The Lost Soul of Lord Badewyn by Mia Marlowe

The Lost Soul of Lord Badewyn by Mia Marlowe

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


To begin, I have not read the previous books in this series and while I was not the least bit lost, I was left wanting to go back and read them as the Duke of Camden has assembled quite the interesting group of individuals and I suspect I would quite enjoy reading their tales as well. As it was, Meg’s story proved to be fascinating on its own as we learn that the young miss is not the wellborn lady she appears, but rather a commoner who possesses the gift of “finding” and whose male guardian forced her to use her gift to steal from others before she found her way to the Duke’s care.

While it is quite possible one of the previous books may have shown how Meg came to join Camden’s Order of the M.U.S.E. (Metaphysical Union of Sensory Extraordinaires), it doesn’t lessen the impact of Meg’s fright at discovering the very men she’s been hiding from – her uncle and cousin – have located her and are lying in wait to abscond with her and force her back into their nefarious service. Nor was it surprising that Camden arranged for her to go into hiding in order to insure her safety. What was surprising was that her “hiding place” was full of its own set of dangers that could prove to be as equally harmful to her continued existence should she succumb to her attraction to Lord Badewyn. And as the son of a fallen angel, what chance does she have at being able to resist such a handsome man, regardless of his attempted aloofness?

I quite enjoyed that while Meg was trying to do what was right and act as a lady in accordance with the instruction she’d received from Lady Easton, we were treated to the true Meg as her personality came through more and more as she spent time with Lord Badewyn. I found Lord Badewyn’s refusal to act upon his attraction to Meg in order to protect her to be rather refreshing, especially as the facts about his parentage were revealed over the course of the novel. In the end, it was Lord Badewyn who succumbed to his attraction to Meg, but not before he does all that he can to insure her safety. When he finally does give in to his attraction, well let’s just say thank goodness for a well-stocked library and a well-read man. The sex scenes were steamy without being overly erotic and felt true to both the historical genre and the paranormal genre, but for entirely different reasons. It was Marlowe’s ability to combine the two genres while creating such engaging characters that made me enjoy The Lost Soul of Lord Badewyn so much. The ending was rather all encompassing in the various characters that it affected and this left me wanting more of the series. Hopefully I can find time to squeeze books one and two in before book four is released. Fingers crossed.

I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

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Claimed by the Rogue by Hope Tarr

Claimed by the Rogue by Hope Tarr

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Claimed by the Rogue was an enjoyable read the left me looking forward to Ms. Tarr’s next installment in the series, while at the same time sending me off to search her backlist to see if she has released Chelsea and Anthony’s story. While Robert is far more damaged of a hero than I usually get in my historical romances, he has managed to overcome the horrors he was exposed to during his time away. But he is soon to learn that while Phoebe has not married another, she is not the same girl he left behind six years earlier. Ms. Tarr not only takes Robert through the paces as he attempts to woo Phoebe again, but she also adds a good bit of intrigue and a bit more spice than I expected to find in a book of this genre, but by no means am I complaining.

I quite enjoyed the banter between Robert and Phoebe. Much like her actions, Phoebe’s tendency to bicker with Robert was a sure sign that she wasn’t “over him.” Quite the contrary, her tendency to lash out merely highlighted how much his supposed death had broken her heart and how his subsequent desertion had hurt her. Were it not for all that Robert endured and overcame during his time away, he may have given up his attempts to win her back. Thankfully Phoebe’s hardheadedness is matched by Robert’s persistence and love for her, and he refused to let her wed another without fighting for her. Unfortunately Phoebe’s intended is not quite the gentleman he purports to be and has no qualms about fighting dirty in order to thwart Robert’s efforts and I for one was stunned by the lengths to which he went to secure Phoebe’s hand in marriage.

I was also surprised by the level of intimacies that Phoebe allowed. Despite being in her mid-twenties and a near-spinster, I was surprised with the liberties she allowed Robert. My surprise had little to do with the genre or Phoebe herself – because despite all that she said, her love for Robert clearly never waned – but rather my surprise had to do with Phoebe being willing to risk her mother’s wrath. Lady Tremont was certainly a force to be reckoned with and one I cannot imagine waving the proverbial red flag in front of, but it merely added to the excitement of their predicament. That said, Robert proved to be worth the risk and I’m not sure I could have resisted him either had I been in Phoebe’s position (pun intended). Ms. Tarr does a delightful job of weaving action, intrigue, steam, and love within this second chance romance that kept me up late until my eyes would read no longer. Claimed by the Rogue was a delightful read for me and I look forward to reading more of Ms. Tarr’s work.

