I feel kind of conflicted about this one. This was a total cover buy for me, but I also really enjoy Cat Sebastian’s books. I wasn’t sure if this was I feel kind of conflicted about this one. This was a total cover buy for me, but I also really enjoy Cat Sebastian’s books. I wasn’t sure if this was a YA or adult because the cover is super fun but gives off very “YA vibes” - but it’s adult. I also went in blind (without having read the description) so I really didn’t know what the story was even about.
Kit Webb is a retired highwayman who was hurt on his last job and now walks with a cane, has constant leg pain, and lives a quiet and boring life as a coffeehouse owner. Edward “Percy” Holland is the son of a duke who’s caught up in a potential scandal that could ruin him and a close friend, and he needs the help of Kit.
The story started off strong for me. The first chapter was from the POV of Kit and he talks about how he was injured, and the exaggerated ballads people sing of his adventures. The next was from the POV of Percy, and we begin to learn about his twisted father and current problems.
At first I thought this book was going to be an adventurous heist, but it really wasn’t. I think the drawn out beginning (Percy spends maybe the first 30% of the book trying to convince Kit to help him) is what started to make it fizzle for me. And then even when the action “picks up” (Kit agrees to help), it still doesn’t. The “action” and “outcome” happen so close to the end it felt a bit anticlimactic.
This book was more… development of a hesitant friendship than a heist or adventure plot. But I didn’t buy into the romance - it felt underdeveloped. They never had honest conversations about sexuality or history. Clearly Kit had a past regarding Percy’s father that we learn about in bits, but he doesn’t tell Percy until the end of the book. It was a lot of longing looks but not a lot of emotional development. ...more
“I’ll be the extra rib that protects your heart.” “You can’t. You are my heart.”
Lisa Kleypas is one of many (many) authors who I will read any book th “I’ll be the extra rib that protects your heart.” “You can’t. You are my heart.”
Lisa Kleypas is one of many (many) authors who I will read any book they put out. Add into that the fact that Devil in Disguise is my favorite historical romance cover in a looooong time? (The over the shoulder look. The color scheme. The pink flowers on blue background.) Hot damn.
I am confused as to why this is a “Ravenels” book, though. I think it was the perfect opportunity for her to do kind of a Wallflowers 2.0 - or maybe a book about the Westcliffs! They have 6 kids, after all, and you cannot tell me we won’t get a book about Merritt’s youngest brother.
The highlights of this book to me were the Wallflowers cameos, specifically between Sebastian and Evie. They’re just so dang cute??
“Evie, my sweet, don’t you think you should have asked me before filling the girls’ heads with subversive wallflower philosophy?” Evie came to him, slid her arms around him, and tucked her head beneath his chin. He could hear a smile in her voice as she said, “Wallflowers never ask permission.”
That isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy Keir McRae (swoony Scotsman) and Lady Merritt Sterling (bodacious widow and Rebellious Lady) - I did! Merritt is capable and bright, running her deceased husbands shipping company with her brother. She has the respect of her family and her employees and treats them with respect, too. Keir is… a tad one dimensional but a very sexy Highlander hero and whiskey distillery owner.
The story felt a bit… held together by Scotch tape. There were so many pieces. Merritt’s reputation being a concern in her attraction to Keir (although throughout the book there wasn’t one reference to her position as lady or in society); the danger to Keir; the mystery surrounding Keir; and then… (view spoiler)[Keir being Sebastian’s son… his birth mother’s husband trying to kill him… him almost dying… him getting amnesia… another plot against his life… (hide spoiler)] It was all just a bit much, you know?
There were absolutely sweet parts. I think if you enjoy the Ravenels, the Wallflowers, or Lisa Kleypas, this is definitely worth a read. It’s just not her strongest book, in my opinion.
Also, I am so tired of authors doing the barren trope. (view spoiler)[Let me amend that: I am tired of them doing the “I’m barren” trope, and then at the end going - surprise! just kidding! It feels so DISINGENUOUS and could be harmful to readers. Especially because Merritt went to a doctor and was diagnosed with a condition (can’t remember what it was) saying she could not have children. And especially after Keir had the whole speech about how blood does not = family, and they could adopt. That would’ve been a beautiful plot line! (hide spoiler)]...more
As one of my Instagram friends (@lets_get_booking) messaged me: “Mulligan could straight up punch me in the face and I would still be in love with himAs one of my Instagram friends (@lets_get_booking) messaged me: “Mulligan could straight up punch me in the face and I would still be in love with him.” And honestly? Facts.
I figured I would love this book because the set up is - to a tee - my shit. A do-gooder, sweet heroine with a backbone of steel? Check. A bad to the bone gentleman gangster who never lets anyone close enough to know him? Check. And is the heroine not intimidated by him in the slightest?? Check check check.
I just adored this book. Jack seeing the REAL Justine was wonderful. Him helping her out was more wonderful.
The negatives to me were how lame Justine’s sisters were in these books (as if they didn’t act crazy with “the wrong men” in their own!) and the third act kind of dragged. ...more
I'm so confused by this book. First of all, the description: "But when she finds herself under the weather and drinks a "healing" tonic, the potion prI'm so confused by this book. First of all, the description: "But when she finds herself under the weather and drinks a "healing" tonic, the potion provokes the most maddening desire..." By 'under the weather' they mean she's getting her period. This is a book by a woman, for women (predominantly for women, I should say) - can we not call it her period, or menses? (Also, plot hole? Because she talks about how she's about to get her period but then she and the hero keep hooking up and she... never gets it?) And the "healing tonic" is her sister drugging her with what amounts to 1800s female viagra.
