I was struggling to like this book. In the beginning, I liked the hero but the heroine was a little annoying. The whole premise where the heroine is in love with someone else is not one I enjoy at all. Luckily it doesn’t last too long into the book.

By the time we had the first kiss, I felt...nothing. I didn’t feel the tension, the longing, the wanting. I was just reading about two people, one who was growing more annoying by the second, kissing.

The heroine was so immature. She continued acting like a fool throughout the book and I felt like she never really grew up. I felt like she was using the hero. There’s a scene where she says basically she just wants to be SOMEONE’S goddess and I felt like she was taking whatever was easily available to her.

The hero I really enjoyed until about halfway through the book. Halfway through, he totally turns away from the heroine and for some reason is determined to have her come to him. There’s multiple miscommunication issues. None of the cold shoulder/arguments/empty nights should have even happened.

The heroine legit made me angry by acting sarcastic and rude during a scene where the hero is divulging some sensitive family information to her. I lost all respect for her at that point and it went from a 3 star book to 2 stars.

Multiple other things annoyed me in this story including the way her brother purposefully humiliated and compromised her and the entire Aunt Matilda scenarios. I didn’t find this book to have any of Tessa Dares humor, instead just a few smirk worthy sentences.

I wish this book would have included an excerpt from The Wanton Dairymaid (the book the heroine supposedly reads for education lol) I was more interested in that.

There were a couple of good scenes, the wardrobe being my favorite. This is a book I never want to reread however.

I’d also like to share this review as it explains exactly how I felt!

https://theswoonieshome.wpcomstaging.com/goddess-of-the-hunt-by-tessa-dare/

So, this is the first book in a new series, but I believe the previous series, When Hearts Dare, takes place in this same world with the same characters. Or maybe at least the book Josette. Anyway, it didn't feel like a first book in a series, although it is okay to read as a standalone. I know many of you prefer to read in order, so perhaps with this story it might be better to go to that series first. I am still trying to figure out if the heroine's brother, Michel, has his own story already, as he was married in this book and it seemed like a story that would have it's own novel too. This is my firth Kathleen Bittner Roth and I'm obviously a bit lost lol.

Felice's family owns a shipping empire based in New Orleans, Louisiana. After a falling out with handsome Rene, she spends two years abroad and returns with an almost fiance, just awaiting her father's blessing.

Felice is a rather fun character. She's sassy and spunky and a bit mouthy, but not overly so. She wasn't obnoxious but definitely fierce and independent. I felt like she was the star of this book, where I usually look to the hero for that role, or at least a balance.

Rene is a creole born bastard, son of a voodoo witch. He's come from nothing but worked damn hard to be a part of the shipping business owned by the Andrews family. He knows Felice is not for him but he just cannot control himself around her.

Give this book a try if you like
-second chance romance (hero and heroine have a past)
-a new location! This story takes place in New Orleans and is filled with Cajun food and has a totally different feel than regency england
-great tension and a dose of action and mystery. There is a murder in this book and some questions regarding Felice's fiance she brings with her from England.
-A non-virgin heroine

This book had a few things I enjoyed in it. I loved the sexual tension in the first half of the book. I enjoyed the dialogue a lot and the banter between the family members. I loved the food!! I enjoy when food is described in historical romance, and the fact that it was flavorful Cajun fair just made it more fun.

But there was a lot I didn't like. This book has a lot going on with it, especially in the latter half, and the romance just kind of dwindled for me (but does not mean it will do so for you). Also something I didn't know how I felt about was how Rene's accent was written. Things like “dat” for that and “don'cha know”. But I did like the sprinkling of french throughout the book. It was different anyway.

The ending of the book rather dissolves into a lot of action, mystery, crazy sub plot nonsense that I don't tend to love in romance. The fiance turns out to be quite the character. While the first few things he says to the heroine after meeting the family would probably be enough to terminate the engagement you just kept find out more. And more. And more. And more. And by the end it was a bit much with all this fiance was doing.

Thanks netgalley for the ARC, all opinions and thoughts are my own.

Siwetta is taken from her African homeland and sold into slavery. She arrives on a plantation in the West Indies where she is doing her best to survive each day and stay strong for the people around her. As she tries to learn her new life as a slave, she catches the eye of Dimitri. What happens next is whirlwind of action, pain, loss, and love.

Major safety issues with this book.

Spoiler

rape by multiple characters of the heroine including the hero, murder, death, miscarriage

I think people who adore the old school romances of the day that gave 'bodice ripper' the name they deserve should give this book a try. Stories that are heartbreaking, saga-like in all the characters endure. If you were a fan of Stormfire by Christine Monson, this might be your thing.

While the consent issues aren't a make or break it in a story for me, I need a lot of groveling from the hero to forgive those actions. I felt like there wasn't enough regret and turn around in the hero from his beginning behavior to the end of the book and that is ultimately why I give 3 stars.

I could have really REALLY loved this book with a few tweaks. It has one of my pet peeves in it, when the hero is involved/in love with another person through most of the book (not involved physically at all but basically just denying his love for the heroine because he loves this other person) until almost the end of the book.

