Scandalous Summer Nights -- Anthology

I got this book for free from one of the authors, who I generally like. And... it took me a long time to read it because I just wasn't loving the stories and I felt bad about leaving a bad review for a free book. But then, I told myself, "These book reviews are opinions, they asked for your opinion, so just freaking put it up!" And, in re-trying, I've once again discovered something about sync. Sometimes, some books just don't capture you at one time, but when you re-read, you find something more. That's what I found with this book. I did not enjoy it when I got in the spring, but, at a different place some months later, I quite enjoyed it.
The Widow Vanishes by Grace Callaway
Will McLeod sold his commission eight years ago and has been working for various cutthroats doing the hard jobs ever since. His latest payment? A night with one of the man's whores. Who does he pick? The upright widow who is trying to work off her late husband's debt. An interesting premise,but it didn't work well for me. Scandal before Sunrise by Sabrina Darby Abigail Billings was known as the girl most likely to be caught in a compromising position. It's this title that draws younger son Honorable Elliot Jones to her. But Abigail is trying to overcome this name since she's trying to get married before news of the "great family scandal" can make its way to London. An okay story. I liked both Abigail and James but just wanted to knock them both over the head.
A Highlander's Heart by Jennifer Haymore
This story opens with Robert Campbell waking up on the battlefield of Waterloo. It's then that he sees an angel. One with the face of his wife. She's come to be with her husband. Whatever it is that she may find there. Because she wants to make amends. This is my favorite sort of short story. Where the characters already know each other so there's a reason they can fall in love in ~100 pages. Or less. This is a great story of two past lovers finding their way back to each other. And sets up a new series.
Lord Lucifer's Disciple by Sue London
Mr. John Howards is an incredibly shy man. His family and his schoolmates have put him down so much that he never believed in his own worth. At a masked ball one night, he manages to overcome the shyness by pretending to be someone else and flirting with a young lady. Elisa is an heiress of much renown. Men have been circling for years. But until that night at a masked ball, none have caught her fancy. But will she be willing to forgive when she finds out who he really is?
How to Lose a Duke in Ten Days by Kate McKinley
This seems to be a popular title. I've read a book recently and seen another with the same (though one did say 10 instead of ten) In this one, Miss Pippa Welby, our heroine, is the daughter of a wealthy man. The upper echeclons of the ton have always sneered at her. So when the Duke of Arlington, Lucas Victor Alexander, tells her that they are to be engaged, announced at a ball ten days hence, she knows that she needs to act fast. I really didn't like Lucas. He was too used to getting his own way, and rather than subverting it, Pippa seemed to fall pretty handily in line.
  Miss Amelia lands a Duke by Sandy Raven
Amelia Manners-Sutton is acting as chaperone for her social-climbing aunt. The woman, a viscountess, has her eyes set on a duke. But the duke... well he seems to have eyes only for Amelia. Quite a May-December romance though. More like January-December. I know it happens....
  Lady Northam's Wicked Srrender by Viviennne Westlake
The Countess of Northam, Rowena, is shocked to find out that her former suitor, her husband's best friend, Simon, the Earl of Waverly is staying at the same house she's just braved a storm to get to. There was a Big Misunderstanding that probably would have been better played out in a full book since this one took way too fast for her to forgive and he was more than a little bit of an ass.