The Hellion and the Hero by Emily Sullivan | ARC Review

Series: League of Scoundrels, #3
Traits & Tropes: second chance; soldier; widow; working heroine; slow burn
Publication Date: 08.23.22
Genre/Setting: Historical; Victorian; London, England, 1899
Heat Level: 3.5
Rating: 4/5
  

Georgiana, Viscountess Arlington, has done her duty to her family even when it meant sacrificing her own happiness and agreeing to a loveless marriage to save her father from the debt he’d accrued. Now blessedly freed from that union by the death of her tyrannical husband, she has emerged stronger and become a savvy businesswoman in her own right, too much so for the liking of some. When she begins to receive anonymous threats, the one man who seems capable of helping happens to be the same man whose heart she broke eight years ago.

Retired Navy Captain Henry Harris has risen above the lowly fortune hunter status he had when he and Georgiana first met eight years ago. Now he is lauded as a hero and could have any lover he chooses, but he has yet to meet anyone who draws him the way Georgie always has. He admires her tenacity and even though helping her now puts him at risk of both physical harm and another heartbreak, he can’t resist the possibility of a second chance with the woman he’s never ceased thinking about.

I’m always a bit leery of the second chance trope just because the time the couple has inevitably missed out on tends to make me sad and be the main thing I focus on. I was especially nervous about this one because I was anticipating it so eagerly. Overall, I was happy with this one; though it also wasn’t everything I’d hoped for in every aspect, I still enjoyed it and was satisfied with how things turned out. What I found off-putting was Georgiana’s flippancy and failure to take threats to her life seriously. I think it was meant to make her seem mature and independent, but for me it just made her seem naïve. She definitely seemed to create quite a few of her own problems, and I was pretty surprised that she was still putting such stock into something she’d heard as a young girl even now as a mature woman. Her role in the misunderstanding that separated her, and Henry eight years previously also got me off on the wrong foot with her so maybe I didn’t give her a fair enough shake. Beyond this my only real issue was with the pacing as I found it to be a bit slow. By the time I was nearly halfway through the book not much had really happened and Henry and Georgiana had yet to have a conversation.

I wasn’t a huge fan of how they came together physically without having much of anything in the way of a meaningful discussion beforehand, though I will say that this did make their chemistry completely undeniable. Even when they’re still believing the worst of one another, they can’t stay away from one another either and this made their relationship believable and convinced me that the spark that had been between them before hadn’t faded. Georgiana definitely wasn’t very welcoming toward Henry though. I know she was trying to protect herself, but it did make me question why Henry wanted to confide in her. This relationship definitely happened in fits and starts but I loved it when it finally got going. I did want more conversation and communication, more time together with Henry and Georgiana without the secrets and past misunderstandings hanging between them, but the steamy scenes were well done. I enjoyed the way things were wrapped up here; though things did conclude a bit quickly, it left me unable to cease reading, needing to see it through to the end. I would’ve liked a bit more detail on the comeuppance received by the villains here, though I am assured they got what was coming to them. I loved how things worked out for Georgie and Henry and my only complaint is that a lot of this fell into place off page. I liked that Georgie and Henry were both finally fighting to have the life they wanted and the happiness that had so eluded them thanks to the mistakes and machinations of others, even if it did take some time to get there. These two finally getting to be together felt like a win for everyone who’s ever felt like an underdog, and I loved that.

All in all, I really liked this story. I loved that we got several chapters set in Monte Carlo and I definitely would love to read more histroms set on the continent. This seems to be the conclusion of this series, but I can’t wait to see what’s next from this talented new author.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/3414617072
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4512375760