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Scandalous Society Brides #2
Marriage Deal with the Devilish Duke
Risking her reputation�
To reclaim her life!
Lady Beatrice finally has a plan to escape her controlling brother by compromising herself with a gentleman friend so they are forced to wed. But things go awry when she accidentally throws herself at the wrong man! Now she is honor bound to marry the Duke of Brigham, her brother’s outrageous best friend. It’s not the safe, secure match she’d planned on—for he has sparked something in her untouched soul that explodes into flame!
To reclaim her life!
Lady Beatrice finally has a plan to escape her controlling brother by compromising herself with a gentleman friend so they are forced to wed. But things go awry when she accidentally throws herself at the wrong man! Now she is honor bound to marry the Duke of Brigham, her brother’s outrageous best friend. It’s not the safe, secure match she’d planned on—for he has sparked something in her untouched soul that explodes into flame!
288 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 19, 2021
9 people are currently reading
109 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
April 8, 2023
I haven't felt up to writing full reviews lately because my laptop is in disrepair and at the manufacturer (I recently heard back and it may be there for another month). While I have a back up tablet with a keyboard it isn't as nice as my laptop, making typing out reviews feel like a chore...Anywho, all to say here is my quick review for this book:
- Extremely well-written
- While there is bdsm, which is currently not my style, the author added in so much heartfelt emotion, a character-driven love-story, it overtook the smut and got me invested in the couple
- In this sense this story reminded me of an Annabel Joseph Regency romance EXCEPT this is much more tame with emphasis put on consent - I would recommend this to someone looking for bdsm in a historical context with emphasis put on consent- the hero was an absolute gentleman
-While gentlemen aren't my preferred heroes all the time, what made Briggs, the hero, so acceptable was his emotional maturity. A breath of fresh air from the NA genre
- Later I'll come back to add my favorite quotes. Often harlequins can be shallow, trope-driven, a quick diversion...but this was a memorable story with some quotes that were truly touching.
- Extremely well-written
- While there is bdsm, which is currently not my style, the author added in so much heartfelt emotion, a character-driven love-story, it overtook the smut and got me invested in the couple
- In this sense this story reminded me of an Annabel Joseph Regency romance EXCEPT this is much more tame with emphasis put on consent - I would recommend this to someone looking for bdsm in a historical context with emphasis put on consent- the hero was an absolute gentleman
-While gentlemen aren't my preferred heroes all the time, what made Briggs, the hero, so acceptable was his emotional maturity. A breath of fresh air from the NA genre
- Later I'll come back to add my favorite quotes. Often harlequins can be shallow, trope-driven, a quick diversion...but this was a memorable story with some quotes that were truly touching.
September 22, 2022
She had found a great deal of freedom and pain out in the world, when she had finally been able to explore nature. Bee stings and the sharp pain of falling and scraping your knee. Falling out of a tree. All things that she had never wanted her brother to know had occurred. But she had begun to associate it with her liberation. And sometimes…there was a familiarity to it that hurt. It was not something she spoke of. Not ever. For it made little sense, even to herself. Yet as her nerves began to fray she found balance in the pain in her palm. A sort of grounding sensation. A sense of strength. A sense that she knew herself and that she could withstand far more than anyone believed.
I enjoyed this one. It’s different from the usual mainstream regency, & that’s a good thing. :)
As far as the plot goes, it’s a bit thin (no villains or major external obstacles), but the goal here isn’t a potboiling story. Rather, it’s an exploration of two people who are slightly off-kilter from their surroundings—mentally, physically, & sexually�& their discovery that they fit each other’s twisted little quirks just as precisely as they don’t fit anyone else’s.
And yes, that includes some (very mild) D/s scenes.
