This book was recced to me by a fellow romance reader on Twitter and while I can't say it  was the best recommendation I've ever received, it was certainly a decent rec.  

I enjoyed the book even though I didn't much like most of the characters.  That's odd for me because I'm pretty much a character driven reader.  I'll forgive a ton of stuff if I love the characters.  But these two MCs, Sebastian and Olivia... damn... I struggled with them.  But I kept reading, and enjoying my read.  *LOL*  I dunno.. go figure.  

I found the writing a little disjointed at times, had a feeling I'd missed some vital scene or explanation or something along those lines.  And the climax of the book... well... it felt as if it was missing something, that it wasn't as monumental as it felt like it should have been.  There were tantalising little details that were dropped - like the red-headed guy in the picture of the long-ago earl - that I didn't feel were picked up on.  But I have to say that the connection between Sebastian and Olivia felt right, even when I wanted to know more about the whys and hows etc...  

So while I had a lot of hmmms or raised eyebrows about the book... I honestly ended up enjoying my read.  And am pleased that I have 2 more of Carolyn Jewel's books to read.  Oh... and I don't think this is a series!  YAY!!!!  (It's a rare thing in romance these days)

This is the best so far! Part of it may be because I love Lord Fullerton. He has such a sad backstory - and it's something that actually happened to him instead of to his parents, so it was much more pressing and heart-breaking to me as a reader. As the source of his heartbreak tracks him down, things get quite interesting.

These two make such an amazing couple, but there are some secrets and misunderstandings - horrible ones - between them. And, of course, they all come out at the worst possible moment. I couldn't help but cheer for these two as they tried to navigate through their new sort-or-relationship. Things kept just getting in the way. Like big things. Family obligations, honor, reputation, and the by now ever present danger of the assassin.

As in previous books in the series, there is a good dose of excitement as the assassin tries once again to ruin everyone's lives. But this one does not end the same as previous books! I soooo want to tell you, but I can't. But it is very very good. Now to settle in for the wait for book 6.

*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*

Wicked Intentions got off to a bit of a rocky start. Elizabeth Hoyt has a unique (to me, at least) writing voice and it really threw me off at first. It has an old-fashioned feel that actually really fit the story quite well once I got used to the flow.

Temperance was a little confusing at first. I was surprised that a woman of her social class - not nobility, but far from slums - would be willing to take Lord Caire up on his offer. While I greatly admire the reasons she does, it was so out of place for compared to the rest of her personality. I was also quite confused as to her huge (and I mean huge) repulsion when it came to matters of sex. Thankfully, this was explained very nicely late in the book, but I wish I had known sooner so I had liked her better all along the way.

Lord Caire was quite a dynamic character, and he was what really kept the story going for me. He has some very interesting characteristics that made him stand out and I really wanted to see what he would do next and why. His relationship with Temperance was a great one. His search to find something to "feel" really seemed to shine through and I loved it.

Temperance's family has a lot going on in the background - I imagine we'll be seeing more of them in future parts of the series. I enjoyed how their part of the story really filled out Temperance's character for me. I hope we do get to see them all again.

*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*

Marisa and Maitland have known each other for years - as the sister to a Libertine Scholar, Marisa has been around the stories and the men themselves for half her life. But, she never expects to find herself waking up in bed next to one of them - naked - and obviously compromised in the eyes of the ton even though nothing happened. But the villainess has struck again, and Maitland and Marisa find themselves wed to save her reputation.This is where I get just a tad tired of the whole style of "she wants love, but he's determined not to." I hope it gets change up a bit more in the future.

Marisa and Maitland are far from an ideal pair. Marisa is determined to find love in marriage and Maitland is determined to avoid it at all costs - he considers passion to be a curse. It may look like the villianess has finally struck a blow to the Libertine Scholars. But Marisa is no coward. She will find a way to bring some passion and romance to her marriage - but when she finally does - well, things get pretty bad.

I just about cried several times in this one. There is tragedy, secrets, and a great loss that Marisa and Maitland will have to overcome before they will ever be happy. This was the most "real" book of the series so far. Things didn't all miraculously become better and all the hurt doesn't just disappear. But because of this, the characters are going to stay with me for a long, long time. I can't wait to see them in future books in the series.

We get to briefly see Beatrice and Sebastian at the end of A Kiss of Lies, book one in The Disgraced Lords series. A Promise of More takes us back a few days to when they first meet, and that meeting is one to remember. When Sebastian fishes Beatrice out of the Thames, he never expects what comes out of her mouth - a proposal. With the death of her brother, their family is about to go to the poor house, and Beatrice thinks Sebastian owes it to them to save the day - by marrying her.

This isn't the set up for a happy marriage. Sebastian killed Beatrice's brother in a duel and I really enjoyed the way Beatrice was portrayed as dealing with the fact that she was about to marry his killer. Resolved and accepting of her situation, she is determined to try and make the best of it all.

But of course, things are never as they seem at first. And when they both begin to feel the inevitable attraction to each other, well, it gets very interesting. Our villian from the first book is still in play and causing all sorts of problems, but the Libertine Scholars may be one step closer to finding out who she is.

I enjoyed the back and forth between Sebastian and Beatrice, but there was just a little spark of something that seemed to be missing. I had a hard time imagining Beatrice finding pleasure in the arms of the man that killed her brother as well, although this ends up being a little different than what they both thought. They still thought he had killed her brother, and then have great sex still. I had a hard time believing it.