I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

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The Lawman by Vanessa Vale

The Lawman by Vanessa Vale

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The Lawman is a quick read with a well-developed story, a good amount of spanking, and some seriously hot sex. Ms. Vale does a very nice job of providing us enough background for both Ellen and Ryder to move the story along without getting bogged down in unnecessary details. The reader first meets Ellen shortly before she is to arrive in August Point, Montana and meet her husband. Through her inner musings, we learn that Ellen was forced to flee Minneapolis to avoid unjust murder charges and because of the circumstances she changed her name and became a mail order bride. Suffice it to say, when she meets her husband for the very first time she, her apprehension over starting a life with a man she knows almost nothing about is quickly replaced by the trepidation of learning that he is the town sheriff. For his part, Ryder is quite pleased with the looks of his new bride and even more so with her response to him once he whisks her home to consummate their marriage. While he disliked the circumstances that led to it, he was even happier with her emotional and physical responses the first time he found it necessary to spank her as punishment for not listening to him and endangering her safety.

I am quite impressed with how much story Ms. Vale managed to pack into this 90 page novella. Although not quite insta-love, the intimacy that develops between Ellen and Ryder occurs rather quickly but does so in such a way that it feels right. Even though she was a virgin, Ellen found that she enjoyed her husband’s attentions and proclivities for more than just vanilla sex (not the term used in the book) quite a lot and their shared passions helped strengthen their bond. While the sex was hot, one of my favorite scenes was when Ellen defended Ryder’s honor – it certainly brought a smile to my face. As expected, Ellen must face the consequences of what caused her to flee Minneapolis and it turned out far better than she dreamed because Ryder stood by her – after a serious punishment scene that is. I really liked The Lawman and thanks to Ms. Vale’s writing, I can now add another factor which enables me to enjoy romances set in the Old West – a healthy dose of spanking. I have added The Cowboy and The Outlaw to my wishlist so that I can find out the fates of the other ladies on the coach with Ellen and in hopes of catching up with Ellen and Ryder again.

I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

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Desire Me Now by Tiffany Clare

Desire Me Now by Tiffany Clare

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I feel it important to begin my review by stating unequivocally that I enjoyed Desire Me Now and consider it to be a solid 3-star read. Ms. Clare does a very nice job of combining historical romance with erotic elements in the first book of her Desire Me series. Why do I feel the need to clarify my enjoyment of the book from the onset? Because I fear that much of my review is going to sound like a litany of complaints, which may distract a potential reader from the fact that I did find Desire Me Now to be well worth the read.

Ms. Clare wastes no time in revealing our hero’s sexual appetite as the first scene of the book is between Nick and his longtime lover, Victoria. The scene is sensual in its intensity, yet it is clearly the end of their arrangement as Nick has no intention of offering Victoria what she has apparently begun angling for – marriage. Similarly the second chapter gives us a tiny glimpse into Amelia’s past based upon her reaction to her employer’s attempt to molest her, after drugging her. It is no surprise that she leaves her post without notice, nor is it a surprise that as a young single female alone in the streets of London at the wrong time of night that she finds herself yet again the victim – fortunately it was only that of a pickpocket. As providence would have it, Amelia stumbles into Nick’s life quite literally and as a collector of strays, he finds himself immediately taken by and protective of Amelia, whisking her away to his home so that he can have her injuries seen to. While I found the sequence of events believable, I had a hard time staying immersed within the story as the author seemed to be trying a bit too hard with the historical elements. By this I mean that the story would flow along smoothly and then suddenly there was too much of a formal tone to the book. It actually took me a while to figure out why I kept getting yanked out of the story and I think (because I did not go back and reread the book to confirm it) that much of the formality occurred during the characters’ internal monologues, a time at which I would expect thoughts to be more free flowing rather than stiff. Fortunately as the book progressed this seemed to occur less and less, so I am hopeful that it will be a non-issue in book two.

