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Elizabeth is trapped in an undesirable marriage, but her husband has left her alone for the most part. Now, however, after hearing about another scandal, he is banishing her to a long abandoned castle in the country. Here, she finds out the castle has been haunted for centuries by the ghost of James Carlisle.
We learn a bit about James in the prologue and his life in the court of Henry VII. How, where, and why he dies is a mystery left for Elizabeth and James to figure out together.
Give this book a try if you're in the mood for
-Something different – how many ghost heroes are there anyway?
-Are interested in some different sex...of the spectral kind. It's different from the mere mortal sex in a few ways including freezing, icy, and essences
-Does this count as age gap? Hero is 300 years older than heroine (hahaaaa)
-Lots of....stuff. Plenty of plot devices, scandals, danger, mystery
-Moderate-high steam – quite a few scenes for kisses, ghost sex, and real sex. The sex is explicit but not extended scenes.
I'm not really sure what I can get into with this novel without spoilers. I liked parts of it, I was disappointed in parts of it, and some things were so absolutely absurd it was painful. I think I would have liked it more if the ghost was so....icy. He was cold. His cock was cold. His essence was cold. It wasn't attractive to me and I found myself cringing during all the scenes. It's a silly thing to get over but I think it definitely dampened what I could have otherwise liked.
There was also a lot of talk about essences, which became a downer for me and the fact that the hero rolled his eyes. Again, just me being nitpicky, but I don't ever want to read a hero rolled his eyes (just brings to mind the teenager with braces, and the fact that he's a 300 year old ghost it fit even less). James rolls his eyes 6 times! I felt like it was always happening. And it was more noticeable because everyone else was rolling their eyes too. Elizabeth does it 3 times, her husband does it 4 times, Mrs Gates does it. Isabelle does it. Percy does it. Anthony does it. Annie does it. It was just too much. Once I saw it, I couldn't unsee it.
This book loses stars for the ending as well. I don't want to discuss it unless you've read it, but it was just an unbearable ending for me.
I give 2.5 rounded to 3
We learn a bit about James in the prologue and his life in the court of Henry VII. How, where, and why he dies is a mystery left for Elizabeth and James to figure out together.
Give this book a try if you're in the mood for
-Something different – how many ghost heroes are there anyway?
-Are interested in some different sex...of the spectral kind. It's different from the mere mortal sex in a few ways including freezing, icy, and essences
-Does this count as age gap? Hero is 300 years older than heroine (hahaaaa)
-Lots of....stuff. Plenty of plot devices, scandals, danger, mystery
-Moderate-high steam – quite a few scenes for kisses, ghost sex, and real sex. The sex is explicit but not extended scenes.
I'm not really sure what I can get into with this novel without spoilers. I liked parts of it, I was disappointed in parts of it, and some things were so absolutely absurd it was painful. I think I would have liked it more if the ghost was so....icy. He was cold. His cock was cold. His essence was cold. It wasn't attractive to me and I found myself cringing during all the scenes. It's a silly thing to get over but I think it definitely dampened what I could have otherwise liked.
There was also a lot of talk about essences, which became a downer for me and the fact that the hero rolled his eyes. Again, just me being nitpicky, but I don't ever want to read a hero rolled his eyes (just brings to mind the teenager with braces, and the fact that he's a 300 year old ghost it fit even less). James rolls his eyes 6 times! I felt like it was always happening. And it was more noticeable because everyone else was rolling their eyes too. Elizabeth does it 3 times, her husband does it 4 times, Mrs Gates does it. Isabelle does it. Percy does it. Anthony does it. Annie does it. It was just too much. Once I saw it, I couldn't unsee it.
This book loses stars for the ending as well. I don't want to discuss it unless you've read it, but it was just an unbearable ending for me.
I give 2.5 rounded to 3
Safety warnings attached at the end.
This is my first book of the series and I felt it's fine read as a stand alone. You probably get more character introduction and death by reading the series in order though. I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything though.