I mention this directly not to be a spoiler-happy moo, but because many reviews are coy about the sex, & the blurb is misleading in that it gives no hint that this is anything other than the usual ho-hum Austen’esque bonbon. Personally, I’m not into spanking fic, BDSM, or graphic erotica; I don’t judge those who are, but it’s just not my thing. So believe me when I say IT IS NOT SCARY. IT IS NOT EXTREME. Briggs ain’t the Marquis de Sade, y’all! Take a breath & relax those pearl-clutching fingers. 🙄 No whips, chains, or dub-con; rather, the book shows a simple, sexy D/s relationship between Briggs & Bea, one that felt natural to their characters. Is it a bit more gritty than the usual HQN? Yes. But PLEASE do not judge the content solely based on outraged maiden aunt reviews you might see on certain retail outlets. It may not be pure vanilla, but it’s not rocky road either. Let’s call it vanilla bean—still sweet, but with an undercurrent of tart. 🍨 🙃
…But seriously. This book in no way deserves to be vilified for daring to be different. Because I’m sorry, but too many of the newer Harleys have become incredibly dull & stale. This book is a small step into a more spicy territory that should please readers like yours truly—those who are so very tired of repetitive, cardboard, uber-predictable regencies, but don’t enjoy hardcore erotica. Yes, we exist! We might be a dying breed, but we’re still here! And this is a breath of fresh air that HQN desperately needs in their Historicals line.
*exhales*
Anyway.
Is it perfect? No. As a rule I prefer more Doing Stuff beyond sex & dialogues, & I’m not into plot moppets, so the scenes with William fell a bit flat. Ms Adams also has a tendency to overuse sentence fragments (perhaps a holdover from her HP oeuvre), & some of the discussion felt repetitive. But overall, I enjoyed it. The sex was good, & I really liked Briggs & Bea together as a couple. Adams also manages to drop intriguing nuggets about Bea’s brother Hugh, so I’ll be on the lookout for his novel.**
4 stars. 😬
**EDIT: Hugh’s book has since been released, & I really enjoyed it. They’re both standalone stories, but they run concurrently; I’d suggest reading this one first even though it’s not technically a sequential series.
I enjoyed this one. It’s different from the usual mainstream regency, & that’s a good thing. :)
As far as the plot goes, it’s a bit thin (no villains or major external obstacles), but the goal here isn’t a potboiling story. Rather, it’s an exploration of two people who are slightly off-kilter from their surroundings—mentally, physically, & sexually�& their discovery that they fit each other’s twisted little quirks just as precisely as they don’t fit anyone else’s.
And yes, that includes some (very mild) D/s scenes.
I mention this directly not to be a spoiler-happy moo, but because many reviews are coy about the sex, & the blurb is misleading in that it gives no hint that this is anything other than the usual ho-hum Austen’esque bonbon. Personally, I’m not into spanking fic, BDSM, or graphic erotica; I don’t judge those who are, but it’s just not my thing. So believe me when I say IT IS NOT SCARY. IT IS NOT EXTREME. Briggs ain’t the Marquis de Sade, y’all! Take a breath & relax those pearl-clutching fingers. 🙄 No whips, chains, or dub-con; rather, the book shows a simple, sexy D/s relationship between Briggs & Bea, one that felt natural to their characters. Is it a bit more gritty than the usual HQN? Yes. But PLEASE do not judge the content solely based on outraged maiden aunt reviews you might see on certain retail outlets. It may not be pure vanilla, but it’s not rocky road either. Let’s call it vanilla bean—still sweet, but with an undercurrent of tart. 🍨 🙃
…But seriously. This book in no way deserves to be vilified for daring to be different. Because I’m sorry, but too many of the newer Harleys have become incredibly dull & stale. This book is a small step into a more spicy territory that should please readers like yours truly—those who are so very tired of repetitive, cardboard, uber-predictable regencies, but don’t enjoy hardcore erotica. Yes, we exist! We might be a dying breed, but we’re still here! And this is a breath of fresh air that HQN desperately needs in their Historicals line.
*exhales*
Anyway.
Is it perfect? No. As a rule I prefer more Doing Stuff beyond sex & dialogues, & I’m not into plot moppets, so the scenes with William fell a bit flat. Ms Adams also has a tendency to overuse sentence fragments (perhaps a holdover from her HP oeuvre), & some of the discussion felt repetitive. But overall, I enjoyed it. The sex was good, & I really liked Briggs & Bea together as a couple. Adams also manages to drop intriguing nuggets about Bea’s brother Hugh, so I’ll be on the lookout for his novel.**
4 stars. 😬
**EDIT: Hugh’s book has since been released, & I really enjoyed it. They’re both standalone stories, but they run concurrently; I’d suggest reading this one first even though it’s not technically a sequential series.
August 27, 2021
Rating 3.5
I liked first third of the book.
The chemistry, sexual tension and character development.
But, it did go a direction that’s not for me.
Not going to give spoilers.
I did skim in certain parts.
Kind of surprised as I didn’t expect it.
