Giving up on this about halfway through. It’s not necessarily a terrible book, but for ME it has become an absolute chore to read. I don’t want to. I’m treating it like it’s something I have to do. I just want to start something else.

Max has grown up in his half brothers shadow. His brother is very much the golden child, able to do no wrong and garners all the family attention. Max has eyes for Juliet, who has eyes for his half brother. The whole first chapter is a mess, establishing the mixed up family bonds but not how or why Max has any caring for Juliet. Max’s brother only wants the seasons original, which ends up being not Juliet. Max comforts Juliet when all this betrothel news breaks free and they are caught in a compromising position.

The book picks back up 5 years later. They are fully established enemies at this point, very snippy and tit for tat with every conversation. Juliet comes back to town, a widow, and is trying to buy her family home back. Which Max buys.

The book just wasn’t flowing well for me. I felt like I was always missing out on some piece of information, like what is going on? How did we get here? It picks up 5 years later and Juliet seems to be hanging out with Max’s mom quite frequently. Max and Juliet had already had one wager with each other when we jump into the story. They make another. I guess I would have more liked to have read a little of what happened during those 5 years. How did they come to talking again? What was their first meeting like after she was widowed? And who knows maybe the book does cover this and I didn’t get to it.

The reviews are actually really good on this book so I’m probably just in a mood. I don’t ever want to discourage someone from trying something (unless it has outright trigger spots in it) but it just wasn’t for me.

Ok at this point I’m going to get spoiler filled about why I quit. Please leave if spoilers aren’t something you want to read, or if you haven’t read the book and plan on it.

So they are basically enemies to lovers...too literally. Like they hate each other, yet have these thoughts in the back of their heads but not enough exploration or conversation to really establish these feelings. There wasn’t enough growth between then really and then the second time they are together and alone, they have sex. WHAT? Why? You (the heroine) hate this person, he bought your family house, and you just, do it?? And you’d think oh she’s a widow so she’s more experienced and not a naive virgin, but, another spoiler, she IS because her husband refused to touch her for 5 years. It’s just too unbelievable.

So I dunno maybe I’m just being harsh but I wasn’t into it. There were a few slightly funny parts. But there was too much I just didn’t like. I give up.

Wow I really do not like this book 🙈 I could not see where the attraction was coming from with Grey and Beatrice. When they met, Beatrice made up her mind about his character and judged him harshly. Apparently he finds her snark and attitude endearing and she catches his eye. She supposedly doesn’t like him but quickly falls into his arms whenever he quirks his finger.

I found this book rather boring, although I can’t specifically say why (there were plenty of things going, dialogue, plot movement..) I guess I just didn’t CARE. The murder mystery started taking over the book and I didn’t get any feels from it other than annoyance that refused to dissipate. The fact that Grey can kiss Beatrice then wonder if she’s a murderer, then go back to kissing her just made me roll my eyes.

I guess I just found both characters rather unlikable. 😢

I did like the whole set up of the series though and enjoyed meeting the other dukes. I will always give Sabrina Jeffries a try and look forward to the other new releases.

Wah. Another book falling flat for me.

The Duke of Brentworth has lands passed down to him that were given to his family by the crown. Davina knows those lands were rightfully her family’s. Being in Scotland, she would be the rightful heir of this property, if it’s found they do belong to her. Brentworth doesn’t want to give them up because of his shameful past at the estate.

I just found this book ever so...boring. I was just reading and reading and nothing seemed to happening. No tension. No character depth being built. Conversations taking place but I gleaned so little from them other than they both want the land. Both main characters just seemed so cold and one dimensional.

It’s a very slow burn. I did not read the other books in the series. Not sure if they provided any insight into either character. The book didn’t pick up at all for me until at least 2/3 through. Definitely not for me. 😢

I didn’t mind the hero yet I didn’t love him. The heroine seemed to spend most of book arguing with everyone over everything. She didn’t inspire hatred or extreme annoyance but there wasn’t anything exactly likeable about her. She was raised in America by a physician and taught and traveled all the way to London by herself yet thought she could get pregnant by laying next to a man 🙄 she’s poor and has nothing and doesn’t know what she will do *hand on forehead, mid swoon* yet fights tooth and nail over anything given to her; dresses, marriage, hospitality because she desires true love. None of these things in themselves I disagree with but when added together in this way she came off to me as an impossible to please nag.

The book had this almost fun, carefree writing style to it. Perspective shifts, short paragraphs to tell a story around a room. Parts were funny. I loved the Duke is a VIRGIN. However he has a reputation as a rake and some of the stories are just hilarious and ridiculous. He’s insatiable in the bedroom. He’s *literally* ridden a barge of women down the Thames...

However any good this book has going for it was ruined for me with all the rape. There’s lots of rape talk. There’s rape attempts. There’s actual rape. With a corpse. Yup. And it was horrible to me that that sexual encounter was longer and more descriptive than the MC double virginity loss. It was so dark and just so out of place with the main characters dialogue.

