You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
I am so happy I read this!!! Sarah Maclean was one of the authors I planned on reading all her works (minus the YA novel The Season) this year. I am officially all caught up and cannot wait for Ewan and Grace's story in 2020.
Brazen and the Beast is the second novel in the Bareknuckle Bastards series. If you are one for reading in order, I suggest you read ALL of her works as the series all take place in the same 'world' and are sometimes referenced. For example in this book, I believe I saw/read descriptions of not only the previous books hero and heroine, Devil and Felicity from Wicked and the Wallflower, but the sparrow is mentioned from Day of the Duchess and the Duke and Duchess from A Scot in the Dark. However you will also be fine with just reading this series in order, like I said it's just a brief mention so you won't be confused or anything if you don't read them.
There is quite a lot of information and past history discussed in the first book, about how the brothers came to be, as well as their relationship with Ewan, who has been an ongoing villain in the series. I was happy with the amount of history given in this book as well. It could probably be read as a standalone, but I do think Wicked and the Wallflower did a great job of really covering their history.
I was worried I wasn't going to love this book, as after I read so much of her work I started finding things repetitive or predictable almost even though the stories were different. I'm so happy I didn't find that with this one.
Hattie, our heroine. I really enjoyed her. She's been overlooked her whole life, being more in the role of 'good ole Hattie' with a pat on the back instead of inspiring passionate embraces. She's the brains of her father's shipping business yet doesn't get any of the credit or promise of a future with it. She's heard plenty of rude comments about her size. She's described as pudgy in the book by another character, a too wide nose, too old. A spinster. Her birthday is here and she's done with all. Its going to be the Year of Hattie and she has a plant to take back everything she deserves in life.
Whit. Or Beast? Saviour Whittington. Just YES. It's been awhile since I just stared at a stepback. For much time. Sigh. A bareknuckle bastard, Devil and Grace's partner in running their Covent Garden kingdom. An anti hero is always one of my favorites. A man of few words, he tends to speak in grunts and stares which is fine for Hattie since she's a talker. Yet he opens to her. He is saying things he's never said before, to anyone. While he can speak like a gentleman, oh those moments where the garden eases out in his speech, just totally wrap my heart up. I LOVE a hero like this.
They meet when Whit is unconscious in Hattie's carriage. This is totally inconvenient as Hattie is eager to start her year and has an important appointment. From this first scene I was engaged. Their attraction and push and pull was wonderful. I felt like I really got to know these characters. Its steamy with descriptive, well developed scenes that melted my heart. If you are sensitive to the F word though, be wary. Someone with an ebook can do a count but I would guess 15+ times? Doesn't bother me at all. There's something about it in historical romance that I adore. It's so naughty and forbidden to me in those books. LOVE.
Brazen and the Beast is the second novel in the Bareknuckle Bastards series. If you are one for reading in order, I suggest you read ALL of her works as the series all take place in the same 'world' and are sometimes referenced. For example in this book, I believe I saw/read descriptions of not only the previous books hero and heroine, Devil and Felicity from Wicked and the Wallflower, but the sparrow is mentioned from Day of the Duchess and the Duke and Duchess from A Scot in the Dark. However you will also be fine with just reading this series in order, like I said it's just a brief mention so you won't be confused or anything if you don't read them.
There is quite a lot of information and past history discussed in the first book, about how the brothers came to be, as well as their relationship with Ewan, who has been an ongoing villain in the series. I was happy with the amount of history given in this book as well. It could probably be read as a standalone, but I do think Wicked and the Wallflower did a great job of really covering their history.
I was worried I wasn't going to love this book, as after I read so much of her work I started finding things repetitive or predictable almost even though the stories were different. I'm so happy I didn't find that with this one.