Absolutely loved the epilogue. That bumped this rating up to the 3.5 from 3.0.
I liked first third of the book.
The chemistry, sexual tension and character development.
But, it did go a direction that’s not for me.
Not going to give spoilers.
I did skim in certain parts.
Kind of surprised as I didn’t expect it.
Absolutely loved the epilogue. That bumped this rating up to the 3.5 from 3.0.
September 17, 2021
RTC! I liked this. Reading more Harlequin Historicals.
~Full review~
Currently in a romance reading slump. Can barely push past the first 20-40% of a romance but Millie Adams' Marriage Deal with the Devilish Duke was great.
Lady Beatrice is taking her life into her own hands, after her controlling but well-meaning brother decides it'd be better for her to live under his protection for the rest of her life, after hearing from doctors that pregnancy may be fatal for her, if she were to marry.
Beatrice decides she'd rather marry her good friend in a marriage-by-name-only than live a half-life. They resolve to be found in a compromising situation. Beatrice achieves this... but with the wrong man!
What I liked about this story was Beatrice's story of loneliness. She has led a very sheltered life due to her childhood asthma, and it was soothing to read of how Beatrice does something about it. Another highlight is the portrayal of autism in Briggs and his son, how Briggs masks his autism, and how Beatrice befriends his son. I really enjoyed the author's Historical Note of the themes she was trying to convey through the story.
And of course, there is a BDSM element in this story! It was not a lot, but a scene or two, and it was sexy! Would love to read more historical romances by Millie.
~Full review~
Currently in a romance reading slump. Can barely push past the first 20-40% of a romance but Millie Adams' Marriage Deal with the Devilish Duke was great.
Lady Beatrice is taking her life into her own hands, after her controlling but well-meaning brother decides it'd be better for her to live under his protection for the rest of her life, after hearing from doctors that pregnancy may be fatal for her, if she were to marry.
Beatrice decides she'd rather marry her good friend in a marriage-by-name-only than live a half-life. They resolve to be found in a compromising situation. Beatrice achieves this... but with the wrong man!
What I liked about this story was Beatrice's story of loneliness. She has led a very sheltered life due to her childhood asthma, and it was soothing to read of how Beatrice does something about it. Another highlight is the portrayal of autism in Briggs and his son, how Briggs masks his autism, and how Beatrice befriends his son. I really enjoyed the author's Historical Note of the themes she was trying to convey through the story.
And of course, there is a BDSM element in this story! It was not a lot, but a scene or two, and it was sexy! Would love to read more historical romances by Millie.
September 1, 2021
I am shooketh! This book took a kinky dark turn that gave me serious whiplash! Daaaaamn. Was not expecting that at all!!
Aside from the kinky surprise, this book was actually really deep and a little dark. The author did a great job exploring sexual desires and hidden kinks.
Beatrice was a champ! She had such a shit life and then magically she was paired with a sexually charged, damaged duke who was actually sweet and caring underneath it all. Loved it!
Briggs and his son are on the spectrum, but have learned to evolve and act “normal�. But normal is boring and Beatrice shakes it up and forces not Briggs and his son out of their little shells. It was beautiful.
This wasn’t the kinkiest thing I’ve ever read or the darkest, but it wasn’t what I was expecting and it was really nice to be surprised!
Aside from the kinky surprise, this book was actually really deep and a little dark. The author did a great job exploring sexual desires and hidden kinks.
Beatrice was a champ! She had such a shit life and then magically she was paired with a sexually charged, damaged duke who was actually sweet and caring underneath it all. Loved it!
Briggs and his son are on the spectrum, but have learned to evolve and act “normal�. But normal is boring and Beatrice shakes it up and forces not Briggs and his son out of their little shells. It was beautiful.
This wasn’t the kinkiest thing I’ve ever read or the darkest, but it wasn’t what I was expecting and it was really nice to be surprised!
August 31, 2021
Too much dialogs but I liked the plot!
May 23, 2023
So, I actually kind of love Millie Adams and what she's doing with Harlequins. This is my fourth one of hers, and the third I've BRed with Nenia. Even if I don't end up enjoying her books, I usually like certain elements and really appreciate what she can do with such a limited page count. Her character development is amazing, and she manages to fit in a lot of pertinent commentary without seeming preachy.
