(Adding this January 2020)I just have to edit my review to state this. When I read this book, I debated heavily as what to put it. For me, it was a 2 star book. Perhaps 2 1/2. The author was in a facebook group I am in, so I thought it would be best to round up to 3 stars. I stated my review kindly and made effort to point out what people might like about this book but still saying how I felt about it. I know I'm a picky reader. I always state this as well. I'm not just out to give bad reviews, there's just certain things that don't do it for me in romance.

The author, Laura Mills-Alcott, has been extremely aggressive, pushy, argumentative, downright rude, and just plain scary in her facebook comments. Once she was no longer in the group, I felt safe enough to rate the book as I honestly thought, as 2 stars. I thought that would be the end of it. Two months later, she decided to MESSAGE me and confront me on changing it from 3 to 2 stars.. I'm rather flabbergasted. I never thought I would have an author confront me on writing a review. I'm not going to lie, I had no idea what to say. I asked her if she wanted to talk about why I changed it, because why else message me about it? And she told me I did it only to be petty and it made her laugh and she appreciates the fodder. I just left the conversation. From witnessing her facebook conversations I knew trying to explain my feelings on the book would just lead me straight to a liquor store. It was also obvious she didn't want an honest discussion about my feelings about the book or the review or anything. She just really loves to argue and confront, I think. I'm not really sure.

While her unprofessionalism doesn't surprise me, it still left me unsettled. She had stated repeatedly in the group that lower ratings were also important for authors to make readers think it wasn't just their family/friends giving them 5 stars. Apparently 2 stars is too low. If you read this book, I hope you love it. If not...beware...

Perhaps I'll get another message for adding in these notes. I'm not sure. I'm a little scared lol.


(Review November 2019)
This book is the first I've tried that has 2 reading options – an edited version that is closed door love scenes and an original version that is more explicit. While great in theory, as in there's something for everyone, I didn't like that it was in the same book. I'm sure it's just the fact that I will ALWAYS choose an explicit version over closed door. When you open the book, it starts past the explanation about it all, so unless you go back to read everything you will probably be a little confused. Or you'll start the story with the less steamy version. If I wouldn't have known all this before starting, I would have been annoyed getting closed door first. But of course that's because I love the sex haha. I'm sure if I preferred closed door scenes I would have been happier. My other complaint about this is you will have no idea how far you are in the book since there's 2 books in 1. I mean, you can search for when each book ends and figure it out, and I guess you run into the same thing with anthologies, but I just didn't love it. I'm lazy like that haha.

There are slight spoilers in this review. I tried to keep specifics to things found very early in the book. However if you like to be totally surprised, please stop now and go read it :) Then tell me how you liked it!

My own personal preference for romance is pretty specific. I want the characters really focused on each other and I don't like a lot of other things going on in the book. I totally get that's not how everyone is and others get bored with a lack of plot devices. I felt like there was so much going on in this book. And it's going to be hard to talk about it without spoiling things.

Devan, Lord Castlereagh, was so unlikable to me at first. He growled at everyone, snarled, was beyond rude. Would just get up and leave a room. Demand things. I wish a bit more of his history was given, his pain, that had made him become this. He makes a turn around about ¼ to ½ through the book, but I saw nothing enjoyable about him in the beginning. Grouchy, rude, but he is recovering from a devastating loss, so I guess it's excusable. But anyway he does turn himself around and became quite pleasant.

I didn't like the first kiss at all either, but I will say those scenes improved as the book went on as well. To me, the first kiss takes place way too soon. They don't know each other at all, and the heroine, Raven, is literally in fear of him. There is struggling, and then it turns into desire. I want that tension and nothing had built up yet. I didn't understand where the switch came from. I didn't feel the passion.

Raven has come upon Devan's manor after losing her memory. He is drawn to her in a way he can't understand. She is acting as a servant in his house, so he moves her upstairs and dresses her in fine clothes. And almost immediately begins the misunderstands. It's almost constant through the whole book. The Big Miscommunication. Multiple misunderstandings that could easily be remedied with a bit of heartfelt dialogue. I do feel like these characters didn't do enough talking. They spend the book in turmoil, the hero thinking this and that and the heroine thinking that and this and none of it is even true. Raven started driving me nuts and she does something, or I guess DOESN'T do something with a secret formed later in the book that I kinda really dislike in books. Again, just me being picky.

Through all this book, the paranormal theme involves the long gone lovers, Mairead and Seamus. Feelings and dreams from this couple affect Devan and Raven. The thing that was weird to me was how Raven didn't have the same awareness of what was going on in the dreams as related to current time as Devan. It was like she was possessed. I just felt like this happening in the book could have worked if it was one of the only obstacles the couple was facing. But instead, it was this and miscommunications, and a mean girl vying for the hero, and the heroine's amnesia and trying to find her identity, and some other things that I don't even want to mention because they are spoilers. (These things mentioned happen very early in the book.) It was just too much and I feel like Devan and Raven got lost in all the craziness. As I finished, I felt like I still didn't really know either of them. I felt like Raven wasn't even her own person. I felt like I knew Mairead more, which perhaps was purposeful, I'm not sure.

I'd also like to say that Devan repeatedly disappointed me when it came to protecting and standing up for Raven. While his character did a pleasant turn around for me from the beginning, he still let her feelings and heart get trampled more than I would have liked.

Finally, the book just kept going. There are reasons for this, yet I was just ready to be done. But everything is wrapped up and addressed by the end.