I don't usually read Manga, but I picked this up to try something new - and I quite loved it! 

Mona-Chan is a popular girl in the school - in fact she won't rest until everyone is in love with her and falls at her feet. But, the new boy Medaka isn't interested and does everything he can to push her away. This only makes Mona try even harder and more ridiculous schemes to get him to love her.

I had no idea what to expect with this and did find some of it a little crazy. Mona will do anything for that wow factor to get attention. She comes off as vain and silly and some of her stunts are a little cringe-worthy. But, at the same time she really grew on me and I loved those little moments where she let her real self shine through a bit, even if it was accidental.

Medaka is in training to be a monk and has cast off all relationships - he uses multiple strategies to not fall for Mona's shenanigans but you can see him struggling.

This was a quick read, and fun - it does end on a fairly dramatic cliff-hanger and I would definitely pick up Volume 2 to find out what happens. 

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖📖 
Feels: 🦋🦋  
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔 
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡ 
Romance: 💞💞💞 
Sensuality: 💋💋 
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑 
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥 
Humor: Yes, quite a bit!

Basic plot:
Grace is just getting by in life as the companion of the unlikeable and abrasive dowager Duchess of Wyndham. While traveling, they are accosted by a highwayman that completely upends everyone’s life when the Duchess is sure he resembles her dead son. 

Give this a try if you want:
- Low steam – a few kisses and one full scene
- Class difference feel – hero is possibly a duke, heroine a lady’s companion
- Regency time period – 1819
- Mostly England in the country setting, though the end of the book takes us to Ireland
- Mistaken identity
- Prodigal hero returns
- Ex-soldier hero

Ages – Hero is 28, I couldn’t find how old the heroine was but I would guess early to mid 20s

My thoughts:
This book kind of had me in the beginning. It was fun and playful and I was enjoying the banter and humor and plot. But something happened about halfway and it just kind of lost me. I’m not sure. I don’t know what I wanted more of. Maybe it will feel more complete when I read the second book (I read it years and years ago but don’t recall it much) because there was some stuff happening that you just kind of wonder about and it feels a bit incomplete. 

I think perhaps I got a little bored with the little set ups for Amelia and Thomas, and I ended up wanting more time with Jack and Grace together on page. The story does focus on Jack and I thought he had pretty good character depth, but I did want a bit more from Grace. 

It was funny though and I appreciated the humor here. 

Here’s a few random parts that I wanted to note from the book

<i>
It was too far away to see their faces, but he could tell by the way they moved that they were young, and probably quite pretty. 
Pretty girls, he’d long since learned, moved differently than the plain ones. It did not matter if they were aware of their beauty or not. What they weren’t was aware of their plainness. Which the plain ones always were.
</i>

Eyeroll.

And I wanted to note here under a spoiler warning, since it happened so late in the book – I was happy to find a hero that was dyslexic. And it worked out in that he adapted his life to it and wasn’t magically ‘cured’ by love. 

Content Warnings:

Loss of parents
Sexual assault – heroine is assault by her cousin (remembered) – he pushes her against a wall and forces kisses until she defends himself
Death of parents remembered – drowning and childbirth
Possible infidelity – heroine is kissed by a side character and allows him to kiss her again and debates about marrying him instead, plus this is almost 70% in to the book

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:

Pg 12 – brief kiss
Pg 128 – kiss
Pg 182 – kisses and light breast touches
Pg 242 – kiss
Pg 252 – kiss with side character
Pg 289 – kisses and missionary (light on the explicitness)
Total pages 371

Overall: 2.5 rounded to ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖 
Feels: 🦋🦋 
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔 
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡ 
Romance: 💞💞 
Sensuality: 💋💋 
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑 
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥 
Humor: Very light humor – there’s a few parts but overall it’s a heavy book

(These are all personal preference on a scale of 1-5 (yours ratings may vary depending what gives you feels and how you prefer you sex scenes written, etc) except the Steam Scale which follows our chart from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/396707744649325/">The Ton and Tartans Book Club</a> )

<b>Should I read in order? </b>
You don’t have to. Yes, this is book 1, but there’s 2 short stories available for free on Milan’s website, and also a prequel novella, This Wicked Gift, but this one is fine to pick up without reading those. 

<b>Basic plot:</b>
Gareth has a goal of getting ‘Madame Esmerelda’ to admit she’s a fraud and leave his cousin alone. 

<b>Give this a try if you want:</b>
- Early Victorian time period (1838)
- Medium steam – 3 scenes if you’re generous, one is only about a page
- Class differences – hero is a marquess, heroine an orphan pretending to be a fortune teller to eke out a living
- A bit of enemies to lovers feel in the beginning
- Experienced heroine
- Secret identity – the hero doesn’t know the heroine’s real name for about half the book
- Rags to riches story
- You have to be okay with a jerk hero

Ages: 
My notes were confusing on this, so I’m unsure – I think heroine is around 19 and hero is either 26 or 30 (haha, not sure if that’s helpful)

<b>My thoughts:</b>
This was just one of those books I never got into. I started it forever ago and would pick it up, read a few pages, and set it down. I struggled. 

