Overall: 3.5 rounded to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖 
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋 
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔 
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞 
Sensuality: 💋💋💋 
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑 
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥🔥 (There’s a number of scenes in the book but you could solidly count it as a 4 for sure. Might feel hotter to others. )
Humor: A bit 

Basic plot:
The clans Kennedy and Douglas have been bitter enemies for a number of years. Ultimately their clan antics lead the king to demand an arranged marriage for them to have peace. Lady Valentina, known as Flaming Tina, is betrothed to Lord Ramsey Douglas (Black Ram). I mean, could these nicknames get any better? Don’t worry, Tina’s hot for a good hard Ram.


Give this a try if you want:
- Crazy old school epic love story – content warning abound!
- Higher steam – large number of scenes here, not always between the hero and heroine but other random characters too. I will say I felt like a lot of the scenes were on the shorter end compared to some of her other work I’ve read
- Older hero (heroine is 17, hero is at least 30)
- Arranged marriage
- Enemies to lovers – the epitome of that trope!
- Hero loves first – the hero does chase the heroine and he admits his love for her long before she does
- Hero nurses heroine back to health
- You’re all right with a JERK hero. 5/5 jerk faces. Lol
- Rival family feel (Highlanders)
- Tudor time in Highlands (King James) – takes place around 1512


My thoughts:
Well, this story was crazy, like most of her others. And like the others, I really enjoyed parts of it and didn’t love others. 

This book took me forever to get into. It seemed such a slow start where the main characters were separated and everyone seemed to be talking and having page time including random sex scenes between characters (many who would pop up once and you wouldn’t even know who they were and then never see them again…)

BUT around 200 pages in it finally started happening and the focus switched to Ram and Tina and they took over the book. This is 100% an enemies to lovers story, with tons of content warnings, pushy jerk hero and feisty heroine that fights him every step of the way.

They are passionate and volatile and swing between love and hatred for much of the book. When things are good they are amazing and when they go bad they are at each other’s throats ready to kill each other. 

This book does have a touch of paranormal as there’s a, well it’s basically a secondary love story with ghosts. It’s one of the reasons the clans hate each other – there was a couple that was married to bind them and it ended in tragedy with grudges held and revenge wanted. No one thought having ghosts around the castle was strange. 

Still I enjoyed some of it when the couple was together. When they were being playful, opening up to each other. The hero was fond of using sweet nicknames for the heroine, which was totally unexpected to me. 

I do wish the book had ended about 100 pages earlier. It had the perfect ending feel, it could have felt complete. But it kept going bringing in some later unnecessary drama and time in the Tudor court. Personal preference, but I don't love real historical figures coming into the books like that, especially the monarchy. And you can see how much Henley was fascinated by them and did her research as she's included them in most of the books of hers I have read.

Will I try more of Henley? Yup. I think I’m addicted in some strange way. hahaha



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

There’s a lot of focus on fainting being a dead giveaway you were pregnant. The heroine wanted to faint while dancing but she couldn’t because people would think she was pregnant. Then later when she’s married, the feast of roasted pig makes her faint and the hero is pissed because she could be carrying someone else’s child. Just kind of weird??

When she bursts into tears during sex
<i>
Instantly he was contrite, cradling her. “Honeylamb, did I hurt ye?”
</i>

And when he gives her a huge orgasm with his mouth and she finally, finally, says his name “Ram” instead of “Douglas” (his surname) and he quickly captures it on her mouth in a kiss – love that!

There’s a scene where he tells her to marry him and she says no and he declares his love for her and she refuses him. He leaves and says “I am your destiny. When I come next, I’ll fetch the priest.”

Content Warnings:

heroine referred to as a “bitch” from her joking brother
Romany referenced as gypsies
Zara (Romany woman hero spends the night with) referred to as exotic
Animal cruelty – hero punches his horse with his fist to control it
Uses sex to get what he wants from Zara (information)
violence, including against a child (14 years old)
domestic violence between main characters (she slaps him, hits him with a riding crop, he kicks her down)
murder suicide talked about regarding the ghosts haunting the castle
boar attack with injuries and boar hunting/death
thoughts of abortion for side characters and later note that they followed through with it
extremely jealous hero
insensitivity to infertility – hero has never had bastards so he’s slightly worried he can’t have kids but he knows his heroine will give him children (like if you were just with the right woman it would work out!)
torture by prinking
poisoning
miscarriage, on page

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:

