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gasoline_allie's review against another edition
4.0
I can't wait to read the next one, and I can't remember the last time I said that about a historical romance series. Darius was so complex and lovely.
corinnas's review
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
bookwife's review against another edition
2.0
This book was sad and kind of cheesy. It was still okay but it wasn't my favorite HR. I really didn't like the storyline or the characters.
smithrachaelynn's review
emotional
hopeful
slow-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
4.75
What I liked:
- Darius’s complete love for Vivian, it’s a slow burn and there’s resistance but you can see from the beginning how much he adores her. That kept me going throughout the whole book.
- The writing, descriptive and romantic, Burrowes writing totally entranced me with this couple. I felt so attached to the characters because I knew them so thoroughly through her writing choices.
What I didn’t like:
- The pace, this was slow and a bit meandering, which was fine but not something I prefer.
- The set-up of the story, the plot was really unique and in the beginning I almost DNFed. But it ended up working and being all right. It did feel like something to overcome though so that’s why I’m counting it as something I didn’t love.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Sexual harassment, Violence, Pregnancy, and Sexual content
attytheresa's review against another edition
2.0
Darius introduces us to the Lonely Lord series, and if this is a true sample of that series, Burrowes is once again treading some very interesting, even revolutionary, paths in Regency Romances. Don't take my 2.5 star rating as a negative, but rather of a reflection of my wanting something with more suspense and a faster pace. Another time, a different mood, it might have received 4 stars.
Darius is the spare to the entailed estate and title, but given his father is an abusive horror and hates him, he's left not only without any financial support but also trying to protect 2 sisters from their father, and support his older brother, the heir, who is a widower sunk deeply in mourning and drink. He owns a small manor which produces cash crop and produce income (think selling vegetables and eggs), but much more needed. What is his solution? Pimping himself out to women who like BDSM. When have you ever seen a hero like that in a romance?
This leads to his being hired by an elderly aristocrat, William, and his young wife, Vivian, to impregnate her as a last ditch effort to produce an heir for the entailed estate which otherwise will eschewed to the Crown, and no one wants Prinny to get his hands on it. Plus without an heir, Vivian would be left both impoverished and prey to the evil machinations of her awful stepfather.
Naturally Vivian and Darius fall in love, there are various side plots, machinations, and tragedies before the HEA. Overall Burrowes handled the unusual premise with sensitivity. Doesn't hurt that we get glimpses of familiar characters and story lines from her other series, and teasers of upcoming books.
Darius is the spare to the entailed estate and title, but given his father is an abusive horror and hates him, he's left not only without any financial support but also trying to protect 2 sisters from their father, and support his older brother, the heir, who is a widower sunk deeply in mourning and drink. He owns a small manor which produces cash crop and produce income (think selling vegetables and eggs), but much more needed. What is his solution? Pimping himself out to women who like BDSM. When have you ever seen a hero like that in a romance?
This leads to his being hired by an elderly aristocrat, William, and his young wife, Vivian, to impregnate her as a last ditch effort to produce an heir for the entailed estate which otherwise will eschewed to the Crown, and no one wants Prinny to get his hands on it. Plus without an heir, Vivian would be left both impoverished and prey to the evil machinations of her awful stepfather.
Naturally Vivian and Darius fall in love, there are various side plots, machinations, and tragedies before the HEA. Overall Burrowes handled the unusual premise with sensitivity. Doesn't hurt that we get glimpses of familiar characters and story lines from her other series, and teasers of upcoming books.
rani_reeds's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
slow-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
2.75
worldinpages's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
4.00 STARS
She settled down against his chest, content, and he was content to have her in his arms. More than content, God help him.
As my first real foray into historical romance, this book was actually pretty readable for me. I've read historical fiction in the past, but I never actually got into it since I often struggled to understand the difficult prose. Burrowes's | Darius | was very approachable for a beginner historical romance reader, and the story was quite entertaining and sufficiently angsty.
— Plot
Our heroine is the second wife of an elderly baron (I apologize if I get the titles wrong), William, but she was the previous companion/friend of his late first wife. They don't have a romantic or sexual relationship at all, and he married her to protect her from her stepfather's plotting. As William's health declines, he concocts a plan to secure Vivian's well-being after his death and hires Darius, an earl's illegitimate son that is currently prostituting himself because of his financial problems, to impregnate Vivian. William plans to claim the child as his own, securing Vivian and the child's claim to his estate. During their time together, Vivian and Darius fall in love, but their social standings, scheming external parties, and the initial deal itself stand in the way of their happily ever after.
What initially drew me to this novel was the pregnancy trope and the prostitute hero. I've read books with these tropes before, but I was interested in seeing how this would play out in a historical setting – especially with the rigid social classes and the whole courting thing. I had my reservations, but Burrowes was able to integrate both tropes into the story well.
— Vivian
"I don't want to be a job, a task, an obligation."
I liked Vivian, but I didn't love her. I thought her character progression was done decently, and I really liked her interactions with Darius. However, I never really connected with her. I felt like there wasn't much going on with her besides the pregnancy and the inheritance issue. Most of her problems were solved by others – Darius – so she felt very static in the actual plot. Basically, I think she fits the plot well, but she had zero individuality.
— Darius
— Darius
"Sometimes it's hard to be comfortable in one's own skin"
I adored Darius. He was witty, sweet, smart, and had great lines. He was the spark that initiated Vivian's growth from a meek second wife to a more confident woman. He taught her to find beauty within herself and helped her become more comfortable with her appearance. Unlike most men in the Regency era, Darius isn't threatened by Vivian's intelligence, and he actually encourages it by engaging in intellectual conversations with her.
I felt bad for him because of his situation with his two female "customers" that refused to leave him alone, going so far as to stalk and threaten him. Darius is a very protective man; he loves his siblings, his staff, and Vivian so much so that he often sacrifices himself. I loved how he protected them and how he came to understand that his past didn't make him tainted and undeserving of love.
— Overall Thoughts
I really liked this! I'd recommend this to readers that want to try historical romance but have always been intimidated by the old-timey writing style. This was incredibly easy to follow and get invested in. There are good characters, lots of spice, beautiful declarations of love, angst, and a very cute baby,
If you end up loving the world and wanting to read more, I believe there are companion books about the side characters here that the author released.
I felt bad for him because of his situation with his two female "customers" that refused to leave him alone, going so far as to stalk and threaten him. Darius is a very protective man; he loves his siblings, his staff, and Vivian so much so that he often sacrifices himself. I loved how he protected them and how he came to understand that his past didn't make him tainted and undeserving of love.
— Overall Thoughts
I really liked this! I'd recommend this to readers that want to try historical romance but have always been intimidated by the old-timey writing style. This was incredibly easy to follow and get invested in. There are good characters, lots of spice, beautiful declarations of love, angst, and a very cute baby,
If you end up loving the world and wanting to read more, I believe there are companion books about the side characters here that the author released.
For the first time in his life, Darius was going to be intimate with a woman he loved, a woman he adored, and could come to as a whole man, offering himself to her without conditions, reservations, or hesitation.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Pregnancy
Moderate: Stalking and Grief
patsycathcart's review against another edition
5.0
I normally don’t like books when the hero continues to have sexual relations with others, but his reasons are financial and he cuts them off rather than continue. I really like Darius and the elderly William, who plans the whole thing.