It’s quite dark, emotional, and heavy. And I usually love that stuff so perhaps it was just my mood. But I never connected with either of the main characters.

Gareth is very much a jerk. And if you haven’t read Courtney Milan before and this is your first, I encourage you to try her again because this really isn’t typical of her character’s behavior. But he thinks his cousin Ned is being fleeced by a cheating ‘gypsy’ (Milan’s words), and he’s out to prove her a fraud. 

He’s just mean and nasty for much of the book. Condescending towards her and uncaring on a number of situations. I am not convinced of their HEA. I am not a big fan of romance novels where the ending pages don’t leave with the solid feel of a happily ever after. It was too little, very late in the book for me with what Gareth did for Jenny.

Jenny I liked more than Gareth but I still struggled to connect with her. Her story is heartbreaking and this book really shows how limited, unsafe, and unfair life is to women in the 1800s. 

This book has a heavy set up for the next book in the series, where Ned is the hero and that really limited my enjoyment of the story. It didn’t feel like a romance between Gareth and Jenny. It was the story of Ned and his mental struggles and depression and Gareth trying to control everyone around him. 

Here’s a few random parts that I wanted to note from the book

<i>
He inhaled fiercely, his nostrils flaring. “Ask for anything else. And don’t you tell me about hiding. You’re the one who cringes when I talk of adoration and need. You won’t even let yourself depend on me for this one little thing.”
“No. If you want me,” Jenny said despeartely, “trade yourself.”
“Damn you, Jenny,” he snapped. “It’s not a fair trade.”
</i>

GASP! WHAT??!?!! We get this shit from him at like 95% into the book? Bad Gareth! Gross!

Content Warnings:

talk of suicide
sexual harassment (hero kisses the heroine, she says no, he continues and she has to slap him to get him to stop)
hero walks in repeatedly without being invited into heroine’s home
use of the word gyspy (no antiziganism)
abuse and neglect of children 

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:

Pg 41 – kiss
Pg 104 – kiss
Pg 132 – kiss
Pg 162 – kisses, breast play
Pg 182 – kisses, oral for her, missionary followed by another
Pg 224 – her on top
Pg 295 – wall sex – only about a page, so quite short

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖📖 
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋🦋 
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔 
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡⚡ 
Romance: 💞💞💞💞 
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋 
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑 
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥 
Humor: Yes! This does have some heavy themes but I laughed consistently through the book. 

Basic plot:

Georgie wakes up to being kidnapped by aliens with a bunch of other single, childless women. They are dropped off at a planet and know they must escape before their captors return. Since Georgie is the unofficial leader of the group, she goes to find food, water, and help. She returns with a tall, blue, horned alien named Vektal that’s already licked her pussy. 

Give this a try if you want: 

- Medium to high steam – this book was only about 160 pages but had 3 full sex scenes 

- Alien hero, Earth heroine 

- Ridiculous fun 

My thoughts: 

I. LOVED. This. Book. 

It was exactly, 100% what I needed right now. It’s everything I wanted and didn’t know. This book has been popping up as a rec for years for me and I always knew I wanted to read it but kept putting it off. How could I stop reading historical romance to read THIS? Well…. 

How can I go back to historical romance now?! Where the men don’t have horns? Where they are normal height? Where their skin colors range from olive to beige to tan to black with ZERO BLUE?? WHERE THERE’S NO CLIT AND BUTT STIMULATORS??? 

I am ruined. 

Vetkal was an absolute delight. I just adore him. I always love that ‘caveman’ hero feel – claim me, protect me, provide for me. And he is the Sa-khui hunter to do it. 

This book is very instalove but I adored it here. His khui thrums for Georgie and there’s no going back. He will die for her, willingly, and they don’t even speak each other’s language. 

Georgie was fun too. I liked her personality and humor. 

I was worried when I opened it and saw first person (first person present??) that I would struggle with it a bit. But it just really worked here! I had zero issues with enjoying it. 

I’m definitely continuing with the series. I have book 2 on hold. Going to sludge through some other books in the meantime lol. 