Well, I did kind of feel a bit preached at with this book. And not necessarily with any particular social issues. It was just that the heroine would not SHUT UP about being raised in isolation on a diet of pain. She was delivering monologues at points. And then Briggs joins in the pity party by being like "boohoo, no one loves me." I just got tired of their problems after a while. And Bea, you do not need to keep bringing up the fact that Briggs brought you sweets when you were young, unless you want us to think he groomed you on purpose.
They were great characters, though. I just needed a little more plot and a little less boohoo in the dialogue. Exploring the dominant/submissive thing at length is not my jam, as it turns out. I do think Adams improved her pacing from the first book in this series, and perfected it by the third. Even though I've only found one favorite from her so far, I'll continue to read her books.
Well, I did kind of feel a bit preached at with this book. And not necessarily with any particular social issues. It was just that the heroine would not SHUT UP about being raised in isolation on a diet of pain. She was delivering monologues at points. And then Briggs joins in the pity party by being like "boohoo, no one loves me." I just got tired of their problems after a while. And Bea, you do not need to keep bringing up the fact that Briggs brought you sweets when you were young, unless you want us to think he groomed you on purpose.
They were great characters, though. I just needed a little more plot and a little less boohoo in the dialogue. Exploring the dominant/submissive thing at length is not my jam, as it turns out. I do think Adams improved her pacing from the first book in this series, and perfected it by the third. Even though I've only found one favorite from her so far, I'll continue to read her books.
September 9, 2021
okay wow!
I didn’t expect this book to be this good but holy guacamole it was amazing!!
Their story was so good I loved it so much.
Eleanor and Hugh deserve a story too so I really hope the author will write one!
I didn’t expect this book to be this good but holy guacamole it was amazing!!
Their story was so good I loved it so much.
Eleanor and Hugh deserve a story too so I really hope the author will write one!
April 23, 2023
3.5 stars
Marriage Deal With The Devilish Duke is book two in the Scandalous Society Brides series of historical romances.
This book is set in 1818.
Beatrice had ill health as a child and her family have kept her closeted, but she is frustrated with life and attempts to make her escape. However, when she throws herself against the wrong man, she finds herself married off to a man who doesn't want her.
Briggs has been a long-term friend of Beatrice's brother, and has no plans to marry a second time, but circumstances force them together. The surprise marriage leads to more surprises as desires are inflamed.
This story verges on dark and spicy in the romance line and may be too much for some readers. It also deals with asthma and autism before either was diagnosed.
Marriage Deal With The Devilish Duke is book two in the Scandalous Society Brides series of historical romances.
This book is set in 1818.
Beatrice had ill health as a child and her family have kept her closeted, but she is frustrated with life and attempts to make her escape. However, when she throws herself against the wrong man, she finds herself married off to a man who doesn't want her.
Briggs has been a long-term friend of Beatrice's brother, and has no plans to marry a second time, but circumstances force them together. The surprise marriage leads to more surprises as desires are inflamed.
This story verges on dark and spicy in the romance line and may be too much for some readers. It also deals with asthma and autism before either was diagnosed.
May 21, 2022
It was simply excellent. I loved so much of this book and the subjects introduced however mildly. It was a shocker for a Harlequin Romance let alone a historical genre piece. The cover does not allude to the degree to which this book truly was juicy and resembling of a Harlequin Desire title. I was surprised but not displeased.
August 31, 2021
1 Star - DNF @ 45%
I hated this book. My god, it was awful. And I say awful because of the characters, their actions and the plot. The writing was well written and typical for your HQN historical. Otherwise, this was just frustratingly awful.
The "hero" Briggs has him some sexual proclivities of the dom/sub and power exchange nature. Which was fine with me. But this fool was hardly hero material. He had all the makings to be built as such with his sad traumatic past, but the author didn't deliver. Instead, what we got was a grown man struggling with his acceptance of his own baser needs, dealing with the rejection of such needs from his first wife who committed suicide and his rejection from his cruel father. His dead wife sounded manic depressive or bipolar, who knows. She didn't seem to like intimacy and couldn't even look at him the same when he shared what kinks he liked. In some ways perfectly understandable for the time era and a sheltered virgin but also terrible to feel unwanted and shamed for such things from your spouse. As for his father, well we're told he liked to belittle everyone, lord his authority over all, abuse his power and humiliate others for enjoyment or to make himself feel like a big man.