This book, as you can probably guess from the title, is about two people who have lost their honor according to society. Our hero, Lucas, was an officer in the navy and a prisoner of war. The heroine, Kendra, is a scandalous divorcee. They come together at a ball and sense each other's vulnerability and protect each other.
Kendra is a very strong character. Independent, fierce, and determined to get back what is hers. Society has been cruel to her since her divorce but she still holds her head up proudly.
Lucas is very sweet and caring. He's been through a lot, emotionally and physically, but hasn't let that damage his personality. He's very steadfast and willing to help Kendra and protect her.
Give this a try if you're in the mood for:
-A regency time period novel – this takes place in 1816
-A novel with darker themes (lots of emotional turmoil, loss, abuse)
-An experienced heroine – she's been married and divorced
-Soldier hero – the hero was a soldier in the navy
-Lots of things going on – there are lot of factors in play here, things the couple are trying to resolve
-Lower to mid steam – kisses and sex happen and it's open door but it's pretty short
I wasn't a huge fan of this story. It was rather dark, but without the emotional pull and angst of, say Kerrigan Byrne's work. There's a lot of loss, struggles, hurt from the past going on and not a lot of romance. I didn't really understand the characters attraction to each other. I wasn't getting butterflies. And the sex was very short and lackluster. I haven't read much of Putney's work, but I do remember Thunder and Roses. WHERE was that heat and fire? There's a scene from that book that had me breathless when they are playing billiards. I felt no remnant of that heat and sexiness here.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions about the story are my own.
Safety warnings (spoilers)
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Miscarriage, adoption, physical/verbal abuse
This is my first book of the series and I felt it's fine read as a stand alone. You probably get more character introduction and death by reading the series in order though. I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything though.
This book, as you can probably guess from the title, is about two people who have lost their honor according to society. Our hero, Lucas, was an officer in the navy and a prisoner of war. The heroine, Kendra, is a scandalous divorcee. They come together at a ball and sense each other's vulnerability and protect each other.
Kendra is a very strong character. Independent, fierce, and determined to get back what is hers. Society has been cruel to her since her divorce but she still holds her head up proudly.
Lucas is very sweet and caring. He's been through a lot, emotionally and physically, but hasn't let that damage his personality. He's very steadfast and willing to help Kendra and protect her.
Give this a try if you're in the mood for:
-A regency time period novel – this takes place in 1816
-A novel with darker themes (lots of emotional turmoil, loss, abuse)
-An experienced heroine – she's been married and divorced
-Soldier hero – the hero was a soldier in the navy
-Lots of things going on – there are lot of factors in play here, things the couple are trying to resolve
-Lower to mid steam – kisses and sex happen and it's open door but it's pretty short
I wasn't a huge fan of this story. It was rather dark, but without the emotional pull and angst of, say Kerrigan Byrne's work. There's a lot of loss, struggles, hurt from the past going on and not a lot of romance. I didn't really understand the characters attraction to each other. I wasn't getting butterflies. And the sex was very short and lackluster. I haven't read much of Putney's work, but I do remember Thunder and Roses. WHERE was that heat and fire? There's a scene from that book that had me breathless when they are playing billiards. I felt no remnant of that heat and sexiness here.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions about the story are my own.
Safety warnings (spoilers)
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This is book 4 of the Lords of Lancashire series, but is fine as a stand alone.
Laura is a farmer during the Battle of Plattsburgh, in the War of 1812 in America. During her travel home, she stops her cart to find a British soldier very near death. She brings him back to her house to recover. There he recovers with her help and needs assistance recovering some of his memory and making sure he is safe.
Give this book a try if you are in the mood for:
-Something that takes place in America
-Happens during the War of 1812
-Has a soldier hero
-Has a widow heroine
-Moderate to heavy steam – multiple kisses and sex scenes, pretty explicit but not overly lengthy (haha)
-Heroine nurses hero back to health
This book was an okay read to me. Unfortunately what held the book together in between the sex, was rather boring. I just didn't really find myself caring about either character and found myself annoyed with Laura's son. So I guess I wished for more tension and more character depth? I'm sure if you are looking for a soldier hero you will enjoy this book.
