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ourxstorybegins's review
5.0
I was so grateful to receive an ARC of this book so I could provide a fair review.
A couple of notes:
A couple of notes:
- This is a regency-era reverse harem! Yes, it is both!
- This is the first in a duology, so don't expect a happy ending just yet!
Rosalie Harrow (she/her) has been invited to a house party by the Dowager Duchess of Norland, an old friend of her deceased mother. A group of women have been invited for the George (the, erm....eccentric Duke) to find an appropriate wife. While there, she meets James (George’s uptight/stressed younger brother), Burke (his charming best friend the duchess has taken in as an adoptive son), and Tom Renley (close friend to Burke & James who is begrudgingly seeking a wife). Due to her past, Rosalie is completely against the idea of marriage, but that doesn’t stop her from developing feelings for all of these men. And boy, do they feel something about her, too.
Some highlights:
- If this book had just been about Burke, or James, or Tom, it would have been a compelling love story filled with plenty of tension and drama. The fact that this is a story about ALL THREE of them means there was not one slow moment!
- Rosalie might be one of my favorite historical romance heroines? We love a regency-era woman who understands how important independence is if its possible!
- The storyline with the dowager duchess is just, chef’s kiss.
- And of course, the spice is fantastic.
ESCAPES Rating:
Enjoyment - 10 | Start - 9 | Characters - 10 | Atmosphere - 9 | Plot - 10 | Ending - 9 | Style - 10
I cannot wait for the second book to come out!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Classism and Sexism
Minor: Domestic abuse, Death of parent, and Sexual assault
Both of Rosalie's parents passed away before the book begins. It is brought up regularly, but it doesn't happen during the book.
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