Category / Marriage of convenience

by mvbookreviewer

Review: A Wedded Arrangement by Noelle Adams

Format: E-Book
Read with: Kindle Oasis
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
POV: Third Person, FMC
Series: Convenient Marriages, #3
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Lance Carlyle
Heroine: Savannah Emerson
Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥
Published On: October 23, 2019
Started On: November 15, 2025
Finished On: November 15, 2025

A Wedded Arrangement by Noelle Adams unfolds with a premise I adore; marriage of convenience, forced proximity, and two people who should have nothing in common slowly finding their way toward something real. Yet this one walks a far more nuanced line, particularly because Savannah and Lance come into the arrangement carrying very different burdens from their pasts, shaping who they are when the story begins.

Savannah Emerson grew up in a town sharply divided between the wealthy and the ones who served them, with her family firmly belonging in the latter category. A lifetime of watching the rich glide through life while everyone else scraped by has hardened something inside her, particularly when it comes to Lance, with whom her enmity runs long.

Lance, now thirty-four, is the golden boy who walked away from the fortune of his parents to build a business on his own terms. When his grandmother leaves him her wealth under the condition that he stay married for a year, Savannah becomes the most unlikely but necessary solution to his problem.

Nine months into their arrangement, with three months to go, Savannah is more than ready to ditch the husband she believes is entitled, privileged, and aggravatingly smug. But the unavoidable truth is that marriage, real or contractual, creates cracks where humanity leaks through. Lance shows himself to be thoughtful, unexpectedly vulnerable beneath the polish, and far more principled than Savannah assumed. The more time they spend together, the more her rigid assumptions begin to erode, even as she fights tooth and nail to hold onto them.

Much of the friction in this story comes from Savannah’s worldview, her ingrained resentment of privilege, her unwillingness to acknowledge nuance, and the chip on her shoulder that makes her judge Lance by the actions of every wealthy person she has ever resented. It borders on reverse snobbery, and at times it is difficult to watch her demand emotional penance from a man who has been actively trying to distance himself from his toxic upbringing. Yet the moments where she softens, where she sees Lance as a man shaped by trauma, loneliness, and a deeply dysfunctional family are what make the romance worth rooting for.

Lance, on the other hand, is the highlight of the novel. He is patient without being passive, self-aware without being performative, and far more kind than Savannah’s narrative allows at first. Witnessing the rot festering within Lance’s family and the realization that privilege came with a cost made for the emotional punch of a different dynamic. The intimacy between Lance and Savannah, both physical and emotional, develops naturally, with playful chemistry and mutual caretaking that gives the story heart.

While I enjoyed the relationship’s evolution, as mentioned before, I really struggled with Savannah’s rigidity and her worldview. Her world is painted in absolutes, and for most of the book she refuses to acknowledge how unfairly she treats Lance simply because of where he comes from. It made the relationship feel unbalanced at times, and I could not shake the sense that Lance was made to “atone” for circumstances beyond his control. I also feel that if Lance had put Savannah through similar anguish, readers would react very differently to the circumstances.

Recommended for: those who enjoy marriage-of-convenience stories with emotional complexity, imperfect heroines, and heroes who quietly steal the show.

Final Verdict: A thoughtful and quietly compelling marriage of convenience romance with a standout hero; Savannah may frustrate, but Lance makes this a worthy read.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Apple

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Brood by Claire Kent

Format: E-Book
Read with: Kindle Oasis
Length: Novel
Genre: Post-Apocalyptic Romance
POV: First Person, FMC
Series: Standalone
Publisher: After the End
Hero: Will
Heroine: Cadence
Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥
Published On: October 07, 2025
Started On: November 11, 2025
Finished On: November 11, 2025

I went into Brood expecting a shorter, palate-cleansing post-apocalyptic novella from Claire Kent. Instead, I got a full, layered, emotionally gripping novel that reminded me why this author remains unmatched when it comes to exploring intimacy, survival, and the quiet ferocity of human bonds in the bleakest worlds.

Set decades after the asteroid strike that reshaped humanity, the story unfolds within the suffocating walls of an underground bunker where order is maintained through rigid rules, controlled breeding, and the suppression of emotion. In this realm exists Cadence, twenty-one, earnest, sensitive, and designated “too emotional” by a society that fears feeling more than it fears extinction.

Cadence has spent her life preparing to marry her childhood best friend, but a sudden decree from the ruling council upends everything. Instead, she is ordered to wed Will, a thirty-something newly widowed Chief, and the very definition of stoic restraint. Their marriage is meant to be functional, practical, dutiful. She is to “breed.” He is to guide, protect, and contribute to the dwindling population. But beneath his quiet exterior, Will is a man shaped by grief, loyalty, and a deeper humanity than anyone gives him credit for. And beneath Cadence’s supposed fragility is a resilience the bunker has never understood.