The author's notes at the end were pretty detailed and I always enjoy reading those.
Thank you NetGalley for the arc. All thoughts and opinions on the book are my own.
Laura is a farmer during the Battle of Plattsburgh, in the War of 1812 in America. During her travel home, she stops her cart to find a British soldier very near death. She brings him back to her house to recover. There he recovers with her help and needs assistance recovering some of his memory and making sure he is safe.
Give this book a try if you are in the mood for:
-Something that takes place in America
-Happens during the War of 1812
-Has a soldier hero
-Has a widow heroine
-Moderate to heavy steam – multiple kisses and sex scenes, pretty explicit but not overly lengthy (haha)
-Heroine nurses hero back to health
This book was an okay read to me. Unfortunately what held the book together in between the sex, was rather boring. I just didn't really find myself caring about either character and found myself annoyed with Laura's son. So I guess I wished for more tension and more character depth? I'm sure if you are looking for a soldier hero you will enjoy this book.
The author's notes at the end were pretty detailed and I always enjoy reading those.
Thank you NetGalley for the arc. All thoughts and opinions on the book are my own.
This is book 2 in the series but is perfectly fine as a stand alone, at least that's how I felt not having read book 1.
Jane is doing research on the behavior of scoundrels and needs notes to write her book. She ends up sneaking into a brothel where she meets our hero, Raven. After their encounter, she knows she recognizes his birthmark from somewhere and is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery. Jane can be a little interfering, but Raven never seemed to be out of his comfort zone with her direction so it didn't bother me. Jane has a very large family and very neglectful parents and she is just aching for someone to really see her, respect her, understand her longings in life. And I think Raven's playfully flirtatious personality was perfect for her.
Raven was orphaned as an infant and has lived a life of hard work and abuse. He has worked hard to get his own living place and even secured a few books to own. I usually find the heroine to be the bookworms in HR in general, and I loved seeing Raven's breath catch when he enters a well stocked library. I will always have a soft spot for the street heroes of HR. And Raven has a bit of that hardness to him, but he also has a fun personality. I found him humorous, playful and sexy.
I really absolutely loved this book right up until the end. THE END. We'll talk about that later. I thought this book had a great build over time of tension and touches and longing. I thought Jane and Raven were focused on each other for most of the book. Some parts were funny. Some were so heartwarming. Raven was really a great hero and I felt like he truly loved Jane and her family, who is obviously important to her.
I found this book to be filled with so many little scenes that built the tension. So many touches, almost touches, almost kisses, a stroke of a collarbone above a dress. I loved them. There is a scene where Jane is teaching Raven some of the social niceties of the ton and she's explaining how when making calls on women it's important to keep your hat and gloves with you so your hostess knows you won't be sharing intimacies with a guess. Raven informs her of at least 7 ways he could ravish her while keeping his hat and gloves intact. There's no kisses but it's so. Damn. Sexy. The wanting I felt during that scene was wonderful.
Give this book a try if you are in the mood for
A class differences feel – the hero is an orphan that grew up on the streets and the heroine is a daughter of a viscount
Secret/hidden identity – (maybe a bit of a stretch) the hero is an orphan trying to find out his origins
Enough mystery to move the story along but not overwhelmingly taking over
Moderate steam – it felt a bit on the lower end to me, but the scenes are detailed and explicit. They were just concentrated at the end (see end of review for amounts/percentage location in book)
So. The END. Was a disaster for me. It was such an amazing, wonderful book until the end. Then. Everything happened. It was way too much crammed into a short percentage. Some of it didn't really make sense as far as the characters went. I didn't approve at all of Raven's actions. I also dislike when another character has to come in and kind of “fix” the problem and that's what happened here. I want the characters to be able to mostly figure it out themselves. There was just so much...I didn't like anything at the end.
