Eleanor/ Ellie ordered her maid to see if Lord Wincanton now he was an Earl now- had arrived Caroline was Ellie’s friend. He had been gone five years. Ellie had known Sorin almost all her life every since she had come to live with her cousin Charles  and his wife Rowena. Ellie is a wealthy heiress. Sorin had been their neighbor and Ellie’s childhood friend even if Sorin was older. SWhen Ellie was sixteen and had thrown herself into Sorin’s arms  and he pushed her  away and told her she  was a lady now and she needed to act like one. Then Sorin had left and he had left because he had started to have inappropriate feelings for Ellie. Ellie is now in her third season and by the end of the season her guardians want to have Ellie married off but Ellie doesn’t want to marry. She has an unwanted suitor. - Sir Yarborough wants to marry Ellie for her money. Caroline said Sorin couldn’t have been much of a friend It seemed to her that his importance might have diminished after so long. It was Ellie’s birthday. The Earl- Sorin and Ellie had stayed in contact while Sorin was gone.Ellie had his letters in a locked box. Ellie had only shared that with Charles and Rowena as Caroline could be insensitive at times. Ellie hated to be paraded around but this was about celebration of another year and the return of a friend.

I didn’t really care this book. It dragged for me . Also the back and forth between Sorin and Ellie just got annoying after awhile. This just wasn’t for me. I am sure others will enjoy this book.

'Scandal of the Season' by Liana LeFey is the story of Lord Sorin Latham and Lady Eleanor 'Ellie' Cramley.
Ellie has know Sorin most of her life since she has been living with her cousin and his wife. Sorin his their neighbor and has been Ellie good childhood friend. But it seems that things started to change with Sorin returned home when Ellie was 16 years old. Ellie ran to him like she always had but Sorin pushes her away. Later he tells in that she is a lady now and that she has to start acting like one. That same year when Ellie is to have a season Sorin is asked to take her since her cousin and his wife are getting ready to have a baby. Sorin doesn't last long during that Season before he ups and leaves her with to lady matrons. After that he didn't return until 5 years later ...the present day. Sorin shows up and Ellie birthday party and he finds a totally different Ellie then the free girl getting into trouble.
Ellie is trying to become the Lady that Sorin says she should. Although she hasn't seen Sorin in 5 years she has been writing him. When Ellie see Sorin again she find him so very handsome.
This was a joy to read and watch how these two moved past being childhood friends to becoming something more. Sorin is somewhat uptight I though with his thinking, but overall loved this story.
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Second in the Once Wicked series, this story focuses on Jacqueline, the headmistress of a school that secretly takes in girls saved from brothels and helps create new lives for them. As the purpose of the school deals with sex and child exploitation, along with Jacqueline's abusive past, this story had more of a solemn tone. I have to say, the beginning of this and first half was very slow going. I would almost categorize this as fiction with some mystery instead of romance. The author calmly and steadily integrated us into Jacqueline's mission of running the school and Will's job of infiltrating the school and investigating it, but separately. Our main couple had met and deemed each other attractive but they didn't really intertwine until almost halfway through. The last 40% of the story picked up and things moved very quickly in regards to the mystery and danger from the villain. All in all, I felt the author stretched out and spent too much time on characters' inner musings while not connecting our hero and heroine sooner; a lot of the story was not what I came here for.

Full review can be read at: Reading Between the Wines book club

'Once a Courtesan' by Liana LeFey is book Two in the "Once Wicked"series.  This is the story of Jacqueline and Will.  I have read the previous book but feel this can be a standalone book.  Will is a  Constable that is going undercover at Jacqueline school after rumor had broke that something was going on there.  But what Will learned was the school was nothing that he thought it was.  Will finds Jacqueline to have more to her than just the Head Mistress title.  Jacqueline was forced into a physical and mentally abusive relationship that she is now out of but she is trying to save others.  She has settled in the knowledge that she will never marry or have children due to her forced past history and the physical scars that show.   Will is a honest man that starts to see that Jacqueline will do anything to help others.  Jacqueline slowly starts to realize that Will is someone that she can put her life in his hands.  
Right from the start this was going to be a different type of romance story with Jacqueline as our leading lady.  She wasn't innocent, she was strong, and just wanting to save young girls so they may have a better life.  "My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read."
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Meeting her own eyes in the tiny mirror on the wall, she took a deep breath. “I am not my scars.”