Ok I really disliked this book. I think you should give this book a try if you don't mind books being on lower steam end. Like way low. One kiss, I think and one love scene, both very close to the end. Quite a few people have liked it, though, and you never know what you'll like you until you read it. This is just my own personal opinion.

This was my first novel by this author. I would try her again, its not that the writing was bad or anything, more of just a real character disconnect. I didn't really like either character. They didn't inspire strong feelings in me. I started this book like 10 days ago and had to force myself to finish it.

The book starts with shy, American, orphan Sarah in bed with Brice,who is a Baron. I personally thought the first chapter was beyond absurd with the way the two characters were forced into marriage. But I was willing to let all of that go. Sarah is extremely shy, being raised in a convent and in a new country, her social skills are painfully lacking. Brice has recently lost two of his friends to marriage and dagnabbit it's not going to happen to him. He abhors marriage above all else apparently relishing in his life filled with brothels and gaming hells. Neither of these characters appealed to me. There was no depth. They were annoying. They had no substance. I could have used them for bookmarks and never picked it up again.

I just kept waiting for it to get better. And in some ways it does, but not nearly enough to save it. Caroline, who I'm assuming is a character from a previous story, befriends Sarah and wants to help her seduce her husband. She gives her the kama sutra book and tells her to study it. Which she does and then writes entries into her diary. Honestly that's probably the only part of the book I liked, was her writing in her diary but there's only a few short entries.

The huge thing that got me was the lack of interaction between the hero and heroine. I felt like they hardly spent any time together. I felt like I was reading the same cycle repeated over and over and over until the tend of the book. Sarah blushes, Brice says how much he doesn't want a wife, Sarah chews on her lip and Brice being a huge rake, stares and says, Wait, DO I want a wife? Then they part. They meet again, Sarah blushes, they part. They meet again, Sarah blushes and chews on her lip, Brice tries to talk to her and Sarah, being overly clumsy, spills 16 things, individually blushing after every item. They part. I just kept waiting and waiting for it pick up and for them to connect. I wanted her to actually implement some of the things she was curious about in the kama sutra book. But that never happens either.

A completely unnecessary villain is introduced and time away from their nonexistent relationship is spent on that as well.

I couldn't stand how Sarah is treated poorly by the house staff. She's now the wife of a Baron and she doesn't even bother to address the disrespect. I just kept waiting for her to come in to her own and be her own person but I felt like it never really happened. Brice talks to the staff later in the book and they 'seem to have accepted her' which was basically the only closure you'll get the situation.

Sorry to complain so much. Just not for me. And in case you think I'm exaggerating, she blushes 28 times only from what I counted and, not going to lie, I lost much attention after 52% of the book so who knows how many more there were. She also chews on her lips no less than 12 times. Once I noticed, which was unfortunately chapter 1, I could not unsee it.

I was able to receive an ARC copy complimentary from netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.