I also didn't like the way some of Raven's darker moments of his past were handled. It almost skimmed over it, like see, look I'm fine, wink wink and I guess I would have preferred some more gut wrenching conversation closure on it than a gloss over.
Locations/amounts of kisses and sexy scenes
First kiss - 34%
Second kiss - 54%
Fondling for her - 69%
First sex scene - 75%
Second sex scene (brief) - 88%
I voluntarily read this arc through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions on the book are my own.
Jane is doing research on the behavior of scoundrels and needs notes to write her book. She ends up sneaking into a brothel where she meets our hero, Raven. After their encounter, she knows she recognizes his birthmark from somewhere and is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery. Jane can be a little interfering, but Raven never seemed to be out of his comfort zone with her direction so it didn't bother me. Jane has a very large family and very neglectful parents and she is just aching for someone to really see her, respect her, understand her longings in life. And I think Raven's playfully flirtatious personality was perfect for her.
Raven was orphaned as an infant and has lived a life of hard work and abuse. He has worked hard to get his own living place and even secured a few books to own. I usually find the heroine to be the bookworms in HR in general, and I loved seeing Raven's breath catch when he enters a well stocked library. I will always have a soft spot for the street heroes of HR. And Raven has a bit of that hardness to him, but he also has a fun personality. I found him humorous, playful and sexy.
I really absolutely loved this book right up until the end. THE END. We'll talk about that later. I thought this book had a great build over time of tension and touches and longing. I thought Jane and Raven were focused on each other for most of the book. Some parts were funny. Some were so heartwarming. Raven was really a great hero and I felt like he truly loved Jane and her family, who is obviously important to her.
I found this book to be filled with so many little scenes that built the tension. So many touches, almost touches, almost kisses, a stroke of a collarbone above a dress. I loved them. There is a scene where Jane is teaching Raven some of the social niceties of the ton and she's explaining how when making calls on women it's important to keep your hat and gloves with you so your hostess knows you won't be sharing intimacies with a guess. Raven informs her of at least 7 ways he could ravish her while keeping his hat and gloves intact. There's no kisses but it's so. Damn. Sexy. The wanting I felt during that scene was wonderful.
Give this book a try if you are in the mood for
A class differences feel – the hero is an orphan that grew up on the streets and the heroine is a daughter of a viscount
Secret/hidden identity – (maybe a bit of a stretch) the hero is an orphan trying to find out his origins
Enough mystery to move the story along but not overwhelmingly taking over
Moderate steam – it felt a bit on the lower end to me, but the scenes are detailed and explicit. They were just concentrated at the end (see end of review for amounts/percentage location in book)
So. The END. Was a disaster for me. It was such an amazing, wonderful book until the end. Then. Everything happened. It was way too much crammed into a short percentage. Some of it didn't really make sense as far as the characters went. I didn't approve at all of Raven's actions. I also dislike when another character has to come in and kind of “fix” the problem and that's what happened here. I want the characters to be able to mostly figure it out themselves. There was just so much...I didn't like anything at the end.
I also didn't like the way some of Raven's darker moments of his past were handled. It almost skimmed over it, like see, look I'm fine, wink wink and I guess I would have preferred some more gut wrenching conversation closure on it than a gloss over.
Locations/amounts of kisses and sexy scenes
Spoiler
First kiss - 34%
Second kiss - 54%
Fondling for her - 69%
First sex scene - 75%
Second sex scene (brief) - 88%
I voluntarily read this arc through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions on the book are my own.
This being book 6 of Heath's current series, it works surprisingly well as a stand alone. I have read book 2 in the series also. The series follows the Trewlove family (rather hate the name, but that's just me) and the next book in the series I believe will be Althea's two brothers (the heroine from this book). This book has a few character appearances from other family members from previous books.
