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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved being back in the world of the Scoundrels of St. James! I think Lorraine Heath is one of the best at creating an extended world for her books, and the small touches in this one mentioning the Chessman, Sin For All Seasons & Once Upon a Dukedom series made me smile every time.
I was so happy she decided to write about Lucian & Catherine, they were always my favourite of the original 5 couples and I was so sad that everyone else's children were written about save for theirs. It was a nice touch in the author's notes that she finds it hard to write about beloved characters' children because she knew they'd had an amazing life.
The book itself - it was slow at the beginning like other reviews had said and I actually found it most compelling once they actually left the island. But Langdon was sweet and mysterious, Marlowe the right mix of independent and lovable. I think the ending felt a bit rushed but as always with a Heath romance, I was rooting for the couple the whole time and was so happy with where they ended up. It was also so interesting learning aboutrailway spine in the Victoria era. Kinda reminds of shell shock in WW1, an all-encompassing diagnosis for something they can't explain. Heath is one of my favourite authors writing about the Victorian era!
I was so happy she decided to write about Lucian & Catherine, they were always my favourite of the original 5 couples and I was so sad that everyone else's children were written about save for theirs. It was a nice touch in the author's notes that she finds it hard to write about beloved characters' children because she knew they'd had an amazing life.
The book itself - it was slow at the beginning like other reviews had said and I actually found it most compelling once they actually left the island. But Langdon was sweet and mysterious, Marlowe the right mix of independent and lovable. I think the ending felt a bit rushed but as always with a Heath romance, I was rooting for the couple the whole time and was so happy with where they ended up. It was also so interesting learning about
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
After surviving a horrific train crash, Viscount Oliver Langdon has somewhat exiled himself from London society on a tiny island of the Cornish Coast. While walking the shore in a storm he is shocked to find a woman passed out on the beach. When he gets her inside he is shocked to find Marlowe, the famous courtesan mistress to his friend. Marlowe is less than thrilled to be trapped with Langdon as on their previous encounter he had declined to interact with her. While the storm rages the two grow comfortable with each other and share things they have both kept private and the attraction grows. Of course once the storm calms they can return to London, but society’s rules make things complicated and they must figure out how to remain together.
I LOVE LORRAINE HEATH!!! This book scratched every single one of my historical romance itches. He’s brooding and emotionally scarred, she’s bold and practical, both are resistant to love and trapped in a rundown castle with only one bed (seriously I think this book was written especially for me). I absolutely devoured this book. I loved everything from the setting to the characters to the tropes to the internal and external conflict. The chemistry between the two was palpable and every I truly felt every single one of their emotions from joy to devastation. It was a book where you know everything is going to end in a HEA but you can’t quite see how it’s going to get there which is how you know it is a great romance novel. I highlighted so many passages and will be rereading. For fans of Lorraine’s books, Langdon is the son of Lucian and Catherine of In Bed with the Devil, and many of Lorraine’s other characters make their appearance once the characters arrive in London. And now I must go and reread everything Lorraine has written.
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I LOVE LORRAINE HEATH!!! This book scratched every single one of my historical romance itches. He’s brooding and emotionally scarred, she’s bold and practical, both are resistant to love and trapped in a rundown castle with only one bed (seriously I think this book was written especially for me). I absolutely devoured this book. I loved everything from the setting to the characters to the tropes to the internal and external conflict. The chemistry between the two was palpable and every I truly felt every single one of their emotions from joy to devastation. It was a book where you know everything is going to end in a HEA but you can’t quite see how it’s going to get there which is how you know it is a great romance novel. I highlighted so many passages and will be rereading. For fans of Lorraine’s books, Langdon is the son of Lucian and Catherine of In Bed with the Devil, and many of Lorraine’s other characters make their appearance once the characters arrive in London. And now I must go and reread everything Lorraine has written.
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4.5 ⭐️
Lorraine Heath is back after a brief pause on her Scandalous Gentlemen of St. James series, and I couldn't be more happy and excited! I've been such a fan of hers since I started reading historical romance and am endlessly impressed with the world and universe she continues to build on. This novel picks up with the eldest son of our first MCs in the Scoundrels of St. James series, Viscount Langdon (aka Oliver).
The premise of this story is so far-fetched and wild but so classic Heath: Viscount Langdon has secluded himself on a private island when during a storm, he discovers a woman lying unconscious on the shore. After bringing her into safety, he realizes they've met before- a famous (and taken) courtesan he's had his eye on, named Marlowe. And Marlowe is honestly SUCH A TREAT! Like most women in this series, she's not at all what she seems on the surface and is actually an aeronaut who was caught in the storm on her hot-air balloon. Now, these lusty, angsty "enemies" are stuck on an island together until the storm recedes, let the pining, sexy secret-keeping begin!
This has:
Lorraine Heath is back after a brief pause on her Scandalous Gentlemen of St. James series, and I couldn't be more happy and excited! I've been such a fan of hers since I started reading historical romance and am endlessly impressed with the world and universe she continues to build on. This novel picks up with the eldest son of our first MCs in the Scoundrels of St. James series, Viscount Langdon (aka Oliver).
The premise of this story is so far-fetched and wild but so classic Heath: Viscount Langdon has secluded himself on a private island when during a storm, he discovers a woman lying unconscious on the shore. After bringing her into safety, he realizes they've met before- a famous (and taken) courtesan he's had his eye on, named Marlowe. And Marlowe is honestly SUCH A TREAT! Like most women in this series, she's not at all what she seems on the surface and is actually an aeronaut who was caught in the storm on her hot-air balloon. Now, these lusty, angsty "enemies" are stuck on an island together until the storm recedes, let the pining, sexy secret-keeping begin!