Either way, it sounded bad but I had no sympathy for Briggs because he seemed particularly talented at acting cruelly and saying mean things to the heroine Beatrice. And that by far pissed me off more than anything. It was NOT acceptable for him to say the shit he said to her and worse was nearly everytime he was thinking to himself "he should not have said that to her. It was cruel and he knew it but he wouldn't take it back" or some such drivel. I wanted to smack him so many times!
And the heroine Beatrice. Ugh, lord have mercy. This girl was hopeless. There is sheltered and then there is living underground and in a secret cult where they hide from the world. She was ridiculously naive and sheltered due to being a sickly child with a lung ailment. So her older brother and mother locked her up for her own good and she never got to live her life. The book opened with her being a untold age and planning to ruin herself by being caught with her secret male friend, likely her only friend, so her hoity toity proper brother will force a marriage which would this lead to her gaining the freedom she so longs for. Said friend James is in the closet but they planned to have a name only marriage and travel. She did not quite understand him being gay when he came out to her after her engagement to Briggs. But she was accepting of him because she loved him as a friend. And thus showed she had some nice qualities but she was just so hopeless. She had literally no idea what sex was or how babies were made or born. Her mother failed her greatly by not explaining this even before the wedding. She never saw animals mate so she's was a blank canvas. This did not sit well with me at all. How could her family think it was okay to keep her that clueless about the world? Even with basic stuff like procreation?! Sure her brother declared marriage off the table for her because a doctor claimed she might die due to her ailment but knowledge is power honey and I cannot grasp how she didn't even learn from the books in the house she was imprisoned in. It boggles my mind.
And so you have this hopeless naive woman who literally has no idea what to feel and if she does feel anything unfamiliar she has no idea what it is or what to do with it. It's all so confusing! And so we rinse and repeat this quite a bit through the book. And then you add Briggs suppressing his baser kinky needs and fighting the images his mind conjures of Beatrice submitting to him and how when she gets fired up and argues with him he see's a sparkle in her eye that must mean arousal but ofcourse the poor fool doesn't understand what that is. And he's battling that endlessly while berating her and putting her in her place by reminding her she is a naive girl with no understanding of the world and has no right to offer her advice or thoughts on his life which he refuses to change for her. And he loved to remind her that even as a wife she was not his equal.
Add on top of this his seven year old son who to me sounds as if he has autism or something similar and the stress of reading about this misunderstood kid while Beatrice tries to play mother hen and relate to the "loneliness" she sees in him. And Briggs getting mad at her interference and blaming her even after he made the choice to do what she asked of him. I was just done.
Especially because Beatrice repeatedly tells James, and even Briggs many times how she doesn't understand something or what it means because again no one gave the girl a damn clue. Usually this is sex or relationship related. And they both shrug it off and worse was Briggs who used her ignorance/innocence like a weapon to beat her with when he felt particularly pissy and wanted to poke her back when she didn't do or say something he liked. I give it to the girl she tried to learn the world but no one would let her. Even Briggs stated before and after they married her situation with her brother would be the same married to him. Cloistered, sheltered, lonely and childless. He'd treat her as a ward not a wife. No freedom in sight. He even said it was imprisonment, on their wedding day no less too. And then plans and goes to a damn brothel after they arrive in London.
I tell you, the man was a grade A asshole. And I didn't approve of the direction of where this was leading with him ultimately probably introducing her to sex and his kinks and obviously she'd prob like them especially with how the author set it up with Beatrice using pain in certain ways to her being bled as a child because of her illness. So sure she probably would be more open to such a kink but lord the man had issues and he wasn't sexy in the least. His behavior and treatment of her and her feelings pissed me off to no end and he simply does not deserve a happy ending.
This book was NOT enjoyable. The tone was very mellow and depressing if I'm honest. Major Debbie downer from the first wife's suicide, cruel father, unstable child, and quite literally too stupid to survive heroine Beatrice all wrapped up in one story.
I hated this book. My god, it was awful. And I say awful because of the characters, their actions and the plot. The writing was well written and typical for your HQN historical. Otherwise, this was just frustratingly awful.
