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latelitleo's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
relaxing
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
kittycuthbert's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Violence, and Death of parent
rjordan19's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥
Humor: Yes
Perspective: Third person from the hero and heroine (And some scenes from the heroine’s nephew)
Cliffhanger: No
Epilogue: Yes
Format: voluntarily read an advanced reader copy in e-book form
Should I read in order?
This is Laura Linn’s debut!
Basic plot:
Still mourning the loss of his wife, Gabriel retires to the country with his daughter and meets the most enticing bluestocking...
Give this a try if you want:
- Late Regency time period – 1826
- Mostly country setting – the duke returns to his country seat for majority of the book
- Children in the story – Nora is 11, Zach is 14
- Widower Duke hero/widowed heroine
- Marriage of necessity
- Scientist heroine – she loves meteorology
- Hero nurses heroine back to health
- Emotionally strong hero (hero cries)
- Tall hero/short heroine
- Protective hero
- LGBT positive
- Left-handed hero
- Fainting goats!
- Mains in their 30s
- Super sweet love story!
- Lower steam – 2 full scenes towards the end
- Slower burn
- Great humor and memorable characters – the side characters were especially fun as well and really helped bring the story to life
Ages:
- Heroine is 35, hero is 37
First line:
Gabriel Anson, fifth Duke of Northam, had always thought of death as a singular moment in time.
My thoughts:
This story was just lovely. Truly, I adored Linn’s writing style so, so much. I am very excited for her debut, but also sad there are no more novels by Linn for me to cherish!
The goat farmer and the Duke...Gabriel is such a sweet hero. He loves hard and even though the death of his wife was years ago, he is still suffering. He’s so protective and gentle with his daughter and so heart meltingly tender with Violet. I thought his character was done such justice coming into a second love.
Violet is also such a special character. She’s been through so much an as you peel away her layers and her background is revealed, I just loved her more and more. Gabriel and her are one of those couples that just make your heart sing – they are perfect for each other.
The side characters in this one were especially memorable – feisty, funny, and added a lovely dimension to the book. I found myself smiling a lot in this story. Absolutely adored this read and eager for more to come from Linn!
Quotes/spoiler-y thoughts:
It’s just fun!
He nodded. “Well, Miss Evans.”
“Missus,” she corrected.
“Mrs. Evans, it’s been a delight meeting you, and I will leave you to your…” he trailed off.
“To my psychrometer,” she offered.
“Yes. Your psychrometer.”
---
Like a child careening back and forth on a wooden nursery horse, Violet was unbalanced by rapidly shifting emotions as they lurched in quick succession between annoyance at being left waiting, and delight at the sight of his warm, interested expression. Then he smiled and she was completely disarmed. Gabriel was clad in a sky blue, superfine wool waistcoat, crisp, snowy-white shirt sleeves that had been rolled to the elbow, and trousers the colour of chocolate. They hugged his lean, muscular thighs like a second skin. There was no topcoat in sight. A few confident, rolling steps had eliminated the distance between them. She was staring. Her brain screamed at her to find a new occupation for her eyes but there was some kind of language barrier between her better judgement and her disobedient retinas. Eyes away! Say something intelligent! But what came out was, “Did you know that only one-sixth of the eye is visible?” Abort! Not that intelligent! Mortified, she reached to cover the blush that burned, melting into her freckled cheeks.
---
“What am I to do, Keene?” Gabriel sat up and scrubbed his face with his hands. “MARRY. HER.” He enunciated each syllable as if Gabriel was a small child., who had repeatedly blown by the most obvious answer to a painfully simple question. “A debilitated drunkard could solve this quandary. Marry her, claim the boy, and crush the baron’s testicles under the heel of your ducal boot. Problem solved. Can I have an increase in salary?”
