This book was exactly what I needed. I was complaining I haven't had anything 'unputdownable' (totally making up words) and this book totally sucked me in. I started it pretty late Thanksgiving night and just kept reading and reading and when I finally turned my kindle off and closed my eyes, I laid there ANGRY that I wasn't still reading. It actually bothered me so much, I picked up and just kept reading haha.

Heath has another series prior to this called Scoundrels of St. James which is about the parents of these characters. Both the Duke and Grace from this book, their parents have stories from this series. I haven't read either, but it did make me want to try them.

Grace is ready to begin the search for a husband, at her father's wish. She has a secret that she is sure true love will conquer but doesn't quite know how to tell love from a fortune hunter. She enlists the help of the Duke of Lovingdon, a family friend, at least before the death of his wife and child.

Lovingdon has totally withdrawn into himself. Basically abandoning his family, he has searched out only the basic needs for pleasure to dull the pain of losing his family. Drinking and brothels repeat endlessly. Until Grace barges into his life. Grace who isn't a small girl stuck in trees with scrapes on her knees anymore.

There's an age difference here, can't remember exactly how much older the hero is, but I think its either 7 or 9 years? I thought it was done pretty well though. They have known each other forever and he never really 'saw' Grace in that light. He was like an older brother, a friend, and it takes a quite a few encounters for him to see Grace as a woman.

The things I loved about this book were the feels. So much of it was spent in the hero's head, and I am always a sucker for that. Watching Lovingdon basically 'awaken' after secluding himself in his pain, was oh so sweet. Grace was perfect for pulling him out his guilt. Grace was an enjoyable character to me. She wasn't super sassy, she wasn't a wallflower. She was a society darling and everyone just loved her, myself included.

My favorite parts were the duke slowly but surely falling head over heels in love with her. He first imparts advice 'If he loves you...' and states things Grace should look out for with her many, many suitors. But as time goes on, he is sharing his own feelings without even realizing it. He is sharing how he loves her and it's oh so sweet and beautiful. I adore his jealousy and how he doesn't know how to to handle it. I love how he loses control with Grace.

My complaints are the middle just pulling something away for me. I'm not sure if it was the little villain aspect, but I just wasn't as attached to the book after the midway point, but I loved the ending. The sex scenes I wanted to be longer. It felt like the book had so much tension, feels, and build up, then the sex was so short and almost lacked some of that feeling that was there. Just totally a personal preference/observation. I adored all the kisses and touches in this book. It made it amazing.

Aveline has a father that can't stay away from the gaming tables. Running them right into the poor house, he loses a massive 3,000 pound sum to Lucien, illegitimate son on a duke. Aveline goes to Lucien begging him to void the debt. Lucien demands three nights with Aveline as payment.

I really disliked this book. Pure personal reasons here. I don't like when sexual encounters happen too soon in the book, but sometimes it can work (Lisa Kleypas' Suddenly You comes to mind). In this book so much was spent right off the get go of them together but I didn't know who they were. I didn't care if they were together. There as no build up, no tension. Ok well, that can be fine, let's see what happens in the rest of the book, I thought to myself.

They come together again 5 years later. As the book progresses it just made me angry. Literally every character in the book made me angry. I have never wanted to rip out pages of a book with my teeth, but somehow me doing that to this book came to mind. I just couldn't stand the animosity between the two main characters. I get WHY it was there, but how they each handled it had me so mad. The lack of trust, just going on and on. How they handled basically every situation. I just could not like it.

I also felt like there was so much going on in this book. The couple had so many issues and really needed some time together to just build that relationship, get to know each other, let ME get to know them, build some tension, but I didn't feel it. It just seemed to jump from one thing to the next, never really giving me the solid resolution I wanted for each scenario. They just seemed to love each other one day and I didn't really feel how they got there. I was just happy to be done with this.

I can't say I don't recommend this book. You never know what you will like, and this might be it for you. If you like plenty of plot devices, enemies to lovers, a bit of mystery (though not overwhelming) then perhaps give it a try. I would consider trying Debra Mullins again, but definitely look for a different synopsis.

This book was great and really interesting! It talks about a number of health and contamination problems in the 1800s in London. Dead bodies, cess pools, ash, smoke, disease, bathing, mud, poop, clean water...It was really interesting. My complaint was that is was a little dry and hard to get through at some points. Still, well researched and has opened my eyes to a whole new world behind my historical romances I so love to read.

3.5 stars
When I started it, I was totally engaged for about the first 1/3. Then, due to a number of reasons, my interest waned and I am just finishing it up now.

There's a lot to love about this book. I think you would enjoy this book if:
-you like plenty of action and plot changes
-you enjoy an antihero
-you like pirate stories
-you like a bit of mystery
-you like mixed class/a bit of enemies to lovers

Lucy is the daughter of the every so important and respected Admiral. She's lived a pampered, sheltered existence, enjoying the life of balls, gowns, etc. Except her relationship with her father breaks your heart. She is paying for faults that are not her own that her father can't forgive. Lucy is a different person around her father. Naive, weak, meek, she just wants that love so bad. And while she can be a little annoying, you just hurt for her too. And you want her to have everything she deserves in life. The best part of all this is how much Gerard brings out the best in her. That fire. That love. That spunk. I adored when they were together.

Gerard has had struggles his whole life. The beginning chapter sets up his life as a young boy, and your heart breaks for him. Cunning, smart, focused on revenge, yet tender, chivalrous to Lucy. He sees what she hides from her father, her true personality.

The first part of this book, I adored. It takes place on the sea and I was totally loving it. Lucy is kidnapped, the interactions between her and her captor I just loved. I wish the whole thing took place on the boat.

Gerard and Lucy meet on land, back in London. Gerard becomes her bodyguard and this is where it slowed down a bit for me. There were a lot of really sweet scenes. And funny. But I just kept waiting and waiting for their relationship to progress. It didn't get to the point I wanted. This book is pretty long, over 400 pages, and not overly steamy. I think I just wanted a bit more focus on the relationship, it was very focused on the revenge, the Admiral, the action. But none of this makes it a bad story. I think it's just not a favorite for me. This could have also been with Christmas being right around the corner and me watching Outlander, I just might have needed something different to pull me in.

Harriet is a governess. Charles Davenham is Viscount Wynford and is in need of someone to help his sister secure a decent husband. His sister believes she needs no help, as she has been reading The Husband Hunter's Guide to London.

There is more the Charles than meets the eye. He is not a lazy Viscount, wasting his time and fortune on nonsense. He is actively engaged in helping his country and find information.

I think you would like this book if:
-you like a mystery aspect
-you like the spy trope
-you like class differences
-you want a Christmas story
-you like clean or low steam romances

This story was not at all for me. A mysterious Marchioness from France shows up early in the story. And she seems to just take it over. It was all about her and her interactions with everyone. I felt like very little time was spent on the actual couple. It was all other stuff. The marchioness. Harriet and her charge. Charles doing spy stuff. I didn't see or feel the romance at all, sadly. It's also way low steam for me, I didn't realize it was a clean romance going into it. Not a bad story, just not for me. I will say I had no problems reading this as a standalone novel.

Thank you, netgalley, for the ARC. This is my honest opinion about this book.