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excel_spreadsheet_book_nerd's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
sharonjay's review against another edition
2.0
I was really liking it until Ashe tried to blackmail Minerva (AT 90%!?!!?) into marrying him by threatening to tell everyone that he compromised her. Wtf?!
lalawoman416's review against another edition
4.0
Spinster novel. Plain to boot. So after six seasons, Miss Minerva Dodger is considered firmly on the shelf. It's not that no one wants to marry her - she's received plenty of offers. It's that everyone who has asked has been interested only in her dowry. Before she commits to a celibate life, she wants to know what all the fuss is about. She wants to experience the magic of a single encounter dalliance. For that purpose, she enters The Nightingale. A club where women of the ton can have discreet affairs (although it's kind of ridiculous how the women keep the pretense of anonymity with a demi-mask). She enters and catches the attention of the Duke of Asheford. They head to a private rom and . . . nothing. He declines teaching her the ways of the world and sends her home. He's captivated by her, though, and becomes consumed with finding out her identity. After becoming reacquainted with Minerva at some party or other he becomes convinced that they're one and the same, but he can't be too convinced. Either way, he's starting to become very enchanted by Minerva and liking her in her own right. I liked that the author didn't play too much with the pretense of not knowing who another human being is simply because of a piece of cloth across his or her eyes. And I do like the the characters got to like each other before they loved each other. Overall, I really liked this book and enjoyed the story.
isabelbrieler's review against another edition
3.0
I loved Minerva and hated Ashe but you win some you lose some, I guess
bookishnerdyandcurious's review against another edition
4.0
As you might remember, last month I read the third book in this series, [b:The Viscount and the Vixen|28523597|The Viscount and the Vixen (Hellions of Havisham, #3)|Lorraine Heath|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1464040533l/28523597._SY75_.jpg|48681410], and I adored it. I immediately purchased the other two books so I could read what came before, but put off reading them for a bit. Now, I admit that because I had read that, I knew how this was going to turn out, but that didn't affect my enjoyment at all. In fact, it kind of heightened it, because at one point I could not see just how that HEA came about. Was I annoyed that Ashe didn't tell Minerva earlier that he knew who she was? Yup. But did I understand why he didn't? Absolutely. I even admired him for thinking of that. When we came to the finances issue, I was a bit less forgiving... but when he made his grand gesture? HELL YES. (That said, do I think that he probably should have thought about doing what he told her father that he'd do BEFORE losing her? YES. There may have been some grumbling during that scene.) But, oh... I loved this and dove right into the second book!
winemakerssister's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
The characters have been done quite a few times in Regencies: the spinster who acts a little too modern & the dyslexic nobleman who doesn't want to admit his disability to anyone. That being said, I enjoyed this historical romance. It's labeled #1 in its series, but read like it was actually an extension of an earlier series.
The characters have been done quite a few times in Regencies: the spinster who acts a little too modern & the dyslexic nobleman who doesn't want to admit his disability to anyone. That being said, I enjoyed this historical romance. It's labeled #1 in its series, but read like it was actually an extension of an earlier series.
pammie823's review against another edition
emotional
medium-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
5.0
Lorraine Heath has done it again. My favorite Lorraine Heath books are the ones where she abandons the bonkers plots for aggressive character choices. This is one of those books.
I loved Minerva from the Scandalous Gentlemen of St. James series and was hoping she had her own book. Imagine my surprise when I started the Hellions of Havisham series and saw that Minnie was the heroine! Ashe is exactly the kind of man Minerva should be with— he’s hot, decisive and wants a woman who is an equal.
If you’re planning to read The Earl Takes All (aka Gorilla Twins) you should read this book since it sets up the characters for that book.
Loved this book!
I loved Minerva from the Scandalous Gentlemen of St. James series and was hoping she had her own book. Imagine my surprise when I started the Hellions of Havisham series and saw that Minnie was the heroine! Ashe is exactly the kind of man Minerva should be with— he’s hot, decisive and wants a woman who is an equal.
