Reviews with content warning for Violence - The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes

Thanks to Avon Books for the free copy of this book.

- Cat Sebastian books are just always so wonderful, and THE PERFECT CRIMES OF MARIAN HAYES is no exception.
- Marian and Rob are a delightful couple, wary of each other at first but quickly falling for each others' charms.
- I adore how Sebastian always weaves in queerness, kindness, and discussions of consent into her books. It's just so tender, while also being fun and funny.

Content Warnings

ehmannky's review against another edition

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adventurous funny fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

An absolutely lovely and fun read. I am a big Cat Sebastian fan in general, so it's no surprise that I enjoyed this book. But I just thought it was so sweet and full of love and crime and it was just great. I did think the letters at the beginning of the book could have been scattered throughout the book to give it a bit more of a faster flow, because the beginning sort of dragged. But other than that this was a great and wonderful book.

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marysbookinit's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Really I think it was the narrator that didn’t work for me, otherwise I really enjoyed the book.

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eisenbuns's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful lighthearted

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

“Need was only weakness by another name. And if someone could give you what you needed, they could just as easily take it away.”

Why YOU should read “The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes”

There’s only one bed
Bisexual main characters
Robin Hood & Maid Marian inspired
Hurt/Comfort and trauma recovery

The Duchess of Clare is a murderer. It’s not exactly the proper occupation for a duchess, but Marian Hayes is not the average noble. When she receives letters from a man claiming to have knowledge of her husband’s bigamy–and asks for 500£ to keep it quiet, no less–she finds she can’t resist writing back, sparking the beginning of a wild adventure. Through the streets of Georgian London, across the countryside of Kent, and inside a series of questionable inns, this physical journey mirrors an equally-impressive set of character arcs.

There’s so much I want to say about this novel, it’s hard to know where to begin.

I found both main characters extremely lovable. Rob is a hopeless sweetheart who’s lived a dangerous life as a highwayman. Marian is all sharp edges and wit with a heart of gold, despite the abuse she’s shuffered. They make a match that simmers with chemistry and underlying anxieties that need to be overcome. What makes a ‘good’ person, truly, and what tips the scales to make someone ‘bad’? Murder? Postpartum Depression? Thievery?

I’ll be honest– I don’t ordinarily read spicy romances. I find intimate scenes cringe-worthy a lot of the time and would rather fade to black. So, I hope you’ll understand how significant it is for me to say that every single hot-and-heavy scene was necessary to this narrative. Rife with character-building moments, every time these characters came together, they overcame some personal obstacle. I won’t tell you any details, but I was so impressed by the handling of these scenes (and all the baggage unpacked in them), I had to stop reading and tell my spouse all about them. I mean, they were also super hot; Cat Sebastian delivers.

I absolutely loved this work. The ending felt somewhat rushed to me, with one particular flimsy thread that wove through the majority of the narrative (a certain ominous ‘brother’ figure) fraying away altogether. This is possibly the only gripe I have about the book, and the journey more than made up for any messiness at the end.

If you like period pieces, and you like excellent banter, steamy romance, “there’s only one bed!,” and enemies-to-friends-to-lovers, please pick up this book when it releases on June 7th, 2022. You won’t regret it for a moment.

Content Warnings

noellelovesbooks's review

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fast-paced

5.0

I received an ARC, ahead of the June release, from Avon Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

Content Warnings: Detailed sex scenes, murder, violence, blood/gore, confinement, gun violence, and loved one with dementia. Mention of: a difficult and life-threatening pregnancy, bigamy, implied marital rape, and emotional abuse.

When I first read the summary of this book I knew I needed to read it, so when I found out I could get an ARC through Avon, for being part of their influencer program, I jumped at the chance. Having read THE QUEER PRINCIPLES OF KIT WEBB right before I was excited to see Rob and Marian’s journey unfold.

From a young age, Marian has done what it takes to protect those closest to her, no matter the cost, even if it means potentially living a life on the run…if anyone were to reveal that she, not a highway robber, was the one to shoot her husband. Never having committed such a crime before Marian is unsure of what to do so she elicits the help of the highwayman that’s been blackmailing her, really it’s the least he could do.

Having been gone a year, letting his closest friends and family believe him dead, Rob found himself looking forward to each and every correspondence with Marian, though it started as blackmail he feels a connection to Marian even before meeting her face to face. Normally a Robin Hoodesque highway robber Rob feels a lot of guilt for blackmailing Marian so when she appears, covered in her husband’s blood, Rob is determined to help her in any way he can.

I absolutely adored both of these characters so much. Between their inner thoughts and dialogue with each other, I found myself laughing so much. The way Rob pays so much attention to Marian’s body language, whether to alleviate her stress by changing the subject of their conversation or to ensure she feels safe and comfortable during more intimate moments…I just loved how much he genuinely cared about her feelings.

Marian is able to see how much Rob missed his friends and family, by reading between the lines of his letters and urges him to return to them before Marian even met him. She’s in awe of how easy it is for Rob to turn strangers into friends as fast as he does and how happy he seems to be no matter what he’s doing. Marian hasn’t trusted anyone, aside from Percy, in a very long time but the more she gets to know Rob she realizes maybe she can add one more person to the list.

Between the sweet romance developing between Marian and Rob and the shenanigans, they get themselves into over the course of the book, I absolutely adored every second! This couple will definitely be one that stays with me for a long time. I’m not sure if Cat plans on writing more books within this universe but I desperately hope that she does.

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