Lady Janet is oh so scandalous. Once mistress to the king, she is now leaving court to make way for his young bride. Her escort is The Highland Beast. Lachlan, quiet, but large and menacing in battle. He has watched her from afar for quite some time. Her ward, Majorie, is the daughter of an enemy of the king and possibly a useful pawn in marriage contracts. The three of them travel to Janet's estate shes gifted by the king.

Janet is 33, a red head, very outspoken and definitely in charge attitude. Marjorie is 22 and has been shut up in a convent for 16 years. Allowed no enjoyment of life, desperate for someone's touch she's a very sweet and naive character. Lachlan has a reason he is so quiet and communicates through grunts.

Going to be fairly brief here. This is a novella and erotica. FMF romance with a long term queer happily ever after. If you don't like sex, don't touch this. The language isn't overly vulgar but it does the c**t word quite a bit, as well as f***. It doesn't come to bdsm but there is a bit of 'control' and 'punishment' used, just briefly, verbally.

It does cover a number of other small plot points, including tackling some larger issues. The sex scenes aren't extremely long, there's just quite a few of them. There is a bit of action and dialogue holding it together. I was curious how the ending was going to work out.

Overall I think it was okay. I think for me the things that prevented me from liking it more was that aspect of 'control' that Janet seemed to introduce a lot. I don't like it pointed out the way it was. Janet was definitely the alpha here. And I didn't love that either. I think I wanted the male to be, but this could totally work for others. She just came off almost motherly in some scenes, then changed to the sex goddess doling out favors and it was a little awkward for me by the end I guess? But hey, kudos to her. She was the kings mistress and definitely knows what she wants and how to manage that. :) I wanted to like Lachlan more. He was likable but I guess I wanted more from his perspective maybe? He was very docile.

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

Safety warning attached at end.

Does anyone know if this is the last book in the series?? I was thinking it was but didn't know for sure. I think this book can be read as a standalone. But the characters do build over time, so you will know them better if you read from the beginning. I do feel like Tom and Cassandra weren't mentioned overmuch in the previous books though. There wasn't as much of a character build as say, West, who went through a total transformation and had a lot of page time in the prior books. Every character from the other books were mentioned though. Devin and Kathleen, Garret, Phoebe and West, Pandora all have page time. Ethan, Rhys, Helen, and Gabriel might have a bit too but they are at least mentioned in passing by the other characters.

Tom is involved in the railway world, and as a mechanical engineer he is full of ideas. He is a hero on the spectrum (my assumption) and has acknowledged 5 feelings he has experienced and ignores the rest. He had a hard life growing up and brought himself up from nothing, creating a fortune and empire for himself. He has a self diagnosed frozen heart and knows he can never love. I am starting to feel like the “I can never love” theme from the hero is getting a little tiring, but it wasn't overly done in this book so I guess it's okay.

Cassandra is ready to find her love match this season. But as the season progresses, she gets into some trouble. Cassandra is described as a curvy girl, gaining almost a stone recently (14 pounds). I WISH the cover models were more representative of the characters described. Though I can't say I loved any cover in this series, really.

This book has all the steam concentrated towards the end. There's a few kisses spread throughout the beginning. So a bit of a slow burn. Also plenty of time passes in this story. Their relationship forms over at least 3 months, I can't remember now exactly how much time passes between interactions.

This wasn't my least favorite book in the series, that goes to Hello Stranger for me. But it's right after that. I just didn't like Tom much. I didn't dislike him. But I definitely didn't love him. I felt like he flipped his emotions 180 a few times in the book, and I couldn't really understand what made that switch happen. I didn't feel like I really knew him that well by the end. And Cassandra, to me, had even less depth to her. She's a sweet heroine, she didn't annoy me, but she was just kind of there. I was left not caring much about either character. It also seemed to be instalove/instalust between then and I was left without that build up of tension that I adore.

I loved the humor in this book. I thought there were quite a few hilarious one-liners and situations. West usually brings joy to the pages with his dialogue in it.

As for this series, I think I rate them
1. Marrying Winterborne
2. Cold-Hearted Rake
3. Devil's Daughter
4. Devil in Spring
5. Chasing Cassandra
6. Hello Stranger

As for her recent series, I think I liked The Wallflowers best, followed by The Ravenels, then The Hathaways.

Safety warning:

Spoiler

sexual assault, on page, non-penetration

I enjoyed the style of this cookbook. It breaks down 10 perfect one pan cooking vessels, a list of kitchen staples to keep on hand, and 10 must have ingredients. There's a section that gives details about each cooking vessel including what sizes to get, the ways to use each of them, how to clean them, how it will benefit your kitchen. Then the cookbook is broken into sections of recipes for each of the cooking vessels. It also labels all the recipes as gluten free, dairy free, vegan, under 30, and freezer friendly.

