A Gentleman Never Keeps Score by Cat Sebastian

This is a genre that I have never read before.  I had read Unmasked by the Marquess and liked it, so I decided to take a chance. 

I liked Sam and Hartley.  The secondary characters added to the story.  Behind the romance of Sam and Hartley, there was a powerful backstory.  Hartley has suffered trauma at the hands of his godfather because Hartley wanted a better life for his siblings.  Sam helped Hartley heal from the trauma.

I will be reading more of Cat Sebastian's books.

May Flowers by Mari Carr

May Flowers was hired to replace Lochlan Wallace's longtime personal assistant.  She is the last thing he wants in a new assistant.  May was young, gorgeous and submissive. Since his retiring PA hired and trained May while Lochlan was on a business trip, he decides that he needs to give her a chance.  The more he works with May, the more he can't fight his basic instincts.

When May has trouble at home, Lochlan steps in to help and it brings out his dominate nature.  May knows that she shouldn't be attracted to her boss, but he is making her want things she didn't know she needed.  Lochlan is wrestling with his own emotions, but in the end will he claim May as his?

The Wild Irish and Wilder Irish series is one of my favorite series.  This book is a perfect addition.  I liked how it includes family which is an important dynamic in the Collins family.  The characters were wonderful.  I liked May and Lochlan.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by NetGalley and the publisher.  Thank you.

The Sheikha's Unexpected Protector by Leslie North

Princess Salari has lived for ten years in Paris after her father, the king of Kattahar exiled her.  After his sudden death, her brother contacts her and asks her to come home.  She is met at the airport by Kalif Nazat, the man who destroyed her life.  He was once her childhood friend and love.  When there are several attacks on her life, Kalif as Captin of the Guard will do anything to protect the woman he still loves.  As they rekindle their romance, Kalif must explain to Salari what happened ten years ago and hope she can forgive him.

This was a great second chance romance.  I loved the characters.  The plot twist kept me guessing what would come next.  Another great book from Leslie North.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher.  Thank you.

The Sheikh’s Royal Seduction by Leslie North

Prince Zatar and Alexis Seaton meet when she is brought in as the exotic veterinarian for Zatar’s favorite lioness.  Zatar is expecting a guy but when a beautiful woman in Western clothing shows up, his world is rocked.

I love Leslie North’s sheikh books.  I liked how Zatar and Alex had to bend their expectations to reach their HEA.

I voluntarily review an ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher.

Once a Scoundrel by Mary Jo Putney

Gabriel Vance left the Royal Navy in disgrace and was disowned by his Grandfather, a British admiral.  He re-invented himself as Gabriel Hawkins and captained his own merchant ship.

Lady Aurora Lawrence is the youngest of eight and a wild child.  She is using an inheritance to travel.  When she is captured by pirates, she demands that the ransom include herself, her cousin/companion and the crew of the ship they were on.  Her father can't raise a 50,000-pound ransom, so her mother steps in and hires Gabriel.

This was a sweeping romance that was a fast-paced read.  I enjoyed that the book does not take place in the drawing rooms of London.  It was a breath of fresh air.  I liked that Rory was an adventuress and had helped a cousin that was wronged by their grandmother.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher.  Thank you!

Her Stepbrothers Are Cowboys by Trinity Blacio

This one ended up on the virtual DNF stack.

There was just so much thrown at the reader within the first chapter that I was overwhelmed.  Haven and her mom Paris are vampires.  Two years ago, Haven's dad was killed and they have been on the run to include Haven having to cut and dye her hair.  Paris found a new mate who happens to be horse shifters that originated on another planet.  Then a third mate who is also from another planet is thrown in.  I get the instantaneous connection when Haven and Landon and Stang.  It is a common thread in shifter novels.  What was annoying was how they constantly called Haven "Little Filley". 

I am normally all for campy and an escapist read, but what put the nail in the coffin was the need for proofreading and basic editing. 

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC provided by NetGalley.  Thank you.

The Sadist and the Stolen Princess by Jenn LeBlanc

I have been waiting for his book for a long time and I was not disappointed. 

Madoc is forced to return to London and take up his title by the Queen.  The Queen demands that he make amends with his family.  Out of stress, he visits a birch mistress.  Madoc finds a woman and attempts to help her.

Willow was researching a clue she had found about a birch mistress in the Victorian Underground in 2018 when she is taken through time to the very spot she was researching.  She realizes that Madoc is the man that she has been looking for - her other half. 

While there are a few historical inaccuracies that I spotted, I can ignore them because it is a time travel romance and you have to suspend reality.  I loved Madoc.  He was a tortured hero.  Madoc was perfect for Willow.  I loved the relationship between them.  This was a great book that I enjoyed from beginning to end!