If you’re planning to read The Earl Takes All (aka Gorilla Twins) you should read this book since it sets up the characters for that book.
Loved this book!
geekxgirl's review against another edition
2.0
In hindsight now having finished this book I think the description sounded much more intriguing than it was. Not to say the book itself was horrible or boring, because it wasn't but, it just kind of feels forgettable now that it's over.
Average hero with a tortured past that molds him into the man he is today, along with his brothers (adoptive is the best description for them) The Hellions of Havisham. Ashe was a decent hero to root for, nothing in particular to dislike about him. He had his faults but he was generally a likeable guy. For the most part it was nice to see him grow a little and realize his attachment to Minerva wasn't as simple as him merely "liking" her or "adoring" her but that he did actually love her after all. He wasn't that complex either. A rather average sort of hero if I'm being honest, nothing in particularly interesting about him. Truly the most interesting part of him was his passion for photography. You don't see that too often in historicals so it was fascinating to read, but also to really feel his passion for it.
Minerva our heroine was probably the most interesting of all. Although her age was never established we were told many times about her six failed seasons. So naturally our gal is "on the shelf" from the start. Her mother was the daughter of a duke (married to a previous duke as well if her older half-brother Lovingdon was anything to go by) who is now married to a commoner (who is Minerva's father). She was interesting to get to know and understand as the book progressed. She was intelligent and independent, opinionated and strong minded. She refused to succumb to any man's attention or proposal for anything less than love since so many tried to woo her with the prize of her large dowry being their main draw. She felt undesirable to the opposite sex, and learning all she experienced it was hardly unwarranted. She was also quite wary and suspicious of all men. She admitted as much to Ashe at one point. She didn't trust their motives. So as you can expect most of the book our
I'll admit the momentary break up between the two hardly lasted but a blink in the grand scheme of things. Not a horrible thing since sometimes dragging out the drama between the couple can be exhausting but also it felt kind of too fast? I'm not sure. It was okay. They got their happy ever after in the end, which is what matters with a nice little epilogue that jumps "several years" into the future. Cute and sweet.
I'll admit this was the first book I've read by this author. I wasn't sure what to expect with only the description to guide me when I began. It wasn't nearly as steamy or sexual as you would imagine with what is described but it was still rather sensual in an obscure way. Hardly any true details of the experiences or body parts during these scenes, so as I said, it held a bit of this mysterious allure to it as you experience what Minerva and Ashe do for their first time together. Rather tasteful really compared to other books.
Although the rest of the Hellions do appear interesting, I'm not sure I'll continue the series. Maybe sometime in the future I'll come back to them and feel more interested but for now I'll end my journey with this author here.
Average hero with a tortured past that molds him into the man he is today, along with his brothers (adoptive is the best description for them) The Hellions of Havisham. Ashe was a decent hero to root for, nothing in particular to dislike about him. He had his faults but he was generally a likeable guy. For the most part it was nice to see him grow a little and realize his attachment to Minerva wasn't as simple as him merely "liking" her or "adoring" her but that he did actually love her after all. He wasn't that complex either. A rather average sort of hero if I'm being honest, nothing in particularly interesting about him. Truly the most interesting part of him was his passion for photography. You don't see that too often in historicals so it was fascinating to read, but also to really feel his passion for it.
