Tag Archives: Regency

The Price of Temptation by Harmony Williams – a Review

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The Price of Temptation by Harmony Williams – a Review

 

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Description:
Lily Darling knew that marrying a con man was a risk, but her new husband swore those days were behind him. Then he disappears without a word, taking all of her money with him. So when her scoundrel of a husband mysteriously returns, years later, hoping to set things right, Lily guards her heart. But curse the man for being just as breathlessly handsome as the day she last saw him.

Adam Darling never meant to leave his innocent, beautiful wife, but if he hadn’t, he would’ve been sent to prison and Lily’s good reputation destroyed. He can’t blame her for hating him, and now that he’s back, he’ll do whatever he must to prove he never stopped loving her, even if it takes the rest of his life.

But when Lily is blackmailed by someone from their past, she wonders if the reason Adam abandoned her is more complex than a simple con. To find the truth, though, she’ll need to do the impossible—trust him—and with the attraction simmering between them hotter than ever, getting too close could get her burned…

 

Review:

The Price of Temptation is a historical romance by Harmony Williams.  Adam Darling is newly married to his wife Lily. When someone from his past shows up and forces him to betray his wife by abandoning her and stealing her dowry.  Shortly after her husband betrays her she loses her father. This leaves her in debt and the threat of debtors prison looming.

That is until four years later when her husband suddenly reappears in town. Adam refuses at first to tell his wife where he has been and what he has been up to?  And Lily has a hard time wanting to trust him again. But with a blackmailer after Lily, Adam stays and decides to try and help her and her family. But will Lily be able to trust him again? And can they work together to take down the one person who threatens the very lives?

The characters were deeply in love until Adam is basically torn from his wife Lily. And he will do anything to protect his wife. But will Lily ever be able to trust him again? Will their love be able to overcome their pasts?

Highly enjoyable book, beautifully written. 

Reviewed by Erin

Copy provided by Publisher

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A British Courtesan in America by Becky Lower – a Review

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A British Courtesan in America by Becky Lower – a Review

 

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Description:
She is running from her past life as London’s most prized mistress.  
When beautiful Fancy Booker’s last benefactor leaves her his fortune, she sails for the new country of America. 
Giving herself the name Liberty Wexford, she hopes to set a new course for her life—alone.  The last thing she needs is another man in her life. 

He has no time for a woman, since the Revolutionary War is a jealous mistress. Hawk Gentry has two guiding principles. First, as a Son of Liberty, he must be cautious of others, especially anyone British. Second, as a child, he and his Passamaquoddy Indian mother were left alone while his French father trapped or fought wars. He vows never to do the same to any woman he loves, and the family they may have. 

Will the war unite or divide them?  

When Liberty and Hawk run into each other on the unruly streets of Boston, they begin a tentative friendship. Even though neither wants romance, the sparks fly between them from the moment they meet. As their relationship blossoms, their pasts rise up to haunt them. 
Will Liberty and Hawk overcome the obstacles that seem certain to force them apart? With the Revolutionary War beginning, can love hold the hearts of a Hawk and A BRITISH COURTESAN IN AMERICA?

Reading order:
Revolutionary Women:

Book 1 A British Heiress in America 

Book 2 A British Courtesan in America 

 



Review:

A British Courtesan in America by Becky Lower is the 2nd book in her Revolutionary Women series. 

Liberty is on her way to American, to start a new life.  But it seems her old life wants to follow her, and on the ship, she makes the acquaintance of a fellow ship mate, but Liberty is not going to settle for a little fun, she wants something permanent. 

Hawk is part French, part Passamaquoddy Indian, he’s a blacksmith by day, but I’m his spare time he writes columns for a paper, to rally the American troops, he works hard, he has no time for love…..

Their first encounter is when Liberty loses a shoe abs almost gets run over! Hawk comes to her rescue. There is a spark between them, but Liberty is not going to fall for it, and anyway the gentleman in question wants to return her back to her home as quick as possible!! 