Pg 25 – hero has fade to black sex with a romany girl (Zara) with a pierced clit
Pg 77 – almost sex between hero and Zara – some kisses, dry humping and 3 thrusts inside her then he takes her outside and begins again, some fingering, one thrust, then stops again, eventually he gives her an orgasm and leaves
Pg 144 – kiss between Tina and Patrick – Patrick then has a threesome with 2 other women
Pg 150 – sex scene between side characters Robert and Ava
Pg 201 – kiss between Tina and Ramsey
Pg 242 – first sex scene – she’s terrified, he comes in and mounts her and basically thinks its her fault she didn’t have a great time. Missionary, she’s a virgin, he thinks she’s experienced.
Pg 272 – kisses, playful banter, missionary sex
Pg 286 – kisses, breast play
Pg 290 – oral for her, followed by vague sex (brief, about a page)
Pg 300 – she bathes him, missionary (kind of short)
Pg 312 – sex, blowjob (it’s like a paragraph and not to completion), missionary
Pg 336 – her on top
Pg 348 – chinese pleasure balls used but taken out before orgasm, her on top of him on the swing
Pg 405 – dream sex
Pg 434 – heroine has sexual harassment from another man and then the king (Henry)
Pg 483 – kisses
Pg 492 – sex (short)

Euphemisms: 
long, hard manroot
letting down her love juices
dark side of paradise (orgasm)
mon
gates of paradise
titty/tits
marble shaft

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

Should I read in order? 
I think the novellas in this series are all stand alones by different authors. This is the only one I picked up, but I loved how the 12 days of Christmas themes are wrapped into the books and now I have the whole series on my TBR at some point!

Basic plot:
Camille has loved her childhood friend Tristan for as long as she can remember. But, he left, and has yet to return and she’s decided to accept a marriage proposal for duty, if not for love. Tristan returns for the holidays though, and soon all the plans go awry.

Give this a try if you want:
- Regency time period (1815)
- Soldier turned Duke hero
- Botanist heroine
- Best friend’s sister trope/childhood friends to lovers
- Christmas/holiday setting
- Novella length
- Unrequited love trope from heroine
- Medium steam, especially for a novella – 2 scenes (goodreads has list listed at 118 pages)

Ages:
- Heroine is about 22, hero about 30


My thoughts:
I adored this little novella! 

Tristan left a soldier and has returned a duke. Camille is hurt he left with a backwards glance, but he sure sees her now. I think it can be hard in a novella to build that tension and relationship pull sometimes, but I felt it here. I loved Tristan, he’s a bit naughty. I loved that Camille was a botanist and cared about her craft and wasn’t about to give that up for society’s approval. 

This one felt pretty steamy for a novella having 2 full scenes, so of course I loved that. ;) 

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

Naughty! And when I knew I loved him!
<i>
“Do you know what I was thinking while I had my finger deep inside you? I was imagining the ways I could take you. Bent over the desk, filling you from behind. With my cock, not my finger, if I may be so bold. Dragging you to the floor and taking your hard nipples between my teet as I discover what makes you forget yourself even more than you just did. Dropping to my knees and pleasuring you that way. My favorite way.” He tapped his glass against his knee with a lost look. “You think my hand is wondrous? My lips are destructive.”
</i>

Content Warnings:

PTSD triggered from breaking glass

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes: (I was listening to audio so my percentages are probably off a bit)

22% - kiss
33% - small fantasy in the hero’s mind
59% - kisses, fingering orgasm for her
72% - kisses, fingering for her, sex (virginity loss for her)
100% - fade to black in epilogue

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

Should I read in order? 
I’ve read books 1-3, and 6-7 of this series. It almost feels like two series together in one, as I couldn’t figure out how the Langley sisters tied into the prior books. Anyway, I think to get the best appreciation for the story you could read the sisters trilogy, which starts with The Duke’s Stolen Bride (book 5). You’ll get some exposure to Nora and their life. This book is okay as a stand alone though – there’s minor references to other characters. Just know that Nora has made aphrodisiac potion in the past and it was a plot point for a prior book.

Basic plot:
Nora has been fascinated with botany and creating tinctures to heal the ailments of those around her. She trained under her father, and when her father passes, she keeps the medical correspondence under his name. One man she writes to is Constantine Sinclair, who at the time was an army colonel overseas. When he returns to find the Doctor Langley, but instead finds Nora, our story begins.

Give this a try if you want:
- Victorian time period – This story takes place in 1866
- A mix of country estate and London setting
- Soldier hero that is inheriting a dukedom and botany loving heroine that aspires to be a doctor
- Medium steam – but SLOW BURN – there are 2 scenes but they are both past 70% and you don’t get any kisses before that either
- A bit of an enemies to lovers feel but it doesn’t last too long


My thoughts:
Constantine is a cousin 4 times removed from the family tree. The son a solicitor, no one ever thought he’d come close to inheriting the dukedom. That is exactly what happens though after the current duke and duchess lose all 3 of their sons to different tragic circumstances. 

Never knowing he was going to be in the aristocracy, Constantine entered the army and worked his way up to colonel by the time he was pulled home. Upon returning the somber household of the Duke of Birchwood, he finds the duchess suffering from a mysterious malady. He knows just who could assist him – the Doctor Langley he’s been corresponding with for a number of years. He is shocked to find out the good doctor has been dead for 5 years and he’s actually been communicating with Nora.

I really struggled with this book. There was a lot of negativity here that trailed throughout the book. I enjoyed the characters separately a lot. I thought they had good backgrounds and could work well together but it was never really pulled off for me. Their interactions didn’t sell me on their romance sadly and I just didn’t see how they came to fall in love. 