Hattie, our heroine. I really enjoyed her. She's been overlooked her whole life, being more in the role of 'good ole Hattie' with a pat on the back instead of inspiring passionate embraces. She's the brains of her father's shipping business yet doesn't get any of the credit or promise of a future with it. She's heard plenty of rude comments about her size. She's described as pudgy in the book by another character, a too wide nose, too old. A spinster. Her birthday is here and she's done with all. Its going to be the Year of Hattie and she has a plant to take back everything she deserves in life.
Whit. Or Beast? Saviour Whittington. Just YES. It's been awhile since I just stared at a stepback. For much time. Sigh. A bareknuckle bastard, Devil and Grace's partner in running their Covent Garden kingdom. An anti hero is always one of my favorites. A man of few words, he tends to speak in grunts and stares which is fine for Hattie since she's a talker. Yet he opens to her. He is saying things he's never said before, to anyone. While he can speak like a gentleman, oh those moments where the garden eases out in his speech, just totally wrap my heart up. I LOVE a hero like this.
They meet when Whit is unconscious in Hattie's carriage. This is totally inconvenient as Hattie is eager to start her year and has an important appointment. From this first scene I was engaged. Their attraction and push and pull was wonderful. I felt like I really got to know these characters. Its steamy with descriptive, well developed scenes that melted my heart. If you are sensitive to the F word though, be wary. Someone with an ebook can do a count but I would guess 15+ times? Doesn't bother me at all. There's something about it in historical romance that I adore. It's so naughty and forbidden to me in those books. LOVE.
Tessa Dares One Dance with a Duke to me was both wonderful and annoying.
It has so much wonderful in it. It has feels. Tension. Laughs. A bit of angst. Love.
But it also has quite a few things that made me gnash my teeth.
The beginning was rough for me, as I didn’t like either main character for awhile. Their first kiss changes my mind. 😉 We have another Duke as a hero, yet he just fit that role perfectly. He knew he was a duke and he did not say please, he ordered. He did not apologize. He demanded what he was owed. And I know it’s sounding like he’s alphahole but I just have a soft spot for that. I mean, that’s how a duke should be!
Here is how he basically proposed marriage 😆 Am I a freak for loving this? Probably...
“Don’t make the choice, then,” he said. “Come here.” It was not a request, but a command.
“Kiss me.” Another command. Another so easily obeyed, because it was exactly what she wanted to do.
The kiss ended.
“Now,” he said, “say yes.”
😍
I definitely grew to love Spencer in this book. His need for Amelia is powerful and the scenes building up to their relationship were delicious. I loved their card games and wagers. The scene where he takes her embroidery at the inn had me crying laughing. My only later annoyance with Spencer is his horse obsession. But, I think I’m still recovering from all the horse talk in Stephanie Laurens books. Lol
Amelia is described as a generously curvy and amply endowed, and she’s also spinster. I would have loved her so much more except her obsession with her loser of a brother was super annoying, and there were a few scenes where she just didn’t come off as nice.
I would totally reread this story for the entire middle portion. I do think there was a little too much going on at the end that wasn’t needed. I think poor Claudia shouldn’t have been a character at all because it was just sad and highlighted negative behavior from both main characters. I’m not sure if she’s in the other novels in the series. But if not I think she should have been taken out or a better relationship formed.
I give this 🌟🌟🌟🌟 because I would keep this to reread. There’s a lot of hot scenes and total sweetness here. The hero really is a romantic and he does some heart melting stuff. But just missing that deep character depth (although they were enjoyable) along with the frustrations I had knock it down a star.
It has so much wonderful in it. It has feels. Tension. Laughs. A bit of angst. Love.
But it also has quite a few things that made me gnash my teeth.
The beginning was rough for me, as I didn’t like either main character for awhile. Their first kiss changes my mind. 😉 We have another Duke as a hero, yet he just fit that role perfectly. He knew he was a duke and he did not say please, he ordered. He did not apologize. He demanded what he was owed. And I know it’s sounding like he’s alphahole but I just have a soft spot for that. I mean, that’s how a duke should be!
Here is how he basically proposed marriage 😆 Am I a freak for loving this? Probably...