Unfortunately this is where the book makes me angry. I knew going in this wasn't a vegan cookbook. Out of the 100 recipes, I believe around 30 are labeled as vegan. In actuality, only 6 are and that's if you allow recipes with parmesan topping (which vegans don't, but easy enough to omit). The vast majority of these 'vegan' recipes call for eggs. Feta cheese. Ricotta cheese. Mozzarella cheese. Butter. Cheddar cheese. Buttermilk. Greek yogurt. Provolone cheese. It was ABSURD. If this V title was changed to 'vegetarian' I would have no issue. But the mislabeling really irked me. Most people won't have issue with this though. Personally to me, cheese loaded recipes aren't healthy, but with the keto craze, I'm sure plenty might seek this out.

This cookbook has 100 recipes and about 33 pictures. One picture for every 3 recipes isn't too bad. I do prefer at least 50% because I'm a cookbook snob. Some of the pictures are just okay, and some are really aesthetically pleasing. Overall, a decent cookbook. No crazy ingredients needed. Most things look pretty good. My favorites were the sheet pan pancakes, egg sandwiches, and pizza do look like fun and easy meals to make for my family. I love sheet pan cooking, makes it very simple.

Thanks netgalley for the ARC. All these opinions are my own.

Book 1 from a new series by Jess Michaels. This book is about Lizzie and Morgan. Michaels has a previous series call the 1797 club about 10 dukes. If you are familiar with the series (I haven't read any), book 8 The Duke Who Lied features Hugh and Amelia. They are in this story, as Hugh is the Lizzie's brother. This book (The Love of a Libertine) is good as a standalone because there's a recap of what happens, but The Duke Who Lied does establish Hugh and Amelia's relationship and also what happens to Lizzie before she meets her hero. Also book 9 The Duke of Desire of the 1797 series features Robert and Katherine. Morgan is Robert's half brother. This book also has appearances from other characters, including Charlotte and Ewan from The Silent Duke (again of the 1797 series). I found Ewan a very interesting character as he was born mute and uses sign language. I plan on trying this whole series at some point. So basically if you like to read in order, these series definitely overlap in the same world and you'll probably want to read that one first. Sorry if that was confusing haha.

So, Morgan wakes up Newgate gaol. He has let his life spin pretty much out of control. Gambling. Fighting. Non-stop debauchery. Lost friendships. His half brother, Robert, is putting in effort to save him and change his life for the better. Robert wants to present him to a friend for the job of Man of Affairs to manage his estate.

Lizzie was utterly ruined 4 years ago. The deception was clever, her ruination complete, not only of her reputation but her sense of security, her comfort, and her heart. Since this time, she's closed into herself trying to hide away from society. She is anxious at balls, wanting to be by herself. Hugh and Amelia seem to be the only people she is comfortable around.

Morgan is a charmer and Lizzie knows as soon as she sees his devilish wink, he is a man to avoid at all costs. But she finds she can't ignore him and is drawn to his presence, despite her misgivings. He seems more of a beta hero. He is very gentle and caring with Lizzie. He doesn't push her at all and takes his time with her. Lizzie is so shy. She's lost all of confidence and her desire to interact with others, especially of the opposite sex. They slowly come together and both find healing in their new friendship.

Give this book a try if you like
-slower burn romance
-a heroine overcoming trauma
-wallflower/shy heroine
-a hero that is rather charming and happy instead of grumpy and brooding
-a bad boy hero changing his life for the better
-a bit of action including a duel
-class differences - Lizzie is the sister of a duke and hero is a bastard (but a duke's bastard) with a prostitute mother
- a bearded hero! I feel like this is so rare in most HR

There were a few things that made not completely in love with this book. First, I feel like it took the characters forever to get enough page time together. I think it's almost 20% of the book before they even meet. Then they barely talk. They have a few very, very short interactions but most of it is spent with internal thoughts of both characters. Or interactions with other family members. Or Morgan talking to his brother. Or Lizzie talking to her brother and sister in law. It was so slow. And with such a slow start the last thing I wanted was a slow middle too. Because of the lack of interaction in the first half, I felt like the second half flew into intimacy extremely fast. With the heroine's past, I wish a little more time had been spent becoming good friends first instead of dancing around each other for however long. I also thought the action bit at the end felt a little unneeded. I would have prefered more time spent on their relationship than something added like that. Still the intimate scenes were really well done. And a hero self pleasuring scene? Yes please!

Thank you netgalley for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions regarding this book are my own.

Well, I am convinced that Milan is a fabulous writer. I so enjoyed the prequel novella to this series, The Governess Affair. And I did really like the writing in this book. I absolutely loved the first half in fact. I raced through it, enthralled with the unique hero and heroine. I haven't found many heroes like Robert. He's very sweet and caring with a past that just leaves him wanting love. He wants to atone for his father's sins by making to world a better place using his Duke advantages. Very much a beta hero, which I think can be hard to find.

Minerva has quite the secret in her past she's eager to keep hidden. Her goals are the same as Robert's however and they keep getting thrown together until their attraction is too hard to deny.

I think Milan tackles many topics that can be heavy but it's done in a wonderful way. It doesn't feel distasteful or like I've stepped into a book and I don't know how I arrived there. Vaccinations, abortion, basic human rights, working conditions, judgements, assumptions. This book was real in away few reach for me.

