At birth, Mick Trewlove, the illegitimate son of a duke, was handed over to a commoner. Despite his lowly upbringing, Mick has become a successful businessman, but all his wealth hasn’t satisfied his need for revenge against the man who still won’t acknowledge him. What else can Mick do but destroy the duke’s legitimate son—and woo the heir’s betrothed into his own unloving arms . . .
Orphaned and sheltered, Lady Aslyn Hastings longs for a bit of adventure. With her intended often preoccupied, Aslyn finds herself drawn to a darkly handsome entrepreneur who seems to understand her so well. Surely a lady of her station should avoid Mick Trewlove. If only he weren’t so irresistible . . .
As secrets are about to be exposed, Mick must decide if his plan for vengeance is worth risking what his heart truly desires.
The Meta Details:
Source: Edelweiss
Format: eBook
Length: 384 pages
Publication Date: January 30th, 2018
Genre: Historical Romance
Content Level: Adult
Pearl Clutching Content: bastards and gambling and scandalous trists… oh my.
Trigger Warnings: mentions of past rape that happened off page
Featuring: Gillie and the Beast! Okay… so Mick was amazing and yet… his siblings are even better
Scorecard:
Recommended for: fans of historical looking for a break from the shitty world that is 2018
Rating: Damn fine time.
Ginny Lurcock’s Thoughts: Oh. My word. That was… that was lovely.
I was a bit worried, at the beginning. (Obviously not enough to not read the book, but still…) The hidden identity slash using a woman as a means of revenge plot can be handled so poorly. At it’s worst, it’s flat-out sexual coercion (which I consider rape). But In “Beyond Scandal and Desire” the only rape was referenced off-page rape that happened previously. Enough for me to throw in a trigger warning, but not enough to trigger me.
Which is really something. Just a whole heap of wonderful somethings.
I just… desperately need the rest of this series right now.
You see, the characters were charming, well fleshed out, and I am fully enraptured with all of them. The pacing was on point. The plot was engaging, full of twist and endearing moments. I just…
Words can’t really describe how wonderful I found this book. I mean, it contained basically all of my historical high points without any of the typical pitfalls. (The only thing that could’ve improved the story was a queer character. Or Five.)
So at a time when I am dealing with a world of malarky, this was just the right distraction I needed. I am so happy with it I could cry.
…
This whole review is terrible and full of emotion instead of actual criticism. I’d try again but I don’t have the emotional capacity to do better right now.
A complimentary copy of this book was provided in exchange for a fair and honest review via Edelweiss.
Ginny Lurcock 