It makes a change for a mistress to take a starring role, they usually get delegates to sex scenes or villain status. But Liberty didn’t start out as a courtesan, se came from a loving family, but as time went on her parents died, and Liberty found herself in a place where her face could make her a fortune. 

Eventually the draw between Hawk and Liberty is pulled tight, they begin a friendship, and both Hawk and Liberty realise there’s could be something more, but her past raises its head, and when she tells Hawk about her past, he’s shocked, and tells her he wants nothing to do with her!! 

Does Liberty swoon like a maiden with the vapours? No, she picked herself up, renames herself and continues with her life….. I loved how Liberty reinvents herself, she’s a woman with both a spine and a brain. She’s not afraid of hard work, she gets a few jobs within this book, she’s determined never to be a kept woman again. 

It did make me chuckle at the double standards Hawk had, it was ok to visit one of those ladies, but it was another thing to take one as a wife!! It’s not until both his friend and his mother point out that Liberty may not have had a choice in what she did to survive. 

And so preparing to eat humble pie, Hawk goes to find her and apologise, but she’s not there! And Hawk has to use his tracking abilities to find his missing love…..

It’s a nice afternoon read. It touched upon the American/England war. It gives us a different female character, rather than the timid and virginal female, it’s a strong and resourceful woman. It’s part of a series, but it stands on its own, no need to read the first one.

Reviewed by Julie

Copy supplied for review

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Tempting the Footman by Lauren Smith – a Review

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Tempting the Footman by Lauren Smith – a Review

 

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Description:
She’s an heiress who needs a husband fast…he’s the brooding, handsome footmen who comes to her rescue…

Lady Venetia Dunham has plenty of money and freedom, until her father dies, leaving her and her feisty grandmother at the hands of her less than noble cousin when he becomes the new earl. Her cousin makes his wishes clear. She will marry a man of his choosing, a man who will split her fortune with her cousin.

Determined to avoid that fate, Venetia and her grandmother flee to a country house party hosted by the Duke and Duchess of Devon where Venetia stumbles into the arms of Adrian Montague, a handsome footman with a tragic past.

When Venetia sprains her ankle, she and Adrian are closeted together for a week. The attraction between them is undeniable and forbidden. Their passion could wreck Adrian’s life if they were discovered together. When love blooms between them, it comes at a great cost, and Venetia must choose to follow society’s laws or her own heart.

 

 

Review:

Tempting the Footman by Lauren Smith is the 6th book in her House of Devon series. Footman Adrian Montague is going about his daily chores, if he’d known how the day would end, he might have been better prepared. 

Socialite Venetia Dunham is not going to marry some horrid man her cousin has acquired for her! It was bad enough she lost her family home in the country, she’ll be damned if she’ll lose her inheritance to marriage!  She needs to escape or marry a man of her choosing…..

A forbidden love, ladies don’t usually meet and marry the servants, but nothing about this arrangement is orthodox. 

Adrian is technically the son of a lord (but if your father ruins the reputation of your mother and refuses to marry her, then your illegitimate) but as his father refuses to acknowledge Adrian, he has had to make his own way in the world. 

Venetia is quite the spitfire, she knows what she wants and with the help of her beloved Gran, she sets out to do it. 

This short story is part of a series (House of Devon) written by other authors. But you definitely don’t have to read them all. 

I think it was almost love at first sight for Adrian, and when asked to be Venetia’s companion for the week, he jumps at the chance (yes a little unconventional, but it’s a writers prerogative). They form a friendship that turns into love. She wants to know all the secrets concerning a man, she wishes to know their touch and kisses, and she wants Adrian to help her!  But it’s a secret, because if found out Adrian would be given the sack from his job and Venetia would be a social outcast!! But the more time they spend together, the harder it is to hide their feeling for one another. 

And what of her cousin? Has he forgotten that she is to marry his friend? Or will he leave her to live the quiet life in the country? So can Adrian and Venetia find happiness, or will it be just a brief fling?  

