate.

As one might expect in a story with two inventors for protagonists, the true uniqueness of CAPTAIN GRAVENOR’S AIRSHIP EQUINOX comes from the inventions. Author Heather Hiestand develops fascinating steampunk technology in CAPTAIN GRAVENOR’S AIRSHIP EQUINOX and I admit that my interest in the world building outweighed my interest in the romance in this third STEAMPUNK SMUGGLERS tale. That being said, Brecon and Philadelphia are by no means bad characters. They’re survivors with intelligence, kindness and general likeability which make it easy to hope that they beat the odds and find happiness. Yet, while I liked Brecon and Philadelphia, I was never really invested in either the romance aspect or the twists and turns of the danger plotline in CAPTAIN GRAVENOR’S AIRSHIP EQUINOX. When compared to Ms. Hiestand’s previous STEAMPUNK SMUGGLERS tale, CAPTAIN FENNA’S DIRIGIBLE VALENTINE, I felt there was something almost inexplicable missing in Philadelphia and Brecon’s story.

CAPTAIN GRAVENOR’S AIRSHIP EQUINOX is the third STEAMPUNK SMUGGLERS story, but it can be read as a standalone. Fans of the series will undoubtedly be delighted by mentions of characters from the first two tales, CAPTAIN ANDREW’S FLYING CHRISTMAS and CAPTAIN FENNA’S DIRIGIBLE VALENTINE. While CAPTAIN GRAVENOR’S AIRSHIP EQUINOX wasn’t my favorite story in the STEAMPUNK SMUGGLERS series, it is an inventive tale and I did enjoy reading it.


Note: My review was written for Romance Junkies and is cross-posted here with permission from Romance Junkies.

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Review: Captain Fenna’s Dirigible Valentine by Heather Hiestand

Captain Fenna’s Dirigible Valentine by Heather Hiestand
Series: Steampunk Smugglers, Book 2
Publisher: Coffee on Sundays
Genre: Steampunk Romance
ISBN: 9781466171374
Blue Ribbon Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Original Review Link
Book Purchase Link

Terrwyn Fenna was a notorious smuggler until she was imprisoned in Newgate. Having escaped only a few weeks before, Terrwyn’s main goal is to keep her newborn daughter safe. Then an incident with the British Air Enforcement on Valentine’s Day sends Terrwyn back to the skies…and straight into the path of Ian Cavill. Ian was recently freed from his enslavement aboard a government airship, and he’s eager to join Terrwyn’s crew. Though Terrwyn doesn’t think she’ll ever be interested in men again – not after what happened to her in Newgate – something about Ian calls to her. But before she can explore her feelings for her newest crewman, Terrwyn must find a way to keep herself, her daughter and Ian out of the government’s clutches.

Author Heather Hiestand delivers action and adventure aplenty in CAPTAIN FENNA’S DIRIGIBLE VALENTINE. Terrwyn and Ian are good people who’ve suffered at the hands of corrupt government agents. Ms. Hiestand made it easy for me to cheer for the two smugglers as they steal from their former tormenters and fight to protect the ones they loved. It was also incredibly easy for me to want Terrwyn to find love with Ian. She’s understandably wary of physical attraction after what was done to her in Newgate and Ian, in turn, respects the proverbial barriers Terrwyn puts up…even as he slowly inserts himself into her life. Watching these two slowly slide into love was the highlight of CAPTAIN FENNA’S DIRIGIBLE VALENTINE – and that’s saying something.

CAPTAIN FENNA’S DIRIGIBLE VALENTINE is the second installment in Ms. Hiestand’s STEAMPUNK SMUGGLERS series. Although I haven’t read the first story, CAPTAIN ANDREW’S FLYING CHRISTMAS, I was able to read CAPTAIN FENNA’S DIRIGIBLE VALENTINE as a standalone. However, Terrwyn and Ian’s story was so entertaining that I cannot wait to read CAPTAIN ANDREW’S FLYING CHRISTMAS, and I hope Ms. Hiestand pens more STEAMPUNK SMUGGLERS tales!


Note: My review was written for Romance Junkies and is cross-posted here with permission from Romance Junkies.

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