This has:
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
4.5/5 stars
2/5 spice
Tropes:
Forbidden romance
Stranded together
Sex worker FMC
Wounded hero
Trauma Bonding
Class differences
Dual POV
This one was a slow start for me, but once I got past the first third of the book, I just couldn't put it down. There was angst and longing that is always rampant with forbidden romances and class differences. I think the author did really well with showing how a woman with limited resources could still hold power over her life. Marlowe was a force to be reckoned with, and I really enjoyed how she was unashamed with her choices and even found contentment in her life. But I also really loved how she was able to find joy and freedom. Despite her life’s circumstances, she made the best out of it. Oliver took his damn time realizing what it was she needed and how to execute it, but I was very pleased with how protective and respectful he was from the very beginning.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and how it eventually concluded. I would highly recommend this book for those who like forbidden romance.
Thank you to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and offered voluntarily.
2/5 spice
Tropes:
Forbidden romance
Stranded together
Sex worker FMC
Wounded hero
Trauma Bonding
Class differences
Dual POV
This one was a slow start for me, but once I got past the first third of the book, I just couldn't put it down. There was angst and longing that is always rampant with forbidden romances and class differences. I think the author did really well with showing how a woman with limited resources could still hold power over her life. Marlowe was a force to be reckoned with, and I really enjoyed how she was unashamed with her choices and even found contentment in her life. But I also really loved how she was able to find joy and freedom. Despite her life’s circumstances, she made the best out of it. Oliver took his damn time realizing what it was she needed and how to execute it, but I was very pleased with how protective and respectful he was from the very beginning.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and how it eventually concluded. I would highly recommend this book for those who like forbidden romance.
Thank you to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and offered voluntarily.
I really love Lorraine Heath, but I just couldn’t get on board with this plot. What didn’t work for me was the slow burn. What did work was the emotions of the characters, the style of a great writer, and the angst. This story will really work for someone, but just wasn’t working for me. If you love the beautiful writing of Heath, slow burn, angst, and two characters stuck in a phone booth - this is for you.
Good book with intriguing main characters. Viscount Langdon is holed up on an island in Cornwall, recovering from the effects of a railway crash. He has a hard time coping with the changes in himself and frequently doubts his sanity. The book opens as he stalks the cliffs of his island, more drunk than sober, railing against the fates that left him feeling that he no longer deserves to be his father's heir. But worse than that, the bone-deep loneliness is slowly destroying him. As he yells into the wind, "A woman! A woman! My kingdom for a woman!" the lightning reveals a woman washed up on the island's shore. It isn't until he gets her unconscious body to his home that he recognizes her.
Marlowe is an infamous courtesan in London. The story of how she came to be in that position is heartbreaking, but she has accepted the consequences of her choices and made the best of them. She is especially unusual in that her hobby is flying a hot air balloon, which is how she washed up on Langdon's island.
I enjoyed watching the relationship between Langdon and Marlowe develop. They have encountered each other in London and noted sparks of attraction between them. But she is the mistress of another man, and he doesn't poach. The book's first half is spent with Langdon and Marlowe on the island while the storm rages. I loved watching them get to know each other - talking, flirting, doing day-to-day things, and discovering they like each other very much. But life doesn't stand still, and eventually they return to London.
Neither forgot their time together. Marlowe's time with her current protector is ending, and she must decide her next steps. She could move on to another man, but her heart wants Langdon and not as his mistress. However, she is well aware of their class differences and that her profession makes her unsuitable for him to marry. Langdon also knows the likely repercussions of proposing marriage. He doesn't want to create problems for his family but also wants the woman he loves.
There is plenty of angst on both sides as Marlowe and Langdon work through the obstacles keeping them apart. It isn't easy to overcome expectations and prejudices, and I enjoyed seeing Langdon's determination. His big moment at the end was fantastic. I loved the final chapter, and the epilogue was a terrific conclusion.
Marlowe is an infamous courtesan in London. The story of how she came to be in that position is heartbreaking, but she has accepted the consequences of her choices and made the best of them. She is especially unusual in that her hobby is flying a hot air balloon, which is how she washed up on Langdon's island.
I enjoyed watching the relationship between Langdon and Marlowe develop. They have encountered each other in London and noted sparks of attraction between them. But she is the mistress of another man, and he doesn't poach. The book's first half is spent with Langdon and Marlowe on the island while the storm rages. I loved watching them get to know each other - talking, flirting, doing day-to-day things, and discovering they like each other very much. But life doesn't stand still, and eventually they return to London.
Neither forgot their time together. Marlowe's time with her current protector is ending, and she must decide her next steps. She could move on to another man, but her heart wants Langdon and not as his mistress. However, she is well aware of their class differences and that her profession makes her unsuitable for him to marry. Langdon also knows the likely repercussions of proposing marriage. He doesn't want to create problems for his family but also wants the woman he loves.
There is plenty of angst on both sides as Marlowe and Langdon work through the obstacles keeping them apart. It isn't easy to overcome expectations and prejudices, and I enjoyed seeing Langdon's determination. His big moment at the end was fantastic. I loved the final chapter, and the epilogue was a terrific conclusion.