“Don’t make the choice, then,” he said. “Come here.” It was not a request, but a command.
“Kiss me.” Another command. Another so easily obeyed, because it was exactly what she wanted to do.
The kiss ended.
“Now,” he said, “say yes.”
😍
I definitely grew to love Spencer in this book. His need for Amelia is powerful and the scenes building up to their relationship were delicious. I loved their card games and wagers. The scene where he takes her embroidery at the inn had me crying laughing. My only later annoyance with Spencer is his horse obsession. But, I think I’m still recovering from all the horse talk in Stephanie Laurens books. Lol
Amelia is described as a generously curvy and amply endowed, and she’s also spinster. I would have loved her so much more except her obsession with her loser of a brother was super annoying, and there were a few scenes where she just didn’t come off as nice.
I would totally reread this story for the entire middle portion. I do think there was a little too much going on at the end that wasn’t needed. I think poor Claudia shouldn’t have been a character at all because it was just sad and highlighted negative behavior from both main characters. I’m not sure if she’s in the other novels in the series. But if not I think she should have been taken out or a better relationship formed.
I give this 🌟🌟🌟🌟 because I would keep this to reread. There’s a lot of hot scenes and total sweetness here. The hero really is a romantic and he does some heart melting stuff. But just missing that deep character depth (although they were enjoyable) along with the frustrations I had knock it down a star.
I thought this book was wonderful. It was very close to a perfect book for me with everything I love.
Our hero, Tristan, and our heroine, Joan, are such great characters. Their interactions from the beginning show their pull to each other even though they don’t understand it. They begin almost as an enemies to lovers trope, Tristan being Joan’s older brothers friend. They challenge each other and drive each other mad while at the same time you can see their feelings growing the more time they spend together. In the beginning she calls him Lord Boor and he calls her The Fury which I found hilarious.
I just love books that focus on the romance and this book is one of those. No one is being stalked or murdered, there’s no mystery to solve. And while I do enjoy those plots too, this was ALL about the love and their growing romance.
This book gave me those butterfly feelings of first falling in love. The anticipation, the excitement, the hesitation, wondering. When you’re all consumed with thoughts of them. I enjoyed the humor in this book too, lightly spread out in the beginning half of the book.
I just loved his feelings here:
“Trouble, yes; but even more dangerous than Bennet suspected. Because Tristan didn’t want to run the other way when he saw Miss Bennet, as vexing as she was. He wanted to hear her confess that she was wrong and he was right, about anything at all. And most worrisome of all, he wanted I kiss her senseless when she did so. Maybe even before”
My only complaint is the steam level.
I loved the first kiss scene! Then you wait and wait and wait. And while you’re waiting you’re getting interaction and witty dialogue and character development. And you’re falling in love with them. But I could have used more. The next kiss is almost the end of the book and the sex scene at the end of the book almost seemed rushed and out of place.
So I gave it like 4 3/4 stars. I will love rereading this story and will definitely be searching out more by this author.
Our hero, Tristan, and our heroine, Joan, are such great characters. Their interactions from the beginning show their pull to each other even though they don’t understand it. They begin almost as an enemies to lovers trope, Tristan being Joan’s older brothers friend. They challenge each other and drive each other mad while at the same time you can see their feelings growing the more time they spend together. In the beginning she calls him Lord Boor and he calls her The Fury which I found hilarious.
I just love books that focus on the romance and this book is one of those. No one is being stalked or murdered, there’s no mystery to solve. And while I do enjoy those plots too, this was ALL about the love and their growing romance.
This book gave me those butterfly feelings of first falling in love. The anticipation, the excitement, the hesitation, wondering. When you’re all consumed with thoughts of them. I enjoyed the humor in this book too, lightly spread out in the beginning half of the book.
I just loved his feelings here:
“Trouble, yes; but even more dangerous than Bennet suspected. Because Tristan didn’t want to run the other way when he saw Miss Bennet, as vexing as she was. He wanted to hear her confess that she was wrong and he was right, about anything at all. And most worrisome of all, he wanted I kiss her senseless when she did so. Maybe even before”
My only complaint is the steam level.
