The Arrangement by Sylvia Day, Minerva Spencer, Kristin Vayden

#1 international bestselling author Sylvia Day, hailed as "one of the most successful romance writers in the world," is joined by powerhouses Minerva Spencer and Kristin Vayden for a trio of sizzling historical romances that prove passion is timeless in...The Arrangement.

Mischief and the Marquess by Sylvia Day - Available for the first time since 2007!

Justin, the Marquess of Fontaine, and Lady Sophie Milton-Riley, are completely ill-suited to one another. But they will have to prove it in order to end to their mothers' insistence that they should marry. Yet the more they attempt to demonstrate how wrong their union would be, the more surprisingly, irresistibly right things feel...

The Duke's Treasure by Minerva Spencer - First time in print!

Plain, prickly Josephine Loman has loved Beaumont Halliwell, the Fifth Duke of Wroxton, since the first time she saw him. But the most beautiful man she's ever met had eyes only for Jo's erstwhile friend, who betrayed Beau's trust by marrying his brother. Beau hasn't been home in years, but when his brother dies in an accident, he must marry to save the impoverished dukedom. And Jo is the overlooked heiress who will turn his world upside down...

The Inconvenient Countess by Kristin Vayden - First time in print!

As the eldest in a poverty-stricken family of daughters, Miss Diana Katherine Lambson's only option is a marriage of convenience. Her only prospect is a rogue with a miserable reputation. Her only true desire: freedom. And that is exactly what Charles Brook, Earl of Barrington, is willing to offer, in return for the respectability their union will give him. He will even provide Diana with a contract. But does she dare entrust her future to a scoundrel? Does she dare not to?

*Review copy received via NetGalley*

It’s been a really long time since I’ve read any historical romance but I couldn’t resist this collection of novellas mainly because Sylvia Day’s historicals (back in ‘the day’) were so damn addictive!

Mischief and the Marquess by Sylvia Day
The first story in the collection is Day’s and it was just as I remembered her books to be: sexy, passionate and utterly addictive!
In Mischief and the Marquess, we get a marquess reuniting with a woman he had loved when they were young but who was utterly oblivious to his affections and therefore agreed to marry another. A scandal ruined her reputation and now she lives quietly with her grandmother - who just happens to be close friends with the marquess’s mother. Naturally, match-making schemes ensue!
I liked both the characters very much, their chemistry set the pages on fire and I was left thoroughly charmed and delighted by their story.
My one complaint is my almost universal complaint when it comes to novellas - even ones written as well as this was - it was too short to have any real depth! There was no time to properly dive into the characters and the complexities of society thus overcoming the barriers to their pairing in a believable way… But Day still gave me more than I was expecting, so it’s a minor niggle.

The Duke's Treasure by Minerva Spencer

Minerva Spencer was a completely new to me author coming into this novella but after reading I’ll definitely be checking out her other titles.
The Duke's Treasure is a story of a soldier returning from war to deal with his family's estate - and his new title - after the death of his elder brother. His estate is in desperate need of money so he marries a stupendously wealthy gentleman’s daughter who is technically beneath a duke’s station seeing as her father made his fortune (and continues to do so) in trade. Both characters were prickly about the union and they didn’t get off to the easiest start and I found their prickly interactions and sniping a bit irritating when all I wanted was a nice story but I was pleased to see them get over themselves fairly quickly and build a union that worked.
This one was my least favourite of the three novellas but I still enjoyed it.

The Inconvenient Countess by Kristin Vayden

Kristin Vayden is another new to me author but I enjoyed her writing style very much. 

In this novella, we have a workaholic rake in need of a wife in order to show he’s turning over a new leaf and becoming a family man in order to secure the purchase of another estate. Due to his reputation, he’d struggle to find a bride in London society so he returns to his country estate in order to secure a marriage of convenience with the eldest daughter of an impoverished family of suitable standing. Naturally, things go against his plan and the pair fall in love and live happily ever after! 

I wasn’t sure quite what to expect with this pair but I liked both the main characters, I enjoyed how there was no major quarrels and no shrewish behaviour.  The story flowed nicely and the easy way in which the temporary marriage became a real and lasting one. 

All in all, this was a super enjoyable book with three deliciously bite-sized novellas to indulge in. If you’re looking to “test” the waters with regency romance then it’s a great sampler to begin with and if you’re a fan of the genre looking for some quick and lovely reads then it’s a must have.