Lindsey left behind some large shoes to fill and Reid is well on her way to proving herself up for the challenge. My Darling Duke transforms the way we look at romance. Katherine and Alexander capture attention with their larger than life personalities and fiery spirits. Emotions give way to an inspiring journey of hope that will leave any heart hauntingly breathless.

Reviewed for Wit and Sin

Beauty and the Beast gets a fresh new retelling in the wonderful My Darling Duke. Stacy Reid has kicked off her Sinful Wallflowers series with a tale that’s both heartbreaking and heartwarming.

Kitty Danvers is desperate. At twenty-three, she is both unmarried and the head of a family with almost no money. With three younger sisters she wants to see happily settled, Kitty makes a bold move to capture society’s interest: she claims to be engaged to the reclusive Duke of Thornton. I loved Kitty’s spirit and determination. She’s got a good heart and is doing what she can for her family. Kitty is lively, unique, and a very easy to root for heroine.

Alexander Masters, Duke of Thornton, keeps his hand in politics but has otherwise withdrawn from society. He was horribly injured in a fire that also claimed the lives of his parents. I really liked that Ms. Reid didn’t simply wave off his devastating injuries, but rather shows the strength and determination Alexander has had to go through to be able to walk. He’s a man almost always in pain and is still healing, but much like the literary beast we all know and love, he’s locked himself away in his castle. When news reaches him that he’s supposedly engaged, he finds himself intrigued by the daring woman who is using his name. He’s even more captivated when he meets Kitty, and soon he strikes a deal with her that has Kitty in his clutches.

The romance between Kitty and Alexander is slow to burn and it works really well in this case, as Alexander and Kitty fall in love as they learn more and more about one another. They are both intelligent, stubborn, warm-hearted characters who fit one another like lock and key. But Alexander is determined never to marry because of the complications from his accident. However, the longer he and Kitty are around one another, the more she is determined to show them they can have the happiness he secretly longs for. Alexander was so lonely it broke my heart at times and I loved watching him come back to life around Kitty. As for Kitty, she’s got such spirit and inner strength it was impossible not to adore her. She deserves to find love with someone like Alexander, someone who wholly accepts her and sees how wonderful she is.

Whenever I pick up a Stacy Reid book I know I’m in for a good time and My Darling Duke is no exception. Ms. Reid perfectly balances the dark and the light, emotional turbulence with fun banter. I cannot wait to see what she has in store for Kitty’s fellow Sinful Wallflowers!


FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Reid hides an inside joke within a heartwarming romance. Sophia and the Duke is everything I'd expect a Stacy Reid novel to be. Ironic, emotional, witty and unpredictable. Sophia is the woman that has buried her heart and William is the man determined to claim that treasure for himself. Characters and author dig deep into the soul and tug at heartstrings. Once met, it's hard to forget the beauty that resides inside a Stacy Reid novel.

The Sweetest Taboo, all stand alone books only connected by the taboo trope. So it's been a while since I've read erotica like this. I enjoyed it, the story was nice the characters were pleasant and it was really hot. Now I know if I need good erotica I can count on Stacy Reid. My only issue is I didn't like the ending, it was way to easy, I personally would have been happier without the epilogue. Third person POV that switches focus between Oliver and Lily. I loved the voyeurism and meeting in complete anonymity and being oblivious to that fact that they already know each other.     

Oliver Carlyle, Marquess of Ambrose, is ready to find himself a wife but he has certain requirements that aren't usual things to look for in a wife. For one he has no plans ever to take a mistress so his wife must be able to handle the dark erotic things he likes. He knows it's going to difficult but not impossible. During a house party, thrown by his mother in hopes he finds his future wife there, he finds a diary, in this diary are the most scandalous and erotic thoughts of a young widow. Determined to find out the owner of the diary and hopefully make her his wife especially since in the diary she mentions her attraction to him.

Lily Layton is a widow twice over and just at the age of 25, she went to work as a companion to the Marquess Ambrose's mother. She never expected to be noticed never expected her sexual fantasies to come true she only wished that one day her dreams of designing dresses would come true. But her life took a different turn when her diary went missing. Dealing with social standings and expectations and blowing those out of the water by following your heart. This book is emotional at times when it comes to a secret Lily is hiding from Oliver that just may end the romance.

Overall, it was an enjoyable erotic romance. I almost wish it was a tad bit more lighthearted, the beginning and the middle were really erotic; nice and hot really good but toward the end it got serious and just kind of killed the mood. The whole epilogue it was so typical with as serious as the topic of infertility got I wish she stayed true to that path.