What unfolds between them is exactly the type of slow, emotional unravelling Claire Kent does best. The forced marriage sets the stage, but the true heart of the book lies in how these two strangers learn to care for each other in small, tender ways, guarding each other’s vulnerabilities, finding comfort in stolen touches, and building trust where logic insists there should be none. As their intimacy deepens, the sexual connection becomes a catalyst for emotional awakening, each encounter intensifying the bond forming between them. Will, especially, is the kind of hero I have been missing from Kent’s more recent works; quietly dominant, emotionally contained until he isn’t, and protective in a way that hits straight in the gut.

All the while, the bunker looms as its own antagonist, its rules, its manipulations, and the horrifying treatment of mothers and babies in order to do what is “best” for the system, and the chilling belief that emotion itself is a liability. The plot twist towards the end was one I did not see coming, and grounded the narrative in both tragedy and hope. I only wish certain villains had met more satisfying ends, but the overall arc remains powerful nonetheless.

Brood is everything I want in a post-apocalyptic romance; high stakes, oppressive world-building, quiet rebellion, and a love story that blooms despite the darkness around it. Will and Cadence are beautifully matched in their vulnerabilities and strengths, and their journey felt raw, intimate, and deeply satisfying. The emotional beats hit the right notes. The sensuality builds naturally. And the epilogue? Perfect.

Recommended for: Readers who love intense, emotionally intimate post-apocalyptic romances; protective older heroes; forced marriage done right; and Claire Kent at her atmospheric best.

Final Verdict: A gripping, sensual, emotionally charged dystopian romance that proves even in the darkest worlds, love can be the strongest form of rebellion.

Favorite Quotes

“Why were you talking to Grearson about me?”
“I ran into him, and he was asking how you were and how married life was for us.”
“Oh. How did you answer him?”
Will pauses only briefly. “I said you were as good a spouse as anyone could hope for.”
A shiver of pleasure fills me, temporarily distracting me from my crushing disappointment. “You said that?”
“Yes. Why wouldn’t I?”
“I don’t know. I thought you might say that I was prickly.”
His body shakes with breathy amusement. It’s subdued like mine—still tempered. “Of course I wouldn’t say that.”
“But you think that.”
“Sometimes.” He nuzzles my neck. “But that’s private. Just between us. No one else gets to know about your prickles.”
For some reason, I almost start crying again. My body shudders as I hold them back.
He brushes his lips against my hair again and murmurs something. I can’t hear it well, but it almost sounds like he says, “They’re mine.”

by mvbookreviewer

Review: The Veranchetti Marriage by Lynne Graham

Format: E-Book
Read with: Kindle Oasis
Length: Novel
Genre: Romantic Suspense
POV: Third Person, FMC
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Harlequin
Hero: Alex Veranchetti
Heroine: Kerry Taylor
Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥
Published On: June 01, 1988
Started On: November 03, 2025
Finished On: November 09, 2025

“I will not be easy until I have known you again in the only fashion in which I ever knew you.”

The Veranchetti Marriage captures everything I love about vintage Lynne Graham; emotional turbulence, combustible chemistry, and a hero whose jealousy and passion spill over every page.

This second-chance marriage novel begins four years after Alex and Kerry’s brutal divorce, with both still bearing the scars of what tore them apart. Kerry, married at nineteen and discarded just as swiftly, has rebuilt a quiet life around her young son. Alex, the formidable tycoon who once loved her against all his instincts, returns with an ultimatum: full custody of their child… or marriage, again. For two people whose love once burned too brightly, the reunion is like striking a match over dry tinder.

Kerry, now twenty-three, still carries the hurt of being abandoned at the moment she needed Alex most. Their marriage had been fraught, her vulnerability, Alex’s possessiveness, and the poisonous interference of her half-sister created a perfect storm. For Alex, the trauma runs even deeper than Kerry knows. Intensely proud and ruled by emotions he refuses to admit, he walked away believing she had betrayed him, unable to confront the wound or the questions that might unravel him. What he does not expect when he coerces her back into his life, is for those old feelings to come roaring back to the surface; raw, aching, and impossible to control.

As they navigate their forced reunion, the truth of the past begins to unspool in a way that reframes everything. The layers beneath Alex’s cold ruthlessness are revealed through the story of what shaped his outlook as a teenager, a betrayal that carved him into a man terrified of surrendering power to love. His jealousy was not arbitrary and became his defense mechanism sharpened by a trauma he never learned to voice. And Kerry, sweet and young and entirely unequipped to deal with a husband who oscillated between tenderness and withdrawal, was collateral damage in wounds that were never hers to bear.