I liked that there wasn’t a lot outside plot craziness going on here, but because the main characters weren’t really interacting too much together, really with each other, I ended up getting bored. They were together in rooms, but a lot of it was conversation flowing around them and I just wanted more connection between the two of them. 




Here’s a few random thoughts from the book

Story begins.
1. Heroine is nasty to the hero because she doesn’t know him.
2. Hero is nasty to the heroine because he DOES realize who she is.
3. Heroine follows hero to London where hero’s aquantances are nasty to the heroine.
4. The hero and heroine leave the house together and strangers are nasty to the heroine.
5. Hero’s father figure is nasty to the heroine.
6. Heroine makes an aphrodisiac potion to lessen the hero’s mother figures pain. He takes it test its potency. What follows is the one part of the book I liked – a hot sex scene.
7. They love each other. Kind of.
8. Sex.
9. Why is he controlling me? I hate him.
10. Wait I love you. The end.

Content Warnings:

Depression/grief
Serious medical condition (polymyalgia)

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:

73% - hero takes her aphrodisiac potion and has a raging boner. She goes to his room to check on him and she offers to assist him. She starts giving him a hand job.
90% - breast play, fingering for her, kisses, missionary 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?
Sure, why not?? There are characters here that make appearances throughout the series. Though if you don’t mind not knowing other characters backgrounds this one is okay to jump into as a stand alone.

Basic plot:
Lady Hell (Helena) spends her time running her father’s shipping business and attempting to thwart Roan (Duke of Leighton) out of sales he desires. An experience 10 years ago has created this tense relationship but they cannot seem to leave each other alone and it soon results in a fake engagement during the holidays.

Give this a try if you want:
- Late Regency period – 1823
- Half in London, half at the hero’s country house (or maybe ¼ and ¾)
- Much of the story takes place around Christmas
- Medium steam – 3 full scenes but this book has a touch shorter page count so may feel hotter
- Class differences – hero is a duke, heroine was raised on the docks
- A touch of fake relationship and enemies to lovers – neither really lasts long
- You love a lot of focus on the relationship development – no villain or mystery going on here
- Ruined heroine!

(Hero is around 31/heroine around 27?)

My thoughts:
Tracy Sumner is doing something amazing with this series! Each book has been so romantic with unique characters and some playfulness mixed in.

Here we have Roan, the Duke of Leighton, who has wanted Helena since first sight. He’s never been able to get into her good graces, as rumors of his escapades color her opinions. Watching him chase after her and ever so sweetly beat down her defenses while taking nothing of her away was uber sweet. Also, Id like to point out that he’s left handed so woohoo for finally seeing one of my kind in a historical romance.

And our heroine, Helena, Lady Hell to the ton, and Hellie to Roan. She’s so strong and independent, but endearing because she lets you into her heart and her fears that she will just never be enough as a duchess. She knows what she can do and what she’s comfortable with, which is running her business on the docks – so seeing her go out of her comfort zone for her love of Roan and him supporting her every step of the way was beautiful.

I really enjoyed this story, though I must admit I loved The Brazen Bluestocking just a touch more (just a character attachment!). There’s something about Sumner’s writing I just find so poetic and I find myself continually highlighting everything because it’s so breathtaking I want to capture it. Its filled with romance, and longing, and little touches and thoughts. Her intimate scenes are a wonderful mix of character thoughts and emotions, the pull towards each other, the explosion of passion as well as the details.

Each title has a short description/phrase, almost like a chapter title and I LOVED that. I can’t remember who I used to read when I was much younger that did that regularly, but I always enjoyed that part of books and I haven’t seen much like that since then.

One of my only complaints was about 60% through the book (Not really a spoiler. But I don’t want to make people see something they won’t see otherwise so check this out after you read it.)

I started visually picking up the italicized words and it was like once I saw it I couldn’t unsee it. It just seemed like there were a lot of emphasized words – just pure weirdness here from me and nothing that really affected the story, it just affected my reading a bit.

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

I thought the entire idea behind and talking about the Leighton Cluster was hilarious.

I loved when he was so wrapped up in her when he was removing her splinter he almost starts kissing her hand in public.

And their first kiss

Taking advantage of her breathless pause and his violent craving, he captured her lips, his demand conveyed in his touch.
(Some skipped)
Although now, he had leagues of experience. His intent was fully manageable. Cool, calm, collected purpose. Practice prowess. The ability to seduce.
Until the kiss ignited like a fresh wick dipped into a flame and raced away from him.
Just before Helena closed her eyes, Roan caught arousal spilling into them like cream into oolong tea. A feeling rose in him, one unfamiliar but welcome. An emotion strong enough to cause his heart to flutter, his breath to snag. The sensation was sharper than humble yearning, more potent than mere lust.
It scared him to death even as he embraced it.

And when they get caught

Obviously, fate intervened in its merciless way.
When a recently hired footman and a giggling maid who’d been looking for a place to share a quick tumble stumbled in and found the Duke of Leighton’s hands full of Lady Hell.
And Lady Hell’s Hands equally full of him.