I'm not shelving this on "don't recommend" because I'm clearly the minority on this one - all my Goodreads friends liked this book and I got a bunch of messages saying it was awesome. I don't know if it was any one thing that made me dislike it, because I was definitely having fun in the beginning of the book, but once I got to the 75% mark I was kind of like... is this it?
- The questionable scene of Charlotte riding Kingston in the hallway. I don't know if this is a consent issue because it's from his POV after and he talks about enjoying it / being enthralled by her, but later he does call it an attack (jokingly). - The ridiculous nature of the tonic. It's never described and I think it's meant to be cute/funny but I just don't get it. - The insta-love. The first half of the book takes place over I think 24-48 hours... the rest is a few days, a week tops? I'm like... are you in love, or are you just horny? It's fine if you're just horny but lets call a spade a spade. - The plot was weak for me. It was just her being horny from the potion, her being horny without the potion, her literally cheating on her childhood sweetheart, and questioning getting married. - See above - literal cheating. - There were so many points where we as the reader know her engagement to her childhood sweetheart is a bad idea. They barely talk, his parents are terrible, he has no spine, she's never kissed him, she doesn't want to kiss him, she isn't planning her wedding (her dragon mother in law is), - oh and she has a full on Carrie Bradshaw panic attack in a wedding dress and needs to be ripped out of it because she can't breath. Like, did any of those ring a bell? Or, when she finally comes to the realization, does she think through any of these things or her complex emotions towards her childhood sweetheart - who she does remember fondly as being exactly what she needed after her mother passed? No, she just is like, "boom, done." No thinking through it... no fall out... no discussion.
This one just didn't work for me. I think there were parts that were cute and fun and I liked the idea of a girl who's horny and can't control it because it was kind of hilarious in the beginning where she was swimming nude and he was like "wanna go again?" and she's like "NO!!! but ok yes" - but it didn't really play out for me....more
This is my second Candace Camp book and both have been 1 star reads for me. I'm not sure if it's her writing and pacing, or the plot... but this was rThis is my second Candace Camp book and both have been 1 star reads for me. I'm not sure if it's her writing and pacing, or the plot... but this was really painful to get through for me.
Maybe I don't like books that are an Englishman owning Scotland land. This is just a problematic piece of history and in so many stories like this one, the Englishman is doing something incredibly evil - like running the people who have lived on this land for generations out of their homes for an easy profit.
At first I though, what kind of fucking idiot doesn't check into what his steward is doing? Because the Earl of Mardoun's steward was BURNING PEOPLE OUT OF THEIR HOMES. But then we find out that he DOES know people are being run out, and he asks: "What, is it my job to let them live on MY land?" Like because the English monarchy gifted it to him it's *his* with no questions asked. And that people should just "get a job in a city" - okay, great... so they can leave the place their family has lived for centuries for, what, London? To work in factories when they've spent their lives as farmers or shepherds? And then he says "well they can move to Canada or Australia!" to which the heroine points out, these are poor cotters... they don't have enough capital to just up and move and start a new life somewhere.
It was PEAK white male idiocy.
Also, what a stellar hero he was for saying this to the heroine: “There are doubtless an ample number of women here who will warm my bed as well as you.” Wow, beautiful! I am swooning! ...more
What a SAD followup to the Royal Brotherhood series. I was livid as I was reading this book so I'm going to try to make this short and to the point soWhat a SAD followup to the Royal Brotherhood series. I was livid as I was reading this book so I'm going to try to make this short and to the point so I can put this book behind me.
The Royal Brotherhood followed three men who were the bastard sons of George IV, Prince Regent. Marcus North's younger sister, Louisa, is a potential bastard of the king as well, though it's unconfirmed. In To Pleasure a Prince, the Prince Regent asks Simon - Regina (the heroine's) older brother - to help him get close to her. Simon is unable to resist and kisses her and tries to convince her to "run away with him to get married", when in reality he just wanted to take her for a meeting with the king. Louisa got him banished to India for a governorship. Now it's seven years later, and he's back!
Simon is celibate and has a monkey. Louisa is a spinster (she was scarred after watching her half-sister Charlotte die in childbirth) who advocates for prison reform.
Oh! And King George IV can't help but stick his nose into their business as he wants Simon to marry Louisa so she stops being such a nuisance in politics.
I hated this book. Absolutely hated it. I cannot root for Simon, because he is an asshole. He was an asshole seven years ago, and he is an asshole still, because he agrees to the king's deal because of his aspirations to be Prime Minister. He talks constantly about how much he's grown up and changed, but clearly he hasn't. (And the fact that Regina kept trying to convince everyone he'd changed... girl.)
Simon is a sneaky slimy little prick and I hate him. I hate him! He was disgusting. After all his lying and scheming he had the gall to scream at Louisa for trying to take preventative measures to not get pregnant? This is a rational fear and he knew she was close with her half-sister and was a lady in waiting before/during her confinement??
I couldn't even enjoy the plot line on prison reform (which was interesting) because of how little I could buy into Simon's actions. I know we were meant to feel sorry for him for his grandfather's manipulations but I couldn't. Also, the ending...? (view spoiler)[Forcing your wife to resign her reform group, trying to send her away to the country for weeks, then jumping in at the last second to "save with day" without telling her? I don't buy it. (hide spoiler)]
Truly the only redeeming part of this book was Lord and Lady Trusbut, who are the cutest....more
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