Althea was a lady. WAS. Sadly, those days are over and now her life is filled with attempting to find her niche with the working class. After multiple jobs, she's chosen to be a barmaid. But she knows if she can just become a seductress then she will have more freedom and choices in life. She wants to learn to be the most desired mistress in London and have some life in society again.
Benedict is a bastard living in the darker side of London. He comes across Althea when he frequents the bar for a drink. He knows she doesn't fit in there and wants to know her story. Soon they strike a bargain that bring them together under the same roof. WARNING: The hero's name is Beast. I know some people love it and some don't, so just prepare yourself haha.
Give this book a try if you are in the mood for
-an “almost” antihero – he technically runs a brothel, but that's not all there is to it
-Victorian time period – this book takes place in 1873
-Whitechapel setting – most of this book takes place in the darker area of London
-medium to high steam
-one of the main characters in this book has a disability. I don't want to be specific because you find out rather late in the book but I love that it was included.
-no villain or mystery to solve – there's a few plot devices at work here, but most of the focus is on the couple and their relationship
-this story includes 'riches to rags' and 'rags to riches' elements
-class differences – heroine was raised a lady, hero is a bastard in Whitechapel
-ruined heroine – socially, utterly ruined, the heroine receives the cut direct any social place she goes
-MC ages – hero is 33 and heroine is 29
So overall I really enjoyed this story. When I saw where the plot was going with the bargain, I thought it was a little silly (heroine wants seduction lessons, hero wants a tutor) but I was also excited. The characters are together for most of the book and I love that. It's quite steamy, which I also love.
The thing I loved the most was that it just felt a bit different from what I've read lately. The fact that the heroine was a lady and has lost everything was a fairly new plot focus for me. I also adore books that take place in the darkness of London, so that hit another sweet spot for me.
I enjoyed the hero a lot. He was a tad alpha, a bit jealous, but super mushy and caring inside. Here's one of my favorite scenes from him staking his claim:
“Beast held silent for all of a minute before bestowing upon him the grin that men had been displaying for centuries when they knew they possessed what another man coveted. “I know everything she likes.””
But, and I find this a lot with Lorraine Heath, she just doesn't take it quite as far as I want her to. It's totally a personal preference. But I just want more. More pain, more darkness, more emotion. She tends to delve into these topics and just doesn't push it as much as I want. But I'm also a jaded psycho. So I think many others will be so happy with her writing. (I think Kerrigan Bryne has ruined me)
My other minor complaint is that some of the heroine's behavior didn't really make sense to me. I didn't know her as a character very well in the beginning (not sure if she was introduced in other books?) so the whole 'I want to be a seductress' seemed to come out of nowhere to me. But what really got me was her behavior while she was working as a barmaid. It wasn't the behavior of someone who was contemplating being a courtesan. Things like dumping drinks over people's heads. And while I fully support her choice to douse some groping drunkard, I just couldn't stop thinking how much she was going to hate being a courtesan. Being a mistress, sure it might open doors for her in society and give her some stability in life, but it was like she hadn't even considered what it REALLY meant. Faking it for a man. Putting up with atrocious or undesirable behaviors. It just came off as really naive to me.
Lastly I really disliked how the heroine behaved at the end. It knocked a star for me.
MAJOR SPOILER WITH MINOR COMPLAINT
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Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. All of these thoughts and opinions are totally mine.
Althea was a lady. WAS. Sadly, those days are over and now her life is filled with attempting to find her niche with the working class. After multiple jobs, she's chosen to be a barmaid. But she knows if she can just become a seductress then she will have more freedom and choices in life. She wants to learn to be the most desired mistress in London and have some life in society again.
Benedict is a bastard living in the darker side of London. He comes across Althea when he frequents the bar for a drink. He knows she doesn't fit in there and wants to know her story. Soon they strike a bargain that bring them together under the same roof. WARNING: The hero's name is Beast. I know some people love it and some don't, so just prepare yourself haha.
