Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋 (the scenes in this one were different – some had some negative thoughts cycling through the hero’s mind that lowered this rating for me, some were lighter on details)
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥
Humor: No, this book has heavy themes
Perspective: third person from both the hero and heroine
More character focused or plot focused? character
How did the speed of the story feel? medium
When mains are first on page together: It takes awhile – about 17% (chapter 5 of 30)
Cliffhanger: No, this ends with a happily ever after for the mains
Epilogue: Yes, 14 months later
Format: voluntarily read a gifted e-book copy from the author (thank you so, so much!)
Why I chose this book: I think Mayberry’s books are raw, real and utterly unique to the HR genre and she deserves more recognition!
Mains: This is a M/F relationship between a cishet hero and heroine

Should I read in order?
I think you should because the hero’s background is really established in book 1, Roses in Red Wax. He is the villain in that book and his redemption is heartbreaking and thorough, so knowing his beginning story will give depth.

Basic plot:
Caitlin has found purpose in running her farm, but her life changes when she houses a convict as a favor to a friend.

Give this a try if you want:
- 1826ish time period
- Sydney, New South Wales, Australia setting
- learning to read lessons for the heroine
- farmer heroine
- widow heroine
- villain redemption (hero)
- prisoner hero – he is eventually assigned to the heroine as her secretary to work off his time
- prior convict heroine – she stole a handkerchief and served her time and has made a home in Australia
- Irish heroine
- English/Scottish (he usurped the Scottish title in book 1) hero
- medium steam – 3ish full scenes

Ages:
- didn’t catch either but they are a bit older (heroine has silver in her hair and I think she’s a bit older than him)

First line:
“They’re getting’ ready to put out the plank.”

My thoughts:
Louise Mayberry sure can write – her stories are immersive, real, raw and unique to me. Her characters are flawed and yet endearing in so many ways. And this story really shows how she can take these characters and breath life into them and make you root for them so hard.

This story is unlike anything I have come across in HR so far – it’s a villain redemption and done so, so well. Both mains have a criminal past that brings to life the harshness and unfairness of the world. They match each other, heal each other, and I was quite riveted by their story. I especially liked their ending, though parts were still hard to read.

I dropped my rating just a bit because maybe this was a bit too heartbreaking and exhausting for me in this moment in life. It’s a heavier story. And that’s just a purely me thing.


Few random reading stats for this author
# of books read: 4
Average rating from me: 4.25
Favorite book: Roses in Red Wax

Content warnings: These should be taken as a minimum of what to expect. It’s very possible I have missed some.

- scenes of smoking
- mention of hero having a mistress before he meets the heroine
- scenes of imprisonment and remembrance of solitary confinement, floggings and hunger
- corrupt law officers (hero is imprisoned on the sham of a trial against an officer)
- remembrance of miscarriage that was traumatic and left the heroine barren
- alcoholism
- scenes of slavery is observed by the mains

Author content warnings? Yes, she discusses colonization of Australia and stolen land

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes, safe sex aspects, consent, pregnancy/child in the story:

 
Safe sex: 

  Hero pulls out and heroine considers herself barren so no worry for children 

 
How’s the consent? 

  It’s….good – there’s elements here of power because the hero is assigned to the heroine has a prisoner but it’s not slavery and we’re in both of their POVs to know the power dynamic feels equal. And there’s also lots of asking before doing things 

 
Pregnancy/children in story? 

  No, heroine considers herself barren and they live a child free HEA 

 
35% - heroine remembers a prior sexual encounter with someone else
48% - 🔥 kisses, oral for her, missionary (rough)
56% - the start of a scene on the table
57% - mention of sex
69% - 🔥 kisses, sex against the wall
89% - 🔥 kisses, her on top (a bit short)
95% - kiss