If your looking for a short historical read, then you’ll not go wrong in picking this one up. 

Reviewed by Julie

Copy supplied for Review.

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Someone to Romance by Mary Balogh – a Review

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Someone to Romance by Mary Balogh – a Review

 

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Description:
Lady Jessica Archer lost her own interest in the glittering excitement of romance after her cousin and dearest friend, Abigail Westcott, was rejected by the ton when her father was revealed to be a bigamist. Ever practical, however, once she’s twenty-five, she decides it’s time to wed. Though she no longer believes she will find true love, she is still very eligible. She is, after all, the sister of Avery Archer, Duke of Netherby.

Jessica considers the many qualified gentlemen who court her. But when she meets the mysterious Gabriel Thorne, who has returned to England from the New World to claim an equally mysterious inheritance, Jessica considers him completely unsuitable, because he had the audacity, when he first met her, to announce his intention to wed her.

When Jessica guesses who Gabriel really is, however, and watches the lengths to which he will go in order to protect those who rely upon him, she is drawn to his cause—and to the man.

 

 

Review:

Someone to Romance by Mary Balogh is the 8th book in her wonderful Westcott series. As I have said before, I do not read a lot of Historical Romance, but I can’t say enough of Mary Balogh and this fabulous series, as she just continues to give us fantastic wonderful romances in each and every book of this series.  Just when you think she can’t do better than the previous books (and they are all great), I become enthralled once again, unable to put the book down.  Make no mistake, I absolutely love this series, love the Westcotts and Balogh’s fantastic writing. 

In Someone to Romance, Lady Jessica Archer, our heroine, is the sister of Avery (previous book hero), and best friends with her cousin, Abby (another previous book heroine).  At one time both were content to never find a husband, but now that Abby is happily married, Jessica decides it’s time for her to find someone to marry, even if she never finds love.  Jessica heads home to prepare to attend the balls to find herself a husband. 

Gabriel Thorne, has returned home to England, after 13 years making his fortune in America.  He is forced to go home, as a dear friend needs his help, and it was time for him to claim his inheritance, as well as right some wrongs.

When Jessica is traveling home, on an overnight stop, she is given a suite in the hotel.  Turns out the suite had been promised to Gabriel, but since Jessica is the sister of the Duke of Netherby, the hotel gave her the suite.  Neither was impressed with each other, and went their own way, until she met up with him during one of the balls in England; especially since he tells her he intends to marry her, which totally turns her off of him. 

As Jessica begins to get courted, she is surprised when Gabriel also plans on courting her, and she responds that he will need to do so in a romantic way; which he begins by sending her a rose every day.  Even though Jessica is now being courted by two men, she finds herself learning more about Gabriel and begins to suspect the truth, that he is the real Earl, who is presumed dead. 

What follows is a wonderful slow build romance that has Jessica accepting a possible marriage to Gabriel, even if she is not sure of love.  But she plans to help him get his inheritance, as well as clear his name.  It is always wonderful to see the Westcott family again, and how they all stick together when they learn the truth about Gabriel and the need to help him regain what is his.  The ending was very exciting as we raced to the finish.   I love when the family plots together.  I also loved watching Gabriel and Jessica slowly realize that they are falling in love.  Very nicely done.

Someone to Romance was a great read. As always, it is wonderful to see all the Westcott’s again. Again, I can’t say enough about Mary Balogh’s writing, as the Westcott series is a ‘do not miss’.  If you enjoy regency romance with great couples and secondary characters, you should be reading this one.  Someone to Romance is another fabulous fun heartwarming story in this fantastic series.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Everything a Lady is Not by Sawyer North – a Review

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Everything a Lady is Not by Sawyer North – a Review

 

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Description:
Lucy Locket, the long lost granddaughter of a duchess, has never been a part of Society. One day, she was living a secluded life as the prisoner of a criminal, and the next day she was an heiress in a world she did not even remotely understand. She does not embody the typical qualities of a well-born lady…at all. She can’t curtsy, she doesn’t hide her emotions, she’s too clever by far. But in three months, she must marry a suitor with a royally-bestowed title, or she forfeits a fortune—leaving her and the duchess in dire straits.