Give this book a try if you are in the mood for
-an “almost” antihero – he technically runs a brothel, but that's not all there is to it
-Victorian time period – this book takes place in 1873
-Whitechapel setting – most of this book takes place in the darker area of London
-medium to high steam
-one of the main characters in this book has a disability. I don't want to be specific because you find out rather late in the book but I love that it was included.
-no villain or mystery to solve – there's a few plot devices at work here, but most of the focus is on the couple and their relationship
-this story includes 'riches to rags' and 'rags to riches' elements
-class differences – heroine was raised a lady, hero is a bastard in Whitechapel
-ruined heroine – socially, utterly ruined, the heroine receives the cut direct any social place she goes
-MC ages – hero is 33 and heroine is 29
So overall I really enjoyed this story. When I saw where the plot was going with the bargain, I thought it was a little silly (heroine wants seduction lessons, hero wants a tutor) but I was also excited. The characters are together for most of the book and I love that. It's quite steamy, which I also love.
The thing I loved the most was that it just felt a bit different from what I've read lately. The fact that the heroine was a lady and has lost everything was a fairly new plot focus for me. I also adore books that take place in the darkness of London, so that hit another sweet spot for me.
I enjoyed the hero a lot. He was a tad alpha, a bit jealous, but super mushy and caring inside. Here's one of my favorite scenes from him staking his claim:
“Beast held silent for all of a minute before bestowing upon him the grin that men had been displaying for centuries when they knew they possessed what another man coveted. “I know everything she likes.””
But, and I find this a lot with Lorraine Heath, she just doesn't take it quite as far as I want her to. It's totally a personal preference. But I just want more. More pain, more darkness, more emotion. She tends to delve into these topics and just doesn't push it as much as I want. But I'm also a jaded psycho. So I think many others will be so happy with her writing. (I think Kerrigan Bryne has ruined me)
My other minor complaint is that some of the heroine's behavior didn't really make sense to me. I didn't know her as a character very well in the beginning (not sure if she was introduced in other books?) so the whole 'I want to be a seductress' seemed to come out of nowhere to me. But what really got me was her behavior while she was working as a barmaid. It wasn't the behavior of someone who was contemplating being a courtesan. Things like dumping drinks over people's heads. And while I fully support her choice to douse some groping drunkard, I just couldn't stop thinking how much she was going to hate being a courtesan. Being a mistress, sure it might open doors for her in society and give her some stability in life, but it was like she hadn't even considered what it REALLY meant. Faking it for a man. Putting up with atrocious or undesirable behaviors. It just came off as really naive to me.
Lastly I really disliked how the heroine behaved at the end. It knocked a star for me.
MAJOR SPOILER WITH MINOR COMPLAINT
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Spoiler
Of COURSE at the end of the book, the hero has to become nobility. I get we want that happily ever after and we want our characters to live their best life, but it seems like in these situations, especially where the main character is a bastard, it's expected that they are really a duke in disguise. Or an earl. Etc. Again, this is just my feeling because I've read a lot of this story line where that happens, hopefully that isn't bothersome to other readers.Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. All of these thoughts and opinions are totally mine.
Overall: 4.5 rounded to ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5 stars)
Plot/Storyline:
Plot/Storyline:
This is book 3 in the new gilded age series, and it can absolutely be read as a standalone. I haven't read the others in the series and this was very much about the couple and their interactions. A few previous characters make brief appearances from previous books I think, but nothing major.
So, the title. I think it's so true. This book was just SO different than anything else I've read lately. Looking for something different? This could be it. I also love when the cover actually relates to something in the book and the Wild Rose pink silk she is wearing on the front is a part of the story. Love when that happens!!
I think you try this book if you are into:
-second chance romance
-enemies to lovers
-gilded age time period in New York
-you want an 'older' heroine – she's 36 (I can't remember the hero's age, but it's similar)
-are loving the independent, hard working, and self saving heroines
-want some characters based on real life heroes/heroines of the time – the authors notes themselves were amazing in this book and made me appreciate all the more what takes place in the story
Beatrice and Wes have a history. And when Beatrice returns to America after 16 years abroad, she wants nothing to do with him and he wants nothing to do with her. She decides to try to save her family's department story, Goodwins, which is going bankrupt. He has built his empire from nothing and has become the 3rd richest man of the times. His empire is the competition – Daltons, a store so famous and sought after, it doesn't even need it's name on the store.