Content Warnings: 

Forced abortion (told after the fact – mentioned that one girl was 2 months pregnant and they ‘vaccumed it out’ 

Rape – aliens rape other captives on page 

Captivity/imprisonment 

Oral sex begun while unconscious (she consents when she wakes up) 

Murder on page 

Hunting scene resulting in animal death on page 

 

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes: 

Pg 36 – oral for heroines 

Pg 80 – kisses, breast play, body exploration, oral orgasm for her, missionary sex 

Pg 107 – kisses and touches 

Pg 146 – blow job (incomplete), missionary 

Pg 175 – brief blow job and from behind sex (her on a rock) 

 

Overall: 3.5 rounded ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖 
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋 
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔 
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡ 
Romance: 💞💞💞 
Sensuality: 💋💋💋 
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑 
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥🔥 if you’re generous 
Humor: Yes, there is, though it’s not a light hearted book 

Should I read in order?
This one is all right as a stand alone but I think you’ll get more enjoyment reading the series in order. The Clan lives and works together, so the characters from book 1 are here and referenced to a number of times

Basic plot:
A bargain is struck between the McCurdys and MacKinlays – marriage to Dorie McCurdy by Bryce Campbell will gain their clan access to an important seaport. Bryce lost his wife and child to illness ten years ago and is not interested in marrying again – he does it at the order of his laird but knows he will never love her. 

Give this a try if you want:
- Medium steam – there are a handful of scenes but I found them on the short side (I listened to audio so it’s harder for me to tell length)
- Older hero/younger heroine
- Arranged marriage
- Highlanders!
- Disability featured – heroine has selective mutism due to trauma when she was 9 years old
- You have to be okay with some heavy content warnings (at end under spoiler warning)
- Hero nurses heroine back to health
- Stuart era Scotland – 1662 (There is some brief time of the book in London)

Ages:
- Heroine is 18, hero is 31


My thoughts:
I am conflicted about this book. It did tug on my heart a big, especially in the beginning with learning about Dorie’s background. But as it went on I got frustrated with a number of things. Ultimately I can’t say I loved the story and I don’t think ever reread this. But I do find it memorable so I decided to round my rating up.

Hero:
Bryce is drowning in grief. It still consumes his life after ten years – he has guilt over what happened to his family and has never found closure. He shuts himself off from everyone to keep the pain inside and this is a major plot point of the story. He is war chief of the clan that has adopted him in after his father basically gave him up after the death of his mother. Basically this guy desperately needs some therapy to work through his emotional trauma. I struggled with a lot of his behavior throughout the book – but I had guilt for feeling this way. The man had been through a lot, it just made it difficult to like him. Though I did love that he was willing to repeatedly look at his behavior and apologize soon after. He realizes when he hurts and makes amends. I don’t see this often in romance unless it’s a grand gesture at the end of the book (or nothing at all :P)

Heroine:
Dorie was an absolute delight to me. I loved her, so much. She had been through extreme abuse and seclusion. My heart really attached to her in the beginning and I was rooting for her to be able to heal and find happiness. She is repeatedly let down by Bryce but has a forgiving and understand heart. She helps heal him and eventually he helps heal her too, though in the end I just really wanted a bit more from Bryce.

The story had some things I enjoyed – a bit of humor, rich back story for the characters, supporting side characters that brought the story to life. Overall though I wanted more from the hero and got a bit bogged down with the non stop attempts on the heroine's life in the beginning, somewhat boring plot aspects (hero and heroine spent quite a bit of time apart, and I got to read about the heroine burning food, etc - and they also had a long separation towards the end of the story)

I think if you’ve liked Maya Banks you should definitely give this series a try. This was my first read of this author's work. I would try her again.

Here’s a few random parts that I wanted to note from the book

Faked consummation happens in this book – heroine’s brother demands the marriage is consummated in front of him – hero takes the heroine away to the river and cuts his thigh. Blood on the sheets and blood on her thighs which they check for before leaving.

Content Warnings:

Thoughts of suicide
Death of wife and child (remembered)
Severe illness resulting in death
Severe grief
On page and remembered physical, verbal, emotional abuse
Imprisonment
Poisoning
Arson and having to escape a fire while closed inside
Violence – heroine is shot in the chest with an arrow
Death on page from wounds/battle

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:

21% - kiss
34% - 🔥 kisses, light breast play, fingering, missionary with lots of slow explanations and time taken
44% - 🔥kisses, fingering, missionary
47% - 🔥her on top
51% - skipped over sex scene
55% - 🔥blow job and missionary – on the short side
87%- kisses then fade to black

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖📖 
Feels: 🦋🦋 
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔 
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡ 
Romance: 💞💞💞 
Sensuality: 💋💋 
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑  
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥 (I listened to the audiobook and usually the scenes feel a bit shorter to me on audio than written – but these felt extremely short. It’s hard to for me to judge the length without having it black and white on the page :) ) 
Humor: Yes! Some lovely humor and dialogue that had me smirking.

Should I read in order? 
I would say yes – I read the second book in the series (and I found myself wishing I had read book 1) and now that it’s been awhile I found myself kind of lost in the beginning. There was a lot of information dumping and people talked about – this may come as redundant if you’ve recently read the whole series, but as it was I was wishing I read read this one sooner after finishing book 2. The Princess Plan starts off the series.

