Tag: Sofie Darling

At the Pleasure of the Marquess by Sofie Darling

On By TracyIn Georgian Era (1714-1837), Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

At the Pleasure of the Marquess (Shadows and Silk #5)At the Pleasure of the Marquess by Sofie Darling

Tracy’s rating: 3/3.5 of 5 stars

Series: Shadows and Silk, #5

Release Date: April 28, 2021

Maybe 3.5 stars

Worried about his brother, former spymaster, Lord Nicolas Asquith asks one of his former agents, Hortense Marchland to check on him. Nick tells Hortense that his brother, James “Jamie” Asquith, the Marquess of Clare has not been seen for months – not since the sudden death of their parents five months ago. Before their death, Jamie was slowly drinking himself into an early grave and Nick is worried that he has succeeded.

After the war ended and the need for agents with it, Hortense began an inquiry business. Years ago, Nick saved Hortense from a life on the streets and has come to be family to her – so when he asked her for help, there is no way she could deny him. But she didn’t expect his brother to be so observant or so sober. When Jamie catches her snooping around his study – he orders her to leave, but he is intrigued by her and follows her. He joins her on another job and then offers her an outrageous amount of money to help him learn what really happened to a lover he lost touch with years ago. Hortense takes the job, not realizing that in doing so, she will be dragged back into her days working for the crime lord Flick Doyle. But true to her word, Hortense learns what happened to Jamie’s lost lover and uncovers another lie his parents kept from him; he has a son. A son that has been lost to the streets and none other than Flick Doyle and his “Lucky Eels”.

Hortense agrees to do a job for Doyle to ensure his son’s release – but it will require connections to the ton that she doesn’t have – connections that Jamie offers to give her through marriage – Jamie is desperate to get his son away from Doyle and will do whatever is necessary – even marrying Hortense. They marry and work together to complete the job and get his son. But neither is prepared for the intense passion that blooms between them or the secret that Hortense is keeping that will definitely destroy any chance of a HEA.

This is a well-written, fast-paced story that is not your usual marriage of convenience story. Jamie and Hortense are both very likable and relatable characters who are both struggling with their pasts and the effect it has on their future. I liked the story, but I wasn’t sold on the need for them to marry, especially after Jamie so efficiently solved Hortense’s problem at that end and made this reader wonder why that solution hadn’t been employed at the first meeting. Aside from that and a few title errors – I did enjoy this story, it is filled with intrigue, steamy love scenes, surprises, twists and turns, and finally a HEA complete with a very heartwarming epilogue. This is the fifth book in the series, but it could easily be read as a standalone title with no problems.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own. *

Blog Tour – To Win A Wicked Lord by Sofie Darling

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Blog Tour, Regency Era (1811-1820)Leave a comment

To Win a Wicked Lord Tour Banner

 

About the Book:

Lord Percival Bretagne is used to playing games. He survived being a spy for a decade using his wits alone. But that was just life and death, now he’s playing for the most important prize of all—love.

He’ll Stop at Nothing……

Ten years after his family gave him up for dead, British spy Lord Percival Bretagne is back home, but his mission is far from over. Playing the aristocrat in London gambling dens and at country house parties is just a cover for Percy’s real quest. He’s hunting the man who stole everything from him—his family, his marriage, even his identity. And this time nothing, and no one, will stand in his way.

She’ll Risk it All……

But one night with Isabel Galante changes everything. She’s willing to gamble a woman’s most intimate prize in order to save her imprisoned father, but she didn’t expect a devilishly handsome opponent with a dangerously attractive wicked streak. Isabel would do anything for her family, including betraying Percy, but she has no idea that she’s stumbled into the middle of a decade-long quest for revenge.

Who Will Win in the Game Called Love?

Percy has been betrayed before, and now the man who destroyed his life is using Isabel to strike again. With the fate of the government and his new life in the balance, he’ll have to keep Isabel seductively, scandalously close. They begin a passionate game of truth and lies, deception and dalliance, uncovering the heart of who they really are and realizing that winning might mean losing what matters the most—each other.

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Add to Goodreads

 

Giveaway:

  • $15 Amazon Gift Card!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Barbara’s Review 4 of 5 Stars:

I have been waiting and waiting for this book because I wanted to see Percy’s story and I wanted/hoped to see the villain finally get his due – and I got both. Well, I would have preferred a more dire outcome for the villain, but he did get more than a slap on the wrist. The story is well-written and I really liked the characters. We met Lord Percival Bretagne in the first book of the series, Three Lessons in Seduction, and got to know more about him in the second book, Tempted by the Viscount. We learned that in his early years, he was very much a man of his time – he wanted a society type marriage where there were no emotional attachments and he could basically keep living his life as he had before marriage. Yet, we also learned what happened to him on the continent. We also met and got to know the villain of the series in those books as well – and the fact that he never, ever, got any punishment for the things he did really annoyed me. Percy is now back in London and out of the spy business – and he’s bent on revenge against the man who took his family and his marriage from him. The man is sly, smart, manipulative and very, very well connected. So, how will Percy stop him? He’ll hit him where it hurts – in his purse. At least that is the plan until he learns that the villain is still active in more than just making money. What he is up to now will subvert and maybe even bring down the government of England. Isabel Galante is one in a long line of pawns who have been blackmailed and used by Lord Bertrand Montfort in his pursuit of power and influence. Isabel isn’t even the first in her family to be used by him. She despises him, but she also lives in mortal fear of him and what he can and will do to her family. So, when he orders her into the gaming hell/brothel, Number 9, to seduce a peer, she goes – she has no other choice. Then things go terribly wrong… She targets the wrong man … What will Montfort do to her and her family now? Percy grabs Isabel and escapes the brothel with her and a very young prostitute. He needs a place to keep her safe long enough that he can question her and find out all she knows about Montfort – and he’s sure she works for him and knows plenty. Circumstances throw Percy and Isabel together and they find themselves very attracted to each other. Yet, neither can fully trust the other – there is just too much at stake. Can they find it within themselves to trust and work together to defeat Montfort? While this book is part of a series, and we learned Percy’s backstory in earlier books, it can easily be read and enjoyed as a standalone. I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Meet the Author:

Sofie Darling is an award-winning author of historical romance. Her debut novel, THREE LESSONS IN SEDUCTION, won the Writers’ League of Texas’ Manuscript Contest in the Romance Category in 2016. She spent much of her twenties raising two boys and reading every book she could get her hands on. Once she realized she simply had to write the books she loved, she finished her English degree and embarked on her writing career. Mr. Darling and the boys gave her their wholehearted blessing. When she’s not writing heroes who make her swoon, she runs a marathon in a different state every year, visits crumbling medieval castles whenever she gets a chance, and enjoys a slightly codependent relationship with her beagle, Bosco.