I loved the first kiss scene! Then you wait and wait and wait. And while you’re waiting you’re getting interaction and witty dialogue and character development. And you’re falling in love with them. But I could have used more. The next kiss is almost the end of the book and the sex scene at the end of the book almost seemed rushed and out of place.
So I gave it like 4 3/4 stars. I will love rereading this story and will definitely be searching out more by this author.
I give this book 2 stars. I just could not like the heroine. The book had no humor, the plot seemed so random, the character depth was lacking.
I feel like this book was nothing like the first I read by her and truly enjoyed.
Alyse is sold as a wife at an auction. Marcus comes along and buys her to save her. He says the contract that she is his wife means nothing and she can be his house keeper.
I don’t usually mind a lot of internal dialogue but I felt like this was rather torturous. Alyse wasn’t that interesting of a character and to be in her head for that long was just so boring. I didn’t find her likable or get much character depth of her background.
It was basically 70 pages before Alyse and Marcus even have a conversation. Then it slowly continues over the next 100 pages and I still don’t even know that much about either character. I mean, I know Alyses basic history but she spends a lot of time in her head worrying about him molesting her and how she shouldn’t trust him.
She’s super dramatic and sleeps with a butter spreader like she’s going to stab him after he rescues her then offers her a position in his household. 🙄 On the third night they spend together while traveling she wakes up and he’s cuddling her and almost touching her breast while he’s asleep. So she wiggles around and dry humps him until he is touching her then starts moaning. I’m yeah I’ve waited almost 200 pages for this to happen but it just did not feel right. It felt random. Then when he starts touching her back she slaps him. Kinda hated her in that moment. Like I felt terrible for Marcus. If I bought some crazy lady at an auction and she was leering and glaring at me for two days clutching a butter knife then teases me, then slaps me, I’d be leaving her in the dust lol.
After this they have 3 days of not sharing a room and she randomly gets sick. (There was some day conversations during traveling that did reveal some character depth of Marcus)
He brings her to his illegitimate half brothers house in a nearby village. Here she gets better. He keeps thinking she’s trying to trap him into a real marriage. Which I can’t blame his thinking because she is terrified of him but then fawns all over him the moment he’s close to her. It just doesn’t make sense.
They continue traveling and she is abducted by Scottish rogues. He rescues her and makes her his wife.
Small random scene at the end where she leaves him even though she cares for him. She meets with her old promised love at an inn and there is a confrontation between Marcus and him.
They live happily ever after. 🙄 I even disliked the epilogue.
I could have really liked Marcus and there were some scenes I liked in the book but this is NOT a keeper for me.
This is book 2 of the latest Lost Lords series and is totally fine read as a stand alone novel.
Lila has a tragedy in her past that has kept her from society. She is content to just stay home, even though her family around her and some of her friends are moving on. After 8 years, she thinks she is ready to venture out again because she's found a way to keep herself safe. She only needs the cooperation of The Savage Gentleman.
Hugh Savage is considered a legend in the underworld of London. He has never – ever – lost a fight in all of his bare knuckle matches. He is wrapped up in the ring even though he wants to leave. While not an owner, he owes debts to others that keep him chained. The newspapers have dubbed him The Savage Gentleman and he soon finds himself cornered by Lila, who wants lessons.
