rainelle_barrett's review
2.0
I really tried to get into the book. I found the introduction to the story choppy. The description of the characters wasn’t clearly explained. The story is a very slow start. The beginning used to much time of Em thinking of faults in her past. The book missed the catch the readers attention in ten pages or less. The story runs flat. 
disconightwing's review against another edition
3.0
Brazen in Blue is a fun story about a woman named Emmaline who is about to enter into a marriage of convenience when her old lover, Adam, comes to the wedding and Em convinces Adam to help her run away from her wedding. Adam is a secret agent for the Home Office and Em gets involved in a job he has to take while they’re waiting for her fiance to stop looking for her.
I liked the intelligent, definitely different spin on the typical romance heroine and I liked that she had a disability. The main plot was easy to follow. However, the description of this novel specifically says that it will read as a standalone and I’m just not sure if that’s true or not. I felt like I was getting dropped into the middle of a story—I kept getting snippets of things that I felt like I was already supposed to know, but I didn’t. This made it very difficult to feel invested in the story at all and to be honest I kept wondering if there were parts of my copy that were missing.
The dogs were a great addition and overall I would have loved to feel more invested in the story because it was a unique and fun read. I just felt like I was either missing something or this definitely is not the standalone it’s supposed to be.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated for my opinion.
I liked the intelligent, definitely different spin on the typical romance heroine and I liked that she had a disability. The main plot was easy to follow. However, the description of this novel specifically says that it will read as a standalone and I’m just not sure if that’s true or not. I felt like I was getting dropped into the middle of a story—I kept getting snippets of things that I felt like I was already supposed to know, but I didn’t. This made it very difficult to feel invested in the story at all and to be honest I kept wondering if there were parts of my copy that were missing.
The dogs were a great addition and overall I would have loved to feel more invested in the story because it was a unique and fun read. I just felt like I was either missing something or this definitely is not the standalone it’s supposed to be.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated for my opinion.
thumanybooks's review
3.0
There's so much to love about this book...but it didn't quite get all the way there. There is just SO MUCH plot. A spy plot, a weird fairies thing, a lovers to haters to lovers, a runaway bride, etc! And we start at the middle of their relationship, so it feels a bit as if we have been left out of the good parts. There's a lot of backtracking to understand what happened first. The writing is good though. And there is romance and chemistry. It's a good book overall, just not a favorite.
stellasbookbinge's review against another edition
3.0
I was intrigued with the premise of this story and the inclusion of a disability rep. But it fell short in a few areas.
I think the classic chemistry between the main characters could have been fleshed out a bit more, no feeling was felt (no tummy flips or butterflies, I couldn’t feel their love). I do get sick of the miscommunication and secret keeping device but I guess that’s what we’ll always get.
Em’s talent for recalling voices was cool and I think it was a missed opportunity to dive deeper in with that.
Over all I thought the story was ok.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eArc to review.
I think the classic chemistry between the main characters could have been fleshed out a bit more, no feeling was felt (no tummy flips or butterflies, I couldn’t feel their love). I do get sick of the miscommunication and secret keeping device but I guess that’s what we’ll always get.
Em’s talent for recalling voices was cool and I think it was a missed opportunity to dive deeper in with that.
Over all I thought the story was ok.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eArc to review.
mdfn's review against another edition
1.0
I struggled my way through this. I just didn't enjoy the way we began, and how everything got pieced together. It felt so awkward and I didn't enjoy the way Emmeline and Adam interacted. It felt like this should be a second book, which would spare us the constant stream of reminders via thought. I'd rather "watch" their relationship develop than be told how it happened while they're in a new situation. I was hoping it was just them, but the telling continued.
Just not my cup of tea.
Just not my cup of tea.
vgdesigns's review against another edition
5.0
Love is a Fool’s Game
Brazen in Blue is a delightful spy romance, with a runaway bride. Rachel Miles blends spirited characters with an entertaining adventure. Lady Emmeline Hartley (Em) has had a challenging past, and all she wants is a quiet life tending her estate. But as a woman of fortune, marriage is what is expected of her, and Lord Colin Somerville is a good man. When she has second thoughts, the only person who can help is the scoundrel spy Adam Montclair. He broke her heart once, and she refuses to repeat that mistake again. Covered in so many lies and aliases, Adam wants nothing more than to make things right with Em. Together they find a way to work through their pasts, and remember who they are. Em and Adam are well matched, have quite a few similar experiences, and love a lot of the same things. There are a few references to past events that are not reiterated. So, it takes a little bit to get oriented into this story if you have not read the previous The Muses’ Salon books. It also takes a while for them to tell each other their difficult secrets. A great romance about remembering, forgiving, and falling in love.
Brazen in Blue is a delightful spy romance, with a runaway bride. Rachel Miles blends spirited characters with an entertaining adventure. Lady Emmeline Hartley (Em) has had a challenging past, and all she wants is a quiet life tending her estate. But as a woman of fortune, marriage is what is expected of her, and Lord Colin Somerville is a good man. When she has second thoughts, the only person who can help is the scoundrel spy Adam Montclair. He broke her heart once, and she refuses to repeat that mistake again. Covered in so many lies and aliases, Adam wants nothing more than to make things right with Em. Together they find a way to work through their pasts, and remember who they are. Em and Adam are well matched, have quite a few similar experiences, and love a lot of the same things. There are a few references to past events that are not reiterated. So, it takes a little bit to get oriented into this story if you have not read the previous The Muses’ Salon books. It also takes a while for them to tell each other their difficult secrets. A great romance about remembering, forgiving, and falling in love.
mreadsbooksnfics's review against another edition
3.0
Pretty cover. I was sold. And then it all kind of came crashing down when it is clear you have to read all of the books for this to fully make sense. I am not really a fan of when romance novels are cannot stand alone. I think they should be able to. Like yeah maybe some parts may not make sense. But you should not have to read the other books to even really fathom the whole series. They are meant to be escapist and this deters me from picking up more of this author since... the books is missing pieces because you need the other books. No, thank you.
