This was such a lovely historical romance! The unique concept of wanting to marry one’s mistress who happens to be a soldier’s widow sets this book apart from others in this genre. I loved the writing style and use of letters between the two main characters to move the plot forward. Vanessa’s resilience and determination to build her life on her own was admirable, and her friendship with the other Talverston brothers heartwarming. Even though this was the second book in a series, I read it as a standalone and it was very enjoyable!

This historical romance gives us a love that shouldn't have happened in the order it did. Our hero has a tendency to think everything will go just the way he wants it to. Our heroine has already learned the hard way that life doesn't work that way.
This is an interesting story that moves back in time a few years, then forward again to show how it all happened.
The family that is the connection for the series is unconventional in some ways. The series is better read in order but each book is complete on its own. I'm looking forward to reading the next one.
Good fun.

Good gravy... I am worn out!! What a journey! If there were EVER two people who should be together.... it's Vanessa and Jasper. My god, the longing, the unfortunate life circumstances keeping them apart, the DESTINY. Oh man, I am so happy they had a HEA. I stayed up waayyyy too late. But this book delivered!!

Came for the historical romance but stayed for the historical fiction.

The romance aspect doesn’t seem to be the focal point and that was fine as the story is engaging and well written.

This was the first book in the series I’ve read and would definitely read the first and next.



Thank you to Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley for the DRC

Is it possible for Jaspter Taverston, Earl of Iversley to forego everyone's opinion and marry the woman he loves?
I loved Vanessa's strength of character which I am sure was due to her upbringing and following the drum. That is not to say she did not question her thoughts and actions. At times Jasper struck me as someone more concerned about the opinion of him by those important to him - Crispin, Reg, Hazard, his parents, and even the ton. He broke his promise to Vanessa to tell her when he started hunting for an acceptable bride. There is a secondary plot where Crispin always appears and seems to know more than anyone else. I can't wait to read his story!

This book like the first, the couple is not together in the present for like 85% of the book. It made sense in this story, as it was a second chance story but I hope that is not repeated in the third book. I would almost say this is more historical fiction leaning than romance since it really didn’t seem to be the main plot. Vanessa, I loved. The right amount of strong but accepting to help and asking for it. Jasper…. Man I had a harder time with him. He was so agreeable/kind but also worried about what other people would think. I’m still in my feels so I cried for Vanessa, I cannot lie. I cannot wait for Crispín and Olivia’s books. Like Crispín has been the main star for two books so I know he will need to grovel.

Book two of the Taverston family brings us into the lives of Vanessa and Jasper. Jasper made a promise to Vanessa that he didn't keep. This has Vanessa leaving and hiding out in an obscure village. Of course the entire family is involved and Jasper has a lot to make up for. An enjoyable read with references from the characters of book one. This can be a standalone yet I love having a full understanding of the family dynamics.

He broke the one promise she asked of him...

I liked Vanessa, who through circumstances became the mistress to Jasper (even though he should have married her instead of keeping her as his mistress for years). I was disappointed in Jasper, who does the one thing she asks him not to do. Look for a ton bride while they are still together, He does that and she is forced into hiding in the country from him. Vanessa is a widow who has had to face the financial difficulties once widowed abroad. I wanted, expected more of Jasper.

This storyline gave me lots of mixed feelings. I do love a strong woman who knows how to take control of her life when handed the worse possible news, so I loved Vanessa's character. She kept finding ways to move forward with her life despite all the obstacles. She was kind and was strong in standing for herself and her beliefs.

Lord Jasper Taverston's character, though I instantly fell in love with him, I became disappointed as the story progressed. Don’t misunderstand me. This was a great story it just caused a lot of emotions within me as I read.

I believe the reader will enjoy this story and the ending like I did.

Having met the Taverston family in the previous book in this series, I was interested to see how Jasper would fare after all his previous plans and good intentions were blown sky high. Although this book is Jasper's story, his brothers cannot be excluded from the outcome of the plot. Bound by duty, Jasper is forced to return to the family's estate when his father is on his deathbed, and his return to London is delayed by the mess in which he finds the affairs of the estate. Consequently, the news of Jasper's betrothal reaches Vanessa before he can tell her himself, and that was the one condition she set on him, to warn her if he planned to marry. There is a suspenseful sub-plot running through the storyline, and the master puppeteer appears to be Crispin, “plotting always three steps ahead of everyone else.” Vanessa goes into hiding but an accidental meeting not only reveals where Vanessa is living in obscurity but brings the small village into focus as well. The novel comes to a happy conclusion, and one is left wondering about the other players in the field. I received a copy of this romance through Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