I loved the emotional push-and-pull between them; the clashes, the tenderness that slips through when they least expect it, the raw longing neither can deny. The passion is palpable even when Graham keeps the explicit scenes understated; the tension and chemistry more than carry the narrative. However, I wanted an epilogue, given how much these two endured and overcame. After all the jealousy, misunderstandings, and heartbreak, I would have adored a glimpse of them finally settled into the family they should have been all along.

Still, the angst hits all the right notes, Alex’s vulnerabilities make his possessiveness strangely compelling, and Kerry’s mix of fragility and quiet strength grounds the entire story. The revelations from Alex’s mother are particularly excellent, adding depth and emotional logic to everything that came before.

Recommended for: fans of classic Harlequin angst, jealous and emotionally damaged heroes, second-chance romances with real bite, and heroines who love fiercely even when it hurts.

Final Verdict: Vintage Lynne Graham; fiery, emotional, and deeply satisfying. A turbulent second-chance romance that delivers passion, angst, and a beautifully earned reconciliation.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | eBooks | HQ | Apple

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Married by Contract by Noelle Adams

Format: E-Book
Read with: Kindle Oasis
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
POV: Third Person, FMC
Series: Convenient Marriages, #2
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Nick
Heroine: Jenn Castle
Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥
Published On: July 20, 2016
Started On: October 13, 2025
Finished On: October 14, 2025

Noelle Adams continues her exploration of unconventional relationships with Married by Contract, the second book in the Convenient Marriages series. This time, the marriage-of-convenience trope comes with a refreshing twist: Jenn Castle, a self-made, ambitious businesswoman, is the one who enters into a five-year contract and “purchases” her groom Nick, an ex-military private investigator with an easygoing nature that balances her high-stress world. Three years into their arrangement, a shift neither of them planned for upends the carefully crafted distance between them. What begins as a practical remedy for Jenn’s stress becomes the catalyst for a deeper, more vulnerable connection.

Jenn is a heroine shaped by abandonment, with her father’s departure having taught her to survive alone and never expect permanence from the people she cares about. She is disciplined, guarded, and fiercely independent, making her request for physical intimacy from Nick feel both audacious and deeply human. Nick, on the other hand, is the perfect laid-back counterpart. He is calm, grounded, and easygoing… until he is not. Behind his mellow exterior lies a quietly commanding man whose protective instincts and sensual intensity catch Jenn and the reader, unexpectedly and deliciously off guard.

As their physical relationship deepens, Jenn’s emotional armor begins to crack. The real tension of the story lies in her fear of losing control, not of her body, but of her heart. Nick, meanwhile, carries his own quiet longing. His willingness to give Jenn space, even when it costs him, becomes one of the most compelling aspects of his character. Unlike the traditionally tortured heroes of dark or mafia romance, Nick is the kind of alpha who needs no menace or criminality to command the page; his strength comes from certainty, steadiness, and desire expressed in its most intimate, honest form.

The chemistry between them is electric, especially when Nick’s desire breaks through his usual calm. The Friday-afternoon quickie scene alone is enough to cement him as one of Adams’ sexiest heroes; raunchy, possessive, and absolutely attuned to Jenn. Their progression towards happily ever after is mutual, sincere, and refreshingly adult; there is no unnecessary drama, just two people learning each other and learning themselves. If anything, I wished Nick had been fleshed out further beyond his role as the perfect partner, and an epilogue showing them bridging the gap with his family would have made the ending feel more complete.

Still, this is a lovely, low-angst romance with a deliciously commanding hero and a heroine whose guardedness softens in all the right ways. Jenn and Nick’s journey proves that marriages of convenience can offer some of the most rewarding emotional stories, especially when both characters are equally invested in turning convenience into devotion.

Recommended for: readers who enjoy low-angst, sexy marriages of convenience, commanding-but-kind heroes, and stories where emotional intimacy grows quietly but powerfully.

Final Verdict: A sensual, mature, quietly compelling romance with an unforgettable hero; Married by Contract delivers heat, tenderness, and a satisfying emotional bloom.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Apple

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Married by Arrangement by Lynne Graham

Format: E-Book
Read with: Kindle Oasis
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
POV: Third Person, Dual
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Harlequin
Hero: Antonio Rocha
Heroine: Sophie Cunningham
Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥
Published On: January 01, 2005
Started On: October 05, 2025
Finished On: October 05, 2025

Married by Arrangement by Lynne Graham is classic Harlequin drama at its finest, an emotionally charged blend of arrogance, misunderstanding, and slow-burning passion. This one features the kind of hero only Graham can pull off: coldly aristocratic, maddeningly controlling, and yet somehow impossible not to fall for. It is the quintessential “marriage of convenience with emotional chaos” setup, and she executes it with the flair that she is well known and loved for.