My other issue with the book is the speed at which Nick and Amelia’s relationship became sexual. I am a reader of historical romances, erotic romances, and erotic historical romances and I enjoy them all. While I do not pretend to be an expert in historical periods, I am well read enough to know what was expected of a woman in the late 1800s. Taking into consideration the era and Amelia’s upbringing, there was nothing revealed about her character that would indicate that she would succumb to Nick’s advances as quickly as she did. The mere fact that her brother had allowed men to grope her is not enough to override her being raised as a proper Earl’s daughter. As such, it was unrealistic to expect her to allow herself to be seduced within what seemed to be less than a two-week period (if that long). The rush to bedding seemed inauthentic, especially in light of how hard the author seemed to be trying to maintain the formality of the era. And even though Amelia’s sense of propriety should have had her putting a stop to Nick’s advances, the seduction and subsequent sex scenes themselves were scorching. Ms. Clare can clearly handle the erotic elements of the genre and I doubt readers looking for an erotic historical romance will be disappointed with the aspect of the book – I know I’m not complaining about it. Given that this is the first of a series about the couple, I would have preferred to see their personal relationship develop more before their sexual relationship commenced. That said, and in spite of my review sounding like one big complaint, I am actually looking forward to reading Desire Me More to find out what the author has in store for the couple and how much Amelia’s past will affect them – especially as it seems to be ratcheting up the danger around them.

I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.
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Hollywood Bound by Morticia Knight

Hollywood Bound by Morticia Knight

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



That was not a very nice way to end the book Ms. Knight. Sweet, sweet Jack did not deserve that bitch-slap from the universe, thank you very much. Hollywood Bound is the first of the Gin & Jazz series and introduces the reader to Jack and Nick. We learn almost immediately that Jack is gay and there is no disputing the fact that the world was not a safe place for a 19 year-old gay man in the 1920s. Fortunately for Jack, Nick took a shine to him almost immediately, assuming the role of his protector and has looked out for Jack as if he were his younger brother. A mixture of hero worship and unrequited love means that Jack is grateful for all that Nick does for him and he’s happy to have Nick in his life, even if Nick never recognizes or returns his feelings.

Despite the fact that the era is not one that typically interests me, Ms. Knight does an outstanding job of creating scenes and settings that felt authentic to me – both in New York and Hollywood. I enjoyed the way that Nick looked out for Jack, doing whatever he had to in order to preserve Jack’s innocence as long as he could. While I hated that Nick fell victim to one of Hollywood’s alternative casting couches, I appreciated that it started a chain of events that eventually enabled Nick to come to Jack’s rescue, or rather their rescue. The author’s inclusion of the seedier side of Hollywood, including the speakeasies, the sordid parties, and the backroom deals, added to the realistic feel of the novel.

Of course, the part of Hollywood Bound I enjoyed the most was the relationship between Jack and Nick and how it evolved over the course of the novel. As Nick had never been attracted to anyone before, let alone another man, his was a journey of self-discovery and the choices he made resulted in some major hits to his feelings of self-worth. Because Nick is portrayed as the stoic male typical of the era, he keeps his emotions closed down tight – even during his internal monologues – and the reader is left to infer much of what he feels from his actions. This often leads to episodes of insecurity on Jack’s part, which made those times when Nick opened up that much sweeter. Because this is the first real relationship either man has had, we get to play voyeur to some seriously hot and equally sweet sex scenes as they find out together what it means to be in love with another man. As the book drew to a close, it was easy to see how life in Hollywood was negatively impacting their relationship. Despite knowing what was coming, I wasn’t prepared for the heartbreak or the cliffhanger that Ms. Knight delivered. As this is only the first book in the series, one can only hope that Jack and Nick find happiness in the next installment.

I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

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Clockwork Pirate by Lyn Gala

Clockwork Pirate by Lyn Gala

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.

This is the first steampunk novel I have ever read. It’s a genre I didn’t know much about and had no strong feelings about either way. However, I am a HUGE Lyn Gala fan, especially of her MM Sci-Fi romances, so I was more than happy to give the genre a try. Because of all of this, I cannot even begin to comment as to whether or not Clockwork Pirate is consistent with the steampunk genre because I have nothing to compare it to. What I can say is that I finally understood what it is as the descriptions of Aster’s contrivances enabled me to relate it to the Will Smith movie The Wild Wild West. Eureka! Finally a frame of reference. What I can say about the book is that it is consistent with the previous books of Ms. Gala’s that I have read and so I absolutely loved it.