After getting married and sitting through a dinner with little touches and whispers…

They raced to their bedroom. Raced.
“You’re not fast enough.” Roan panted and reached to toss her over his shoulder when they hit the first landing, taking the remaining stairs to the chamber two at a time. The hallway was thankfully deserted as he’d given his staff an early night, so no saw his hand drift under her skirt to cup her bottom as he loped down the corridor.


How friggen romantic

Roan caught her lips in a possessive kiss as he moved within her. Stretching, filling. Pleasure darts of fire danced along the back of her legs, her bottom, her spine.
“I’m doomed to want you every day, Hellie. Every hour. Every second. Never experience another release without your tastes on my lips, your scent in my nose. The feel of you imprinted on my fingertips.”


After she leaves and runs to London, this references the bets taken for how long their marriage would last.

Roan was in London.
The broadsheets had been full of his return without his duchess. And after lying in wait in the alley behind her warehouse, the newspaper rats then realized she’d returned without her duke.
Apparently, he’d caused a disturbance at White’s, ripping out a page in that useless betting book, throwing his fist into some bloke’s corpulent face. The glow this ridiculous gesture created in her belly was pathetic.



Fucking beautiful.

He’d come without a hint of a duke about him.
Dressed as informally as she’d ever seen him dress, looking like a man of industry, no, of labor. An enticement he knew, knew, would light her up inside. Tinder to dry birch. Pique her interest, earn her respect, as nothing else could. Bundled up in a heavy wollen coat, rumbled buckskins covering his long legs, Wellingtons that had been through the muck and then some on his feet. A flat cap of indiscriminate origin jammed on his head. Gloves stained. Dark hair dampened with sweat, cheeks flushed, a streak of dirt smeared across his jaw. She cataloged faster than her mind could assimilate, hungry for him.
Hungry and weak.
Weak. Weak. Weak.
A vision of being tangled in his arms, her legs wrapped around him, her fingers plunging into his hair as his hips thrust, rolled through her like a fever.
She could be his in the elemental ways.

Content Warnings:

Loss of parents discussed
Talk of sexual manipulation of heroine from her first lover

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:

45% - kiss, she climbs on top of him on a piano bench, some groping and dry humping
54% - kiss
65% 🔥 - kisses, fingering for her where she shows him what she likes (adding another finger in and showing him the rhythm) and tells him how she thinks of him while touching herself. Mirror usage. She gives him a handjob.
73% 🔥 - kisses, breast play, oral for her, missionary
77% - brief remembered scene
80% - Remembered/alluded to sex
90% 🔥 - Kisses with him holding her up against a wall, moving to the floor for missionary

Overall: 4.5 rounded to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Humor: Not much

Should I read in order?
Ideally, yes. You’ll get the feel of the Highland guard characters that appear in various books together. For this one, I would say maybe read book 5 at least (The Saint) because the hero and heroine from that book, MacKay and Helen are in this book and there is a rivalry between the two men. I wish I had read book 5 closer to this one actually because there were just a couple things mentioned that were tugging at my memory but I couldn’t recall (I had read that book about a year and a half ago). But still, most of the story in this one is on Kenneth and Mary and I think you can still enjoy the story on its own.

Basic plot:
In the uncertain times of 1309, Mary is sent to Scotland to try to smooth a truce between the country and England. While there, she meets Kenneth and the attraction is undeniable. After a terrible marriage, she craves a night of passion that Kenneth is more than willing to provide. The trouble happens when he realizes who exactly she is.

Give this a try if you want:
- Story takes place in 1309/1310 during the time of Robert the Bruce
- A mix of Scotland and England for setting
- Medium to higher steam – 4 full scenes and 1 brief
- Celibate hero – the hero doesn’t have another woman once he meets the heroine, even though they are separated for 6 months
- A bit of secret identity feel in the beginning
- Second chance feel though they aren’t separated for a long period of time

My thoughts:
McCarty sure can write. I find myself always truly enjoying her stories. They make me emotional and I find myself totally immersed in the setting and characters. This one was no different. I haven’t read her in about a year and a half, so it was amazing to dive in again.

Sometimes her books can dump a lot of information on you in a short period of time – especially in the beginning. She’s chosen a time period and place for this book lush with historical facts, so if you find yourself having a hard time in the beginning try to stick it out for 50-60 pages.

I really loved a lot about this book. The beginning was just perfect to me. I loved both Mary and Kenneth and when they meet it is 🔥🔥🔥. Every time I read a McCarty I want to stay it’s my favorite book, and I’m pretty sure I said that about this one as well.

Kenneth is trying so hard to get into Bruce’s secret army and he will stop at nothing to make it happen. One problem though, is his temper always getting him into trouble. He gets too riled up and makes mistakes. This comes to haunt him in the story a number of times. But his love for Mary is immediate and intense and I just adore ‘hero loves first’. How vulnerable he gets with Mary melted my heart.

