A review by worldinpages
Darius: Lord of Pleasures by Grace Burrowes

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
"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. 

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.
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