I quite enjoyed the combination of the lorded class, high seas pirates, and astonishing inventions, even if it was all coupled with the prejudices, severely limited civil rights, and slavery consistent with what I am assuming to be the intended time setting of the 1800s. Much like Beche, I found Alex’s behavior to be uncharacteristic of the British aristocracy. His quick thinking allowed him to activate his sister Aster’s lock changing mechanisms, thus giving him a position from which to negotiate the freedom… of his crew. Alex’s unexpected behavior intrigued Beche enough that he spared Alex’s life. Although it caused Alex some distress, I enjoyed watching Beche come to terms with Alex’s gentle nature and found the womanly spirit discussion quite humorous and apt. What I found extremely intriguing was that while Beche had never before considered being with a man, he did not deny that he was drawn to Alex’s nature. Even though Beche did not fight his attraction for Alex, he did not push it either. Rather he allowed Alex to come to terms with the belief that his father’s “cure” was no longer effective and that there was nothing wrong with a man lying with another man, especially aboard the pirate ship. It is because of this that we are well into the book before there is any sexual intimacy between Beche and Alex and it does not occur until Beche is confident that it is what Alex truly wants. And it’s hot.

Aside from the well-crafted romance aspect of Clockwork Pirate, Ms. Gala does a fantastic job of creating a cast of characters that make up Alex’s family (by blood) and Beche’s family (by choice). Even though Alex’s presence on the pirate ship gradually shifts from captive to unofficial crew, the fact remains that he is being held and the author maintains a serious tone for that portion of the novel. However, when Alex’s sisters reappear in the novel, Ms. Gala infuses hope and humor into the storyline, which serves as subtle cue that Alex’s say over his life has been returned to him and she subsequently lightens the storyline accordingly. I loved Alex’s sisters – Philla for her strength of character and Aster for her intelligence – and I would love, love, love to see Ms. Gala write a sequel or two to this novel to give them their own stories, as well as Fabrice and Manuel. Will I continue to read steampunk? I don’t know. But if Ms. Gala writes it, it’s an automatic yes for me.

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Lady Catherine's Secret by Sheridan Jeane

Lady Catherine's Secret by Sheridan Jeane

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Lady Catherine has a secret and for a lady of the ton it's a BIG secret. A scandalous secret. A secret that could ruin both Lady Catherine and her family. Lady Catherine is an accomplished fencer. While that is bad enough, the aspect of her accomplishment that would cause her family's ruination is that to partake of training she dresses as a boy and must enter the men's dressing room. That she does so in her brother's company would not preserve her reputation as there is still the matter of her traipsing about in men's clothing...trousers! Egads!

While it is difficult to imagine living in an era when trousers on a woman and the exposure of one's ankle is scandalous, Lady Catherine is everything I love in my historical romance heroines – she's spunky, she's determined, and she's fiercely independent. At the same time, she does what she must to keep her secret from her mother and to keep her happy by portraying the dutiful daughter. So it is with much chagrin that Catherine faces her toughest challenge – enduring the husband hunt her mother has planned. As the requisite see and be seen social engagements ensue, Catherine finds it draining as she has less and less time to practice for the upcoming tournament. One of the things I enjoyed most about Lady Catherine's Secret is that Catherine did not fall in love with Huntley immediately upon seeing him; to the contrary, she sized him up as an opponent as their first encounter took place at the fencing studio – but she did notice that he was handsome. In the same vein, when Huntley first meets Lady Catherine he is intrigued by her contradictions but dismisses her as she does not meet the criteria he has set for a proper wife.

Their relationship actually progresses naturally from physical attraction to fondness to mutual respect until incidents cause them each to realize that despite their best intentions, they have each come to love the other. Consistent with the genre, Huntley and Catherine do not consummate their relationship until after they're married (don't act shocked, you knew that was where they were headed) and it was quite the steamy scene. While my review focuses primarily on the romance, Lady Catherine's Secret has a major romantic suspense storyline that, as expected, threatens Huntley and Lady Catherine both individually and as a couple. Even knowing how books of this genre tend to play out, I was concerned for Catherine's safety more than once. I thoroughly enjoyed Lady Catherine's Secret and it has found a rare place on my re-read list – something not many historical romances achieve. As this is the second book in the series I should note that it is not necessary to read book one first; that said, I so enjoyed the author's writing style and plan to go back and read It Takes a Spy… as soon as I can.