All Henry Beaumont wants is to prove himself to Society and step outside of his half-brother’s shadow. So when the duchess asks him for a personal favor involving her newly found granddaughter—with a hefty thank you reward at the end—he leaps at the opportunity.

It seems as if Lucy is trading one prison for another. Henry has now become a permanent fixture as her charming yet iron-fisted taskmaster and tutor in the ways of High Society. Like oil and water, Lucy and Henry spar in an epic battle of wills—and even rapiers. But Lucy’s past and her surprising, undeniable feelings for Henry may doom their undertaking if he declares his love for her…because without a title, he can never be hers.

 

 

 

Review:

 Everything a Lady is Not is a historical romance and part of the Bow Street Beaus series. The prologue begins in 1805 Oxfordshire, England. Then begins again a decade later.

This is the story of Henry Beaumont and Lady Margaret (Lucy) Huntington. It is both intricate and entertaining.

I never do spoilers. I respect the story and readers enough to not give away things you should read for yourself. What I can do is tell you what I like about the novel and how it made me feel.

This is an amazingly well-written story with characters that are well developed, if somewhat conflicted, the circumstances are entertaining and enlightening. It shows the attitudes of the times in all their realistic yet complicated social layers.

The plot reminds me of My Fair Lady, with some very interesting dialog and characters. I found the story fascinating and thoroughly entertaining. It’s fast paced, romantic but not sexual. I highly recommend grabbing a copy for yourself!

Reviewed by Georgianna

Copy provided by Publisher

 

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Never Tempt a Scot by Lauren Smith – a Review

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Never Tempt a Scot by Lauren Smith – a Review

 

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Description:
Scottish rogue Brodie Kincade has never met a woman he couldn’t seduce, but he’s about to meet his match in sweet-tempered but often overlooked Lydia Hunt, a young Englishwoman he mistakes for her scheming sister who hopes to snatch him up for a husband.

Quiet, sweet-tempered Lydia Hunt knows she’s not her father’s favorite daughter. That honor belongs to her prettier younger sister, Portia, who has a talent for getting into trouble. When Lydia discovers that her father and sister have had a very angry Scottish rogue kidnapped in order to convince him to marry Portia, Lydia knows she must help the man escape. Yet she never imagined that the devastatingly handsome Scotsman would mistake her for Portia and abduct her as revenge and flee to Scotland.

Brodie Kincade is a heartbreaker who has vowed never to marry after a traumatic childhood that left him afraid of becoming like his father. When he’s kidnapped by a pretty young Englishwoman with marriage on her mind, he turns the tables on his captor and absconds with her to Scotland, planning to ruin her reputation as revenge. But the beautiful, thoughtful, and irresistible lass he finds in his company seems very different from the brassy girl who kidnapped him. Soon, he’s risking his heart as he begins to wonder if he’s kidnapped the wrong woman . . .

 

 

 

Review:

Never Tempt a Scot is the latest in the series The League of Rogues by author extraordinaire, Lauren Smith. This is the story of highlander Brodie Kincade and Ms. Lydia Hunt. It’s a well-paced adventurous story involving kidnapping, elopements, double romance, and much more.

I count Lauren Smith among my favorite authors. Her series The League of Rogues is also a favorite on my reading lists. Her ability to spin a wonderful story with twists and turns is second to none. This lovely healing story is not an exception to that ability.

Brodie Kincade is one of the Kincade brothers from a previous episode. Their father was a brutal man who beat his children and said awful things to his wife. The wife died and the children were left to be raised by their brutal father. Most of the children have scars both physical and mental. He has three brothers I believe, and a sister. His oldest brother inherited the family title when their father passed away. However, all but Brodie and Aiden have married successfully and have loving relationships. Brodie fears he’s more like his father than the others and that he can never marry and subject a woman to that life. He just doesn’t trust himself.