---
Gabriel set the cup on the table and took her hand in both of his. “Did I want to kiss you at the beach?” Raising her hand, he tipped her palm to his mouth and kissed the soft centre. “On the beach.” His lips lingered, brushing her skin as he continued to speak. “By the goat fence.” His bravery fled, eyelashes drifting closed against the sight of her parted lips and sensation of her soft skin pressed into his hand. “Right now.” Gabriel's heart thrashed against his ribcage. What he had intended as a reassuring declaration had become a flare of unguarded intimacy.
---
He forcibly relaxed his shoulders, “Very well. I’ll have my kiss now.” Violet tipped on her toes but no amount of neck straining or extending of muscles would bring her lips any higher than his chin, which was apparently not her destination. Gabriel remained stretched to the full extent of his height, smiling as Violet gave a little hop, landing again on the balls of her feet. She gave an annoyed ‘harrumph”. “You are a terrible thief,” Gabriel said. “Well, it’s not as if you’re helping my endeavor!” “If I am to play the damsel, I don’t believe it’s my job to make your thieving especially effortless.” Violet's hand shot out, tightening around a fistful of his shirt front and easing him well within reach of her lips. “Not such a terrible thief now, am I?” What she had stolen was his ability to breathe.
---
“Kiss me every place your fingers touched. Kiss me with your lips and your tongue and your breath. Love me with your mouth.”
Content warnings:
- Grief for a wife and mother’s death, infant death, childbirth death
- Mention of heroine’s nephew experiencing abuse and ableism – his parents were going to send their ‘deaf and dumb’ son away to asylum
- Some mentions of toxic masculinity (view spoiler)
- Physical assault and abduction of a child on page
- Implied and remembered (on page) repeated sexual assault by heroine’s step father
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:
Safe sex: No but they are married and monogamous
38% (pg 76/195) – hero masturbation (short)
51% (Pg 101/195) – brief kiss
54% (Pg 107/195) – kiss
78% (Pg 154/195) – kisses
82% (Pg 161/95) – 🔥 hero encourages the heroine to touch herself
86% (Pg 169/195) – kisses
93% (Pg 182/195) – 🔥 fingering for her, missionary (V loss for her)
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥
Humor: Yes
Perspective: Third person from the hero and heroine (And some scenes from the heroine’s nephew)
Cliffhanger: No
Epilogue: Yes
Format: voluntarily read an advanced reader copy in e-book form
Should I read in order?
This is Laura Linn’s debut!
Basic plot:
Still mourning the loss of his wife, Gabriel retires to the country with his daughter and meets the most enticing bluestocking...
Give this a try if you want:
- Late Regency time period – 1826
- Mostly country setting – the duke returns to his country seat for majority of the book
- Children in the story – Nora is 11, Zach is 14
- Widower Duke hero/widowed heroine
- Marriage of necessity
- Scientist heroine – she loves meteorology
- Hero nurses heroine back to health
- Emotionally strong hero (hero cries)
- Tall hero/short heroine
- Protective hero
- LGBT positive
- Left-handed hero
- Fainting goats!
- Mains in their 30s
- Super sweet love story!
- Lower steam – 2 full scenes towards the end
- Slower burn
- Great humor and memorable characters – the side characters were especially fun as well and really helped bring the story to life
Ages:
- Heroine is 35, hero is 37
First line:
Gabriel Anson, fifth Duke of Northam, had always thought of death as a singular moment in time.
My thoughts:
This story was just lovely. Truly, I adored Linn’s writing style so, so much. I am very excited for her debut, but also sad there are no more novels by Linn for me to cherish!
The goat farmer and the Duke...Gabriel is such a sweet hero. He loves hard and even though the death of his wife was years ago, he is still suffering. He’s so protective and gentle with his daughter and so heart meltingly tender with Violet. I thought his character was done such justice coming into a second love.
Violet is also such a special character. She’s been through so much an as you peel away her layers and her background is revealed, I just loved her more and more. Gabriel and her are one of those couples that just make your heart sing – they are perfect for each other.