At the same time this was where it lost a star for me. The characters were very real and raw and honestly downright dislikable to me at some points. I was completely appalled at how they treated each other at some points. As someone else stated, I now get the title The Duchess War. I also found I just didn't love the hero. I really liked him, but I want/need to love my heroes. I just wasn't dying for that first kiss. The feels were a little low for things after.

Still, I definitely recommend this book. Milan is a fabulous writer. I was very immersed in the world she created. And there are some absolutely amazing scenes in this book. I adored the ending. Just wonderful.

My first foray into Milan’s writing and I am so so in love. I think it can be so hard with a novella to build a full story. A story with feels, butterflies, building that want and resolution in half the amount of pages. But wow she did it. Absolutely loved this story.

Our heroine wants something from the Duke of Claremont that he’s unwilling to give. He sends his man of business, a man known for his ruthlessness, to deal with her. The dialogue in this story has wonderful flow, it’s funny, it’s powerful.

I cannot wait to start The Duchess War. The scene setting up the series at the end of this book was so interesting and well done, I just can’t wait to dive in.

This is the third book of the Girl Meets Duke series. Penny is the daughter of an earl but has long been a society recluse, taking care of her small zoo of animals. She has only her small circle of friends, including the heroines of the previous novels in the series but considers herself happy living by herself.

Gabriel Duke is our hero, and I loved that he is not from the aristocracy. He has pulled himself straight out the gin soaked rookery to take advantage of the wealthy and make a living. They come together when he takes over the neighbors house and renovates to sell.

Their first meeting is when Penny's parrot flies across the way into his house and she goes to get her. I really enjoyed that scene and their first meeting. I really liked a lot about this book. I thought it was pretty steamy, it was funny, I really liked seeing the previous characters of the series and how their lives are progressing. I found this book a really easy read, not that it doesn't deal with complex issues, but I finished it really fast, once I got into it. I think it was my favorite of the series.

I did have a few things I didn't love. I felt like they rushed into their relationship pretty fast and once you get to know them, it made that even more sad for me because of their pasts. I also was a bit sad that once they started that relationship, so much of it was glossed over immediately after. I also feel like the character depth should have been deeper, gripped my heart more with their issues, than what it was for me. However I did feel some anguish at the end. I mean, how couldn't you. :( At the same time, with the issues presented, I feel like they weren't given justice once divulged. Again the scene almost felt glossed over and I just felt like it deserved more time in the present than what it got. But that's just me.

Sophie is our heroine and she was orphaned at 12 and basically had to depend on herself to survive. Her guardian (her grandfather) is a cold man who disowned her father for marrying her mother. After attending school (the only thing her grandfather did for her), she tries to make it herself in London and does pretty well playing the gaming tables at Vega’s.

Our hero comes into the picture when he goes to Vega’s to pay his brothers gaming debts. To his frustration, he finds his brother still gambling and Sophie gets pulled into the whole fiasco.

There’s a lot to love about the book. I loved both main characters. Much of the middle of the book is just so sweet. Lots of conversations between the main characters that let you get to know them as they weave their way into your heart. I love a hero like Jack because he is such a gentleman. (I mean, I love the not gentlemen as well 🤣) but there’s something about him that really feels like regency England. He controls himself for much of the book.

I did feel the steam was a little lacking for me. When their feelings finally culminated and Jacks control broke I really wanted to feel those emotions and it was just shy of that for me. There was build up for it then when it happened I would have preferred more detail. There’s lots of scenes that are skipped over and talked about as weeks spent together.

I give 3.5, it was enjoyable.

Doctor Garret Gibson is the only female doctor in England. Because of this, she lives a very independent, almost lonely life. She takes care of her father and her patients but doesn’t have many friends or romantic relationships.

Ethan Ransom met Garret in Lisa’s book Marrying Winterborne (book 2), when he is told to follow and protect Helen Ravenel (book 2s heroine) He has a lot of secrets in his current life, all anyone knows of him is he used to be a detective for Scotland Yard.

I really just don’t know about this book. Super conflicted about what to rate it. It was definitely not bad. Yet, it was missing something to me. I think part of it was the insta-love on Ethan’s part. I love the butterfly, getting to know you phase, where the attraction builds and I didn’t feel that here. I felt like their relationship happened really fast. I just had a hard time connecting to either main character. Not that either were unlikeable. Garret was a doctor but that was the basis of her character. I just didn’t connect with her on a deeper level. I want to love my heroes and I didn’t love Ethan. I liked him. There were hot scenes. But the feeling for me behind it wasn’t there so the kisses were just kisses, the sex was just sex. However I did tear up at the major drama about 1/2-2/3 way through the book. There was a lot action and drama in this book as well which really isn’t my thing.

So I rated 3 stars because it was enjoyable but just lacked that bit extra for me to give above. I recommend anyone try it though. What did you think if you read? I know many people loved this book.

I am finally starting Devils Daughter!!