Antonio Rocha, Marques de Salazar, is a thirty-year-old Spanish nobleman whose sense of duty and family pride runs as deep as his arrogance. When his late brother’s child is discovered to be in the care of her young English aunt, Sophie Cunningham, Antonio storms into her life determined to take charge. Sophie, just twenty-two, has been raising her niece in a caravan, scraping by while holding onto her fierce love and dignity. She is brash, outspoken, and entirely unimpressed by Antonio’s wealth or status. But for all their clashes, their chemistry is undeniable; volatile, electric, and irresistibly combustible.

What begins as a battle of wills soon turns into an uneasy alliance. Antonio needs a caretaker for his niece to which he admits albeit reluctantly and Sophie needs security and refuses to lose the child she loves as her own. Their solution is classic, a marriage of arrangement, which ought to be purely practical. But neither of them can ignore the simmering attraction that threatens to upend every sensible boundary they have drawn. It is a relationship built on mistrust, misunderstandings, and pride, yet the tension between them makes every scene pulse with energy. Graham is at her sharpest when writing about these emotional power struggles that somehow transform into love.

Sophie’s backstory adds depth to her character; her difficult childhood, her battle with leukemia when she was young and her inability to have children, all of which makes her bond with her niece deeply moving. Antonio, meanwhile, evolves beautifully from a rigid, condescending aristocrat into a man undone by genuine affection and remorse. His journey from control to vulnerability is gradual but satisfying, even if he remains infuriatingly pompous for much of the ride. And Sophie? She is fire, impulsive, proud, sometimes reckless, but utterly endearing.

If there is one thing to fault, it is that the melodrama occasionally goes overboard; the accusations, the misunderstandings, the endless pride wars. But that is also part of the charm. Graham’s writing thrives on heightened emotion, and when the inevitable reconciliation comes, it is the kind that leaves you sighing in contentment. Their love story is tumultuous, passionate, and unapologetically dramatic, ending on a note of hard-won tenderness that makes up for it all.

Recommended for: fans of classic Harlequin angst, alpha heroes with a redemption arc, and heroines who love fiercely even when pride is on the line.

Final Verdict: A wildly addictive romance full of fire, pride, and passion; Lynne Graham at her dramatic best.

Favorite Quotes

But, whatever the label, you’re still hot for me, mi cielo,’ Antonio murmured huskily. Sophie trembled.Curious…’ she admitted in a breath of sound, her throat dry and tight.
Antonio never kissed women in public. He gazed down at her, his attention welded to the darkened emerald of her expectant eyes and the ruby allure of her luscious, parted lips. He lifted a hand to close his fingers into her curls, learning that her hair felt soft as silk and picturing the rebellious golden-toffee waves spread across his pillows. Thought had nothing to do with what happened next.
His mouth touched hers; she stopped breathing.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | eBooks | HQ | Apple

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Hired Bride by Noelle Adams

Format: E-Book
Read with: Kindle Oasis
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
POV: Third Person, Dual
Series: Beaufort Brides, #1
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Mitchell Graves
Heroine: Deanna Beaufort Graves
Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥
Published On: June 12, 2015
Started On: September 07, 2025
Finished On: September 09, 2025

Hired Bride by Noelle Adams is one of those reads that starts with promise; marriage of convenience, opposites attract, and a hint of emotional tension, but somehow does not quite reach the depth that usually defines her stories. While Adams is known for her subtle emotional resonance and slow-building intimacy, this one felt uneven, its heroine frustratingly inconsistent, and its resolution a little too neat for the angst it tries to evoke.

Deanna Beaufort Graves agrees to a six-month marriage to save her family’s crumbling Savannah home, entering into a deal that’s as transactional as it is necessary. Her husband, Mitchell Graves, needs a wife to secure a business contract, and Deanna, practical, reserved, and with a good heart, is the ideal candidate. What he does not anticipate is that beneath her quiet demeanor lies a strong will and a sharp tongue. He expects a compliant partner and instead finds someone who challenges him at every turn. Their marriage becomes a battle of expectations, attraction, and vulnerability neither of them are prepared for.

Mitchell is one of Adams’ more unpolished heroes (and I loved that); cocky, self-assured, and far less introspective than the usual restrained men she writes. But that confidence hides a man who is far more perceptive and emotionally grounded than Deanna gives him credit for.

Deanna, however, is more complicated. She is damaged by loss, weighed down by responsibility, and fiercely independent, but her judgments of Mitchell often border on hypocrisy. She wants emotional honesty but hides behind assumptions; she wants love but refuses to risk herself to earn it.

