Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖 (I actually did find parts of this a bit confusing because of the jumping, but I was having so much fun and didn’t want to put it down so I kept it at a 4)
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋 (the beginning scenes were maybe a bit more powerful on the scale for me but the later one was light)
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥🔥 (Some of these are short and it might not feel quite this hot to others/notes at the end of my review)
Humor: Yes
Perspective: Third person from both the hero and the heroine
Percentage which mains are first on page together:

4% (almost immediately) 

Cliffhanger: No
Epilogue: Not officially, but the last chapter wraps things up (not far in the future)
Format: Bought e-book

Should I read in order?
This is the first in the series and Piers' debut!

Basic plot:
Mary is taking this summer to focus on her plays, seeing as her parents have decided should marry come next season. Unfortunately she is having trouble focusing on them with Gregory back...

Give this a try if you want:
- Regency (1815)
- heroine’s dream is to become a playwright
- flowers as a love language
- best friends brother
- childhood friends to lovers
- Duke hero
- touch of jerk hero – he has been hurt in the past and wants to keep Mary at arms length and does some unlikable things at times to do it

Ages:
- I believe the hero is around 28 and the heroine 20

First line:
A girl never knows where her husband might come from.

My thoughts:
I am so happy I gave Eliana Piers a try! I believe this is her debut and it was such a fun ride.

I found Piers’ writing style so different and FUN. At first, it took me a bit to get into it. And part of that was because of some time jumps were a bit confusing. I could have used better dividers between past and present day, or a different thought style with the flash backs. But after I got used to it, I just fell in love with her writing. It was funny, and sweet and I found myself anxious to get back to this story when I put it down.

Mary was fun. I don’t think I’ve read a playwright heroine before – I have read a few actresses. I liked her a lot – she’s a bit sweet and innocent but refuses to compromise on what she wants in life.

Gregory could definitely act like a petulant child and has some growing up to do, emotionally. He was cruel to Mary a few times but we know he has issues voicing his feelings and he has a huge fear of rejection. So hurt them before they hurt me mantra. But I just loved how he couldn’t stop himself with Mary. I loved their scenes together. So I was able to forgive him. But I do think his turn around was pretty abrupt after everything they went through.

The beginning steamy scenes were so, so good to me. So emotional and fairly well detailed. I was a bit disappointed in the first penetration scene between them because it felt so light and short. I wanted all of that delicious explicitness in that scene as well. 

I adored the self pleasuring scenes so, so much. There was something so hot about them both watching each other and Gregory teaching her how to touch herself. Love self pleasuring scenes so much in romance and always want more! 

I adored that the focus of the book was Gregory and Mary’s relationship. I live for that push and pull dynamic of wanting each other. There was something really tugging on my heart in this one and I want to try alllll the books Eliana Piers writes!

Quotes/spoiler-y thoughts:

I did find the writing delightful, hilarious but also jarring and confusing in some points. For example, towards the beginning,

He could care less what Mary was thinking. Yes, that’s right. He reminded himself that he should care less so as to not care anything at all, in fact not to even think of thinking of her thoughts. Yes, that was much more reasonable.

(That is a reflection on me finding it confusing, not the author). It took me a bit to get into it but I just started really, really enjoying her unique prose.
---

“Cold?” He barked out a laugh. “You think I’m cold. You think I’m doing this,” he emphasized his hold on his shaft, “because I’m cold?”
She was shocked and out of words.
“I’m doing this,” he enunciated every word, “because I’m on fire.”
She gasped.
---
“Listen pet, what happened last night,” he brushed a stray tendril of hair from her cheek. It was a mistake. His finger took on a mind of its own and began descending her neck. He had to stop. He corralled his instincts and forced his lingering finger into a pointing finger. He aimed his index finger at her chest. “You can do that too.”

---
I love this

She tried to dismiss her vulnerability by walking over to the book shelves. The second she reached the shelves she recognized her mistake. She was much too far away from the door now. Her back was to Gregory, but she didn’t need to see him to know he was taking those predatory steps toward her. Every single hair on her body stood at attention. She feigned ignorance. “What do you suggest?” She managed to squeak out.
By this point Gregory was directly behind her. She could feel the heat emanating from his body and her back was being scorched.
“Let me see,” he breathed onto her neck as he raised his left arm up alongside her body and to a shelf above her head. “This one?” He tilted his lips toward her ear. “Too dry.” He began to draw up his right arm alongside her body to mirror his left arm. Now she was caged in. “How about this one?”
//
It sounded like he let out a low growl. “Mary, tell me what you want.”
“I-I-I- don’t know.”
“Yes, you do. You must feel it.”
//
“I want...you.”
She felt his body mold against her. “You want me?” His entire body was pressed against hers, and he touched his lips to her neck.

I rather loved how badly he didn’t want to love her but couldn’t help it

He slammed the door behind him and marched over to her. “You will leave this silliness alone. There is nothing between us. There can never be anything between us.”
What that he dropped the flower at their feet and yanked her in for a punishing kiss
---
oh yes please!

As he watched her trying to catch her breath, her chest rose to almost spill over her bodice. He couldn’t help the demanding throaty tone, “Come here.”
She looked trapped.
“Now.” He placed his hands on his thighs as he waited for her to float over to him. If he didn’t hold his hands down, he would tear the dress off of her.
 

Content warnings:

- missing side character (possibly dead?)
- a bit of neglectful parenting vibes? Heroine’s parents are off doing stuff without her
- loss of a parent
- carriage accident with injuries

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:

 
Safe sex: 

No 

 
21% - kiss
40% - hero masturbation scene in front of Mary (in the study)
47% - hero teaches the heroine how to masturbate (in the study)
51% - humping without penetration (in the study on the settee)
93% - missionary (the actual penetration was quite light and vague)