I think you should give this book a try if you are interested in
-an bit of an anti-hero – he mostly grew up on the streets and is a legendary fighter in the London underworld
-a slow burn
-an ex-soldier hero
-a scarred heroine
-a bit of real history mixed in – this book touches on the massacre at Peterloo
So, I have really been struggling with writing this review. There were things I liked about this book. There were things I didn't like about this book. But it didn't leave me overall with any strong feelings about, well, anything, so perhaps that's why. This story has a lot to love in it. Two broken characters that are perfect for each other. I'm sure the story will be an emotionally gripping read for many. For me, I think the beginning just irritated me so bad it couldn't recover. The beginning is SO SLOW. I had to force myself to read that first 30%. It tries to establish a bit of what's going on with each character, their pain and past, their demons they face. And it was better done with Hugh I think. I was able to get a bit of connection with him and character depth regarding his life. But something with Lila, there was just, I don't know this “mystery” created around her that started to drive me nuts. I get I'm not supposed to know all the secrets until the end of the book (most likely) but this was just circles and circles and circles of her not being able to do anything but she must. Why must she? Who knows. It's so important. Why is it so important? Well she just must. She can't go on like this. It's been so long. But if she dares....Dare she? I mean I know that makes NO SENSE but that's basically what I felt like I was reading page after page in the beginning. It would almost give you a hint about her past then it would go in another circle about why she couldn't. Basically it took her 30% of the book to ask Hugh to teach her to fight. I thought it was absurd and I was beyond ready for anything else to happen.
At that point, the book does pick up. I think this is one of the only books I can say I enjoyed the second half way more than the first. Once they are together I enjoyed their banter and interactions together. But some things still didn't connect with me. I thought some of Lila's actions just didn't make sense. And her big plan that forms later in the book just seemed totally out of the blue to me. Perhaps if instead during that first 30% my head was twirling in circles reading the same thing over and over it would have said something about the possibility of this plan forming I would have been more accepting of it. And because it creates a large rift between the characters it was a big deal to me that it was out of the blue and a bit out of character for her. There were a few things about Hugh's past too that were confusing and I kept waiting to get cleared up but they never did. I'm unsure if a later book in the series will end up addressing some of these questions regarding the lost lords? I also felt like the ending didn't really pull it together enough. I don't want to get into spoilers about specifics. But I was just left feeling lackluster about it all.
I will say kudos to the author for touching on the massacre at Peterloo. I had no idea that ever happened and it sent me down a bit of historical research that was fascinating and heartbreaking.
I did read the first book in this series and liked it a lot more. This is my second Christi Caldwell. I will definitely try her again even though this one wasn't my favorite.
I give 2.5 rounded to 3
Thanks netgalley for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions regarding this novel are my own.
Lila has a tragedy in her past that has kept her from society. She is content to just stay home, even though her family around her and some of her friends are moving on. After 8 years, she thinks she is ready to venture out again because she's found a way to keep herself safe. She only needs the cooperation of The Savage Gentleman.
Hugh Savage is considered a legend in the underworld of London. He has never – ever – lost a fight in all of his bare knuckle matches. He is wrapped up in the ring even though he wants to leave. While not an owner, he owes debts to others that keep him chained. The newspapers have dubbed him The Savage Gentleman and he soon finds himself cornered by Lila, who wants lessons.
I think you should give this book a try if you are interested in
-an bit of an anti-hero – he mostly grew up on the streets and is a legendary fighter in the London underworld
-a slow burn
-an ex-soldier hero
-a scarred heroine
-a bit of real history mixed in – this book touches on the massacre at Peterloo
So, I have really been struggling with writing this review. There were things I liked about this book. There were things I didn't like about this book. But it didn't leave me overall with any strong feelings about, well, anything, so perhaps that's why. This story has a lot to love in it. Two broken characters that are perfect for each other. I'm sure the story will be an emotionally gripping read for many. For me, I think the beginning just irritated me so bad it couldn't recover. The beginning is SO SLOW. I had to force myself to read that first 30%. It tries to establish a bit of what's going on with each character, their pain and past, their demons they face. And it was better done with Hugh I think. I was able to get a bit of connection with him and character depth regarding his life. But something with Lila, there was just, I don't know this “mystery” created around her that started to drive me nuts. I get I'm not supposed to know all the secrets until the end of the book (most likely) but this was just circles and circles and circles of her not being able to do anything but she must. Why must she? Who knows. It's so important. Why is it so important? Well she just must. She can't go on like this. It's been so long. But if she dares....Dare she? I mean I know that makes NO SENSE but that's basically what I felt like I was reading page after page in the beginning. It would almost give you a hint about her past then it would go in another circle about why she couldn't. Basically it took her 30% of the book to ask Hugh to teach her to fight. I thought it was absurd and I was beyond ready for anything else to happen.