Basic plot:
Hollis has been a widow for 3 years and poured her efforts into Lady Honeycutt’s Gazette, which features fashion and gossip, though she’d love to have it take a more serious investigative theme. It seems her family and friends are all married and she is becoming ‘that relative’. Marek is in London visiting with others from Wesloria. Hollis latches onto him for information and also a bit of suspicion for his purpose in town. Soon they are finding each other at every function and working together to solve a dangerous mystery.

Give this a try if you want:
- Christmas time novel
- Victorian time period (1841)
- Lower steam – There are 2 scenes but they are on the short and flowery side
- Disability featured – our hero has hearing damage on his left side and is almost completely deaf when sound comes from that side
- A focus being on working together to resolve a problem in the story (kind of a mystery?)
- Lots of family members love – there’s plenty of scenes of Hollis with her family, including characters from the prior books and being and aunt to their children

My thoughts:
I struggled with this story. I had the same issues that I had with book 2, though they seemed more pronounced in this one (or it could be my issues with focusing now that I didn’t have a few years ago)

The characters really were lovely. Especially Hollis. I just adored her. She was this ball of sunshine and never let anyone get her down. She was happy, spunky, stubborn, but she used the most adorables ploys to get what she wanted. She cajoled and bribed and said the right things. She was just a pure delight to read, really. 

Marek it look much, much longer to get to know. He was very private and standoffish with Hollis, trying to avoid her through the first half the of book. But when he does realize he’s falling, it was beautiful. I adored the ending and his declarations were so romantic to me.  I had no qualms that these two were going to make it long term.

But – it took FOREVER for me to get to this point. The beginning I was so bogged down in details it was just too much. I started to be overwhelmed with the plot, the intrigue, the back story, and all the characters and I just wanted to get through it. I kept stopping this one and picking it up again and having the same problems with it. 

It’s a fairly slow moving plot. It’s slow burn. I just found it….slow. And I don’t want to imply it’s a bad book because I do think this was totally me struggling to connect – but I ended up only really enjoying maybe about 15% of the book. 

It was funny! There were a lot of super adorable, cute, and utterly sweet family moments and humor and that was just lovely. 

I am thinking I wouldn’t try anything else from this series (I don’t know if that was the end of it, but I don’t plan on reading book 1). This is all I have tried from London so I will have to go back and try some of her older work sometime.

Content Warnings:

poisoning
treasonous plots
death of a spouse remembered

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:

70% - kiss
74% - brief kiss
78% - kisses, light breast play, missionary sex (on the short side)
86% - sex – quite short

Overall: 4.5 rounded to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖📖📖 
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋🦋  
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔 
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡⚡ 
Romance: 💞💞💞💞 
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋💋 
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑 
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥 
Humor: Yes!

Should I read in order? 
Yes, and you should start with her Rescued From Ruin series. I picked this one up, and it was enjoyable, but there is character overlap from the previous series, and out hero in this book, John Huxley, has a number of sisters that are married in that series with their own stories. I found myself wishing I had started there.

Basic plot:
John is fixing up his Scottish estate and locked in a property dispute with a stubborn Scot that refuses to budge. He challenges him to win the Highland Games and he’ll get what he wants. Annie agrees to train him if he will teach her to be a lady – she’s desperate to save her friend and marrying a lord is a necessity for her.

Give this a try if you want:
- 1825 Scotland setting (Glenscannadoo)
- Hero/heroine bargain – John will teach Annie to be a lady if she helps train him for the Highland Games
- A very light touch of paranormal
- Medium steam – 3 full scenes but they are lengthy and developed, also some fade to black/remembered so it may feel hotter to you
- I felt like this was a slow burn, even though sex starts soon after 50% (could have just been my mood and interrupted reading of this book!)
- Hero loves first – he fights it a bit but once he decides it’s glorious
- Highlander heroine and English hero
- A bit of class difference feel
- Secret identity

Ages
- Hero is 34 and heroine is 24

My thoughts:
This book! I ended up LOVING it. I really struggled in the beginning. Life and just lots of interruptions I think really slowed the down the start for me. I kept putting it down and picking it up repeatedly. It felt a bit like the beginning was dragging for me and I kept moving on to other things instead. I started in January 29th and just finished so it took me over a month...

Well shame on me. 

Because when I sat down and gave it an honest chance I just fell more and more in love with it. Few books really bring it the second half for me. If I am not sold on a book by 40% or so it usually doesn’t happen. But it did here. 

I loved John as a hero. He was a bit standoffish at first – and you learn about why and his hurt later in the book. But I ended up enjoying how protective he was of Annie. He takes care of people – you can tell with his family and how much they love him and he shows it here – even before he has ties to Annie he repeatedly goes out of his way to do the right and good thing. I was worried at first we would have another hero that spent the book refusing to marry because of his past, but thankfully it took a complete 180 from that.

Annie was so unique. I really liked her spunk and her fearlessness. Despite being judged and bullied, she has such a big heart and cares for those around her. She still has her humor and her spark. 