The side characters in this one were especially memorable – feisty, funny, and added a lovely dimension to the book. I found myself smiling a lot in this story. Absolutely adored this read and eager for more to come from Linn!
Quotes/spoiler-y thoughts:
It’s just fun!
He nodded. “Well, Miss Evans.”
“Missus,” she corrected.
“Mrs. Evans, it’s been a delight meeting you, and I will leave you to your…” he trailed off.
“To my psychrometer,” she offered.
“Yes. Your psychrometer.”
---
Like a child careening back and forth on a wooden nursery horse, Violet was unbalanced by rapidly shifting emotions as they lurched in quick succession between annoyance at being left waiting, and delight at the sight of his warm, interested expression. Then he smiled and she was completely disarmed. Gabriel was clad in a sky blue, superfine wool waistcoat, crisp, snowy-white shirt sleeves that had been rolled to the elbow, and trousers the colour of chocolate. They hugged his lean, muscular thighs like a second skin. There was no topcoat in sight. A few confident, rolling steps had eliminated the distance between them. She was staring. Her brain screamed at her to find a new occupation for her eyes but there was some kind of language barrier between her better judgement and her disobedient retinas. Eyes away! Say something intelligent! But what came out was, “Did you know that only one-sixth of the eye is visible?” Abort! Not that intelligent! Mortified, she reached to cover the blush that burned, melting into her freckled cheeks.
---
“What am I to do, Keene?” Gabriel sat up and scrubbed his face with his hands. “MARRY. HER.” He enunciated each syllable as if Gabriel was a small child., who had repeatedly blown by the most obvious answer to a painfully simple question. “A debilitated drunkard could solve this quandary. Marry her, claim the boy, and crush the baron’s testicles under the heel of your ducal boot. Problem solved. Can I have an increase in salary?”
---
Gabriel set the cup on the table and took her hand in both of his. “Did I want to kiss you at the beach?” Raising her hand, he tipped her palm to his mouth and kissed the soft centre. “On the beach.” His lips lingered, brushing her skin as he continued to speak. “By the goat fence.” His bravery fled, eyelashes drifting closed against the sight of her parted lips and sensation of her soft skin pressed into his hand. “Right now.” Gabriel's heart thrashed against his ribcage. What he had intended as a reassuring declaration had become a flare of unguarded intimacy.
---
He forcibly relaxed his shoulders, “Very well. I’ll have my kiss now.” Violet tipped on her toes but no amount of neck straining or extending of muscles would bring her lips any higher than his chin, which was apparently not her destination. Gabriel remained stretched to the full extent of his height, smiling as Violet gave a little hop, landing again on the balls of her feet. She gave an annoyed ‘harrumph”. “You are a terrible thief,” Gabriel said. “Well, it’s not as if you’re helping my endeavor!” “If I am to play the damsel, I don’t believe it’s my job to make your thieving especially effortless.” Violet's hand shot out, tightening around a fistful of his shirt front and easing him well within reach of her lips. “Not such a terrible thief now, am I?” What she had stolen was his ability to breathe.
---
“Kiss me every place your fingers touched. Kiss me with your lips and your tongue and your breath. Love me with your mouth.”
Content warnings:
- Grief for a wife and mother’s death, infant death, childbirth death
- Mention of heroine’s nephew experiencing abuse and ableism – his parents were going to send their ‘deaf and dumb’ son away to asylum
- Some mentions of toxic masculinity (view spoiler)
- Physical assault and abduction of a child on page
- Implied and remembered (on page) repeated sexual assault by heroine’s step father
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:
Safe sex:
38% (pg 76/195) – hero masturbation (short)
51% (Pg 101/195) – brief kiss
54% (Pg 107/195) – kiss
78% (Pg 154/195) – kisses
82% (Pg 161/95) – 🔥 hero encourages the heroine to touch herself
86% (Pg 169/195) – kisses
93% (Pg 182/195) – 🔥 fingering for her, missionary (V loss for her)
More...