The "hero" Briggs has him some sexual proclivities of the dom/sub and power exchange nature. Which was fine with me. But this fool was hardly hero material. He had all the makings to be built as such with his sad traumatic past, but the author didn't deliver. Instead, what we got was a grown man struggling with his acceptance of his own baser needs, dealing with the rejection of such needs from his first wife who committed suicide and his rejection from his cruel father. His dead wife sounded manic depressive or bipolar, who knows. She didn't seem to like intimacy and couldn't even look at him the same when he shared what kinks he liked. In some ways perfectly understandable for the time era and a sheltered virgin but also terrible to feel unwanted and shamed for such things from your spouse. As for his father, well we're told he liked to belittle everyone, lord his authority over all, abuse his power and humiliate others for enjoyment or to make himself feel like a big man.
Either way, it sounded bad but I had no sympathy for Briggs because he seemed particularly talented at acting cruelly and saying mean things to the heroine Beatrice. And that by far pissed me off more than anything. It was NOT acceptable for him to say the shit he said to her and worse was nearly everytime he was thinking to himself "he should not have said that to her. It was cruel and he knew it but he wouldn't take it back" or some such drivel. I wanted to smack him so many times!
And the heroine Beatrice. Ugh, lord have mercy. This girl was hopeless. There is sheltered and then there is living underground and in a secret cult where they hide from the world. She was ridiculously naive and sheltered due to being a sickly child with a lung ailment. So her older brother and mother locked her up for her own good and she never got to live her life. The book opened with her being a untold age and planning to ruin herself by being caught with her secret male friend, likely her only friend, so her hoity toity proper brother will force a marriage which would this lead to her gaining the freedom she so longs for. Said friend James is in the closet but they planned to have a name only marriage and travel. She did not quite understand him being gay when he came out to her after her engagement to Briggs. But she was accepting of him because she loved him as a friend. And thus showed she had some nice qualities but she was just so hopeless. She had literally no idea what sex was or how babies were made or born. Her mother failed her greatly by not explaining this even before the wedding. She never saw animals mate so she's was a blank canvas. This did not sit well with me at all. How could her family think it was okay to keep her that clueless about the world? Even with basic stuff like procreation?! Sure her brother declared marriage off the table for her because a doctor claimed she might die due to her ailment but knowledge is power honey and I cannot grasp how she didn't even learn from the books in the house she was imprisoned in. It boggles my mind.
And so you have this hopeless naive woman who literally has no idea what to feel and if she does feel anything unfamiliar she has no idea what it is or what to do with it. It's all so confusing! And so we rinse and repeat this quite a bit through the book. And then you add Briggs suppressing his baser kinky needs and fighting the images his mind conjures of Beatrice submitting to him and how when she gets fired up and argues with him he see's a sparkle in her eye that must mean arousal but ofcourse the poor fool doesn't understand what that is. And he's battling that endlessly while berating her and putting her in her place by reminding her she is a naive girl with no understanding of the world and has no right to offer her advice or thoughts on his life which he refuses to change for her. And he loved to remind her that even as a wife she was not his equal.
Add on top of this his seven year old son who to me sounds as if he has autism or something similar and the stress of reading about this misunderstood kid while Beatrice tries to play mother hen and relate to the "loneliness" she sees in him. And Briggs getting mad at her interference and blaming her even after he made the choice to do what she asked of him. I was just done.
Especially because Beatrice repeatedly tells James, and even Briggs many times how she doesn't understand something or what it means because again no one gave the girl a damn clue. Usually this is sex or relationship related. And they both shrug it off and worse was Briggs who used her ignorance/innocence like a weapon to beat her with when he felt particularly pissy and wanted to poke her back when she didn't do or say something he liked. I give it to the girl she tried to learn the world but no one would let her. Even Briggs stated before and after they married her situation with her brother would be the same married to him. Cloistered, sheltered, lonely and childless. He'd treat her as a ward not a wife. No freedom in sight. He even said it was imprisonment, on their wedding day no less too. And then plans and goes to a damn brothel after they arrive in London.
I tell you, the man was a grade A asshole. And I didn't approve of the direction of where this was leading with him ultimately probably introducing her to sex and his kinks and obviously she'd prob like them especially with how the author set it up with Beatrice using pain in certain ways to her being bled as a child because of her illness. So sure she probably would be more open to such a kink but lord the man had issues and he wasn't sexy in the least. His behavior and treatment of her and her feelings pissed me off to no end and he simply does not deserve a happy ending.
This book was NOT enjoyable. The tone was very mellow and depressing if I'm honest. Major Debbie downer from the first wife's suicide, cruel father, unstable child, and quite literally too stupid to survive heroine Beatrice all wrapped up in one story.