Mary has had a number of challenges in life. Married and a mother at 14, her first husband was a proud patriot of Scotland. He put his family in danger a number of times and eventually abandoned them in England until he was dealt a traitor’s death by Edward. The most damaging aspect of Mary’s marriage was the constant cheating her husband did. It devastated her heart and broke her trust in men. Kenneth always tends to have a flock of women around him and with him keeping secrets to keep her safe, she thinks the worst of him.

I did get a little frustrated dealing with the hamster wheel of worrying about infidelity and short tempers and it lessened by enjoyment of the second half. Still I was totally engaged in this story and had to know what happened.

As always, McCarty’s author notes are just as fascinating, if a bit more heartbreaking, than the story itself. I just love her.


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

I love an arrogant hero!

He leaned closer, and for a moment she feared he would kiss her. The pounding in her chest was because she didn’t want him to. She didn’t want to feel the heat of those warm, soft lips on hers.
His gaze pinned her. “I think you’d better reconsider.”
Her breath was so tight she barely managed, “Why?”
He smiled. “Because I don’t think Felton would like having his wife in my bed, and that’s where you’re going to be.”



He’s so cocky

“I merely meant, what am I going to get in return for doing my duty in bearing your children?”
His mouth hardened, and his eyes glinted with a dangerous spark of steel. “You will have my name, my protection and preside as chatelaine over any land the king returns to me. One day the child you are carrying will be the Earl of Sutherland.” He learned closer. She could see the dark shadow of his beard along the hard lines of his jaw and remembered how it had felt rubbing over her skin. “And every time I take you in my bed, you will come.”

Content Warnings:

Underage marriage/pregnancy – heroine was 14 when married and had a baby
Violence, death on page, battles, explosions, broken bones happen during the highland games
Removal of infant forcibly from mother – heroine loses her child to King Edward when he was 6 months old
Heroine keeps her pregnancy a secret from the hero
Death of heroine’s twin
Brief discussions of losing parents
If you are sensitive to infidelity, I would consider skipping this one. The heroine was cheated on in her first marriage, repeatedly. The hero never cheats on this heroine, but she thinks he does numerous times and it’s talked/thought about a lot.

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:

Pg 92 🔥 – kisses, groping while heroine’s on the table, move to the floor for missionary
Pg 217 – kiss
Pg 246 🔥  – kisses, breast touches, cock touches, fingering, oral for her, missionary
Pg 274 – her on top (very brief, not even a full page)
Pg 296 🔥  – her facing the wall, him behind her 
Pg 327 🔥  – kisses, breast play, him standing against the bed and her laying in it.

Overall: 3.5 rounded to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔
Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Intimate Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Humor: Just a touch

Basic plot
Gabriel has never forgotten his young love Edward. Heartbroken, his letters left unanswered, he has become a vicar and lives a simple life of helping others. Edward removed himself to London to live the life of a rake and forget the abuse he’s suffered by his father. Unfortunately, one of his escapades gets him noticed by the Duke of Sussex, who will stop at nothing to harm Edward for his actions.

Give this a try if you want:
- M/M romance – our heroes are Edward and Gabriel
- Regency time period – this one takes place in 1818
- Hero nurses hero back to health
- Childhood friends to lovers
- A bit of action/mystery mixed in – Gabriel and Edward work together to save Edward
- Mix of country and London setting
- Medium to higher steam – 4 scenes, I found most of them plenty explicit and well developed


My thoughts:
This is Annabelle Greene’s debut novel and I really loved a lot of it! I did listen to the audiobook with Cornell Collins, who I am now obsessed with. His voice was perfect to me and really loved listening to him tell me the story.

Edward and Gabriel grew up together. There were feelings there, but nothing was acted on. When Edward inherited the dukedom, he went to London without a goodbye and didn’t answer any of Gabriel’s letters that arrived. Gabriel stayed in the country with his self-imposed celibacy and became a vicar to try to do some good in the world.

Edward causes all sorts of uproar in London with his behavior, but when he’s caught in a compromising position in the stables with the Duke of Sussex’s son, the duke will stop at nothing to end Edward’s life. He retires to the country in hiding. Immediately upon his return he finds a sick Gabriel that he nurses back to health.

I really loved a lot about this story. I thought the characters were lovable. I liked the supporting cast of family members and animals. I loved the intimate scenes. Some parts were really tender to me, and I loved how Edward opened up with Gabriel and was vulnerable in ways he hadn’t been with others in the bedroom.

Some of it went off the rails for me in regards to the whole duke vs Edward plot, especially towards the end. I also could have used a bit more character depth. You got a bit with Edward with the abuse he suffered, but I wanted his recovery explored a bit more. And I definitely wanted to know Gabriel more.

I would 100% try this author again.

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

Should I read in order?
Yup. I jumped into this one and was okay with it, but other characters and past events are referenced and I’m sure there’s some build up of character for these two mains in the prior book. So to give it the best chance of enjoyment you should try to go in order.