That contradiction is what makes her a difficult heroine to root for. The story hints at her trauma and fears but never dives deep enough to make her actions truly resonate. While Mitchell grows, Deanna stagnates, and her eventual change of heart feels more like surrender than revelation. Even her final declaration that she loves him as he is comes off hollow after spending most of the book berating him for the very traits she now claims to accept.

Still, Adams’ writing is as clean and engaging as ever. Her pacing is tight, and the sensual scenes though fewer here, carry her signature blend of intimacy and emotion. The Savannah setting lends the story a quiet charm, and Deanna’s eccentric grandmother adds levity to an otherwise emotionally restrained romance.

Recommended for: readers who enjoy quick, low-angst contemporary marriages of convenience and opposites-attract setups with a touch of southern charm.

Final Verdict: A promising marriage-of-convenience premise let down by an inconsistent heroine—Hired Bride is pleasant but lacks the spark Noelle Adams usually delivers.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Apple

by mvbookreviewer

Review: A Negotiated Marriage by Noelle Adams

Format: E-Book
Read with: Kindle Oasis
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
POV: Third Person, FMC
Series: Convenient Marriages, #1
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Luke Lyons
Heroine: Molly Lyons
Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥
Published On: January 11, 2013
Started On: September 05, 2025
Finished On: September 06, 2025

A Negotiated Marriage by Noelle Adams is a quiet, deeply intimate story that reminds me why I always return to her books, her ability to weave longing, vulnerability, and sensuality into something deceptively simple yet profoundly emotional. The premise is one of my favorite tropes: a marriage of convenience between two practical adults who believe they can outsmart the messiness of love. But as always, Adams shows that love has a way of slipping through even the most carefully negotiated boundaries.

Molly Lyons, a freelance corporate investigator, entered into a marriage with Luke Lyons, her then powerful CEO boss, for reasons that were more pragmatic than romantic. Three years later, they share an easy companionship, a rhythm built on mutual respect and quiet understanding. Until Luke, ever methodical and composed, decides to amend the terms of their arrangement: he wants to add sex to the mix.

For Molly, who is still nursing scars from a previous relationship, the idea terrifies her. She is content in their stable coexistence, safe in a marriage where her heart isn’t at risk. But Luke’s proposal and the emotions it slowly awakens begin to unravel every illusion of safety she has built.

Luke is one of those understated heroes who does not need grand gestures to command attention. He is structured, controlled, almost annoyingly rational, but beneath that composed surface is a man who feels deeply and loves even more so. What I adored about his character is how Adams lets his affection unfold in gestures rather than declarations; adjusting a necklace clasp, waiting up for her after long nights, quietly taking care of her wounds. You can feel his love long before he says it, and that makes his restraint all the more intoxicating.

Molly, on the other hand, is relatable in her caution. She is intelligent and self-sufficient, but her fear of emotional vulnerability makes her retreat from anything that feels too real. Watching her slowly fall for her husband, the man she thought she knew inside out, is the kind of emotional impact that makes stories like this unforgettable.

The story builds in that signature Noelle Adams fashion; small moments accumulating into something monumental. There is yearning threaded into every scene, through a mere brush of the hands and every shared glance. Even the sensual scenes, beautifully written and smoking hot, carry emotional weight. The tension isn’t in whether they will fall for each other, but in when they will finally admit that they already have.

If there is anything I wished for, it would be an epilogue. After all the tenderness and slow-burning intimacy, I was not ready to let go of Luke and Molly just yet. I wanted a glimpse of them beyond the last page, still loving, still building, still quietly choosing each other every day.

Recommended for: readers who love slow-burn contemporary romances, emotionally intelligent storytelling, and marriages of convenience that turn into something achingly real.

Final Verdict: Smart, sexy, and full of yearning; A Negotiated Marriage proves that even the most practical arrangements can turn into love stories worth fighting for.

Favorite Quotes

“So what should the terms be?” Molly tried to visualize how this new aspect of their arrangement would work. “I don’t want it to get complicated or for either of us to feel obliged or pressured to have sex whenever the other wants. Should we agree to like once a week or something?”
“Once a week is perfectly acceptable.” He arched an eyebrow. “Am I going to have to adjust our other terms to accommodate this new item?”
Molly chuckled, both at the irony and at his business-like language. “No, I guess not. I imagine I’ll be getting as much out of this as you will.”
A flare of heat awoke in his eyes. “I’ll make sure you do.”

