Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥+
Humor: A bit
Perspective: Third person from both the hero and heroine
Cliffhanger: No
Epilogue: Yes
Format: voluntarily read an advanced reader copy in e-book format

Should I read in order?
Its not necessary to read in order – there’s some character overlap but nothing major. That said I think you’ll get most enjoyment in order as Cara’s character might grow over the series (I have only read books 3 and 4 so far)

Basic plot:
Caraway watches as her whole family is married before her. She has her plans for her childhood crush, but her brother in laws business partner is the one distracting her.

Give this a try if you want:
- Victorian (1874)
- Manchester setting
- avoid the aristocracy – heroine is the daughter of a professor and a botanist and the hero is working class (mill owner)
- full figured heroine
- emotionally damaged hero handles feelings through boxing and bedsport (or the good ‘ole fight or fuck)
- silver fox hero
- age gap (older hero) – hero is 15 years older than the heroine
- compromised heroine
- hero feeds the heroine
- heroine teaches the hero to ice skate
- masquerade
- light touch of love triangle
- higher steam – 7 full scenes

Ages:
- Heroine is 30, hero is 45

First line:
Screams of laughter drifted over the meadow as Caraway Taylor fought her way through the tall grass.

My thoughts:
I dove into the Garden Girls in book 3 so I didn’t read the whole series – but I plan to! I have really been adoring Frost’s characters, especially her super protective and possessive heroes. I love her steamy scenes – they are so emotional and always a mix that I appreciate.

I did struggle just a touch with the pace of this one. Maybe it lost steam a bit for me because of the early-ish marriage and the n they were separated a few times. I’m not sure but parts of this one were a touch slow for me compared with the others I read. Or perhaps it was the love triangle I found tiring. Or the toxic family as I do have a history of that and sometimes find it hard to read.

BUT I still loved so much of this book. Silas was such a great hero – he’s a bit emotionally constipated but I rather loved how he expressed his emotions in the bedroom. Cara was lovely, though a bit naive about Miles – she held onto it a touch too long for me but loved how she confronted him towards the end. Overall Jemma Frost has become an author that I look forward to every release – I definitely plan on going back and reading the ones I missed as well.


Endearments

Hero calls the heroine ‘little Venus’ and ‘sweet girl’ 

Quotes/spoiler-y thoughts:

“He doesn’t deserve your tears.” His large hands circled her upper arms, stroking over the exposed skin. “You’re worth a thousand Miss Bradshaws.”
---
Sweat dripped down his temples at the deliberate effort he made to ensure he didn’t hurt her.
Unable to resist, she brought her hand up to the salty drops and wiped them away, letting her hand wander down his cheek, neck, and torso. The wiry curls intrigued her. They mapped a path down to his groin – a path she wanted to follow.
But Silas grabbed her hand and slammed it against the bedding by her head.
“Don’t do that. I’m already near my breaking point.”
---
“What…” She jerked at the action before turning her head to see him. “Oh, Silas, it’s just you.” Relaxing, her attention refocused on the dance floor, causing his eyes to narrow at the clear dismissal.
“Something, or should I say someone, catch your interest?” He tugged the pearls back further until they reached their limit and gently pushed into Caraway’s neck, eliciting a stuttering breath at the slight pressure.
“Nothing in particular,” she denied unsteadily.
Knowing otherwise, he growled, “Let me remind you, wife, that you’re married to me not Miles Brandon.” She shuddered in front of him as his hand reflexively squeezed the delicate necklace in his hand, urging her deeper into his body.
---
“There’s more to a marriage than physical satisfaction, but I wouldn’t expect you to understand. You think you can force me into affection by demanding it.”
“I shouldn’t have to demand it, dammit. You’re my fucking wife! Mine.”

Content warnings:

- forceful and unwanted kisses from side character
- fire/arson
- toxic family members/remembrance of growing up in an abusive home

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:

 
Safe sex: 

They are married and he agrees to be monogamous with her so no protection used 

 
19% - kiss
25% - kiss
29% - 🔥 fingering for her, missionary (V loss for her) in the bedroom
38% - 🔥 Silas rips her skirt up the bad and makes her hold onto the shelves, fingers her, and fucks her against the bookshelves
46% - Silas puts the pearl necklace inside her and tells her to hold it during the party
47% - 🔥 Sex on a couch
60% - 🔥 her on top at the place where he boxes, then he fucks her against the wooden bench
73% - 🔥 kisses, oral for her, missionary
81% - 🔥 in the bath she washes him then blow job (complete)
96% - 🔥 missionary