Enjoyed both the hero and heroine, although I just wanted MORE from the hero, more of his past, his feelings, more from his perspective.

I didn’t like how the first kiss scene was done, I wish it was later in the book.

But overall I say a solid 3.5/4 stars

Argh! Sarah Macleans No Good Duke Goes Unpunished could totally be 5 stars. So close! And for many, it probably is. I love Sarah Macleans writing, and I feel like you get what you love and expect from her; the longing, the steam, the emotional aspect. You get lots of time in both characters heads, and I love getting the hero’s perspective. However, the second half of this book was slowly, but certainly, ruined for me by the heroine.

The hero, Temple, is one of the main 4 of the Fallen Angel club. He is known as the killer duke, because of a night 12 years ago he has no memory of. He was accused of murdering his fathers soon to be bride, Mara Lowe.

Mara, our heroine, comes to him, to offer him a trade. Her family’s money for his reputation.

I really liked the first 2/3 of this book. I enjoyed Mara, loved what she had done with her life since her disappearance. I liked her independence and how she didn’t back down. I loved Temple. I loved his interactions with Mara, his fierceness and his pain.

As the book went on though, Mara, and her lack of communication with him about what happened, her lack of truth, her lack of any kind of remorse and empathy, made me want to shake her. To smack her. There is a scene just over halfway through the book that I thought was really really good. And utterly heartbreaking. And I thought it would be enough for Mara to come around and make good on her promises. Become a heroine worth Temple. But, she didn’t. She continued down her dumb path that just kept getting more and more frustrating.

Personally I felt like Temple deserved way more than Mara.

Also I’d like to complain that the only full love scene you get is like 30 pages before the end of the book. And I also thought it was a letdown with Mara needing to be “in control” and yeah basically she ruined that for me too 😂

3 1/2 stars

This is definitely not a steamy hot read. It is overwhelming sweet and heart warming. This was my first Laura Guhrke book and I would love to try more from her. The focus is on the relationship, the love, the feelings, the difficulties. Good character development. Not my favorite trope but ever so sweet of a story.

With this I have read all Sarah Macleans books (minus her YA The Season). I’ve heard soooo much conflict about this book. People love it or hate it. I guess I was expecting to really not like it. It has plenty of triggers in it. Adultery. Miscarriage. Divorce. Somehow it still fell middle of the road for me at 3 stars.

Seraphina and Malcolm have history and baggage galore. It’s a story about redemption, a second chance, and righting the wrongs of your past. After a whirlwind secret courtship, a betrayal, and a devastating loss, Sera runs from Malcolm for over 2 years. She returns and demands her freedom.

I actually liked this story overall. Seras sisters are wonderful and they were my favorite part of the book. With all the angst between Sera and Malcolm, I was hoping I would get more feels from this story. But I didn’t. I’m sure they are there for other people. Honestly, don’t hate me, but I really think Sarah Macleans writing is starting to disinterest me. I would say it’s because I’ve read so many of her books this year and should have spaced them out, but I don’t believe that’s it. I’ve read just as many by Anna Bradley (5) and even more of Lisa Kleypas (8) in quicker succession and have had no similar feelings. To me, her writing tends to go in circles a bit, almost a redundant theme throughout the book. At least, I have found that in quite a few of the recent ones I read. While many of her books carry the “she is not for you” mantra of the hero, that wasn’t here , thankfully. But, I think I just needed more dialogue in this book. There were so many secrets and hiding and deception but I felt like they hardly talked. I remember one good conversation towards the end. I get that in a situation like this a good conversation could solve all the problems and make the book too short lol but I really just needed more. I don’t know. I didn’t think the book was bad. And I thought it was well done for all the issues in it. But I wouldn’t want to reread this book.

This book can be read as a stand-alone even though it’s third in the series. However I do recommend you read the first in the series (The Rogue Not Taken) because it has some scenes with Malcolm.

Wow, The Duke of Shadows by Meredith Duran was so powerful, memorable, and heart breaking.

The first half takes place in India, where The British are struggling with their hold on the country. The second half brings us to London.

The hero is half British, half Indian. Currently a marquis and in line for a dukedom. The heroine is engaged to his cousin and miserable with him.

The first half of this book had me completely spell bound. I loved every moment of it. It was exciting and exotic. I usually don’t like action plots in my romance because I feel like I’m almost reading two books (okay let’s solve a mystery, okay now let’s fall in love) They usually really take me out of the book with that but I didn’t find that with this one at all. I was totally captivated.

The second half is wonderful too, raw, emotional, a journey of forgiving yourself and each other and loving again.

This book lost a star for me for a few reasons:
I didn’t love how the hero changed his tactics to an almost condescending manner when he was trying to win the heroine back. Of course they were both rather unlikable at these times but totally understandable after everything they went through.

I wanted more time in the hero’s head! Way more time.

Lastly I felt the ending was extremely abrupt. I was actually flipping all around the last 20 pages totally confused that I missed something lol.

But such a good book! I highly recommend.