I just really loved them together! This was one of those romances that I felt the love – so many I don’t really feel that. I believed their love, I am convinced as I close the book they go vibrantly into their HEA. I love when a story paints a clear picture of that for me.

I love how much food and cooking was mentioned in this one. I loved that Annie showed her love through food and the men she cooked for mentioned it many times. Even if a fit of jealousy, John wonders who’s she’s going to make bread and gravy for.

As far as the paranormal aspect goes – well I’ll admit it was a little weird at first. But towards the ending (I’ll go into details below under spoiler warning) I actually quite loved this part of the book.



Here’s a few random parts that I wanted to note from the book

Paranormal thoughts -
Okay so she loses her ghost friend and must marry a lord and have a baby so her ghost friend can be born as her child. I was not feeling this at all lol. But wow, as it went on, especially that conversation with Mrs. MacBean when she explained that Annie had assumed those things and he actually wasn’t a ghost – I got goosebumps. I am getting them again just thinking about it. And the ending with the dreams and the white raven – absolute perfection. I ended up LOVING IT!

One of the big conflicts of the book between them was when she realized he omitted to tell her he was a lord. I would have been a lot more mad and unforgiving about him completely disregarding my feelings and reasonings for wanting to marry a lord than omitting that detail – but that’s just me.


The moment the book finally caught my attention and heart.
<i>
“Enough,” he uttered. Before she could smirk, he moved into her, forcing her to stumble backward. Then, he braced her lower back and turned their positions until he could bracket her against the table.
Her eyes flared as he loomed. Leaned in. Brought their mouths within inches and let her feel the difference in their sizes.
(some skipped)
He couldn’t help himself. Crowding her closer until the folds of her plaid pressed flat against his coat, he lowered his head and watched pink bloom bright in her cheeks. “I am a man,” he murmured in her ear.
</i>

Yes! I need more of this. The longing for each other in little ways that drives up the tension but they don’t even have to touch each other.
<i>
As he adjusted his coat’s buttons, he wondered what smelled so good. He’d noticed in before when she was near. Had she been cooking something because she came? She smelled….sweet. Clean. He frowned. Was it apples? Honey? He leaned closer, breathing deep. Sugar? No, richer than sugar. More floral and golden. Caramel, perhaps?
Whatever it was, it made him hungry. Ravenous, even. His hands tightened on the wool until they formed fists. He swallowed then saw she was staring at his mouth. 
</i>

And this made my heart pitter patter
<i>
“Dinnae fash, English.” She flicked his coat’s lapel. “I’ll be gentle.”
With a swift motion, he trapped her wrist in his grip, dragging her close before encircling her waist and flattening her against him. “You think this is amusing.”
Amusing? Far from it. The sensation of being pulled tight against him shocked her sense. Stole her breath. Made her vision blur.
(some skipped)
The fingers of his free hand traced the top of her ear, sending shivers rippling across her skin. “You think you can ignore my warnings, laugh away the risk, and suffer no consequences.” He lowered his head until she felt hot, damp breath against her neck. “I understand why,” he whispered.
(some skipped)
“A gentleman seems to very harmless.”
(some skipped)
“When you’re alone with a man, nothing apart from his honor prevents him from taking what he disires.” His hand slip up from her waist to her breast. “Be it a touch.”
“Or a kiss.” He brushed his perfect lips across hers.
Suddenly, he grasped her thigh and raisted it alongside his. Then, with a practiced motion, he ground his hips inot hers, the hard ridge beneath his trousers taking the liberties he spoke of.
</i>

And Mrs. MacBean being hilarious
<i>
“Ah, he had a silver tongue, that John Brodie. Separated me from my virtue more than once, I can tell ye that.”
How a woman could surrender her virtue more than once, he didn’t know – and didn’t want to.
“’Twas when he brought out the butter and the honey jar, I said, ‘Och, no, ye scoundrel. The sixteenth time will be the last, by heaven.”
</i>

This made me sad. The gut clench at the thought of marriage – later I understood it better. His background and that he did want her, it was his hurt that makes him hesitate. But still I was like You butthole! lol
<i>
His ring? Cold flooded his body. No. He didn’t want a wife. He especially didn’t want one as frustrating and fiery and foul-mouthed as…
Annie. There she stood, chin tilted and cornflower eyes flashing.
</i>

Loved as he starts to fall for her wholeheartedly
<i>
At night, the craving had transformed into dreams so erotic, he’d become desperate to have them end – equally desperate to have them return. In the past, finding a willing woman to manage his needs had been simple. Women liked him. Always had. A playful grin, a bit of flattery. Easy.
Now, nothing made him grin but her. 
Nothing made him hard but her.
Nothing made him want but her.
</i>
 
