Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖📖 

Feels: 🦋🦋🦋 

Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔 

Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡ 

Romance: 💞💞💞💞 

Sensuality: 💋💋💋 

Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑 

Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥 

Humor: Yes! It’s lovely, especially the second half. 

Perspective: Third person from both the heroine and hero’s perspective (more heavy in the heroine’s, I think) 

Should I read in order? 

It’s not truly necessary for this one – but the heroine from book 1 is the fiance of this book’s hero that left him at the alter. There’s some mentions of them, but I think if you wanted to read out of order, you would be okay knowing that small tidbit. 

Basic plot: 

Cassandra’s father decrees her sister a cannot marry until she does, hoping to tame her bluestocking tendencies. But soon after, Cassandra has an unfortunate encounter with the infamous Duke of Ashmont that compromises her. 

Give this a try if you want:

- Late Georgian time period (1833) 

- Childhood friends, though hero has been oblivious to heroine 

- Compromised (ruined) heroine 

- Slow burn with a bit of unrequited love feel (heroine has loved hero from afar until he repeatedly disappointed) 

- Lower steam – only 2 full scenes and they are on the lighter side 

- Lots of humor and wit, which really picks up in the second half 

- A unique hero – he comes off as a bit of a fool (the heroine is the one with the brains and he readily admits it) and he really had a strong character arc showing his growth to be worthy of the heroine. 

Ages: 

- Heroine is 26, hero 28 

My thoughts:

Soooo this book totally took me by surprise!!! I did listen to the audiobook and I think that helped a lot – Kate Reading did a fabulous job here and it helped my enjoyment (I can’t say I super loved her hero voice, but what can you do? Other than that it was amazing!) 

I’m not sure why I had such low expectations for this book. Maybe I peaked at the wrong reviews when it first came out and it stuck in my head. I was thinking I was going to get a book that was flat, boring, and basically a slog with zero character connection. But this book I found to be such a gem! 

I’ll admit the beginning was a bit of a struggle – to me there felt to be a lot of time in the heroine’s head and I was wanting the plot and characters to have more dialogue and move forward a bit faster than they were. And the hero, Ashmont, is made to be a totally unlikable idiot. But once they are established, I was just having so much fun with them! 

I found this book so funny, in just the best ways. Witty one liners, banter, family dynamics all came into play but the absolute best part was Ashmont. He was so unique! He has made major mistakes in his life. Too many to count and he doesn’t really seem to care – his former fiance would rather have escaped out the window and run away with his best friend than marry him (check out book 1 if you’re curious! I also enjoyed that one – review here: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2508106487">A Duke in Shining Armor</a> ) He is known as ‘his disgrace’ instead of his grace and it’s well earned. And his first encounter with Cassandra just reinforces that he is a hot mess. 

But, Cassandra makes him realize what a fool he is being. And makes him want to pull his life together for her. He has something to live for, something to care about. He is reformed, or trying at least, and it was just really wonderful seeing a hero put in the work, the hard work, REPEATEDLY to win her. And I found myself falling for him. I just couldn’t help it! 

I loved Cassandra too – she is quite independent, with strong beliefs and feelings, but I also adored how much she cared about her family and how all of their relationships worked together. A side note – I adored her parent’s relationship and how her mother came to her rescue towards the end of the book was really heart warming. I really loved her whole family. 

I am so glad to have read this book. My heart is still warm and happy days later after finishing Cassanda and Ashmont’s story. So I mark it as 4 stars because it was a bit low on the tension and I did struggle in the beginning a bit to get into it but overall it was extremely enjoyable. 

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes: 

43% - kiss 

56% - kisses 

69% - kisses 

76% - light groping, kisses, oral for heroine 

98% - kisses, missionary