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Apple

by mvbookreviewer

Review: The Return of the Duke by Grace Callaway

Format: E-Book
Read with: Kindle Oasis
Length: Novel
Genre: Historical Romance
POV: Third Person, Dual
Series: Game of Dukes, #5
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Severin Knight
Heroine: Fancy Sheridan
Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥
Published On: June 18, 2020
Started On: September 01, 2025
Finished On: September 05, 2025

The Return of the Duke by Grace Callaway delivers yet another sensual, emotionally layered romance in her Game of Dukes series, this time pairing the stoic and guilt-ridden Duke of Knighton with a heroine whose warmth and vitality transforms his life in every possible way. Grace Callaway has a gift for writing love stories that blends passion, tenderness, and a touch of adventure, and while this installment isn’t quite what the blurb promises, it is still an utterly delightful read.

Fancy Sheridan is a foundling turned tinker’s daughter, a woman raised with love but very little exposure to the rigid expectations of society. She is young, sweet, and possesses a kind of unaffected honesty that immediately sets her apart from the polished ladies of the ton. When fate thrusts her into a marriage of convenience with Severin Knight, the Duke of Knighton, a man haunted by his past and by an old vow to a woman he once idealized, Fancy’s life changes forever. Their union is meant to be practical: she will help care for his siblings, learn and adapt to what it means to be part of his world, and he will provide her with stability and protection. But as with any good marriage-of-convenience romance, what begins as duty swiftly spirals into desire.

Severin is a complex hero; brooding, controlled, and carrying the burden of a vow made to Imogen, the woman he once thought he would love forever. Yet from the moment he meets Fancy, that carefully maintained restraint begins to fracture. What is wonderful here is how little resistance he actually puts up.

For all his talk of keeping his heart closed, his attraction to Fancy is visceral, immediate, and unstoppable. If the book falters slightly, it is in how it was marketed as a story of a man denying his passion; in truth, Severin is anything but restrained once he allows himself to have her. The result is a romance far less about denial and more about rediscovery, about a man learning that real love is messy, tender, and alive.

Fancy herself is one of Callaway’s most endearing heroines. She does not try to be anything other than who she is, and that honesty is precisely what draws Severin out of his self-imposed darkness. There is something beautiful about how she grounds him, her optimism balancing his pain, her compassion softening his regrets. And while she is no fiery rebel or combative feminist heroine, her quiet strength and self-awareness makes her one of the most compelling female leads in the series.

This book is also steamy, as is trademark Callaway. Her ability to write sensual scenes that balances emotional depth with raw desire is unmatched, and Severin and Fancy’s chemistry is electric from the start. The scenes are intimate not just in body but in emotion; every touch, every look, every whispered word builds toward a love that feels inevitable. The fairytale quality of the ending ties it all together perfectly, giving Fancy the life and love that she truly deserves.

Recommended for: readers who enjoy historical romances with emotionally scarred heroes, tender yet strong heroines, and plenty of heat balanced with heart.

Final Verdict: The Return of the Duke is passionate, heartfelt, and thoroughly satisfying. Fancy shines as a heroine, and Severin’s devotion makes the story beautifully worth it.

Favorite Quotes

At the pond, she spotted Knight by the water’s edge. He’d set his hat and jacket on the ground, and he had a foot propped on a boulder. He looked solitary, not just because he was by himself. There was a remoteness to his gaze as he studied the sunset-painted water, as if he wanted to discern some secret beneath the rippling surface.
At her approach, he turned. In that unguarded moment, she saw a maelstrom of emotion in his eyes: pain and…longing brighter than the sun’s dying rays.

“I want a faerie tale,” she whispered. “I want a prince who thinks I’m a princess even though I’m ordinary. I want ’im to love me with all ’is ’eart because I’ll love him just as madly. I want to settle in one place with ’im and ’ave a family, one we would nurture and love together. That’s what I want.”
Knight’s eyes darkened, his pupils edging out the light. His gaze dropped to her lips, and she saw his nostrils quiver. Below the granite ledge of his jaw, his throat worked above the loosened knot of his cravat. A magnetic force pulsed between them, his head lowering toward hers, her own tilting up…

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Apple

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Not That Duke by Eloisa James

Format: Paperback
Read with: Paperback
Length: Novel
Genre: Historical Romance
POV: Third Person, Dual
Series: Would-Be Wallflowers #3
Publisher: Avon
Hero: Silvester Parnell
Heroine: Stella Corsham
Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥
Published On: July 25, 2023
Started On: April 29, 2025
Finished On: May 16, 2025

It had been a while since I last picked up a physical paperback, and Not That Duke by Eloisa James reminded me why that experience still feels so distinct.

