I’m thrilled to be on the Never Surrender to a Scoundrel Blog Tour today. I really loved this book and I’m looking forward to reading more by this author!
Check out my review & enter the giveaway!
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A Reckless Desire…Lady Clarissa Bevington is in trouble. A reckless indiscretion has left her with two choices: ruin her family with the scandal of the Season, or marry Mr. Kincraig, the notorious scoundrel mistaken as her lover. Desperate and disgraced, Clarissa vows to love and cherish a veritable stranger, a man whose eyes smolder with danger—and undeniable desire…
An Unexpected Arrangement
As an agent for the Crown, Lord Donovan Blackmer has spent the last two years guarding Clarissa's grandfather from an unknown assassin while disguised as the rakehell Kincraig. His mission may now be over, but his duty has just begun. Salvaging his beautiful, impetuous wife's virtue will cost him his fortune and his position as an officer—but it might save him from the ghosts that haunt his own past. When their marriage "in name only" leads to exquisite seduction, Donovan must risk the only thing he has left to lose . . . his heart.
Goodreads | Source: E-arc provided via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review
Review:
I’m not a huge fan of historical romance. I tend to like the unconventional stories with a lot of humor or ones that go against the uptight, societal grain. A request to review Never Surrender to a Scoundrel caught my eye mainly because the hero is posing as a rake but is really an agent for the crown. It sounded super sexy and intriguing. It was, but there was so much more to love about this story.
Lady Clarissa is a very different kind of heroine. She’s neither the typical virgin nor a feisty rebel. She’s just a girl in love that finds herself in a very bad situation but has a strong sense of right, wrong and duty.
Lord Donovan finds himself accidentally coming to her rescue but at great risk to his future and all that he has spent years working for.
Things aren’t as the appear for either of them and what starts out as a misunderstanding - turned forced arrangement leads to friendship, respect and maybe even love.
Oh these two! Such a wonderful, complicated, unconventional, slow building romance. I was surprised at the path the author took for Clarissa and Donovan. I don’t think I’ve read anything like it before. I don’t want to say more because it would be too spoilery but I’ll just say that what they overcome shows a depth of character and loyalty that I adored reading about.
There’s a bit of mystery towards the end and while it ratcheted up the action, I thought the way it was resolved got a tad convoluted but not enough to take away from how much I loved it overall.
I definitely want to read more by this author in the future.
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Lily Dalton grew up as an Army brat, moving from place to place. Her first stop after relocating was always the local library, where she could hang out with familiar friends: Books! Lily has an English degree from Texas A & M University and after graduation worked as a legal assistant in the fields of accident reconstruction and litigation. She now lives in Houston, Texas, with her family. When she isn't at work on her next manuscript, she spends her time trying out new recipes, cheering on her favorite Texas football teams and collecting old dishes, vintage linens and other fine "junque" from thrift stores and flea markets. website | Facebook
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Sure I'd read it :) I do like my historical romance
ReplyDeleteThis was an interesting one - different from most romances too. I liked it a lot.
DeleteI love historical romance - with all the rules and social structure, they almost feel dystopian. And now that I've been watching a lot of Downton Abbey, I think I'm ready to get back to reading it!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for stopping by! Jen @ YA Romantics
That's what I usually hate about them. lol It all seems so stupid and time consuming! Ha
DeleteI like the ones the bend the rules a little. This was a nice mix of having to conform but mixing it up a bit.
Well, that's true, but then all the fun comes when the rules are broken. She touches his ungloved hand, he gets a glimpse of her ankle. It's so shocking. Today nothing is shocking, which takes all the fun away.
DeleteThis one was so much fun and very romantic - to me anyway!
ReplyDeleteI do like historical romance now but I didn't in the past. I like the way the women are being written now. So glad you enjoyed this one and it sounds like a book I would enjoy as well.
ReplyDeleteI can't say I love the genre but I'm enjoying it more and more.
DeleteI tend to like ones with humor and my friend Carrie from In the Hammock Blog gives me excellent recommendations.
I am reading this one soon. It looks really good. I love Regency Romance!
ReplyDeleteKate @ Ex Libris
I hope you like it as much as I did! It was different - in a good way.
DeleteOMG! Could you have really piqued my interest in a *romance* novel????!!!!
ReplyDeleteHa! really??? Good. This was a nice romance with a touch of intrigue.
DeleteI don't think I've read any historical romance in my life, or maybe one or two in my teens, but I would definitely fgo for humorous ones. This one sounds great, actually.
ReplyDeleteThis might be a good one for people who are not big hr readers. It has that element but mystery, action, and a different kind of romance.
DeleteGreat to hear it was unconventional and you ended up liking it. I don't normally do much HF either, but have liked a few
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to find something different these days but this was.
DeleteIt's great that your gamble paid off. I plan to revisit histrom this year, so far my count is one, hopefully I can maintain it to once a month.
ReplyDeleteI don't read many but I do find myself enjoying the genre more and more.
DeleteI like some intrigue with my romance...makes the story a little more exciting. I think Clarissa and Donovan are going to have a romp of a "getting to know you" marriage, with sparks flying! I'm looking forward to reading it cover to cover. Thanks for the post! jdh2690@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteIt's a really interesting - and different - kind of romance.
DeleteI need to give her another go. I LOVE historical romances. I read a previous one by her and loved so much about it but had some major heroine hang ups. Sounds like I need to check this one out :D
ReplyDeleteComplicated and unconventional with a slow burn sounds good to me! I like historical romance, though I don't read it that much, since I've gotten to like just the funnier ones, not the oh-so-serious ones.
ReplyDelete