Basic plot
Jilly has had her heart broken and she really just needs some sister time. She travels to Japan for a visit, not knowing her sister and husband are in hiding. Jilly gets roped into all sorts of danger when she arrives, and is rescued by Reno, her adolescent crush.

Give this a try if you want:
- Plenty of action! These two don’t sit still for long.
- Medium to higher steam
- Unrequited love – the heroine has loved the hero since she first met him years ago
- Tall heroine – both the hero and heroine are described as near 6 feet
- Tattooed, bad boy hero, innocent and a bit naive heroine

My thoughts:
Oof. This book! It could have been SO GOOD!!! It had so many elements I was totally loving and into and things I have wanted in a romance.

But there was so much that drove me nuts too.

Reno is a jerk. Which is fine, because I loooooove me a jerk hero. But I also want him to eventually feel some remorse or at least change his behavior by the end. And I only felt that happened in the smallest amount. These two fight almost the entire book. And the worst thing about this book was I was just not convinced of their love by the end. I wasn’t convinced he really loved her and they would stay together.

Jilly is sweet but also a bit frustrating. She makes a few dumb and dangerous decisions that immediately get her into trouble.

While I didn’t love the characters banter, this could have totally just been the contemporary lingo rubbing me the wrong way after reading decades of historical romance lol. But I wanted more character depth too. I won’t that against the book because I did choose to dive into book 5. I’m sure there was a bit of build up of the characters in the prior stories.

What got me about this book was it just felt so repetitive. I loved their first meeting together. Danger, grabbing, secrecy, hurrying to safety. I loved that. But then it was a repeat of the “THE RUSSIANS ARE HERE!” “RUN!” Enter new area. “THE RUSSIANS ARE HERE!” “RUN!” Enter new area (insert some groping and/or sex) repeat basically the entire book. Though at the end of the book you get to replace Russians with Japanese. It was just...It got predictable and annoying to me.

I still give 3 stars because there were aspects I loved about this book. I wish I had liked it more. But, suspense isn’t my favorite thing so as a friend pointed out perhaps I shouldn’t be reading romantic suspense :P

Also! I wanted to love the sex and again I loved PARTS of it, but overall I was a bit disappointed in it sadly. It was explicit but I wanted….more? More explicitness. More details. I guess I’ve had some authors spoil me and I just want all the details now.

I would definitely try another by this author but I don’t think one by this series. I plan on trying her historicals soon.

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

I LOVE this stuff in romance. Yes. Grab me. Please.

She took a step backward, her bare feet silent on the tatami mats, when something came at her from the darkened cavern of the bedroom, swooping down on her like a giant bird of prey, clamping a hand over her mouth before she screamed, holding her back against his body in an iron grip. And it was a “him”. Taller than she was, and much, much stronger. Any attempt she made to struggle was swiftly countered. She kicked her long legs back, and one leather-clad leg caught hers as he pulled her back into the bedroom with rough hands, closing the door, trapping them in there.

She immediately stopped struggling. He had one arm wrapped around her waist, like an iron bar, pressing against her ribs. He loosened the pressure slightly as he felt her stillness.

He does try to care here

He moved away from his spot against the door, opening it. He turned off the light, plunging them into darkness once more, and he took her hand in an unbreakable grip. “Just stay with me and look straight ahead,” he growled. “Why did you turn off the lights? I thought we were safe.” “There are some things you’re better off not seeing.”

This part I didn’t really understand. I don’t get how he thought her fearless, strong or adventurous. They meet, she is in danger, hides, passes out, is in danger again, runs...I don’t get how any of that has been established about her character.

She was like her sister in many ways – fearless, strong, adventurous. Most of the women he slept with would have been babbling hysterically by now. But Jilly had merely endured, even as she passed the dead bodies and escaped hired killers.

Did enjoy this part when he comes back to rescue her while she’s freezing in the woods and she tackles him in relief

He lay still beneath her for a moment, then pulled her arms away from his neck, pushing her up so he could look at her. “I’m hard to kill,” he said. There was an odd expression in his eyes, one she couldn’t read.

He does give her his jacket (love) but calls her an idiot (eww) – and don’t get me wrong I can LOVE a jerk hero but name calling is just...I don’t know. Immature?

So arrogant! Lol

“I’m not having sex with you, even pretend sex.”
“I don’t remember that I asked you for sex. If I’d wanted it, we would have already done it.”

Love the scene in the capsule. That was probably my favorite thing of the whole book.

They were on their sides, face-to-face, and she realized belatedly that she should have left her bra on. Left all her clothes on, and borrowed a suit of armor, as well. She was lying plastered up against him, her legs almost as long as his, hip to hip, breast to chest, faces too damned close.
“Go to sleep,” he said, his voice cool and bored. She tried to move back, but his arm snaked around her, holding her there.

(some skipped)

A second later Reno moved, from what seemed like a sound sleep to a pantherlike speed, and she was lying beneath him, pinned, and in the darkness she could see his eyes glittering, staring down at her.
And for a moment the world seemed to fall away, as his mouth lowered toward hers.