I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

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Deputy's Bride by Anita Philmar

Deputy's Bride by Anita Philmar

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Deputy’s Bride was a quick and sexy as heck ménage novella set in the Old West. Bo Kildare is everything I would be expect from a deputy living in Texas when it was considered the Wild West. He’s confident, gruff, down to earth, and he knows what he wants and what he doesn’t want and right now, what he doesn’t want is one of the many virginal brides the well-meaning mothers in the territory keep shoving at him. Fortunately for Bo, a friend of his father’s has agreed to help him find a bride who can meet his particular needs and she has the perfect woman for him, Sarah.

Recently widowed and trying to start a new life for herself away from the reputation her husband’s wild parties and less than reputable business dealings has earned her, Sarah is anxious to meet Bo. She is relieved to find that Bo is not only the gentleman that their mutual friend described, but there’s an obvious attraction between them. When they test out their compatibility that night, she’s more than happy with how her future is beginning to look. Yet despite her reputation and the type of marriage she had with her husband, Sarah is unprepared for Bo’s ultimate requirement of his bride-to-be – she must be willing to sleep with his brother too! Thankfully for all involved (including the reader), Bo doesn’t spring this condition on her until they’re at his ranch and she is kind of forced to get to know Chase. While Chase isn’t known for warming up to people, Sarah finds herself attracted to him as well and the attraction is mutual.

I actually liked that Sarah didn’t automatically agree to the ménage relationship and even when she did, she put conditions on it. That Chase agreed to her conditions because he loved his brother enough to be willing to forego access to Sarah entirely just to see Bo happy elevated the story for me. I’m a ménage lover, but you give me a meaningful story surrounding the relationship and I’m all in. Of course, Deputy’s Bride wouldn’t be a true ménage if Sarah didn’t eventually change her mind and thankfully she did, thus opening the door for Ms. Philmar to demonstrate her ability to create super-hot sex scenes no matter the number of partners involved. I will admit that I was surprised with how well developed Sarah’s past was considering this is a novella. Ms. Philmar doesn’t overwhelm the story with details from Sarah’s past, but works them into the storyline where appropriate so that it better explains some of the things she does. The little bits of intrigue from Sarah’s past added flavor to the book and made Deputy’s Bride an all-around enjoyable read for me. I was excited to learn that this is the third book in a series, so I’ll have to check out the previous books as I quite enjoyed spending time in Naked Bluff, Texas.

I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

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Simply Pleasure by Kate Pearce

Simply Pleasure by Kate Pearce

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Simply Pleasure is a quick m/m regency romance that gives the reader a brief look into the lives of Val and Peter after they’ve been liberated from a Turkish brothel and returned to England. Having spent ten years in sexual slavery, being prostituted out to both men and women, it is not surprising that they both have difficulty adjusting to their new lives – but for distinctly different reasons. Val expects his father to reject him and while the reader doesn’t witness all that he does over the course of three years, it appears that Val goes out of his way to give his father every reason to do so. Despite his best efforts to force a self-fulfilling prophecy, Val’s father refuses to turn his back on him and accepts his unsavory behavior because he wants his son’s presence in his life. On the other hand, Peter’s difficulty adjusting is because Val won’t claim him, nor will he let him go. It seems that every time Peter attempts to leave to make his own way in life, Val guilts him into staying with him and offers just enough physical interactions to keep him there. Being so close to the man he loves while Val refuses him most of the time is more than Peter can deal with emotionally, so he begins using opium again to the point that he becomes extremely addicted. When faced with the extent of Peter’s addiction Val takes it upon himself to get Peter off of the drug and make one of the most difficult decisions he’s had to make – to let Peter choose to live his life apart from him or to finally offer Peter the relationship that Peter wants.