Four years ago, Lord Jasper Taverston, heir to the Earl of Iversley, marshalled his considerable resources to protect the brave woman he desired and claim her for his own. However, with the death of his father, the responsibility of the earldom requires him to find a suitable wife. Yet no-one can compare to Mrs Vanessa Wardrip, his mistress. As a soldier’s widow, Vaness knew that her arrangement with Jasper was only temporary. Yet when she agreed to their arrangement, she asked one promise from him: that he would tell her first when the time came for him to marry, allowing her a dignified retreat. When he betrays that request, Vanessa flees to the countryside, telling no one where to find her, not even Jasper.
Told in the past and present, I enjoyed the scenes telling how Jasper and Vanessa came together as a couple. However, the time spent apart, after Vanessa discovers his betrayal, did draw out too long. I enjoyed the two brothers of Jasper and their relationship with him. Another good aspect of this book was the frank and honest dialogue between Jasper and Vanessa. Both are two great characters when they are together.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book even though I suspected at first that I wouldn’t since the plot involved a war widow who became the mistress with an heir to an earldom for four years. But then Lord Jasper Taveston inherits the earldom and starts to court a noble bride. Our heroine, Mrs. Vanessa Wardrip, immediately breaks it off with him and retreats to the country where she hopes to make a new life for herself in a small village. I enjoyed how the writer portrayed the feelings of loneliness for each character. She also brought in the problems of wives of ordinary soldiers in the Napoleonic Wars and how there was little protection for them after their husbands died. She portrayed the economic problems facing ordinary folks during this period. Too many books are just focused on the wealthy nobles and I enjoyed reading the stories of what life was like for those not born to the nobility. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

Holding Onto Love by Carol Coventry is a lovely, but unlikely, romance between an earl and a young war widow who becomes his mistress. He should have married her. He knew that in the end. But in the middle of it, as his father was dying, he tried to court another woman. As earl it would be his primary responsibility to beget an heir, to assure the line remained in tact. He failed to mention to her that he would be doing that, so when she heard about it she was stunned and hurt. She packed up immediately and left. She disappeared.

This was a complicated story between Vanessa Wardrip and Jasper Taverston. Jasper’s brother, Crispin had been her husband’s commanding officer in France. When Henry was killed, Crispin tried to take care of her, that was the kind of man he was. He sent her back to England, to his brother, thinking he would help her. Instead he set her up as his mistress, and didn’t look back for four years, until his father was dying. That wasn’t the kind of help Crispin had intended. The characters in this book are so well-rounded and interesting, it defies what I know about Regency romance. Vanessa had a complicated backstory, one which made her the woman she became: strong, independent, and stubborn. Jasper always had a positive attitude. There was nothing he couldn’t fix, or so he thought. Excellent story, wonderful setting. Complicated plot and resolution. Well worth your time. Love the sister and the brothers, all.

I was invited to read Holding OntoLove by Dragonblade. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #Dragonblade #CarolCoventry #HoldingOntoLove

Holding onto Love is the new novel by Carol Coventry. Here, we meet Mrs. Vanessa Wardrip who is a soldier’s widow and Lord Jasper Taverston, the Earl of Iversley. Vanessa grew up in the wealth of luxury, her father being in trade – Culpepper – but not part of the ton. His determination to see her wed into aristocracy has him agreeing that she marry a vile Marquess.

In her desperation, she runs away with the local doctor’s son and the two get married. Unfortunately, as neither has money between them, her husband must join the army, and Vanessa is one of the wives allowed to follow the drum. When her husband dies on the battlefield, Jasper’s brother Crispin takes it upon himself to send her back to England and put her in the care of his brother, Jasper to see that she is settled and sorted out.

Unfortunately or fortunately, Jasper and Vanessa are attracted to each other and hence she becomes his mistress on the agreement that when it is time for him to find a suitable Countess from the daughters of the aristocracy, he will give her ample warning so she can bow out gracefully and not face the ton unaware. Of course, this is exactly what happens, and she is so angry with Jasper that she packs her things and goes away without telling him where she is going.

Meanwhile, the woman Jasper was thinking of settling down with, is invited to his home to get to know him better. This ends up with his youngest brother marrying her instead! So, Jasper tries to reconnect with Vanessa only to find he is blocked from all sides.

It was a nice story but a tad too long in my opinion. I received an ARC from the publishers and NetGalley and submit my honest review voluntarily.