This was kind of cute in a weird way – when he refuses to masturbate after she goes to sleep

Like a twelve-year-old kid, he wanted to keep his erection, and think about her.


Yes, yes it is.

Was it rape when someone forced an orgasm on you? Maybe.


This is sweet

The nape of her neck had to be the hottest thing he’d ever seen, vulnerable, the spiky blond hair curling slightly above it.


And when she chucks a shoe at him. Yes. Yes! Hands on the wall caging her is my favorite!

He rose, slowly, moving toward her with sinuous menace, and if Jilly had been any kind of coward, she would have backed up.
“I told you not to hit me again,” he said in a low dangerous voice.
She wasn’t going to react. “I didn’t hit you. You caught it.”
“The intent was there.”
Okay, so she took a step back. A couple, as a matter of fact. But he just kept on coming, and the studio apartment was very small, and he was very big and there was no where to run.
She ended up against the wall, trapped, and he put his hands on either side of her, keeping her there. “Don’t tempt me,” he said in a low growl.

Content Warnings:

-Tons of violence and death on page – throats slashed, necks broken, blood, gun shots/wounds
-Hero thinks of the heroine as an “idiot bitch”
-Hero knocks out heroine (she dares him)
-Japanese hero is thought of as “exotic” by the heroine
-Hero mentions multiple times how much he hates American women except for fucking
-Heroine punches hero in anger
-Heroine kills someone with a gun and goes into shock
-Some elements of dubcon/possibly non/con – the hero is quite pushy in a few instances and then they have sex right after the heroine kills someone and is in shock. She asks him for it but how well could she consent in that state of mind? This doesn’t bother me but could be something that doesn’t work for you at all.
-Heroine is almost thrown off a bridge and hit by a car

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes: (Another reviewer noted 5 sex scenes so I could totally be missing one)

29% - kisses, fingering orgasm for her
55% - kisses, oral for her, missionary sex while the heroine is in shock
63% - kisses, breast play, blow job (not to completion), her on top, missionary
74% - kiss
91% - missionary sex 

Overall: 3.5 rounded to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖📖 
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋 
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔 
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡ 
Romance: 💞💞💞💞 
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋 
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑 
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥 
Humor: Just a bit 

(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 The Ton and Tartans Book Club on facebook) 

Should I read in order?

I did not read the first book and this one is absolutely perfect as a place to dive in. I don’t think the first couple is mentioned in this story? 

Basic plot: 

Agatha finds a swarm of bees in her work area and she is introduced to Penelope. They develop a friendship that slowly evolves into more. 

Give this a try if you want: 

- Regency time period – story begins in spring of 1820 

- There is a small period of letters exchanged between the two mains that I thought was extremely sweet and touching 

- Older heroines – I believe Agatha is 45 but I didn’t catch Penelope’s age 

- Slow burn, medium steam – You have to wait forever to get it, but when Waite brings the sex it’s hot 

- F/F romance 

- Working women – one runs a printing press and one is a beekeeper 

- A touch of forbidden love and heaviness – the society structures of the time, judgement, marriage laws are a factor in their relationship 

- A bit of a grumpy/sunshine feel 

My thoughts:

I’m so conflicted about this book! There was so much emotional punch and sweetness, hot sex, and important and heartbreaking issues dealt with. But there was also a lot I didn’t need or want. 

I loved the aspect of bee keeping. How fun is that! And I thought the printing press was also quite interesting. Our heroine’s had such love and understand for their careers and it gave them extra depth to their characters. The letters exchanged between our heroines were my favorite parts. The worry of what to put on paper and the uncertainty of how it will be received in the first blush of a relationship. As an introvert that has strengthened many bonds solely through written text to others, I really loved this. 

I’m sure if you’ve seen me talk about books you know I’m not a huge fan of outside plot filled books. I love the focus to be on the relationship and in this one, there was kind of a lot of other stuff going on. I will say the heroines were together for much of the book so that was a big plus for me too. 

There was kind of a strange side plot related to the exiled queen returning that I really had no interest in and could have done without. 

It’s very much a slow burn and you’ll be waiting until after 70% of the book for even a kiss. There is a lot of wanting, longing, thinking of each other and wondering, waiting, analyzing all the little touches that prelude physical intimacy that was nicely done. When the sex happens I found it pleasantly hot and explicit – they have fun with fingering, oral and dildos. 

I’m glad I read I read this one even though it wasn’t a favorite for me. And I would definitely try another by Waite in the future. (This was my first by her) 

Content Warnings: 

Talk of animal cruelty in relation to bees and their care 

Levels of infidelity – Penelope is still married when they begin their relationship, though it’s explained why she’s okay with having other relationships 

Imprisonment of a side character in stocks 

 

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes: 

72% - kisses, fingering, oral 

76% - kisses, touches, dildo sex 

95% - kisses, fingering/sex 

 

Overall: ⭐️⭐️ 
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖 
Feels: 🦋 
Emotional Depth: 💔 
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡ 
Romance: 💞💞💞 
Sensuality: 💋💋 
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥
Humor: Not really

(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 The Ton and Tartans Book Club on facebook)

Should I read in order?
I did not read book 1 and do think this one stands fine on its own. There’s some brief appearances of the couple from book 1 in the series, nothing major.