Lydia Hunt is the older sister of Portia Hunt. Lydia notices Brodie at a ball, as well as her sister, and thinks he’s wildly handsome. Portia is young, totally reckless, and impatient. She incredibly spoiled by their widower father. Portia connives to have her father kidnap Brodie Kincade by telling him she’s with child (a lie) and that she’s in love with Brodie. In truth, she’s only briefly spoken to him, but being the spoiled child, she thinks every man is in love with her. The father and Portia hire men to drug and abduct Brodie and store him in a bedroom of their house. When Portia and the father are out at dinner, Lydia finds out what they’ve done and goes up to cut Brodie loose. He, mistakes her for Portia and kidnaps her at knifepoint and takes her away for revenge. She tries to tell him she’s not Portia, but he was too drunk and then drugged to remember clearly.

Okay, that’s the basic setup. I won’t do any further spoilers. This is just too wonderful of an adventure and romance. You really must read this for yourself. The conversations are wonderful, the suspense and surprises are aplenty. There’s so much more to this story, but it’s something you will enjoy reading more than being told about it. There are more tales in this one than the two people falling in love….just read it.

Author Lauren Smith is a master at weaving wonderful stories and this one full of twists and turns. Grab a copy, but don’t forget the tissues!

Reviewed by Georgianna

Copy supplied for Review

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A Scot to Wed by Callie Hutton – a Review

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A Scot to Wed by Callie Hutton – a Review

 

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Description:
Highlander Laird Evan MacNeil cannot believe Mistress Katie Sterling just shows up at the MacDuff castle with this faded piece of parchment laying claim to the lands he just legally inherited. Not that he really wants to be here in the lowlands, but he has responsibilities to his clan and the exasperating Katie has uprooted the remnants of her father’s clan and moved them across the country to live here. There’s no way he can leave to go back home now.

Katie has nowhere else to go and she refuses to bow down to the arrogant yet undeniably handsome Highlander. She’s had enough with men trying to control her and she is quite capable of handling herself.

Now that Evan must spar with a beautiful lass for the rights to the lands, he will fight to the end. This battle is nothing like the ones his ancestors fought with crossbows and boiling oil. They never wanted to bed the enemy.

 

 

Review:

A Scot to Wed, book 2 of Callie Hutton‘s Scottish Hearts series, was a battle of wills over the true owner of an inherited castle. Too bad squatter rights don’t apply here, but then again, Evan and Katie would still be at a dead heat.  Both have nebulous petitions, his by “some intricate web of family ties”, a stretch to be sure, while she clings to “proof of ownership”, and discretely escaping from the clutches of a vile man claiming her as his betrothed.  If only these two could compromise ?, surely there’s a mutually beneficial arrangement? 

A laird in his own right, Evan tours the castle grounds with Katie to inspect its maintenance, sans land steward.  While engaging the tenants, Evan is in effect vetting Katie, observing her approach, how she resolved matters and assisted with local concerns/issues.  Truth is, Katie is running circles around Evan, she’s so capable.  Before long, Katie is the logical choice, amenable, considerate, and a healer to boot!  Now if there was only something Evan could do about his sudden fierce attraction to the lass, he could be on his way back home.  Katie’s matched interest had “verra” good potential to explore.

This was hardly a cat and mouse pursuit, lol.  Evan gave in to desire and a protest from Katie “didna” part her lips.  Sure, a few misunderstandings and heavy-handedness stymied their connection, but I was surprised by how straightforward and sweet this was.  Tenant squabbles and personality clashes, indeed, but I always found their mindset of an even keel.  A Scot to Wed?  Yes, as a matter of fact, it happens.

I’m a fan of Ms. Hutton, already eager for her next offering, but this story just wasn’t the exciting, give-me-more-details-now storytelling of its predecessor.  A bump on the road to HEA will rear its ugly head with insidious motives, but is Evan invested enough to intervene or too willing to return to his own clan?  Will Katie face the challenge unaided, to finally prove herself?  The answers are all in here to discover!