Ahhh jealous – that toxic emotion that I adore
<i>
Would she accept a doddering, toothless man? A cruel, witless fool? He’d seen women marry worse to become a countess or baroness or marchioness. Who would Annie allow to touch her? Who would she let rut between her thighs, gurnting and huffing and sweating as he planted an heir in her belly? Who would she make fat on her bread and gravy? Who would she -
“Careful, Hux,” murmered Robert. “You’re going to shatter that glass.”
</i>


And here is when I really started falling for this book – yes! Yes! Stop the I can never marry again because someone hurt me. Go after her.
<i>
She mattered. He wanted her. Not for an hour. Not for a week.
Forever.
He wanted her in his kitchen. He wanted to watch those pretty hands making bread. He wanted her here in his study, teasing him about his fine manners and finer tea. He wanted to hear her pleasured cries echoing off the new paneling in his bedchamber. Feel her hair brushing his skin. Watch her cornflower blue eyes go soft then flow like blue fire. 
He wanted his child in her belly.
His heart pounded, pulsing in his skin. Oh, God. Yes that was it.
Annie swollen with his child. His ring upon her pretty finger. His claim fully made. 
She’d be his wife.
Bloody hell. She could be his.
</i>

Again, yes I eat this up in romance!
<i>
Nothing compared with those enchanting hazel eyes, the ones that now flared wide and raked her from head to two before settling on her bosom. Lingering. And lingering. And stroking. And lingering. His chest heaved on a breath. His cravat moved as he swallowed.
</i>

Mmmm yes 
<i>
Suddenly, she was bent in half with her belly over his shoulder. He lifted and hauled her four paces to the bed, then tossed her like a bag of tatties onto the mattress. She bounced and oophed.
“Marry me,” he rasped.
(some skipped)
“I’m going to marry you. And you’re going to sleep here in my bed. You’re going to cook for me, woman.”
</i>


WHY DID SHE SKIP OVER THE BLOWJOB??? I wanted that to be a full scene, not a remembered paragraph.

Content Warnings:

Bullying
Judgments about mental health
Animal fur referenced with clothing
Violence, torture, death on page/remembered
Rape remembered – hero was raped when he was 16 by a governess in the house

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:

27% - light kiss and fondling
55% 🔥 - kisses against a wall leading to a fingering orgasm for heroine
61% - kiss
64% 🔥 - kisses, breast play to orgasm, another with fingers and mouth, then full sex – missionary
76% 🔥 - fingering for her, against the door sex followed immediately by her on top, then missionary
79% - remembered sex – blow job, her on top and him on top in carriage – about 2 paragraphs
87% - alluded to sex

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖 
Feels: 🦋🦋 
Emotional Depth: 💔💔 
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋 
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑 
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥 
Humor: Yes, a bit 

Should I read in order?  

This one is fine as a stand alone to me – there is a mention of their ancestors, which is clan MacArran from Highland Velvet – though if you go back to read this it’s best to read the Highland quartet in order. You can view chronological order on Deveraux’s website and I think goodreads has the publication order. (I’m reading in chronological order) 

Basic plot:

Claire must wed an acceptable man to get her millions of inheritance dollars. She comes across Harry in England and they soon become engaged. She goes with her family to see her future estate. Here she begins to see the problems of her engagement and meets a man hiding within the house’s halls. 

Give this a try if you want: 

- Victorian time period at a country estate in Scotland (1883) 

- Low steam – one full scene and a few kisses 

- Heroine nurses hero back to health 

- Scottish hero and American heroine 

- Lower action – much of the plot focuses around house hold experiences and dialogue 

My thoughts:

I was actually conflicted about this Deveraux. I haven’t loved her work (sadly! I know she’s a pillar of older HR) but this one just felt different. I find her plots usually extremely busy and action filled – running here and there with little time to stand still and have dialogue and get to the know the characters in between. But in this one there wasn’t much action. And I liked that aspect to it, but at the same time I ended up getting really, really bored. In the first half of the book it was Claire wandering around a country estate being abused by people and I was just waiting for something to happen. Even with this lack of danger/action, I didn’t leave the book feeling like I had a lot of character depth and that was sad. Though I do think there was more here than some of her other stories I’ve tried. 

I did like some things about this one. But there was still a lot I didn’t love, so I settled at 3 stars. 

Here’s a few random parts that I wanted to note from the book 

Ok this was when I thought Harry was the hero – I didn’t think he would recover from this from me hahaha 

<i> 

“I’ve missed you,” he said smiling, “Did you think about me?” 

“All the time,” she answered, looking at the way his broad shoulders practically filled one side of the coach. 

“And what were you doing while you were away from me?” 

“Buying dresses and reading. What did you do?” 

Harry smiled at her over the glass of wine. He wasn’t about to tell her what he’d done, for it involved mistresses and a few actresses, and some horses that he’d lost too much money on. But he was going to marry a very rich heiress and it didn’t matter how much money he lost. 

“I thought about you,” he said and the way he said it made Claire’s heart flutter a bit. 