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC provided by NetGalley, the Author, and Publisher.  Thank You!

Falling from His Grace by Kristin Vayden

Lilah Durary is devastated.  Her father, the Duke of Chatterwood has determined that she marry her best friend despite the fact that he is in love with her friend.  She does not want an empty life, so she does the only thing she can do, attempt to ruin her reputation.

I did not like this book.  I could not connect with the characters.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. 

The Marquess and the Maiden by Robyn DeHart

Lady Harriet Wheatley is a member of the Ladies of Virtue.  Their latest quest is to rehabilitate the gentlemen of the ton based on the seven deadly sins.  Harriet's target is Oliver Weeks, Marquess of Davenport.

Harriet longs to take Oliver down a notch after he cruelly rejected her offer to marry him when he was in desperate need of an infusion of money to his bankrupt estates. Harriet believes that Oliver is spending recklessly and is determined to change him.

Oliver's mother wants him to find a bride before she can find her own happiness.  When Oliver sees Harriet again after being away from society for six years, he still desires her.  Harriet wants to help him find a wife so he will stop his reckless spending, but she doesn't realize that the only woman he wants is her. 

I was sucked into the book at the prologue.  The characters were people that I ended up caring about.  I felt so bad for Harriet when her mother and Oliver's decide that they should marry and Harriet approaches Oliver only to have him reject her.  As the story progresses, I understood why Oliver didn't want to marry her at that point.  Oliver was determined to rebuild his family fortune on his own, now with a wife's dowry. 

I loved the plot of "the Big Misunderstanding".  Oliver needed someone like Harriet to help him heal.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher.  Thank you.

Drawn to the Marquess by Bronwen Evans

As the daughter of a Duke, Lady Penelope was once considered the belle of the ton.  That was until she married a scoundrel who she thought she loved, only to have her dreams crushed by a cruel husband.  When he dies, her brother-in-law will do anything to get her convicted of killing her husband so he can have her fortune and estate.

Stephen Hornsby, the Marquess of Clevedon is the one man that Penelope knows can prove her innocence.  Before he goes blind, Stephen is indulging in his greatest joy, watching a woman in the throes of passion.  He meets Penelope and is determined to have her.  Penelope has spurned Stephen based on his reputation as a rogue, but when she gets to know the man he is behind the reputation, can she continue to resist her.

 This was simply an amazing book.  Both Penelope and Stephen were strong characters.  I like a flawed hero and Stephen was the perfect flawed hero with his degenerating eyesight.  Penelope was a strong heroine that had been through a lot in her marriage to a man that crushed her dreams. 

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher.  Thank you!

Battle With The SEAL by Leslie North

This was a great conclusion to the series.  I have been waiting for Loki to get his HEA and this was perfect for him.  There is nothing like a Leslie North book.

I received a complimentary ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher.  Thank you!

The Duke With the Dragon Tattoo by Kerrigan Byrne

Lorelai is at the mercy of her cruel brother, her father unwilling or unable to stop him.  She sees a man lying in a ditch while riding in a carriage with her father and brother and demands they stop.  The man has no knowledge of his name or past when he awakens.  He only remembers that he woke up in a mass grave with a damaged dragon tattoo on his forearm.

Lorelai and the man she names Ash develop a bond.  Ash is the one person that sees how cruel her brother is.  She is devastated when Ash leaves, her brother claiming that he remembered his past.

Years later, The Rook stops Lorelai's wedding and takes her to his ship to claim her as his wife.  As Lorelai discovers more about The Rook, she is stunned to learn that he is Ash. 


OMG!  What a book!  I have loved the books in the Victorian Rebels series so I was thrilled when I saw this on NetGalley.  I was hooked at the first chapter.  I hated Mortimer and was thrilled when he got his deserved ending.  I felt so bad for Veronica.  I was holding my breath at the twists and turns in the novel. 

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher.  Thank you!

Lord of Vice by Erica Ridley

Maxwell Gideon has risen from poverty to run The Cloven Hoof, a gaming hell that he controls who can have a membership.  He has a silent partner that he wants to buy out but refuses to meet with him.

Byrony Grenville is the youngest daughter of a Baron.  Her mother's goal is for Byrony to be married by the end of the season.  Byrony a secret.  She has used her skills to invest in the ton's most infamous gambling parlor.  When Gideon wants to buy her out, she makes a secret visit to The Cloven Hoof to see if her investment is sound.  An unexpected meeting leads to temptation.  Can two people from opposite sides of society find true love?


I did not want to put this book down once I started reading.  I loved the characters.  Byrony was a smart heroine that met her match in Max.  I liked how Byrony didn't care about Max's background but fell in love with the strong man that is Max.  I hope Max's sister gets her own HEA.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC provided by NetGalley and the author.  Thank you!