As Simply Pleasure is a novella, we are not privy to the forging of the relationship the Val and Peter developed over their ten years together in the brothel. Despite this, Ms. Pearce presents bits and pieces of their past through their dialogues and memories that makes the depth of the bond between the men very apparent (as do the steamy sex scenes). Within the book’s first few scenes, their behaviors are such that it is easy to see the dynamic of their relationship and to understand that Val is both selfish and manipulative, but not necessarily in a bad way. He clearly cares for Peter, but the horrors he has experienced at the brothel prevent him from loving Peter, but he can’t let go of him either. Because Peter loves Val he remains with him after they return to England but his despair at the situation with Peter leads him back to opium in an attempt to numb the pain of living with Val without being with Val. Or at least that is my take on the story as Ms. Pearce writes it in such a way that the reader is left to infer certain things and draw conclusions about their behaviors and motives based on the conversations between the various characters. I really enjoyed the author’s writing and style of presentation as it left me feeling as though I read a full-length novel as opposed to a novella. Simply Pleasure was a great read and I look forward to checking out more of Ms. Pearce’s writing.

I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

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Review of Dark Warrior by Julie Shelton

Dark Warrior by Julie Shelton

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Dark Warrior would have been more aptly named Dark Warriors as Lady Kathryn was fortunate enough to be rescued by Nicholas, the Duke of Herron, and Rolf, his knight and best friend. As they were both drawn to her upon their hunting party finding her near-death in the woods, they worked together to keep her alive and found their natural protective instinct ratcheting up higher than ever before. It is apparent immediately that Lady Kathryn is in dire need of as much care and protection as she can get as her life has been a series of bad events that have gotten progressively worse, the most recent of which is her betrothal due to her father’s gambling. It is at the hands of her betrothed that she is raped and beaten nearly to death – the state in which Nicholas and Rolf find her. What follows is an action-packed story full of medieval weaponry, spies and intrigue, impending war, and a power-hungry villain attempting to usurp the throne, which just happens to include a scorching hot ménage between Kathryn, Nicholas, and Rolf.

As you may suspect, I thoroughly enjoyed the sexual aspect of the ménage relationship between Kathryn and her dark warriors. Nicholas and Rolf were so committed to wiping Kathryn’s rape from her mind that they were very thorough in their lovemaking and it … was … HOT! Because this is a full-length novel, the reader is treated to several sex scenes that will leave you wishing for your own set of knights … at least it did me. But what makes their relationship and the book even more enjoyable is that Nicholas and Rolf loved and romanced her. They were devoted to her happiness and making sure that she felt safe and loved and they most definitely succeeded in their mission.

Ms. Shelton’s Dark Warrior is a well-written novel that doesn’t just give you a quick and easy happy ending. She takes you on a journey as the trio not only finds their way as lovers, but also seek to secure their future and the future of their country and king as they face-off against the greedy cousin of the King. If you enjoy historical romances and ménages, I definitely recommend this book. I look forward to reading more of Ms. Shelton’s novels.

I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

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Review of Lord Savage by Mia Gabriel

Lord Savage by Mia Gabriel

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Well that wasn’t quite what I anticipated when I picked Lord Savage as my historical romance read for the month … and no that is not a complaint. I’m much more accustomed to the demure historical romances in which an unmarried female alone in a man’s company is cause for scandal if he’s not a blood relative. But I must admit that I found this work of historical erotica to be a rather stimulating example of the sub-genre. Of course, we still have the trappings of a typical historical romance with the aristocracy, the sheltered heroine, the titled rake, the villain, and the gossiping servants, but the bulk of the book takes place during a hedonistic week in the country in which the Protector “schools” the Innocent (a newcomer to the parties) on the pleasurable delights of the human body.

I found that having an American heiress as the sheltered heroine to be a delightful twist and that despite having been married, she was still quite innocent when it came to sex, but I suppose that’s what happens when a 17 year-old is married off to her father’s business partner who is 40 years her senior. As for the manner in which Eve first encounters Lord Savage, let’s just say that it set the tone for the remainder of the book. Lord Savage, of course, is all that I would expect from the hero in a regency romance – arrogant British nobility with just a bit of an edge that makes him irresistible to all women – in short, a rake. Because of the nature of “The Game” there is a LOT of sex in Lord Savage, which is why I would categorize it as erotica.

While the sex is most definitely hot, it is the developing relationship between Eve and Lord Savage that has me ready to read the next book in the trilogy now. Speaking of, this is a trilogy and while the ending is not a cliffhanger per se, I was unprepared for it thus making it a definite “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!” moment. Initially I was rating this as a four-star read, but it is has become clear to me as I wrote this review that I will definitely reread Lord Savage again as I await the release of book two. Well done Ms. Gabriel and please write quickly.

I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

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