This book has revenge and enemies to lovers but it wasn't done in an annoying way. Sometimes I read enemies to lovers and it's just all anger and fighting and arguing and sarcasm and this wasn't like that at all. It was quite enjoyable. It was rather adorable watching Wes attempting to hold onto his revenge, but losing the feeling and the drive and having that replaced by oh so wonderful love.
Beatrice will secure hearts of independent women everywhere. She does the unheard of and gets a divorce from her unhappy marriage. Again, she does the impossible and takes over the family store. Getting people to listen to is another matter. You find yourself rooting for her so much in this 'man is boss' world. And what she creates really is beautiful and has me excited.
I felt like this really was a fun and different story. I gave 4 stars because some things about it just felt so contemporary to me, perhaps it's just that almost turn of the century time period and the speed of New York City. I also wanted the hero and heroine to have a bit more page time together. This story was just as much about the romance as it was about Beatrice really finding herself and her strength to be her own woman. She made me mad a few times with her decisions as they seemed a little selfish and I hurt for Wes, but I also understood her struggle. I just love that part of romance where they NEED each other, and this was more about Beatrice firmly not needing Wes, but still loving him and choosing to be with him. And there is beauty in that too, but it just wasn't what I love.
Thank you netgalley for the complimentary ARC. These thoughts and opinions about the book are completely my own.
Slight spoilers ahead
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So, the title. I think it's so true. This book was just SO different than anything else I've read lately. Looking for something different? This could be it. I also love when the cover actually relates to something in the book and the Wild Rose pink silk she is wearing on the front is a part of the story. Love when that happens!!
I think you try this book if you are into:
-second chance romance
-enemies to lovers
-gilded age time period in New York
-you want an 'older' heroine – she's 36 (I can't remember the hero's age, but it's similar)
-are loving the independent, hard working, and self saving heroines
-want some characters based on real life heroes/heroines of the time – the authors notes themselves were amazing in this book and made me appreciate all the more what takes place in the story
Beatrice and Wes have a history. And when Beatrice returns to America after 16 years abroad, she wants nothing to do with him and he wants nothing to do with her. She decides to try to save her family's department story, Goodwins, which is going bankrupt. He has built his empire from nothing and has become the 3rd richest man of the times. His empire is the competition – Daltons, a store so famous and sought after, it doesn't even need it's name on the store.
This book has revenge and enemies to lovers but it wasn't done in an annoying way. Sometimes I read enemies to lovers and it's just all anger and fighting and arguing and sarcasm and this wasn't like that at all. It was quite enjoyable. It was rather adorable watching Wes attempting to hold onto his revenge, but losing the feeling and the drive and having that replaced by oh so wonderful love.
Beatrice will secure hearts of independent women everywhere. She does the unheard of and gets a divorce from her unhappy marriage. Again, she does the impossible and takes over the family store. Getting people to listen to is another matter. You find yourself rooting for her so much in this 'man is boss' world. And what she creates really is beautiful and has me excited.
I felt like this really was a fun and different story. I gave 4 stars because some things about it just felt so contemporary to me, perhaps it's just that almost turn of the century time period and the speed of New York City. I also wanted the hero and heroine to have a bit more page time together. This story was just as much about the romance as it was about Beatrice really finding herself and her strength to be her own woman. She made me mad a few times with her decisions as they seemed a little selfish and I hurt for Wes, but I also understood her struggle. I just love that part of romance where they NEED each other, and this was more about Beatrice firmly not needing Wes, but still loving him and choosing to be with him. And there is beauty in that too, but it just wasn't what I love.