To control herself, she looked out the window.”My mother won’t like that I’m alone with you.” 

“I think your mother would allow anything if it resulted in her daughter marrying a duke.” 

Claire gave him a look of surprise. “I’m marrying you because I love you, not because I want to marry a duke.” 

“Is that so?” he said, smiling, and when he smiled like that Clare forgot everything in the world except him. “And what about all this history you keep talking about? What about that place? That Cull something or other?” 

“Culloden? But that was - “ 

“Yes, yes, a very great battle.” He leaned forward and took her hand in his, playing with her fingers. “When I think of marriage, I think of other things besides war. You’re not going to lecture me on history after we’re married, are you?” 

“I’m looking forward to getting you into bed,” he said very softly 

</i> 

How is Claire so all knowing about this when she grew up in America as a rich socialite? 

<i> 

She saw hungry people, but fields that oculd have been used to raise crops were barren. Timber that could have been harvested was not. Even blackberries that could have been put to commercial use were allowed to rot on the ground. She’d seen horses that were housed better than people. 

She put her head in her hands. She wasn’t a socialist. She wasn’t a person who believe that all people should have the same. She was her grandfather’s child. She believed in hard work and those who worked the hardest and were the most clever made the most money. 

</i> 

Oh my god. A part I actually paused at in a Deveraux book and thought – I love that. I LOVE THAT. It’s a first, people. 

<i> 

With that Trevelyan swept his forearm across the chessboard, knocking pieces to the floor. “And become her lover? Shall I love her, then stand back and watch while she marries Harry? Shall I remain here and wait until Harry leaves, then go to her?” 

“Being the lover of a mrried woman has never bothered you before. I have heard you brag that you could climb in any window. I have heard you say that married women are you pleasure because they give to you their joy and to their husbands they give their misery.” 

“I want her misery too,” he said softly. 

</i> 

Yes, YES I was like wow this hero is doing it for me for once. But then he ruins it within the next sentence of course. 

<i> 

“What?” 

“I want her bloody misery too,” he shouted. “I want all of the bitch.” 

</i> 

Booooooooooooo 

I hated that he states he’s going to tell her the ‘truth’ about who he is and let her choose. Instead he immediately goes to her room and fucks her and still refuses to tell her who he truly is for a lot longer of the book. 

The epilogue also felt extremely weird and unsatisfying. 

 

Content Warnings: 

Hunting on page, including the kill 

Infidelity – heroine is engaged to another man for 99% of the book and does have intimate relationships with someone else. Also mention of her fiance going to see his mistress who has 2 children, one that looks like her fiance. 

Fat comments – I think there was only mention of fat in this book??? I am so proud of Deveraux, usually it’s almost incessant. Though in this instance it was given as a jealous comment from another woman 

<i> 

“Claire, love - “ Travelyan started, but then sighed. “She said that you’re too heavy for your height and that men don’t like fat women.” 

Claire clenched her teeth. “Tell her men don’t like flat-chested, scrawny women such as she. Tell her that in my country of America, where people are civilized, women are supposed to have some meat on them.” 

A bit of violence – side character punches another for no reason 

Suicide 

</i> 

 

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes: 

Pg 7 – kiss with Harry 

Pg 66 – brief kiss with Harry 

Pg 108 – light nuzzling and kisses with Trevelyan 

Pg 236 – kiss (Trevelyan) 

Pg 244 – first and only full sex scene 

Pg 253 – kiss 

Pg 258 – remembered brief scenes over the course of 4 days 

 

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖📖 
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋 
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔 
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡⚡ 
Romance: 💞💞💞 
Sensuality: 💋💋💋  
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 0 
Humor: Just a touch

Should I read in order? 
I don’t believe it’s necessary to read this one to enjoy book 2, Talk of Tokyo, but it does give a nice introduction to the characters and world we’re entering.

Basic plot:
Evelyn wants a good story to establish herself as a journalist and she knows just who to talk to in order to get one - Ned Taylor, owner of the Tokyo Daily News. He’s definitely willing to help her get a story at the price of a kiss.

Give this a try if you want:
- Very short (under 50 pages) bite sized introduction to the world of Tokyo Whispers
- Tokyo in 1896
- Hero is a nephew of a duke and owns his own newspaper
- Heroine is the daughter of a newspaper mogul but wants to make her own way in the newspaper world
- Low steam – plenty of thinking about each other, including a hot fantasy scene (that’s interrupted) by the hero, but on page interaction is only a kiss

Ages:
- Hero is around 30, I don’t think I caught an age for the heroine but I’m thinking early 20s?

My thoughts:
Really enjoyed this short story. Hallman’s writing pulled me in pretty quickly and I adore that we’re getting out England. I can’t think of any other HRs that take place in Japan and I have been craving more Asia settings in romance. 

