Enjoyed this even though it took a looooong time to get juicy. I love a good slow-burn though. Honoria was too much of a goody two shoes for me to really love her as a character, but her intentions were good. I just couldn’t imagine forcing my friends / cousins / daughters participate in one of them Smythe-Smith’s musicales when it’s so blatantly obvious it’s causing them severe emotional suffering 🫣😂

Marcus’ character was better, I actually prefer the brooding, silent type to the “rake” we so often get as the hero in historical romance novels (I mean duh, Mr. Darcy’s my fave 😂). Honoria finding out he’s just shy was the cutest 😇😆 I do think it was a missed opportunity that Marcus didn’t call Honoria by her childhood nickname “Bug” every once in a while. Like, why tell me as a reader that Marcus and her brother used to annoy her as a child and then NOT do a callback to it in the future when they’ve both grown up? He could’ve used it again to tease her and then when he started falling for her he could’ve still used it but as an endearment. Like, how cute would that have been?! 🥺

I also would’ve expected more of a subplot about the exiled brother, Daniel, but I guess I’ll get that in the next book. Oh and I LOVED that Pen and Colin had a cameo in this. (and Gregory too).

Was there chemistry?
🦋🦋🦋🦋

Was the spice any good?
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5