Thank you netgalley for the complimentary ARC. These thoughts and opinions about the book are completely my own.
Slight spoilers ahead
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Spoiler
We have a childless HEA, which is almost unheard of. I rather liked it because it was different and addressed that maybe everyone doesn't want children in their relationship, or can't, and it's still a complete love story.
Pandora Ravenel gets herself accidentally compromised by Gabriel during a ball. Neither party wants or needs this marriage, yet rumors abound from the ton, pushing them to come to a resolution.
This story was slow to start, giving some personal time for each main character to be viewed with their family. You get a judgement of their personalities and desires in life. Pandora is independent and has no interest in marriage. She wants to focus on making her board game and being an entrepreneur. Gabriel only wanted to watch fireworks and his chivalry lands him in this predicament. He has avoided marriage thus far, being well used to the match making mamas trying to land a future duke. Yet there’s something about Pandora that isn’t making him run for the hills. He’s hesitantly...curious.
The families get together at a house party in the country to allow the two some time to get to know each other. This was my favorite part of the book. It allowed some sharing of vulnerabilities and those first intimacies to take place.
Pandora came off to me as rather immature and selfish in the beginning of the book. She’s very lucky her family and sister are so supportive of what she wants and her happiness. In some scenes she comes off as extremely ungrateful and insecure. Yet, when she shares some of her secrets with Gabriel my heart just aches for her. Especially the reason for her vertigo. It made me realize the strength that was behind some of that sass and the responses that annoyed me earlier in the book.
Gabriel is just so wonderful. He is one of those completely steadfast heroes. Once you are on his radar, he is not wavering. He is so respectful and gentle with Pandora, who honestly is kind of a spaz lol. He’s just so sweet and wonderful with her. He’s an amazing hero. I loved him. But I felt like Pandora stoke a lot of the limelight in this book.
I felt like Lisa did a good job of totally immersing me in this story. The descriptions of the clothing, the bathing costumes and machines, the food, I felt like I could really picture it all without it being overly descriptive. It was interesting. Overall I’m liking the bit of time change from my usual hr books (these take place around the 1870s.
So, overall I thought it was a pleasant read. I have no urge to reread this. Thus I give 3 stars 😉 I’m working my way towards Devils Daughter.
This story was slow to start, giving some personal time for each main character to be viewed with their family. You get a judgement of their personalities and desires in life. Pandora is independent and has no interest in marriage. She wants to focus on making her board game and being an entrepreneur. Gabriel only wanted to watch fireworks and his chivalry lands him in this predicament. He has avoided marriage thus far, being well used to the match making mamas trying to land a future duke. Yet there’s something about Pandora that isn’t making him run for the hills. He’s hesitantly...curious.
The families get together at a house party in the country to allow the two some time to get to know each other. This was my favorite part of the book. It allowed some sharing of vulnerabilities and those first intimacies to take place.
Pandora came off to me as rather immature and selfish in the beginning of the book. She’s very lucky her family and sister are so supportive of what she wants and her happiness. In some scenes she comes off as extremely ungrateful and insecure. Yet, when she shares some of her secrets with Gabriel my heart just aches for her. Especially the reason for her vertigo. It made me realize the strength that was behind some of that sass and the responses that annoyed me earlier in the book.
Gabriel is just so wonderful. He is one of those completely steadfast heroes. Once you are on his radar, he is not wavering. He is so respectful and gentle with Pandora, who honestly is kind of a spaz lol. He’s just so sweet and wonderful with her. He’s an amazing hero. I loved him. But I felt like Pandora stoke a lot of the limelight in this book.
I felt like Lisa did a good job of totally immersing me in this story. The descriptions of the clothing, the bathing costumes and machines, the food, I felt like I could really picture it all without it being overly descriptive. It was interesting. Overall I’m liking the bit of time change from my usual hr books (these take place around the 1870s.
So, overall I thought it was a pleasant read. I have no urge to reread this. Thus I give 3 stars 😉 I’m working my way towards Devils Daughter.