Fairytales sometimes do come true!

Rather a harried tale of second chance romance. Why harried you ask? Because our poor, put upon heroine is embroiled in a scandal when some lord decided to climb in through her bedroom window and her brother suffers after a duel with the miscreant. Miss Katrina Denby leaves London and ultimately finds a measure of peace and happiness on the Isle of Synne as companion to Dowager Viscountess of Tess. Only to have that come crashing down as that same (crazed?) worthless lord tracks her down, attempts to once more climb into her bedroom, only to fall to his death, Katrina knowing nothing about it until she’s awoken by the kerfuffle below her window.
And what does the local vicar do? Claims Katrina is a fallen woman and all should shun her. Which they do!
Four years ago Sebastian Thorne, Duke of Ramsleigh, had just been about to approach his friend Katrina about his feelings for her being more than friendship, when he was called home. His father had died. Sebastian was caught up in settling his father’s scandalous debts. Now he is about to marry an heiress, Diane Bridling, to bring the dukedom, and its dependants, about. A heavy burden!
His perspective father-in-law, Lord Cartmel, has an odd request before giving his permission for Sebastian to marry his daughter. He wanted Sebastian to take his son Harlow Bridling, to stay with an old acquaintance the Viscountess of Tess. The hope being that the distance would break Harlow’s relationship with an actress, Miss Mirabel Hutton.
So a chance meeting four years later between Katrina and Sebastian is already in the cards. We know that this time, somehow, someway, they will not go quietly into the night!
An engaging tale indeed!

A Forever (Grand Central Pub.) ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

This lovely read is a captivating romance that explores a couple's opportunity for a second chance at love, forgiveness and redemption. Katrina Denby is a spirited and resilient woman who has suffered two scandals that have ruined her reputation and prospects for future happiness. Sebastian Thorne is the handsome Duke of Ramsleigh, who once loved Katrina but chose his duty over his heart. When fate brings them together again, they must face their past and their feelings, while also dealing with the pressures of society and family.

Christina Britton writes with a lot of emotion, which creates characters that are relatable, complex and the chemistry between Katrina and Sebastian is sizzling, and their banter is engaging. The plot is well-paced, and it kept me hooked until the end. I loved the supporting cast; Lady Tesh, Katrina's group of friends, The Oddments, and of course, Katrina's pup, Mouse who was darling! I hope we learn more about this group of friends, as they are a very interesting bunch of ladies! I voluntarily read & reviewed an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book; all thoughts & opinions are my own.

4.5 stars

I usually don’t condone murder, but when a dog does it, I’ll allow it.

I really enjoyed this book, which I book 2 of the series. Katrina’s growth throughout the story was great to witness and Sebastian was a giant simp throughout the entire book and I couldn’t get enough of it. All men should be absolutely obsessed with the woman they love. It’s the law.

Katrina gets herself in quite a bit of scandals and other people’s reactions to them were a little hard to read, but other that that this book is a delight.

Other things to look forward to:
-a giant dog by the name of Mouse (that knows which men to murder)
-a supportive and diehard group of friends
-a dowager that takes no shit
-steamy sexy times

I can’t wait for the next book in the series!

Sweetly romantic with a nice dose of the heroine learning to stand up for herself and a HEA that had me cheering for the couple.
Katrina Denby was in love and waiting for the man she loved to ask for her hand when a lunatic lord sneaks into her bedroom at night and ruined her reputation and her family. She's spent the last 4 years slowly building it back in the Isle of Synne with the help of her found family. Only the lunatic comes back and promptly dies attempting to once again climb into her window. Now the scandal of the past is back even worse and making Katrina's life and that of those she loves impossible. But fate also delivers the only man she's ever loved, Sebastian Thorne, Duke of Ramsleigh, back into her life. Except he's there on an errand that will earn him the hand of a very rich heiress and the money to save all the people his Dukedom makes him responsible for.
There are times when Katrina feels too much like a victim. I really wished she stood up for herself, but the way Britton plays it, in the end, was utterly perfect and fit the character even better than if she'd stood up for herself in earlier instances. It also makes the fact that she actually stands up to Sebastian on occasion that much sweeter because it shows that she trusts him. It's just one of the many elements I enjoyed about their relationship.
I spent half the book raging mad at the men of Katrina's world for putting all the blame for the actions of a man on her when she literally had nothing to do with them. And that society was so willing to turn their back on her for it was just-- aargh! Anyway, that painfully accurate detail about society aside, I really enjoyed the second-chance romance full of longing and pining and two people so willing to sacrifice everything to make others happy.
Overall, it's perfect historical romance fluff and I am here for all of it.

Blissful thanks to NetGalley and Forever for the romantic early read!

Sebastian's father passes away, and it's revealed that the dukedom was propped up by a fake investment scheme. Katrina is the victim of an attempted abduction that not only ruins her reputation, but has serious consequences for her brother's future, too.

Four years later they're thrown together again. Their feelings are as strong as ever - or maybe stronger, because they know they can't act on them. The book is mainly focused on the inescapable gravity pulling Katrina and Sebastian together while they try desperately to keep apart. We appreciated that they were both honest with each other and never tried to hide the truth of their feelings. We also liked Katrina's friend group, the Oddments, who supported her through all of her trials. We have to admit that we saw the twist coming at the end from the very beginning, but we were satisfied with the timing of the reveal!

Pick this one up if you're in the mood for a cozy historical with plenty of pining and decent, honest characters.

Oh, my heart broke for Katrina and Sebastian!

With a charming start to their budding romance, we easily fall in love with both Katrina and Sebastian. Sadly, things immediately start to fall to pieces in their separate lives, forcing them to go their separate ways for four years. Now, chance has brought them together again, only their drastically-changed circumstances are sure to continue to keep them apart.

Katrina was twice victimized by a true villain, but thankfully he gets his full serving of justice in the very beginning. Unfortunately, the damage was already done and she can't find a way to move beyond the incident and its ensuing scandal. Sebastian, too, finds himself with very few choices - really, only one - and as distasteful as it is, he's resigned himself to his unavoidable future. Until reconnecting with Katrina makes him start to wish for things he knows are out of reach.

I sympathized so much with these two. Their frustration was palpable, and I couldn't help but feel so much for them and the seemingly impossible situation they were in. They each faced their own devastating choices, where none of the options were even remotely acceptable.

The author did such an amazing job of setting up the situations that I actually despaired that an HEA was even possible. Thankfully, the author is smarter than I am and a couple of very believable answers eventually paved the way for their happy future.

I can't express how much I loved this book and all the charming characters from the Isle of Synne. Lady Tesh is as irascibly charming as ever, and the Oddments are my true counterparts in the literary world. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves Regency romances. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

Thank you to Christina Britton and Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Reading the first book in this series I was really excited for this book, I loved the friends in this story and couldn’t wait to get another story. I loved the first book so much I couldn’t wait.

This story starts off showing a little bit of what happens between Katrina and Sebastian before tragedy strikes and everything goes downhill. They were friends and becoming more than friends they were in the beginning stages of a courtship.

Katrina is shunned out because of a man that is obsessed with her, even though she isn't to blame for the situation everyone shuns her and turns their back on her, I mean after all a man climbing into her bedroom window to attack her is her fault right? 🙄

Ok fine so she's run out of London and finds herself in Synne. Which is just fine seeing that she's created a new life for herself, but guess what the same man shows up trying to climb into her window again and is pushed out but her dog. He dies and again Katrina is blamed and shunned now by the people in Synne.

Sebastian is also embroiled in scandal because of his late father who basically scammed people and took their money. So Sebastian is working his way out of debt and trying to pay back all the people that got their money stolen.

He's been working hard to bring his family of the scandal his father caused and she been working on her reputation and staying low that they never really knew what happened with the other nor did they ask around or try to find out.

This had all the angst and turmoil that I was looking for and characters that I already know and love. So I was so ready for this book.

It started out really great and with a lot of potential but it went downhill from there. There was so much repetition that I had to start skimming the story.

All Katrina did the whole story was blame herself for the "scandal" she cause and she cant get past it. She wont stand up for herself, she just takes everyone's crap and keeps blaming herself.

And all Sebastian does is think about how he can't have Katrina and how much he wants her. And the whole story just keeps on going this way.

There is no backstory for either character, no explanations of any previous relationships with anyone for either of these characters. We don’t know why Katrina and her brother never had a relationship or what relationship Sebastian had with his father before he passed.

The story doesn’t even go into details about the previous friendship that Sebastian and Katrina had. Nor do we know why that man was so obsessed with Katrina and why he kept trying to climb into her window and we never find out why either.

Another thing I really couldn’t understand is why Katrina never spoke to her friends the oddmates. How do you consider them your good friends but tell them nothing about your life or what's going on?

There was just so many holes in this story that I was utterly let down. Not to mention absolutely no character development. I really wanted to like this book but I was so let down by it, I'm not sure if I'll keep reading the series now. I wanted to before this book.

The constant monologues about how much they both couldn’t have each other and how messed up their lives had turned out just got really boring after 75% of the book, I was ready to DNF at like 80% but I started skipping whole parts just to finish the book.

Then finally at like almost the end of the book Katrina finally stand up for herself only because Sebastian thinks she's worth it. She's friends with some feisty women but still is docile and self-blaming. I was so over it.

Genre: historical romance
England, 1821

Katrina Denby hasn’t done anything to attract the scandals attached to her name, and yet when Lord Landon falls to his death because he’s been trying to climb to her window for an unwanted assignation, scandal erupts further. Four years ago, Sebastian Thorne, Duke of Ramsleigh, lost his chance at marrying Katrina when his father died suddenly and with his title came a mountain of debt. He plans to marry an heiress, Miss Bridling, but her father Baron Cartmel attaches an ultimatum, which includes taking his wastrel son to the Island of Synne in order to distract him from a particular London actress.

On Synne, Sebastian and Katrina are reunited, and four years apart hasn’t dampened their affection. Word of her scandals had barely reached Sebastian while he sought to repair his fortunes, and he finds it appalling that the townspeople blame Katrina for something she neither did nor provoked. Finding his motivation for appeasing Miss Bridling’s father dwindling, Sebastian is drawn to Katrina despite the risks to his dukedom.

This was a lovely low-angst second chance with all the charm of a small seaside town. Katrina is a member of the Oddments, a group of female friends united in their curious pursuits and bluestocking tendencies. The series Synneful Spinsters revolves around this friend group, who provide significant emotional support for their friends when needed. I love how fiercely they stand up for Katrina, even when it may not be in their own social best interests.

If one interpersonal conflict resolved a little too easily towards forgiveness, another resolved perfectly satisfactorily. I was glad to see Katrina evolve towards a position of emotional strength in the face of so many who had tormented her.

Sebastian is a great romance hero playing the role in support of his leading lady. He’s fixated on her and wants nothing more than her happiness, even if it’s not him (and that makes him a little jealous). He wasn’t as ducal as some, and I did think for a regency era duke he was pushed around an awful lot by a baron with money. But I like that he never wavered in his attraction and love for Katrina, even when he was trying to do the right thing by his tenants and marry Miss Bridling.

A fun one to pick up for a summer adventure on the Isle of Synne! Thank you to @Readforeverpub and Netgalley for an eARC for review. What’s A Duke Got To Do With It is out 7/11. It’s book 2 in the Synneful Spinsters, but can be read as a connected standalone.

Thank you to Christina Britton and Forever Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a solid read. This was my first historical romance, and while I don’t think this genre will become a favorite, I did overall enjoy this book. The pacing was solid, the characters were fleshed out, and it was a good break from some of the other genres I have been reading!

Four years ago, Katrina and Sebastian were on the verge of love. Four years ago, a man climbed in through her bedroom window and Katrina's reputation and life were ruined and she became the paid companion to Lady Tesh, of the Isle of Synne. Now, Katrina's life has once again been upended as the same man who once ruined her is found dead on the ground after once again trying to climb through her window. The same night, Sebastian received word of his father's death and his own life imploded as it became clear just how deeply his father had been ruined. Now, Sebastian is on the verge of resurrecting his dukedom through marriage to a wealthy family, except he has been tasked with taking his soon-to-be brother-in-law away to the Isle of Synne and bringing him to heel before he can propose to the sister. But when Katrina and Sebastian are reunited, what was just sparks four years ago will rekindle...

Mouse is finally a central character in one of the Isle of Synne/Synneful Spinsters novels! Yay! This installment was a little too angsty for me (though all of the books in the original and spin-off series are a bit angsty) and my mood, and the resolution a little too easy. Britton still manages to bring humor into the story with secondary characters like Mouse and Lady Tesh, as well as Mr. Bridling, but the overall tone of the book is pretty dark. With the tone being what it is, the way things resolve happens a little too fast and a little too easily, given what was previously established, but the main characters get their happily ever afters. I would have liked to see more of the Oddments in this one, as well as the other characters we know are still on the island, but they make fairly brief appearances and the story focuses mostly on Katrina and Sebastian (and Mouse) and their relationship. More of the friendships between the Oddments would have been a nice addition, and I hope that the future installments will include more balance between the romantic and platonic relationships. I still enjoyed What's A Duke Got to Do With It and will happily read more of Britton's work in this series, I just would have liked a little more lightness in this one.

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the opportunity to read What's A Duke Got to Do With It early.

The ladies of Synne are at it again. Katrina believes she is cursed and doomed to failure. Sebastian is a Duke who is in need of cash. They had missed their opportunity to be together and now they may have a second chance. The characters are good and easy to like. The plot flows along easily and gives the reader a good opportunity to get to know each of the main characters. Readers will love Mouse and be satisfied with the happy outcome.

Katrina Denby and Sebastian Thorne's romance cut short four years ago, on the night Sebastian asked Katrina for a dance. He had to leave immediately because of his father's demise. Then taking care of the dukedom because clearly, the trope of his-rom is the father usually leaves debt to his sons. Meanwhile, Katrina is forced to leave to town after being involved in scandal NOT by her own making. One of her suitors climbed into her bedroom, and of course is the woman's fault as she is considered the seductress (nothing really changed after 200 years)

Katrina and Sebastian meet again in the Isle of Synne, when Sebastian is accompanying the brother of a lady she has been courting, on the order of their father. He courts the lady because he needs the money to save the dukedom. Katrina, meanwhile, has been involved in another scandal (same suitor, now dead!) and has become more of pariah with people in Synne. The feelings are STILL there, of course. But circumstances are different now. Katrina doesn't have the means to bring into a marriage and Sebastian doesn't know how to work around that.

What I love from this series is how it features "kind" main characters. Not that other books have bad people, but these books don't really have big Alpha MC who huffs and puffs like wolves when showing their power and being possessive. For me, that's nice.

Katrina and Sebastian's romance are blocked with misfortunes. He needs the money, she cannot really give it to him. She needs someone to save her from scandal, probably by being married, but he is courting another woman. That's the big conflict. For some readers, this maybe tiresome. Because clearly, Katrina and Sebastian love each other. And they belong to one another. Heck, even her dog loves him! That's always a sign! And we have to put up with hundreds of pages for Sebastian to acknowledge that all he needs is Katrina?!

But I still enjoyed it. Like I said, these are two kind people. I loved reading all those feelings and longings between the two of them.

The author gives a way out in the end. I felt that the solution was too easy and predictable. I wish it didn't have to be like that. I liked Sebastian's initial idea for the two of them. I guess the author just wants to make sure that these two get everything...



The ARC is provided by the publisher via Netgalley for an exchange of fair and honest review. No high rating is required for any ARC received.

I love returning to the Isle of Synne and being back with Lady Tesh and the friend group called the Oddments. Miss Katrina Denby has been a companion to Lady Tesh for four year. Prior to that she was involved in scandal where she was the innocent. But her brother rejects her afterwards and she and her giant lovable dog Mouse have lived with Lady ever since. For a second time scandal comes knocking at her window. Her friends and employer stand behind her but the locals are riled up against her.

Sebastian Thorne, Duke of Ramsleigh was smitten with Katrina years ago. There was flirting but no understanding between them. On the night of her scandal he was called home to learn he was the now the Duke and his father left the dukedom in ruins. He is planning to wed for money. The heiress of his intentions father sends him off on a personal errand before he gives permission for his daughter to connect to Thorne. He must go with her brother to the Isle of Synne and persuade the man to give up his infatuation with a London actress. There he is stunned to find Katrina and learn she never married.

I really enjoy Christina Brittons writing. And I love that Katrina and Mouse are already familiar characters if you’ve read Some Dukes Have All the Luck (Nov 2022). This is a second book in a second series set on the Isle and they are delightful. (It can be read as a stand alone.) I had a harder time with this one mostly because I was outraged at the treatment of Katrina and how long it continues. I do love when women stand up for each other and themselves.

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC via NetGalley and I am leaving a voluntary review.

First off, RIP Tina Turner. Secondly, I do enjoy Christina Britton and the Isle of Synne. We finally get behind the history of Miss Katrina Denby. Poor woman has basically had a ton of crap thrown her way in life and is embroiled in scandal due to men with mental health issues or delusions that have huge impact on her family. Give the woman a break! Thank god for Lady Tesh and her found family. On the flip side, the Duke of Ramsleigh has also seen a lot of hardship and is doing the best he can in a crappy situation too. What are two broke people supposed to do when they meet again after 4 years apart from seeing their first love? Pine. A lot. Britton does a great job of the internal conflict of why they shouldn't be together, the notion of duty vs desire. I felt my heart breaking with the hopelessness of the situation. I was initially happy with the ending but then as it went on I felt like some parts were not necessary. The reason why I put this as a 4 instead of 5 was just the self-pity got to be too much for me, especially from Ramsleigh. Otherwise another delightful read and I am looking forward to more!

I recieved a free copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book was just not for me. The trope of the only thing keeping apart the characters is a bankrupt estate is stale. This book fell into that category.
Sebastian is a duke but the estate is in ruins so he must marry. His future father in law will only allow Sebastian to marry his daughter if sebastian gets his future brother in law to agree not to marry the actress he has fallen in love with.
Katrina was ruined when a man crawled into her window declaring his love. When he shows up years later again trying to get into her room only to die, Katrina knows only marriage with regain her respectability.
This is an extremely slow burn book. It took me forever to get through it.
If you like second chance romance, slow burns, then you will probably enjoy this one.

This book was definitely more of a slower burn than I expected. With a second chance romance (more along the lines of flirtation the first time) with a forbidden twist, the two main characters just struggled.

It was harder to read their stories and struggles than I expected, and I ended up more invested in the side characters like Lady Tesh, the Bridling siblings, and any scene with Mouse in it. Mouse basically stole the show.

Some parts of the HEA seemed to tie out too neatly, but I absolutely appreciated how things ended with Katrina’s brother. There was a huge cheer from me how everything unfolded with Harlow.

This was a really good story but it was very sad. I wasn't able to stop reading until I finished the book at 2AM. Four years before this story takes place, Katrina and Sebastian were happy people with promising lives ahead of them. They were acquainted but never had the chance to explore a possible relationship, before their lives were derailed by tragedy. Having lost her friends and family due to scandal, Katrina was fortunate to get work as a lady's companion on the remote Isle of Synne. Sebastian needed to secure an advantageous marriage to an heiress because his late father had gambled away their fortune. The author kept the tension levels high for the characters who desperately wanted to be together. They went back and forth from futile strategizing.to miserable acceptance. I even cried during the steamy parts of the story. On a happier note, the characters from the previous book are back providing some much-needed comic relief. The absolute best returning character was Mouse the dog. The scene where Mouse meets Sebastian was quite funny. This book was well-written and I'm happy to have read it. I received a free ARC from NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

I’m not a huge fan of historical romances usually, but Christina Britton has pulled me in once again. In this story we have Katrina, a former lady of privilege disgraced by a scandal not of her own making, cast aside by all polite society and forced to work as a companion to survive. Sebastian is a duke without money, coming back from hiding away from society trying to recover himself financially and socially from his father’s misdeeds. Sebastian knows the only way to save his family and his land is to marry someone wealthy even though he knows he’ll never feel for them what he once felt for Katrina years ago. Due to a crazy twist of fate, these two former and now both disgraced flames are thrown together as Katrina is struggling to rise from yet another scandal, and Sebastian is desperate to secure a wealthy wife. This was a delightful second chance romance. I loved the scenery, the side characters (especially the Oddments) and Katrina’s dog Mouse. I look forward to seeing who gets a story in this series next. I received an ARC, and this is my honest review.

Katrina and Sebastian had a flirty relationship several years ago before both of their lives were ruined by the actions of others. Neither knows what happened to the other one, and they are quite surprised to meet again on the Isle of Synne. I enjoyed it when Katrina and Sebastian (and Mouse!) were together on the page, and Lady Tesh is always a delight. I struggled with how many times Katrina was put in new situations to be insulted, though. For me, that got hard to swallow after the third time. I just don't like that kind of plot. But the rest of the book was enjoyable.

DNF at 26%

I really enjoyed the first installment of Christina Britton's Synneful Spinsters series and was excited to see which of the Oddments would be the focus of the next book. While Katrina wasn't my favorite side character in the first book, the synopsis of this sequel was certainly interesting enough to peek my interest.

However, now that I had actually started the book, I find that the characters are following archetypes that I don't necessarily love. Books where the protagonists are suffering under reduced circumstances despite being decent people need that little extra oomph to peak my interest and I am just not finding that here.

While this was not necessarily my cup of tea, I will certainly continue to pick up Britton's backlist and any other installments in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!