At that point, the book does pick up. I think this is one of the only books I can say I enjoyed the second half way more than the first. Once they are together I enjoyed their banter and interactions together. But some things still didn't connect with me. I thought some of Lila's actions just didn't make sense. And her big plan that forms later in the book just seemed totally out of the blue to me. Perhaps if instead during that first 30% my head was twirling in circles reading the same thing over and over it would have said something about the possibility of this plan forming I would have been more accepting of it. And because it creates a large rift between the characters it was a big deal to me that it was out of the blue and a bit out of character for her. There were a few things about Hugh's past too that were confusing and I kept waiting to get cleared up but they never did. I'm unsure if a later book in the series will end up addressing some of these questions regarding the lost lords? I also felt like the ending didn't really pull it together enough. I don't want to get into spoilers about specifics. But I was just left feeling lackluster about it all.
I will say kudos to the author for touching on the massacre at Peterloo. I had no idea that ever happened and it sent me down a bit of historical research that was fascinating and heartbreaking.
I did read the first book in this series and liked it a lot more. This is my second Christi Caldwell. I will definitely try her again even though this one wasn't my favorite.
I give 2.5 rounded to 3
Thanks netgalley for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions regarding this novel are my own.
Jess McGale is a farmer's daughter. Her family makes a wonderful honey scented soap, using real honey from their farm, and the product is unparalleled. Just when they were on the verge of having a supportive financial venture with it, part of the farm is destroyed. Now she's desperate for investors to help repair the damage and get the business back on its feet. She decides posing as Lady Whitfield will get her in to the doors she needs to make this succeed.
Noel is a charming, wealthy, fun loving duke. He really is a rather unique hero with his personality. Those tired of the brooding man with a scowl in the corner, come hither. Those looking for the ultimate gentleman, the every so sweet beta hero, charming, witty, funny, loving...DUKE, here he is. Yes, he has had his adventures back in the day, but upon meeting Lady Whitfield, he finds himself acting like he never has before.
I think so many people will adore this book. The focus is all on the two of them. There is no murderer, no villain, no mystery. The dialogue is wonderfully funny and witty. The hero is not arrogant, pushy, self serving. He will not make you uncomfortable with his advances, as he has very clearly made sure he is not taking advantage of anyone. The sex is super hot and explicit (those that prefer fade to black will probably be skimming over a bit of this), there's plenty of language used (f*** used sexually and as an expletive (33 times) , c**t (2 times)). While it's not bdsm by any means, there is some level of dominant/submissive entered into their relationship with the heroine being the dominant one. She's very demanding and stating exactly what she wants from the duke and he happily obliges. There's always quite a bit of dirty talk going on in the scenes. Leigh's writing creates a wonderfully inclusive world where women are entrepreneurs and their opinions are actually entertained and respected. She lifts up racially diverse characters.
Sadly, and this is just pure personal preference, this book annoyed me to no end. And obviously I shouldn't read a book titled Would I Lie to the Duke when I really just can't abide liars. I just can't. I ended up not liking the heroine AT ALL for her behavior numerous times. For me though, it was more than the fib. It was her taking a wonderfully charming hero and making him beg forgiveness for being too presumptuous, which I thought was an absolute joke. The character development was great in this book, but also fell heavily on the heroine. I still feel like I don't know the hero that well and I definitely read romance for the heroes. I'm always sad when they are neglected. The heroine was so dominant and sexually aggressive compared the hero and that's also something I'm just not that into. None of these make this a bad story, just for me, it didn't give me the feels I wanted. I didn't love the sex because I couldn't get over the heroine.
