Series: Rebellious Desires, #1
Traits & Tropes: class difference; widowed heroine
Publication Date: 11.13.17
Genre/Setting: Historical; Regency; London, England
Rating: 3
Heat Level: 4/5
Narration Rating: 3.5/5
Georgiana Rutherford, Duchess of Hardcastle, is at the center of the ton’s admiration. She’s wealthy, well-bred, and a sought-after trendsetter, but she secretly is very lonely and wants to feel true passion. When she meets the enigma that is Rhys Tremayne, a man society has dubbed the Broker, her attraction to him is immediate but she knows it is also wholly inappropriate.
Though he’s actually the grandson of a viscount, Rhys Tremayne has built up his vast wealth on his own by trading secrets. Now he controls an empire of business interests and has some of London’s most powerful men in his debt. He wants to give his three sisters the life they want and deserve among the ton and the duchess would be the perfect aide to introduce them to society. Unfortunately, Rhys quickly realizes he wants far more from Georgiana than a brief and mutually beneficial affair, though the disparity in their social standings means their relationship can never be public.
I really enjoyed the steam and chemistry between Rhys and Georgiana and found it to be very well done, but a couple of things did throw me off. Firstly, I listened to this on audio and though I liked the narrator’s voice, there were really no pauses between scenes, so I often found myself confused when scenes changed without me realizing it. This aside, my real issue was with Georgiana. I liked that she wanted to stand up for herself and do something she wanted for a change rather than what others told her to do, but she didn’t really stand by that very well. For quite a while there she was entirely too cowed by her brother and her mother and her refusal to acknowledge Rhys just highlighted her snobbishness and made me feel like she didn’t deserve him. He did everything to make himself worthy of her and I would’ve liked to see her choose him more readily before he worked at making a place for him in society. I loved Rhys and found him to be such a charming hero, especially in his tendency to take care of Georgiana and her son and in his willingness to readily and openly admit his feelings for her. I think he deserved more of the same from Georgiana and it took her entirely too long to realize how she might be hurting him with her snobbery. I enjoyed this story overall, but she was definitely a downside for me.
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/2342087359
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4227790512
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