March 10, 2022
This was the first book I have read by Millie Adams and I must say it's become one of my favourites!
Heartwarming yet gut-wrenching, at times I read with glassy eyes this wonderful story of how to take control of your own life and also learn to trust and love.
This is a book with the Autism Spectrum in it, and it was truly written in an amazing way. Both Gibbs and his son William were portrayed so beautifully, it nearly broke my heart at times.
And Beatrice was a woman that really stuck with me. Her fight to break away from her brother and actually LIVE for herself, how very strong this woman was!
And the love on these pages...it made my heart sing. It also didn't hurt that our married couple brought saucy heat to the bedroom!
This book was amazing, and I give it a gazillion stars. I can't wait to read more from this author!
Heartwarming yet gut-wrenching, at times I read with glassy eyes this wonderful story of how to take control of your own life and also learn to trust and love.
This is a book with the Autism Spectrum in it, and it was truly written in an amazing way. Both Gibbs and his son William were portrayed so beautifully, it nearly broke my heart at times.
And Beatrice was a woman that really stuck with me. Her fight to break away from her brother and actually LIVE for herself, how very strong this woman was!
And the love on these pages...it made my heart sing. It also didn't hurt that our married couple brought saucy heat to the bedroom!
This book was amazing, and I give it a gazillion stars. I can't wait to read more from this author!
May 17, 2023
2.5 stars. It was inoffensive and it had hallmarks of an interesting book, especially William and Beatrice’s relationship as she step-parents. They have a wonderful connection. Plus William and LI are coded with autism as far as I can tell. It was really sweet. I think the book is too short and doesn’t really add more conflicts, more interesting storylines. It doesn’t reach its full potential. The ending to epilogue is also a very abrupt transition - I think due to the book not having a main conflict but more like reading leisurely about the characters� lives.
January 28, 2023
Not for Me
I rate this story 1 and 1/2 stars because I do not care for my historical romance to include hitting of any sort, especially in the bedroom. Philip had his demons from childhood and he visited them on women, even his wives. Not my kind of man/hero. Beatrice is certainly not my kind of woman, but she made a difference in his life. I only read this story because I absolutely loved Hugh and Eleanor in Book 3 of this series. I still like this author even though this is my second book, I am sure to read other books by her, but I will research them first.
I rate this story 1 and 1/2 stars because I do not care for my historical romance to include hitting of any sort, especially in the bedroom. Philip had his demons from childhood and he visited them on women, even his wives. Not my kind of man/hero. Beatrice is certainly not my kind of woman, but she made a difference in his life. I only read this story because I absolutely loved Hugh and Eleanor in Book 3 of this series. I still like this author even though this is my second book, I am sure to read other books by her, but I will research them first.
October 15, 2021
I love the strong women in her books !!
Millie writes strong women into all the different stories . I love the variety of the story lines and the wonderful characters she gives to the reader.
Millie writes strong women into all the different stories . I love the variety of the story lines and the wonderful characters she gives to the reader.
January 20, 2023
Way better plot than the first in the trilogy. Still far too many words to say not very much.
Didn't mind the hardened take and the incredibly naive miss too much.
Do object to author's tone in the 'historical note' after the epilogue.
Didn't mind the hardened take and the incredibly naive miss too much.
Do object to author's tone in the 'historical note' after the epilogue.
August 26, 2021
Steamy!!!! Really enjoyed.
December 31, 2021
3.5 stars
October 23, 2022
It accomplished what it set out to do. If your aware of Harlequin romance novels, you know they aren't great. But they are fun to read every once and a while.
November 3, 2022
could have been something great 🥲
just not the kink-exploratory leaning-into-misogystic-tropes-in-a-self-aware-way fic of my dreams 🥲
actually dnf towards the end
just not the kink-exploratory leaning-into-misogystic-tropes-in-a-self-aware-way fic of my dreams 🥲
actually dnf towards the end
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 22, 2023
Bold book, light bdsm(domination)
July 31, 2023
Beatrice and Briggs - what a great story!!!!
February 17, 2025
Bea was such a lovely FL, truly so intelligent and strong. It took me a while to like Briggs, but he proved himself to be a good ML.
May 7, 2025
not for me. While H marrying h, he is thinking of brothel. Seriously this guy think just because he is duke, he is can do everything.
May 16, 2022
Just...no.
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