The book was slow. But I did like how one of the MCs has a disability. I don’t think this is seen enough in historical romance. Still, it was not my favorite reads and i had a little bit of a hard time finishing this book.
The book was slow. But I did like how one of the MCs has a disability. I don’t think this is seen enough in historical romance. Still, it was not my favorite reads and i had a little bit of a hard time finishing this book.
theeuphoriczat's review against another edition
3.0
I rarely read historical romance but with this book, I am definitely going to be reading a lot more of them. This book starts with Lady Emmaline who is about to get her future locked away in an arranged marriage. But little does she know that the man who had rejected her heart would be knocking on her door for help. This is when we meet Adam Locksley who although likes and wants Emmaline, believes he shouldn't be with her because of his social standing and his lack of land ownership. Anyways, Emmaline takes his request as a way out of her pending marriage. With both of them needing each other, they come up with a compromise and we follow them on a journey to uncover a plot against the government.
With Emmaline's ability to recall people's voices, they set out to find the villain whose voice she had heard before. They run away from home and travel around England, trying to find the arch-villans, the Charters, and also hide from her betrothed.
There are several romantic scenes that were just tasteful. I quite enjoyed it but the ending left me so annoyed and I need the next book as soon as possible!
With Emmaline's ability to recall people's voices, they set out to find the villain whose voice she had heard before. They run away from home and travel around England, trying to find the arch-villans, the Charters, and also hide from her betrothed.
There are several romantic scenes that were just tasteful. I quite enjoyed it but the ending left me so annoyed and I need the next book as soon as possible!
tracisbooks's review against another edition
3.0
Brazen in Blue is a fun story about a woman named Emmaline who is about to enter into a marriage of convenience when her old lover, Adam, comes to the wedding and Em convinces Adam to help her run away from her wedding. Adam is a secret agent for the Home Office and Em gets involved in a job he has to take while they’re waiting for her fiance to stop looking for her.
I liked the intelligent, definitely different spin on the typical romance heroine and I liked that she had a disability. The main plot was easy to follow. However, the description of this novel specifically says that it will read as a standalone and I’m just not sure if that’s true or not. I felt like I was getting dropped into the middle of a story—I kept getting snippets of things that I felt like I was already supposed to know, but I didn’t. This made it very difficult to feel invested in the story at all and to be honest I kept wondering if there were parts of my copy that were missing.
The dogs were a great addition and overall I would have loved to feel more invested in the story because it was a unique and fun read. I just felt like I was either missing something or this definitely is not the standalone it’s supposed to be.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated for my opinion.
I liked the intelligent, definitely different spin on the typical romance heroine and I liked that she had a disability. The main plot was easy to follow. However, the description of this novel specifically says that it will read as a standalone and I’m just not sure if that’s true or not. I felt like I was getting dropped into the middle of a story—I kept getting snippets of things that I felt like I was already supposed to know, but I didn’t. This made it very difficult to feel invested in the story at all and to be honest I kept wondering if there were parts of my copy that were missing.
The dogs were a great addition and overall I would have loved to feel more invested in the story because it was a unique and fun read. I just felt like I was either missing something or this definitely is not the standalone it’s supposed to be.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated for my opinion.
alanadcr's review
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I enjoy reading about different types of heroines, and Miles certainly delivered with Lady Emmeline. After a horrific carriage accident that resulted in the passing of her mother and siblings, Emmeline is left with a brain injury and a mangled leg. The addition of a support animal, Queen Bess, was so much fun to see. Honestly, I loved Bess the most. Adam was every bit the chameleon you would expect from an agent of the Home Office. A former lover of Em's while he was undercover, there is plenty of tension between the two when they reconnect.
Unfortunately, I think I was expecting more intrigue going in. I was surprised, and a bit disappointed, to see it was primarily a character-driven story and light on plot. We spend a lot of time inside Adam and Emmeline's heads but this plot against the Crown was very much a secondary, or even tertiary component. Additionally, I didn't particularly care for either of the characters. Miscommunication was rampant on both sides of this relationship with flimsy reasoning to boot. It made them difficult for me to like.
I would definitely try the author's work in the future but unfortunately, this story just didn't work for this reader. I do recommend for fans of character-driven historical romance with fade to black intimate scenes and lovers of the second-chance trope.
*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Unfortunately, I think I was expecting more intrigue going in. I was surprised, and a bit disappointed, to see it was primarily a character-driven story and light on plot. We spend a lot of time inside Adam and Emmeline's heads but this plot against the Crown was very much a secondary, or even tertiary component. Additionally, I didn't particularly care for either of the characters. Miscommunication was rampant on both sides of this relationship with flimsy reasoning to boot. It made them difficult for me to like.
I would definitely try the author's work in the future but unfortunately, this story just didn't work for this reader. I do recommend for fans of character-driven historical romance with fade to black intimate scenes and lovers of the second-chance trope.
*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.