In so many ways this story was better to me than the first in the series. I feel like the relationships of the union of rakes was much better established and here I could actually imagine and see the friendship of the members, unlike the first book. But I also disliked it so much more than the first one. The first in the series left me bored, but overall happy with a few things. This one makes me gnash my teeth.
Thanks netgalley for the ARC. These are all my very own thoughts and opinions on the book.
Noel is a charming, wealthy, fun loving duke. He really is a rather unique hero with his personality. Those tired of the brooding man with a scowl in the corner, come hither. Those looking for the ultimate gentleman, the every so sweet beta hero, charming, witty, funny, loving...DUKE, here he is. Yes, he has had his adventures back in the day, but upon meeting Lady Whitfield, he finds himself acting like he never has before.
I think so many people will adore this book. The focus is all on the two of them. There is no murderer, no villain, no mystery. The dialogue is wonderfully funny and witty. The hero is not arrogant, pushy, self serving. He will not make you uncomfortable with his advances, as he has very clearly made sure he is not taking advantage of anyone. The sex is super hot and explicit (those that prefer fade to black will probably be skimming over a bit of this), there's plenty of language used (f*** used sexually and as an expletive (33 times) , c**t (2 times)). While it's not bdsm by any means, there is some level of dominant/submissive entered into their relationship with the heroine being the dominant one. She's very demanding and stating exactly what she wants from the duke and he happily obliges. There's always quite a bit of dirty talk going on in the scenes. Leigh's writing creates a wonderfully inclusive world where women are entrepreneurs and their opinions are actually entertained and respected. She lifts up racially diverse characters.
Sadly, and this is just pure personal preference, this book annoyed me to no end. And obviously I shouldn't read a book titled Would I Lie to the Duke when I really just can't abide liars. I just can't. I ended up not liking the heroine AT ALL for her behavior numerous times. For me though, it was more than the fib. It was her taking a wonderfully charming hero and making him beg forgiveness for being too presumptuous, which I thought was an absolute joke. The character development was great in this book, but also fell heavily on the heroine. I still feel like I don't know the hero that well and I definitely read romance for the heroes. I'm always sad when they are neglected. The heroine was so dominant and sexually aggressive compared the hero and that's also something I'm just not that into. None of these make this a bad story, just for me, it didn't give me the feels I wanted. I didn't love the sex because I couldn't get over the heroine.
In so many ways this story was better to me than the first in the series. I feel like the relationships of the union of rakes was much better established and here I could actually imagine and see the friendship of the members, unlike the first book. But I also disliked it so much more than the first one. The first in the series left me bored, but overall happy with a few things. This one makes me gnash my teeth.
Thanks netgalley for the ARC. These are all my very own thoughts and opinions on the book.
Safety warning attached at end.
This is my first Cat Sebastian book and also my first MM novel. This is book 3 in the series. I think it would be better to read this series in order? It was okay as a stand alone but I did get the feeling that the story had already started happening before I got there. And the heroes from book 2 make appearances in this book. I'm not sure how much Will and Martin are in the previous stories though.
Will and Martin were best friends growing up. Martin's life was different than most, as he was always sick. Weak lungs. He lived for Will's wild stories. Martin's father gets Will into the navy and they don't see each other for a number of years.
The story picks up when Will, who found Martin living in an attic and terribly ill, kidnaps him and takes him to the country to recover. This story is very laid back and sweet. Sweet as in, actually sweet interactions, not the NO SEX sweet ;) It doesn't have a lot of craziness going on. No murders, no mysteries to solve, there's not a lot of action. Most of the story takes place at a cabin in the country and then parts in London towards the end. Still it didn't feel extremely slow to me. It was all about the friendship redeveloping into love. It was about the daily interactions that build a relationship. It was very much about the little touches and I loved that aspect especially. I felt every touch in this book in the most endearing ways. Straightening lapels. A hand on the back. A snuggle in bed. Martin is a character that hasn't allowed much contact in his life. Not physically or emotionally. He's been separated from so much due to his illness and he just desperately wants someone to touch him and love him and treat him like he's not made of glass. But he hides all this underneath a layer of aristocratic contempt. Will really is perfect for him. I believe Martin is also a virgin though it didn't come out and say. He's been very alone and inexperienced in a lot of things. Once he allows Will to connect with him emotionally he just blossoms.