This installment in the Would-Be Wallflowers series tells the story of Silvester Parnell, the Duke of Huntington, and Stella Corsham, an intelligent, bespectacled heroine who believes herself unlovable. What begins as a story of mismatched expectations slowly unfolds into one of mutual respect, sensual awakening, and unexpected tenderness.

Silvester is the kind of hero you cannot quite decide whether to admire or shake your head at. With a brilliant but eccentric mother whose inventions once caused polite society to brand the entire family as odd, he is determined to live a life as far removed from scandal as possible. His goal is simple: find a well-bred, quiet duchess who will bring respectability back to his name.

What he does not want is Stella, a woman who talks too much, reads too much, and wears spectacles that seem to define her in the eyes of those around her. Yet in true Eloisa James fashion, fate or rather, an interfering mother and an annual treasure hunt forces them together until the spark between them is impossible to ignore.

Stella is an unconventional heroine for certain. Orphaned and raised by an aunt who instilled in her a deep wariness of men’s desires, she moves through life convinced that she is too opinionated and plain to ever inspire genuine affection. Watching her navigate society’s unkindness, especially the barbed remarks from so-called friends who reminds her of her “unsuitability”, makes her eventual transformation into a confident, passionate woman immensely satisfying. There is something deeply endearing about Stella’s curiosity and her quiet humor, even when her inner monologue veers toward self-doubt.

For much of the first half, Silvester’s attentions are directed elsewhere, toward Lady Yasmin, the very picture of aristocratic perfection. It is only through proximity and the slow realization that Stella’s sharp mind and unflinching honesty challenge him in ways Yasmin never could, that his admiration turns into desire.

Their chemistry, when it ignites, burns surprisingly hot, and the sensuality between them is trademark Eloisa James: lush, emotional, and deliciously frank. The scenes after their marriage are particularly memorable, showcasing not just physical passion but also the vulnerability of two people learning how to love without pretense.

That said, the book falters in pacing. The first half feels bogged down by too many intersecting storylines; Yasmin and Giles’s romance runs parallel here, which often steals attention from Silvester and Stella. It isn’t until the second part that the narrative truly becomes theirs, and from that point, the emotional payoff finally delivers.

At times, the prose veers into ostentation, with vocabulary that feels like it’s trying too hard to sound clever, pulling me out of the moment instead of deepening it. Still, there is undeniable charm in James’s humor and her ability to write characters whose flaws make them human.

Despite its imperfections, Not That Duke has moments of genuine warmth, especially when Silvester’s polished composure cracks and we glimpse the man beneath; passionate, protective, and wholly undone by his unlikely duchess. Stella, for her part, gives as good as she gets, matching him wit for wit, and by the end, it’s clear that she’s exactly the woman he needed all along.

Recommended for: readers who enjoy slow-burn historical romances, intelligent heroines, and reformed dukes who learn that love rarely fits inside their plans.

Final Verdict: A clever, slow-burn Victorian romance where wit meets heat and the wrong duchess turns out to be just right.

Favorite Quotes

He put a strong hand under her elbow. “Are you uninjured?” Silvester asked, once she was on her feet.
She thought of him as Silvester because the name suited him. It was a fancy, elegant name for a fancy, elegant man.
“I’m fine,” she mumbled.
Stella thought of her body as capable of walking and dancing, most of the time. Luckily she was sturdily constructed, since her bones never broke, no matter how often she tumbled to the ground.
But around Silvester? With his broad shoulders, the handsome curve of his jaw, the easy swing of his muscled body, his gray eyes, even his commanding nose…
His smile.
Around him, her body became her enemy, serving up shaking knees and quickened breath. Desire that flared straight down her back after a glance at his lower lip. Or the touch of his hand on her arm.
He went to Stella’s head like potent wine.

Silvester in the ballroom was one thing: he gleamed like the gold-plated aristocrat he was. But here? Wearing little more than a sheet, his burly chest undisguised? His nose seemed twice as bold and fierce.
And his eyes? Those gray, piercing eyes that could look so charming?
His coats must be cleverly cut to disguise his breadth, just as his charming smiles disguised the fierce desire to win every battle, important or other-wise. Stripped of his embroidery and lace, there was no mistaking who stood in the middle of the garden, wearing a swath of cloth and spinning a wooden sword while he listened intently to a young boy.
A warrior.
A man who ruthlessly manipulated currency markets for his own good—and incidentally to prevent the collapse of England’s finances.

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Regarding the Duke by Grace Callaway

Format: E-Book
Read with: Kindle Oasis
Length: Novel
Genre: Historical Romance
POV: Third Person, Dual
Series: Game of Dukes, #3
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Adam Garrity
Heroine: Gabriella Billings
Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥
Published On: May 23, 2019
Started On: February 21, 2025
Finished On: April 11, 2025

“A sensible man guards his heart; a smart man knows when to yield it.”