I didn’t feel the tension. The kisses made me feel nothing. The sex made me feel even less.

Just not impressed. There was too much going on and it was jumbled and mismatched in my opinion. If it was just the romance and was made into a fun romantic comedy I think it would have been better.

Overall I found this story quite different from the usual plots. The book begins with twin brothers Robert and John having a one sided discussion (as one is bound and gagged) over the others unjust imprisonment for EIGHT years and his brothers subsequent thief of his identity during that time. Very “man in the iron mask”, which I loved.

We also have....a virgin hero!! I do believe this is the first virgin I’ve found as a hero. I do wish it had been done more...virginly though. Yes I’m just totally making up words. But the fact that he was a virgin didn’t seem to change much of anything as the scenes read like many others, in my opinion.

Definitely not an action packed story. Lots of internalizing of feelings, wondering, thinking, lots of guilt...most of the action happens right at the end.

I feel like this could have been such a good heart wrenching love story but it juuuuust didn’t reach it for me. Overall I liked it. 3.75 stars. There were a couple parts that I laughed out loud at but it’s by no means a light hearted, funny story. Enjoyed her writing and will like to try more books by this author.

I am so totally conflicted over this book. A few parts I loved, most of it was boring, some of it was sad, some made me mad. I went in not expecting much because it was an older novel and I’m used to her more recent work and writing style.

I really think this book needs to state somewhere it’s a time travel. Some people hate them and avoid them. I like them, but I was so confused for the first 50 pages and had no idea what was going on. It’s probably enough to get enough people to put it down right there. The heroine essentially has two timelines that are merged, I guess, because honestly the whole time travel element was not done well or to completion, in my opinion. It tried to pull together at the end but I left the book still feeling a little...unresolved? Still I liked the ending better than Deverauxs A Knight in Shining Armor

I feel bad that I’ve been really disliking all the older Jillian Hunters I’ve been trying. They can be funny, although I didn’t find this one as funny as some of the others. I found it really boring and tedious and I just wanted it to be over. The heroine was unlikable, I didn’t feel any tension. Just not for me sadly. I do t even have the energy to write a true review. I just want to start something else. Lol

Sidney, our heroine, begins a research project testing her subjects on whether they will ruin a debutante or protect her honor. She chooses 3 research subjects, a Duke, a marquess and an earl and tries to lure them into a situation where a kiss would be taken. She ends up getting wrapped up in a tangle and trapped in a marriage she doesn't want.

Overall a fun, enjoyable story, definitely different. Loved the main characters storyline and experiences together. Adored that he couldn't resist repeatedly climbing into her window haha.

My complaints are, and this is probably self induced because I haven't been reading synopsis prior to starting a book, that I was pretty confused for the beginning part of the book. I felt conflicted because I didn't know who the hero would be. I did step back and read the book description and that helped. I then became irritated that the book spent so much time on and in the head of one of the not heroes. Perhaps he will be the hero of his own book, that I can understand. I love the time with the hero's head, so that again is a personal feeling. Fun, quick read though overall and loved the intimate scenes.

4.5 stars rounded to 5.

I loved most of this story! I dove right in and found it just hilarious, sexy and fun right from the beginning. Mina has been sheltered her whole life by her uncle, but she desperately dreams of adventure like her spy parents. Drew suffers from his past and has retreated to his Cornwall estate to work with turnips and sheep. I was worried this book would be extremely action filled and spy centered (similar to the last book in the series) which really isn't my thing. But, I just loved it. It had enough action and plot to move the story along yet was still focused on the tension, feelings, and relationship building.

This story had so much humor and fun in the beginning. A book that can have me grinning like a fool while reading it, I just adore that. Their relationship was so sweet the way it developed. I really wanted them to be together. I felt like I got to know their characters and spent time in both their heads to know what they were feeling.

Lenora Bell writes heroines that really go after what they want. I like that they aren't your usual shaking virgin with no idea about their bodies. They are curious virgins that can't wait to explore. (Not that she writes only virgins, this book was though) Her scenes are detailed and steamy. Shes an author that is quickly becoming a favorite to try.

My only complaint comes at the end of the book. I just did NOT understand the whole delay to marriage thing. And the fact that Mina lets it go 2 weeks is just absurd to me. I loved Drew so much at this point that I felt like Mina lost major points with me for acting like that. Haha. But seriously enjoyed this book overall. It was a book that every time I had to stop I was thinking about getting back to it. So excited to put the kids to bed so I could continue reading. I highly recommend.

This has been my favorite so far of Jillian Hunter's pre-Bocastle novels, however still just okay to me. Anthony returns to the island of Abandon, eager to sell it and be rid of the responsibility. Morwenna fights for him to keep the isle and protect its inhabitants.

So many of her older books are pretty strong in the 'enemies to lovers' feel and honestly it was annoying. Non stop bickering that just made most of the books I've tired unlikable. I didn't find that really with this one, although there are twinges of that attitude.

This book is on the lighter side, slightly funny, some magic thrown in...it was nothing truly memorable to me, but nothing annoying either.