Reviewed by Carmen

Copy provided by Publisher

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A Duke Will Never Do by Darcy Burke-a review

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A Duke Will Never Do (The Spitfire Society #3) by Darcy Burke-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 19, 2020

The Spitfire Society… Meet the smart, independent women who’ve decided they don’t need Society’s rules, their families’ expectations, or, most importantly, a husband. But just because they don’t need a man doesn’t mean they might not want one.

After failing on the Marriage Mart, Jane Pemberton has two choices: submit to her parents’ edict to marry their boring neighbor or become a self-declared spinster and take up residence in the official headquarters of the Spitfire Society. It’s really no choice at all, and Jane is eager to embrace her newfound independence. She soon finds an unconscious viscount on her doorstep and nurses him back to health. When he offers to compensate her, she requests payment in the form of private instruction of a scandalous and intimate kind.

Having spiraled into a self-destructive abyss following the murder of his parents, Anthony, Viscount Colton, physically recovers under the care of an alluring spitfire. But it is her charm and flirtatiousness that soothes his soul and arouses his desire—until an extortion scheme forces him to face the sins of his past. Now, to save the woman who’s given him everything he lost and more, he’ll have to pay the ultimate price: his heart.

••••••

REVIEW: Author Darcy Burke has blessed us with another lovely Spitfire Society story. A Duke Will Never Do, is the story of Jane Pemberton and Lord Anthony Colton. It is book three of the series.

If you have never picked up a “Spitfire Society Novel”, and have a love of historical romance, I urge you to do so. Each is written as a standalone, however, it makes sense to begin with novel one. This is a three-book series. If you search Spitfire Society in Amazon, you will easily get the reading order. These are stories of good friends whose lives intersect each other. You learn about each character in previous novels but get the in-depth focus of their lives and problems in their own story. It makes each novel like going home to a group of close friends.

I don’t do spoilers but let me give you the beginning gist of the story and what I like so much about it.

Anthony’s back story is that he was a reckless youth. He had many gambling debts that his father refused to pay off. So, he was led to a crime boss, the Vicar, by a supposed friend. That led to not being able to pay the Vicar. He was supposed to be going to their country property, but he didn’t go. His father and mother made the trip instead and were killed by a highway man. Then he learns that it was the Vicar’s man…he was to have been the target. His guilt eats away at him, he believes he’s responsible for his parent’s death. Drinking is his way of numbing the guilt, causing his reputation to suffer.

Jane’s parents are extremely disappointed in her failing to secure a marriage. They are pushing her beyond reason to marry a neighbor she finds boring and unacceptable. Her friend Phoebe has married a duke and has moved out of her house. When Jane let her know she is declaring her spinsterhood and needs to move out of her parent’s home, Phoebe lends Jane her house. She gives Jane a stipend to care for the staff and keep the house repaired, even a small stipend for Jane’s own income. A very generous gift for the times, but she knows Jane will take good care of her staff and home. However, Jane’s parents will no longer see her, nor will they let her come to her sister’s wedding. One morning, Jane finds a man on her doorstep, beaten and injured. It turns out to be Lord Anthony Colton. She has the butler take him to an upstairs room and decides to care for him there, discretely.

That’s pretty much the setup. How they care for each other, how they heal each other and hurt each other simultaneously is the very heart and soul of this intriguing story. What I love is the way they interact for the period. It’s very eye-opening about the brutality of the times and yet heartwarming in how love can overcome so much. I love the idea of spirited and independent women forming a group, even those who are not in Jane’s circumstances. The writing is professionally done, and the conversations and characters are remarkable. I’m a huge fan of Darcy Burke’s work and this is the last of the series. I personally cannot wait to see where she goes next.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews

Never Have I Ever
A Duke is Never Enough

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Georgianna S

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