Regarding the Duke by Grace Callaway was my very first book from this author, and what an introduction it turned out to be. The third installment in the Game of Dukes series that features protagonists who blur the lines when it comes to the “right” side of the law, this is a book (as evidenced by my sheer enjoyment), that can be read as a standalone. This is a sweeping, emotional, and evocative romance that had me laughing out loud one minute and crying the next, the kind of story that lingers long after the final page.

The book begins with Gabriella Billings, who at the age of twenty-two marries Adam Garrity, the infamous Duke of the City. On the surface, he is a wealthy, powerful man whose fortune and shadowy empire makes him both feared and respected. She marries him for love, but Adam, hardened by his past and intent on revenge, marries her for reasons entirely different.

By the time the story continues eight years later, Gabby is thirty, the mother of two children, and still deeply in love with her husband. Adam, now forty-three, is every bit as enigmatic and controlled as he was the day he wed her. Their seemingly perfect marriage unravels in the wake of an accident that leaves Adam with amnesia and Gabby with shattering revelations about the truth of their relationship.

Adam is the sort of hero that I cannot help but swoon over. Scarred inside and out, his childhood was one of abuse, betrayal, and even being sold by his own father into horrors no child should endure. Everything about the man he became is tied to that past, his drive for vengeance and his obsession with control born from trauma. When amnesia forces him to relearn everything, it also gives him the rare chance to see his life without the filter of bitterness. It is here that his relationship with Gabby transforms, as he finds himself falling deeply and passionately in love with the wife he had kept at arm’s length for years.

Gabby is a heroine who resonated deeply with me. She struggles with anxiety, self-image, and the kind of constant overthinking that makes her feel wholly human. Sweet, feminine, and unassuming, she is exactly the kind of woman who makes a man like Adam whole, not by changing him, but by balancing his darkness with her quiet strength. She adores him even when she fears she was never truly loved in return, and it is her unwavering heart that grounds their marriage through the upheaval of secrets, betrayals, and rediscovery.

The steamy scenes of passion were a delightful surprise, written with sheer eroticism that lives rent free in my head. Since my first foray into Ms. Callaway’s stories, I have come to identify Adam Garrity as one of a kind. He is the man who smolders and delivers so spectacularly, every single time.

What I loved most about this book was how brilliantly this is written. Ms. Callaway has a gift for weaving in humor at just the right moments, lightening up scenes that are otherwise weighted with pain and longing. The emotional depth of Adam’s journey, paired with Gabby’s quiet courage, made for a romance that was both heartbreaking and healing. And the cover? Absolutely glorious, perfectly capturing the passion and beauty of this story.

Recommended for: readers who enjoy historical romances with antiheroes, self-made men, long marriages tested by secrets, and heroines whose strength lies in their femininity.

Final Verdict: Evocative, emotional, scorching hot, and utterly unforgettable; Regarding the Duke is everything I want in a historical romance.

Favorite Quotes

With a wave of his hand, Mr. Garrity sent the guards and widow retreating back to a discreet distance. Then he offered Gabby his arm. “You have my word that this will be a short, perfectly respectable interlude. Shall we?”
“You think of everything, don’t you?” Gabby asked, bemused.
“I want you to know that your reputation is safe with me.” The stars reflected in his eyes, which were darker than the sky and so deep that she had the sensation of losing herself in everlasting midnight. “That you, Miss Billings, will always be safe with me.”

“You need hide nothing from me, Miss Billings,” he said. “If we are to further our acquaintance, it would be best for us to be honest with one another.”
Stunned, she came to a halt. “You wish to further your acquaintance with me?”
His brows lifted. “Why does that surprise you?”
“Because you’re…” Handsome as a prince. And rich and powerful. Why would you want to get to know me? “You’re my father’s business associate,” she finished lamely.
He studied her. “Do you find me old, Miss Billings? Too old to be your friend?”
The idea was laughable. He radiated virile energy, the essence of a man in his prime.
“No,” she blurted. “Definitely not.”
His lips gave a faint twitch.

“You’re mine. You belong to me,” he growled. “Say it.”
“I…belong to you,” she moaned.
“Then take me. All of me.”

“I want all of you.” The words welled up, unstoppable as her tears. “I want a marriage of hearts and minds and bodies, too. I want nothing between us. Nothing.”
“Then we are in accord, my sweet wife.” In a lightning-fast move, he was by her side, thumbing away her tears. Then he scooped her up in his arms. Her hands landing on his rock-hard chest, she was captivated by the ferocity of his expression. “Because when it comes to our marriage, I won’t settle for less than everything.”

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