I thought this novella did a wonderful job creating some character depth in only 3 chapters. It does have more of a Happy For Now feel at the end instead of Happily Ever After – know that they will be getting a full story later on. Their romance may pop up over the next books in the series. The next book in the series is a full novel. The hero of book 2, Griffith, is mentioned in this story a bit. This has only made me more excited to dive in to the next  book, Talk of Tokyo.

Here’s a few random parts that I wanted to note from the book

Loved this part!
<i>
What was the colour of her eyes? The Hotel Metropolis terrace had been too dark to make out the shade of her iris. Tonight, when he took her hand in greeting, he would gaze into her eyes until he memorized the colour. 
</i>

And this! Swoon.
<i>
“No one has a claim on me.” He took both of her hands in his. “You, on the other hand.” His voice came out ragged and soft. “I could be claimed by you, if that is your wish.”
</i>

Content Warnings:

Brief mentions of corruption and opium use (for newspaper articles)

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:

54% - blow job fantasy from the hero
56% - brief mention of sexually relieving himself
91% - kiss

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖📖 
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋 
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔 
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡ 
Romance: 💞💞 
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋 
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑 
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥 
Humor: Just a touch

Basic plot:
Lavinia runs the family business, a circulating library, pretty much by herself. Her father is ill and her brother is rather young, naive and lacking responsibility. She’s carefully saved most of the year to make this Christmas one to remember, but her brother ruins her plans by losing the money.

William Q White has wanted Lavinia from afar, but he knows he doesn’t have the means to provide a real life for her. He dreams of a night though, and that becomes possible when he overhears a conversation about debts owed. 

Give this a try if you want:
- Late Regency (1822)
- Low steam – 1 full scene and 1 short that I didn’t count
- Christmas time novella
- Ditch the nobility – working class hero and heroine

Ages:
- I have the heroine at 19 but don’t have an age for the hero. I’m thinking mid 20s?

My thoughts:
I thought this novella was interesting. I enjoy Milan’s writing, she’s one you get very sucked into her world and just fall in with the characters. She has a way with character depth that I enjoy. I think it’s hard to get that feeling in a novella but I felt like I knew the characters here.

There’s some feelings of dubious consent here with the hero buying the debt and coercing the heroine into a sexual act with him – though it’s really not that simple. I can see some people strongly disliking this hero because of that. I don’t mind stuff like that and overall enjoyed the plot of the book. Especially the twists Milan put on about halfway through the story.

I liked that nothing really went as was expected. I read almost exclusively historical romance so I see similar plot lines a lot and I didn’t find that here. 

I’m going to start book 1 of the series soon!

Here’s a few random parts that I wanted to note from the book

The entire ridiculousness of being ruined – powerful words here that I love!
<i>
“I dishonored you-”
“Strange,” Lavinia interjected, “that I do not feel dishonored.”
He frowned as if puzzled, and then started again, “I ruined you-”
“Ruined me for what? I am still capable of working in this shop, as you see. I do not believe I shall turn toward postitution as a result of one afternoon’s pleasure. And as for marriage – William, do you truly think that any man worth having would put me aside for one indiscretion?”
</i>

And I adored when he confronted Lavinia’s brother about protecting her!
<i>
“You leave her in that shop with nobody to call for if she needs help except your father, who is too ill to respond. You send her out to capture your vowels from unknown ruffians who live near docks where sailors cavort. Don’t tell me you protect your sister. How many times have I found her alone in the library? Do you have any idea what I could have done to her?”
</i>

And yes! I loved our heroine’s speech here:
<i>
“I took it, believe you had no choice-”
“No choice? Even if the promissory note had been real and enforceable, I had a choice. I could have pawned by mother’s wedding ring for funds. I could have let James take his chances with the magistrate and debtor’s prison. I could have married another man – I’ve had offers, you know, from well-to-do gentlemen who wouldn’t blink at paying ten pounds in pin money. Do not think me such a poor creature as to be confined so easily without choice. I chose you, and I would choose you again and again and again.”
</i>

And I loved when he tries to hurt her purposefully and push her away and say he doesn’t love her she calls him out on it. She doesn’t fall for it. This is a common plot device in romance, the hero hurts the heroine to save her and she runs away in tears knowing it’s over and how could she have been so wrong about him? Well I love that she didn’t even flinch and called him out on his nonsense. How refreshing.

Content Warnings:

Dubious consent feeling with the sex – hero buys the debt of the family and coerces Lavinia into giving him a night of pleasure in exchange for it.
Fat comments – when the hero thinks about Lavinia marrying the butcher “Wiliam could not countenance the thought. He could not envision her beneath that fat, toothless man.” But what kind of person is he? Is it just jealousy that makes him comment on his body like that? Also brief mention of the ‘evil’ marquess “He thumbed through it slowly, his fat fingers pausing every so often, before moving onward.”
Suicide mentioned/death of a parent (Hero’s father)

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:

21% - kisses and sex
74% - very short/vague scene