Minerva our heroine was probably the most interesting of all. Although her age was never established we were told many times about her six failed seasons. So naturally our gal is "on the shelf" from the start. Her mother was the daughter of a duke (married to a previous duke as well if her older half-brother Lovingdon was anything to go by) who is now married to a commoner (who is Minerva's father). She was interesting to get to know and understand as the book progressed. She was intelligent and independent, opinionated and strong minded. She refused to succumb to any man's attention or proposal for anything less than love since so many tried to woo her with the prize of her large dowry being their main draw. She felt undesirable to the opposite sex, and learning all she experienced it was hardly unwarranted. She was also quite wary and suspicious of all men. She admitted as much to Ashe at one point. She didn't trust their motives. So as you can expect most of the book our
Spoiler
heroine struggles to believe our hero Ashe is actually sincerely interested in her which at times became frustrating. But hardly as frustrating as Ashe who, once he realized his investments went bad and he did in fact need her dowry decided he wanted to marry her and wasn't honest with her about that fact. Regardless of his desire of her and actual sincerity in wanting to marry her, he still decided to withhold that information knowing how strongly Minerva felt about fortune hunters and how it would cause her to doubt him. And as things typically go it blows up in his face toward the end of the book.I'll admit the momentary break up between the two hardly lasted but a blink in the grand scheme of things. Not a horrible thing since sometimes dragging out the drama between the couple can be exhausting but also it felt kind of too fast? I'm not sure. It was okay. They got their happy ever after in the end, which is what matters with a nice little epilogue that jumps "several years" into the future. Cute and sweet.
I'll admit this was the first book I've read by this author. I wasn't sure what to expect with only the description to guide me when I began. It wasn't nearly as steamy or sexual as you would imagine with what is described but it was still rather sensual in an obscure way. Hardly any true details of the experiences or body parts during these scenes, so as I said, it held a bit of this mysterious allure to it as you experience what Minerva and Ashe do for their first time together. Rather tasteful really compared to other books.
Although the rest of the Hellions do appear interesting, I'm not sure I'll continue the series. Maybe sometime in the future I'll come back to them and feel more interested but for now I'll end my journey with this author here.
deighz's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
katelynnelawson's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Bold of Lorraine to give the hero in Book 1 of a series a foot fetish…
Picked this one up because I heard Book 2 is 🔥 & still intend to read it but did not enjoy. I love the premise of a masked liaison leading to more, and I liked that Ashe is a Real Rake - problematic and fun. However, he’s more than that - he’s kind of a dick, lol. Like, I’m okay with a third act breakup, and I’m okay with a rakish hero threatening the heroine with blackmail, but not in said third act. I need character development and I don’t need it to happen in the last 10 pages only.
Also hated that the author assumes you’ve read her other bodies of work. I have read some but not all. This is Book 1 in a series, so why do I find out like, halfway through the book that the character has written a feminist treatise and everyone knows it and seemingly I should have as well?
Ashe’s obsession with photographing “perfect” legs and feet to deal with PTSD was so weird to me too. I mean, everyone deals with trauma and grief differently, but I felt like it made no sense given he wasn’t even at the scene of the accident that led to this trauma. I know therapy wasn’t around in the 1800s but damn, this is some real Mommy/Daddy Issues shit and I didn’t find it sexy or romantic at all!
This was written about a decade ago and the progressivism of the characters reads like that too. It was cringey.
Picked this one up because I heard Book 2 is 🔥 & still intend to read it but did not enjoy. I love the premise of a masked liaison leading to more, and I liked that Ashe is a Real Rake - problematic and fun. However, he’s more than that - he’s kind of a dick, lol. Like, I’m okay with a third act breakup, and I’m okay with a rakish hero threatening the heroine with blackmail, but not in said third act. I need character development and I don’t need it to happen in the last 10 pages only.
Also hated that the author assumes you’ve read her other bodies of work. I have read some but not all. This is Book 1 in a series, so why do I find out like, halfway through the book that the character has written a feminist treatise and everyone knows it and seemingly I should have as well?
Ashe’s obsession with photographing “perfect” legs and feet to deal with PTSD was so weird to me too. I mean, everyone deals with trauma and grief differently, but I felt like it made no sense given he wasn’t even at the scene of the accident that led to this trauma. I know therapy wasn’t around in the 1800s but damn, this is some real Mommy/Daddy Issues shit and I didn’t find it sexy or romantic at all!
This was written about a decade ago and the progressivism of the characters reads like that too. It was cringey.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Grief, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Child abuse