Basic plot:
Tate and Liz have been friends since childhood. Liz wanted more, but Tate was clueless so she finally moved on. Tate doesn’t understand why he hasn’t seen Liz – he hunts her down and realizes she has a boyfriend. Jealousy ensues, which soon morphs into feelings of protection when Liz’s boyfriend shows his true colors.

Give this a try if you want:
- Medium steam – a handful of open door scenes, average length
- a thriller disguised as a romance
- lots of time spent with the villain, talking about the villain, in the villains head
- childhood friends to lovers romance trope

My thoughts:
Oof. Well. 

I found this book to not be a romance. Really. Nope. It’s a book about a woman who is abused by her ex-boyfriend and the entire book is spent focused on him and his behavior. 

I could not get into this book. So little of the time spent was actually focused on the couple. I felt like I had the same amount of time in the villain’s head as I did the main characters. I feel like I know the villain better than the hero or heroine. I kept waiting for it to take a break from how awful he was and focus on some relationship development but it never happened :( 

Lots of content warnings here for the things the villain does. It was just over the top with the never ending drama. Sadly, this book didn’t work for me at all. 

Content Warnings:

Mention of overdose death
Threatening relationship
Jealousy
Attempted sexual assault – heroine’s date physically assaults and attempts to kiss her
Stalking, threatening texts
Murder committed on page
Attempted murder
Violence/threatening

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:

4% - light kiss with heroine and date (not hero)
26% - kiss
31% - additional kiss with villain, attempted assault
33% - kisses
37% - kiss
39% - kisses, breast touches
51% - kisses
54% - first sex scene
66% - quickie against a door and another time remembered, another scene right after.
73% - fingering and sex

Overall: 3.5 rounded to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋   
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔  
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡ 
Romance: 💞💞 
Sensuality: 💋💋💋 
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑 
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥 
Humor: Yes, a bit

(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 The Ton and Tartans Book Club)

Should I read in order? 
This book does feel like it stands alone in the series really well. But, it is a second generation story, so I would at least read Barbarous, which is the hero’s parents story. (Start with Dangerous and read the whole Outcasts series, followed by the entire series if you want the full timeline of events)

Basic plot:
This is a dual story line between two twin brothers finding love. Lucien was pushed into marriage years ago when he was compromised with Phil. Their story is a second chance romance. Celia, the driving catalyst for Lucien’s marriage, has been shamed out of society for ten years. She returns to Lucien and his brother Richard’s circle when her companion she works for is invited to their younger siblings wedding. The second (and main) love story in the book is between Richard and Celia.

Give this a try if you want:
- Lower to mid steam – Lucien and Phil have one scene, Richard and Celia have 2 but they are fairly close together.
- Antiheroine story – Celia was a mean girl, a bully, and this story shows her downfall and recovery
- Late regency time period (1828)
- The beginning of the book takes place in London, but the majority of it is at Lucien and Richard’s country home
- Multiple POV – you’ll have at least 4 between the 2 couples

My thoughts:
So I’ll admit I struggled with this one. It took me over a month to finish it. It was probably just me and my head place at the time. (I also got sick with covid at the end of the month and that’s when I finished it so that could totally have affected how I felt about the story). This has been my least favorite Minerva Spencer.

Part of it is that I do tend to struggle when there’s focus on more than one couple. I’m always wanting more from some of them, and I found that here with Lucien and Phil. They weren’t the main focus, but I found myself really loving their story and I didn’t get a ton of time with them and that made me sad. 

The pacing was a bit frustrating for me. The first half the book I just wanted to know more and everyone was still kind of at a standstill – relationships hadn’t progressed and I wasn’t in love with any character. Celia you are of course made to struggle with – she had ruined quite a few character’s lives. But the glimpses into her life I could have done with a bit more sooner. You kind of know what happened, but I wanted solid facts! The second half was much better and did turn to the book to 4 stars for me. 

I also felt like the steam and emotional aspect to the sex was lacking a bit in this one compared to the others I’ve read by her.  Maybe it’s because I still didn’t know Celia and Richard extremely well by the time they were intimate. I’m not sure. 

Content Warnings:

Implication that villain raped a boy servant (It’s never really resolved in detail)
Attempted sexual assault on page
Remembered rape/assault/abuse (not in detail)
Dubious consent sex with villain – he manipulated heroine
Bullying
Abandoned during pregnancy
Parental neglect
Loss of a parent

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes – I had the large print version so pages might be weird

Pg 21 – scenes of Richard with his mistress
Pg 164 – kisses between Richard and Celia
Pg 179 – Lucien and Phil kisses
Pg 253 – Richard and Celia fingering o for her, followed by sex
Pg 271 – Richard and Celia kisses, her on top
Pg 298 – Lucien and Phil sex scene
(Can’t recall total pages, maybe around 330)