This being book 6 of Heath's current series, it works surprisingly well as a stand alone. I have read book 2 in the series also. The series follows the Trewlove family (rather hate the name, but that's just me) and the next book in the series I believe will be Althea's two brothers (the heroine from this book). This book has a few character appearances from other family members from previous books.

Althea was a lady. WAS. Sadly, those days are over and now her life is filled with attempting to find her niche with the working class. After multiple jobs, she's chosen to be a barmaid. But she knows if she can just become a seductress then she will have more freedom and choices in life. She wants to learn to be the most desired mistress in London and have some life in society again.

Benedict is a bastard living in the darker side of London. He comes across Althea when he frequents the bar for a drink. He knows she doesn't fit in there and wants to know her story. Soon they strike a bargain that bring them together under the same roof. WARNING: The hero's name is Beast. I know some people love it and some don't, so just prepare yourself haha.

Give this book a try if you are in the mood for
-an “almost” antihero – he technically runs a brothel, but that's not all there is to it
-Victorian time period – this book takes place in 1873
-Whitechapel setting – most of this book takes place in the darker area of London
-medium to high steam
-one of the main characters in this book has a disability. I don't want to be specific because you find out rather late in the book but I love that it was included.
-no villain or mystery to solve – there's a few plot devices at work here, but most of the focus is on the couple and their relationship
-this story includes 'riches to rags' and 'rags to riches' elements
-class differences – heroine was raised a lady, hero is a bastard in Whitechapel
-ruined heroine – socially, utterly ruined, the heroine receives the cut direct any social place she goes
-MC ages – hero is 33 and heroine is 29

So overall I really enjoyed this story. When I saw where the plot was going with the bargain, I thought it was a little silly (heroine wants seduction lessons, hero wants a tutor) but I was also excited. The characters are together for most of the book and I love that. It's quite steamy, which I also love.

The thing I loved the most was that it just felt a bit different from what I've read lately. The fact that the heroine was a lady and has lost everything was a fairly new plot focus for me. I also adore books that take place in the darkness of London, so that hit another sweet spot for me.

I enjoyed the hero a lot. He was a tad alpha, a bit jealous, but super mushy and caring inside. Here's one of my favorite scenes from him staking his claim:

“Beast held silent for all of a minute before bestowing upon him the grin that men had been displaying for centuries when they knew they possessed what another man coveted. “I know everything she likes.””

But, and I find this a lot with Lorraine Heath, she just doesn't take it quite as far as I want her to. It's totally a personal preference. But I just want more. More pain, more darkness, more emotion. She tends to delve into these topics and just doesn't push it as much as I want. But I'm also a jaded psycho. So I think many others will be so happy with her writing. (I think Kerrigan Bryne has ruined me)

My other minor complaint is that some of the heroine's behavior didn't really make sense to me. I didn't know her as a character very well in the beginning (not sure if she was introduced in other books?) so the whole 'I want to be a seductress' seemed to come out of nowhere to me. But what really got me was her behavior while she was working as a barmaid. It wasn't the behavior of someone who was contemplating being a courtesan. Things like dumping drinks over people's heads. And while I fully support her choice to douse some groping drunkard, I just couldn't stop thinking how much she was going to hate being a courtesan. Being a mistress, sure it might open doors for her in society and give her some stability in life, but it was like she hadn't even considered what it REALLY meant. Faking it for a man. Putting up with atrocious or undesirable behaviors. It just came off as really naive to me.

Lastly I really disliked how the heroine behaved at the end. It knocked a star for me.





MAJOR SPOILER WITH MINOR COMPLAINT
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Spoiler

Of COURSE at the end of the book, the hero has to become nobility. I get we want that happily ever after and we want our characters to live their best life, but it seems like in these situations, especially where the main character is a bastard, it's expected that they are really a duke in disguise. Or an earl. Etc. Again, this is just my feeling because I've read a lot of this story line where that happens, hopefully that isn't bothersome to other readers.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. All of these thoughts and opinions are totally mine.