For four years ago, Lord Jasper Taverston, heir to the Earl of Iversley & Mrs. Vanessa Wardrip, a soldier’s widow, were lovers, she has always known that her arrangement with Jasper would be temporary. She asked him to promise her one thing: that when the time came for him to marry, he would tell her first, allowing her a dignified retreat. It should be a simple vow to keep, but when his father falls ill, Jasper impulsively begins pursuing a duke’s daughter. Betrayed and humiliated, Vanessa flees to the countryside, telling no one where to find her.
The second book in the series & it’s easily read on its own, a well written & researched book which I enjoyed. I liked both Jasper & Vanessa but whilst I was routing for them & enjoyed their journey to a HEA I felt the chemistry between them was missing. It was an emotional book with strong characters & a well paced story
I voluntarily read and reviewed a special copy of this book; all thoughts and opinions are my own

Family, Political, Secrets, Admitting Love'
My first time reading this author and I felt the story was very intriguing.
I got an inside view of the challenges a mistress must face and conquer which is quite revealing and heartfelt.
Jasper is the heir, and Vanessa has been his mistress for 4 years and now that his father has pasted their situation needs to be changed.
We follow each of them as they try to move on and struggle to live without each other which makes this story very compelling and emotional.
Their many open and honest discussions and thoughts were quite revealing and thought provoking.
An enjoyable story that does reach a happy ending.

Good gravy... I am worn out!! What a journey! If there were EVER two people who should be together.... it's Vanessa and Jasper. My god, the longing, the unfortunate life circumstances keeping them apart, the DESTINY. Oh man, I am so happy they had a HEA. I stayed up waayyyy too late. But this book delivered!!
Thank you to netgalley for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

The would-be hero of the first book, Lord Jasper Taverston, gets his real story in this book (and I would strongly recommend reading the first book before reading this one). Mrs. Vanessa Wardrip finds out that her protector, Lord Taverston, has whisked away Lady Georgiana to his country estate to court her while he’s tending to his dying father. Not one to sit around and be humiliated, she leaves him and buys herself a little cottage in the lake district, and Jasper has no way to find her. Their relationship develops over flashbacks, but much of their time in the present is spent apart as Jasper realizes exactly what he threw away.

I was so excited when I saw book 2 of the Taverstons of Iversley series because I really loved the first one, and somehow, I loved this second one just as much. Carol Coventry is a great storyteller who creates characters you just want to cheer on. Vanessa is a delight; I love how when she finds out what Jasper has done, she doesn’t put up with his bs and up and leaves. She’s mad and she’s upset, but there’s no real “woe is me”, she just moves on with her life. But I also really loved the flashbacks to the beginning of their relationship. It was so sweet when they’d go back and forth with what they knew about each other, trading little intimacies. There have been a lot of really good historical romances with mistresses lately, and I would highly recommend “Holding Onto Love” if it’s a storyline you enjoy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dragonblade Publishing for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Tropes: Class difference, fish out of water; MFC has secrets
Steam level: 1-2
2nd book in the series; fine as a standalone.

3.5 stars I ultimately bumped up based on the strength of the prose and research. The writing flows well, and the topic of what life was like at that time for a woman married to a soldier and “following the drum” presents plenty of food for thought. The struggles working-class people faced during wartime were horrifying and heartbreaking, highlighting the wide divide between the haves and have-nots. The scenes involving MFC Vanessa’s and MMC’s brother Crispin’s experiences are emotionally moving. I thought Crispin was an especially interesting character with quite a lot of depth.

As a historical romance, however, this book falls rather flat, and not because there is little steam save a dollop near the end. Other than in flashbacks, the MC’s spend barely any time together; in fact, in the first half I wondered if their relationship was what the author wanted to write about. The non-linear timeline interferes with the enjoyment a reader normally derives from a couple’s first meeting and how the early stages of their romance unfold. We don’t really know the depth of their immediate attraction, which is important when you consider that Crispin was the one who rescued Vanessa from dire straits and he expected MMC Jasper to protect her. Instead, Jasper crossed a rather large line, regardless of the fact that Vanessa was a widow. The reader is left wondering how much of his feelings for her come from lust and youthful infatuation, as Jasper seems consistently less mature than Vanessa.

Another thing that bothered me is that Vanessa had experienced a terrible tragedy right before her rescue and was so emotionally and physically depleted it’s hard to imagine she would have wanted to take up with Jasper so soon. There needed to be more scenes of sexual tension between the MC’s to create chemistry and more scenes showing their lives melding after the rescue. As it is, Vanessa has more chemistry with Crispin.

Bottom line: as historical fiction, I give this 4 stars. As a HR, I give it 3.

I wasn't super excited about this story. Usually I can get through a book in a day or two, this one took me some extra time. It just didn't hold my interest and I didn't feel the love and connection between the couple. I honestly felt like she had a closer connection to the brother Crispin.