Duke Most Wicked by Lenora Bell
Wallflowers vs. Rogues #3
Historical Romance
09/27/22 by Avon
ARC
For some reason, every book in this series has been a slow read for me. Maybe it’s the low angst, maybe it’s the pacing… I’m not quite sure. It took me a month and a half to finally dig in and finish reading.
This is the story of the Duke of Westbury and his sister’s music teacher, Viola Beaton. Westbury is rogue and a scoundrel and a wastrel. He pretty much gambles, drinks, and parties all the time. He even manages to gamble away his sister’s doweries. But after overhearing some outrageous gossip about his siblings he decides he needs a rich wife to boost his finances and get them married off.
Viola is the girls’ music teacher and the caretaker of her father, once a great composer, but who is slowly losing his hearing. She cares for the girls and is attracted to Westbury, but he needs a rich wife and she is the farthest thing from that.
They like each other, but the progression of their relationship is S L O W moving. She pines for him, he is nice to her, then develops an attraction… and of course, they fall in love and have a HEA. But I really wasn’t heavily invested in them as a couple. I do hope Westbury’s sisters get their own series, they were great secondary characters.
Grade- C+
The Heart’s Blood Arrow
San Amaro Investigations #5
LGBTQ Urban Fantasy
11/7/2022 – Self Published
Kindle Unlimited
This series is fantastic. I gobble up every new release as soon as it hits my Kindle. This is the 5th book in the series and picks up immediately after book four, A Shattered Silver Crown.
As always, there are twenty million plot threads from multiple investigations that all end up being intertwined, and by solving one Parker Ferro and his lover/partner Nick King end up wrapping them all up. This time Parker and Nick find out pretty early on that one of their main nemesis from a previous installment has been broken out of prison and is on the loose. This means Parker and his sister may be in danger, but that won’t stop him from doing a little investigating of his own. Along the way, he is tasked with finding all the missing succubae in the city, discovering why the old gods have shown up in San Amaro and dodging meals with Nick’s mother.
He also has to figure out how to ask Nick to marry him.
This is an amazing addition to the series. The action starts on page one and doesn’t let up until the very end. Parker and Nick are wonderful partners and helpmates. The strength of their relationship shines through on every page. Even as they are running around dodging arrows and flinging magic at the bad guys, trying to save the city yet again from gods and monsters, they always put the safety of each other first.
I love everything about this series, from the worldbuilding to the secondary characters to the romance between Parker and Nick. Everything is just so well done. I’m already looking forward to the next release.
Grade- A
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