Will is a bisexual character. He's very happy and free and seems to not take anything too seriously. But underneath it all, he takes Martin VERY seriously. Never wanting to endanger their friendship he has not crossed certain lines. The two of them have to face a lot of things within their own hearts while they recover at the cabin.
I'd give this book a try if you want
-a MM novel
-inexperienced hero
-a fairly uncomplicated story purely focused on the emotions
-friends to lovers
-slow burn/gentle love
-forced proximity (most of the book is spent at a 1 room cabin together)
This book has 2-3 fully fleshed out intimate scenes. There are also a few that are glossed over. It was all very sweetly done. The details focused more on the emotional side.
With all this said, I'm falling in at 3 stars. The book was really sweet and I'm happy I read it. But it wasn't a book I didn't want to put down. And I was left only having lukewarm feelings about both Will and Martin. I can't say I was super connected to either of them. I can't picture myself rereading this. I would definitely try Cat Sebastian again though.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. All thoughts about opinions are my own regarding this story.
Safety warning:
This is my first Cat Sebastian book and also my first MM novel. This is book 3 in the series. I think it would be better to read this series in order? It was okay as a stand alone but I did get the feeling that the story had already started happening before I got there. And the heroes from book 2 make appearances in this book. I'm not sure how much Will and Martin are in the previous stories though.
Will and Martin were best friends growing up. Martin's life was different than most, as he was always sick. Weak lungs. He lived for Will's wild stories. Martin's father gets Will into the navy and they don't see each other for a number of years.
The story picks up when Will, who found Martin living in an attic and terribly ill, kidnaps him and takes him to the country to recover. This story is very laid back and sweet. Sweet as in, actually sweet interactions, not the NO SEX sweet ;) It doesn't have a lot of craziness going on. No murders, no mysteries to solve, there's not a lot of action. Most of the story takes place at a cabin in the country and then parts in London towards the end. Still it didn't feel extremely slow to me. It was all about the friendship redeveloping into love. It was about the daily interactions that build a relationship. It was very much about the little touches and I loved that aspect especially. I felt every touch in this book in the most endearing ways. Straightening lapels. A hand on the back. A snuggle in bed. Martin is a character that hasn't allowed much contact in his life. Not physically or emotionally. He's been separated from so much due to his illness and he just desperately wants someone to touch him and love him and treat him like he's not made of glass. But he hides all this underneath a layer of aristocratic contempt. Will really is perfect for him. I believe Martin is also a virgin though it didn't come out and say. He's been very alone and inexperienced in a lot of things. Once he allows Will to connect with him emotionally he just blossoms.
Will is a bisexual character. He's very happy and free and seems to not take anything too seriously. But underneath it all, he takes Martin VERY seriously. Never wanting to endanger their friendship he has not crossed certain lines. The two of them have to face a lot of things within their own hearts while they recover at the cabin.
I'd give this book a try if you want
-a MM novel
-inexperienced hero
-a fairly uncomplicated story purely focused on the emotions
-friends to lovers
-slow burn/gentle love
-forced proximity (most of the book is spent at a 1 room cabin together)
This book has 2-3 fully fleshed out intimate scenes. There are also a few that are glossed over. It was all very sweetly done. The details focused more on the emotional side.
With all this said, I'm falling in at 3 stars. The book was really sweet and I'm happy I read it. But it wasn't a book I didn't want to put down. And I was left only having lukewarm feelings about both Will and Martin. I can't say I was super connected to either of them. I can't picture myself rereading this. I would definitely try Cat Sebastian again though.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. All thoughts about opinions are my own regarding this story.
Safety warning: