I would like to thank Netgalley and Dragonblade Publishing for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

CW - death of parent, terminal illness

This was enjoyable, but took a while to get going. I would have liked more focus on the maths interest of the heroine and whether or not she was neurodivergent. I also think there should have been more warning about the terminal illness and death of the hero’s father.

This is the first book I have read by the author and I will certainly be looking out for future novels by her as I thoroughly enjoyed the intricacies that make up the relationship between the Taverston siblings. Georgiana is something of an oddball in the Regency ballrooms, as in spite of her beauty and substantial dowry, she turned down sixteen proposals in her first season. She is dreading having to enter a second season, especially as she is under pressure to at least consider Jasper Taverston as a prospective groom. When the Earl of Iversley takes a turn for the worse in his illness, Georgiana, her mother, and cousin follow the family back to their estate in order to spend time with them and give the matchmaking mamas time to work out their plan. Unfortunately, Jasper does not create the spark in her that she was hoping for, but when Reginald recognizes and admires Georgiana's quick mind without disparaging her, the spark ignites a conflagration. At first, it seems that the attraction between Reginald and Georgiana is doomed to failure, but when challenged Reginald takes a stand. The novel is the first in a series of interesting characters, but is a standalone and although there is some sadness hanging over the family, the book comes to a lovely conclusion. I received a copy of this well-written and attention-grabbing romance as a gift through Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

This weekend I had the opportunity to read an advance copy of COUNTING ON LOVE, the debut historical romance from Carol Coventry. What a fabulous book! The characters were well-drawn, the settings were vibrant, the dialogue and descriptions were authentic. Midway through the book, Coventry introduced a bit of a mystery, and I could not put the book down until I knew the answer to that mystery. I really appreciated how Coventry was able to create high-stakes conflicts that were authentic to the time period. I think this book is perfect for my readers, fans of Grace Burrowes, and anyone looking for a book with Jane Austen vibes.

I posted on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=9024485707565777&set=a.132382500109520) and will feature the author in my newsletter on October 8 along with a giveaway of the book and a recommendation.

New to me author that finally got me out of my reading slump!!

Georgiana is the daughter of a Duke and a secret bluestocking who is not looking forward to her second year in the marriage mart.

Jasper, the heir of an Earl, is finally looking for his Countess and decides he must have Georgiana.

I really enjoyed the love triangle that developed and the air of mystery for the brothers, especially Crispin. I can’t wait for their stories!

Highly recommend!!

Lady Georgiana Stewart is a duke's daughter who has turned away suitor after suitor while waiting for a love match like her parents have. She has a passion for mathematics that her father finds charming while horrifying her mother, leaving her to study in secret. At the start of her second season she meets Lord Jasper Taverston, a perfect-on-paper match who quickly starts to court her before having to leave for his family's estate. Jasper invites Georgiana, her mother, and her cousin to visit his family, and it's not long before Jasper's youngest brother, the awkward Reginald, is turning Georgiana's head instead.

This book was SUCH a fun read. It was really smartly done and even though I don't typically love slow burns, I was kicking my feet watching Georgiana and Reginald fall for each other (there's this one scene where just their pinkies are touching, and somehow there's steam billowing off the page). While sometimes a book where she's falling for the "wrong" brother can feel icky, in this book you're left feeling that the couple is so very right for each other, without betraying Jasper or turning him into a villain.

4.25 stars out of 5, can definitely see myself reading this again!

This was a good romance. I enjoyed the story but I wished the build up would have been less and the love story when they were actually together would have been more. They didn’t get together until 3/4 of the way through the book. I loved the main characters Georgianna and Reginald, and they were well written. I really did like the book, and it left me wanting to see who was next in the series!

Engaging Romance
In her first season Lady Georgiana turned down numerous offers of marriage, frightened of committing to a lifetime with a man she barely knows. As a duke’s daughter and with a large dowry, men were not shy in coming forward but this season the men will be warier and the pressure for her to make a good marriage even stronger. She wants a loving marriage like her parents have, to feel a spark or, at least something other than boredom. Unfortunately at the pre-season ball an eminently suitable match makes a play for her and rumours fill the ton that a betrothal is to be announced. With her mother keen for her to make a match she agrees to spend time with her suitor and his family even though she has no strong feelings for him. What happens when she meets and falls for the youngest brother is the meat of this story. A new author to me who I highly recommend.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Counting on Love by Carol Coventry is part of the series The Taverstons of Iversley and was a little more complicated than one normally sees in this type of book. Jasper, Heir to the earldom has decided it is time to take a wife and he has chosen a beauty, Lady Georgiana Stewart, daughter of the Duke of Hovington. Their parents had been friends of a sort when they were younger. She was in her second season, having turned down sixteen marriage proposals during her first. She was a beauty and would make a wonderful countess. Just after he met her during a ball, he was recalled to his country estate where his father had been ill for months. It looked as if his death was imminent. The rumors had started about their betrothal and wagers were in the book at White’s. Shortly after he left, his mother issued an invitation to Lady Georgiana, Her Grace, and Alice, her cousin who was making her debut this season from the Duke’s home. They debated whether to go under the circumstances but decided it would be best. What they encountered when they arrived was a plethora of personalities and family issues.

Jasper was a good man, he was simply not the right man for Georgiana. She wanted a spark. There was none. He was boring. As his brother, Reginald put it, she was too good for him. He didn’t notice or didn’t care and proceeded carefully and slowly with wooing her. Meanwhile we got to know his brothers, Reginald and Crispin. Crispin was a soldier; his father had refused to purchase his commission so he took care of it himself. He was home for the interim; he had some sort of food allergies, had always been delicate, and had brought a “physician” with him who was monitoring his diet. Reginald was a scholar, through and through. He was destined for the church but was hesitant. These were a trio of very interesting men, well-written and intriguing. Crispin, especially, had a way of cutting through the chaff to the heart of a matter. Excellent book, wonderful characters, enticing story. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I was invited to read Counting on Love by Dragonblade. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #Dragonblade #CarolCoventry #CountingOnLove

I am giving this book as a whole a '4-star' rating but the actual romance more of a '3.5'. I loved this as the first in the series because it so effortlessly set up the Taverstons side of the characters around which the series will be based. It also managed to make all of the Taverstons interesting as individuals and showed how tight the bond is between them. I finished this book excited to see which character would be the focus of the next book and to find out how their story would unfold. As for the romance here my absolute only complaint is that there just wasn't enough of it! It's not until about a third of the way through that Georgiana and Reginald actually meet and then they seem to barely really be together. That's probably an overstatement since the two find time to fall in love and that feels genuine rather than underdeveloped but it felt that way because I wanted to see them interact a little more. I loved that they see one another for who they really are rather than what society tells them they should be. Given that they are both intellectuals it's clear they are meant for one another and since neither of them had ever really had someone appreciate that about them it was so sweet to see them fall for one another. The one conversation I really wanted to read was Reginald apologizing and/or explaining his reasons for the things he said to her after their kiss at the folly. He knows he should talk with her but certain events prevent that from happening right away and it's kind of forgotten about. I am hoping that Abigail is the love interest for either Jasper or Crispin. There are hints that she could end up with either one - I just want to know that she doesn't have to settle when it comes to finding a husband just because of her financial situation. This was the first book I've read by this author and I can't wait to see what she comes out with next!

5 stars

New author to me and I enjoyed it lots. Georgiana is a Duke's daughter heading for her second season. Her mother is quite conventional and though she wants her to be happy is keen for her to find someone to wed. Georgiana refused 16 proposals the first season. We also have Alice the cousin. Georgiana meets Jasper the heir to an Earldom and though she likes him she doesn't think he's the one but to make her mother happy she goes along with a visit to his home. Jasper's father is dying. We meet his brothers: Crispin a soldier very switched on who ran away to be a soldier because as a child he was very sickly and the earl forbid him to join up. Reginald is the scholar. Georgiana is very gifted mathematically and has to hide this gift as her mother has drummed into her that it's not womanly in the regency age. Just kisses for the majority of the book and then a bit of passion at the end. Great story, keen to read the other brothers stories especially Crispins. It's lovely when I find a new author. Heartily recommend.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Just finished reading this one, turned out to be a really good read time to head on over for the second one. Enjoy if you read.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Counting on Love by Carol Coventry is a third person dual-POV Regency romance. When Georgiana’s mother encourages her to accept the attentions of Jasper, a future earl, Georgiana isn’t too keen on the match but doesn’t know how to stop the gossip going around the Ton. Then she meets Jasper’s youngest brother, Reginald, and finds herself drawn to him while Jasper continues his pursuit.

What I thought was really interesting was how Georgiana’s family was invited to Reginald’s family’s home while the earl was on his deathbed. It cements that Jasper is considering Georgiana very seriously as his future countess and provides a reason why Reginald and Georgiana are in such close quarters. I think we would find it quite awkward in the modern day, especially given that Georgiana and Jasper don’t know each other that well, but their mothers do know each other and the courts of the Regency period tended to be somewhat close-knit from what I know.

Reginald and Georgiana bond over intellectual pursuits and balance each other quite well. Georgiana is quite good with numbers and patterns while Reginald is more gifted in linguistics and literature. It makes a lot of sense why he was originally going to pursue a more religious profession as they tended to allow more time for scholarly pursuits, but his personal relationship with faith impeded him. On Georgiana’s end, her mother doesn’t really support her skills and refers to them as ‘parlor tricks,’ which creates a bit of a complex towards her own intelligence.

The love triangle between Georgiana, Jasper, and Reginald is complicated mostly by Georgiana’s mother and Reginald’s loyalty to Jasper. The ‘saw her first trope’ is used from Reginald’s POV with Jasper having met up with Georgiana first and has repeatedly made his intentions towards her quite clear. Georgiana is looking for a love like her parents’ marriage, one with a spark and finds that very quickly in Reginald, since Jasper doesn’t know about any of this, he’s making things a bit awkward for everyone.

I would recommend this to fans of love triangles in Regency romances and readers of historical romance looking for a grief angle.