Generally speaking, I usually pass on books where a woman disguises herself as a man in order to achieve her goals because most of the time they are so fantastically far-fetched that I end up with headaches from rolling my eyes in disbelief so much. Not here, not with Libby. She was such a unique woman to begin with that pretending to be anything but a woman of the ton wasn’t hard to believe. She was both endearing and sensual and her oddities make her a refreshing, different character, setting her apart from other bluestockings. As a matter of fact, Libby is on a whole other level of heroine archetype all by herself. 
Ziyaeddin became captivated by Elizabeth when they first met so when she asked for his help he knew there would be trouble ahead. In spite of their obvious attraction, he tries to keep their relationship as distant as possible, not only because he knows his future is yet to be determined but because he knows of her dreams and doesn’t want to be in the way of them (if that’s not sexy I don’t know what is.) All that sexual tension was just as frustrating for the characters as it was for me as a reader! Yet what I loved the most about his character was that his always cool demeanor was able to reel Libby’s mind back in from the chaos it sometimes was proving once more that a man doesn’t have to be dominant or possessive to be the perfect hero. 

Secondary characters were a true delight. They all added that perfect touch of variety to keep the story moving, and the fact that both Libby and Ziyaeddin had overcome many of their initial fears made the story even more memorable. And that epilogue! I don’t think I’ve ever read one full of so many emotions and feelings. With a heart-melting, enthralling storyline; complex and larger-than-life characters; and the perfect history backdrop this book is for sure an instant re-read. 

**I received this book at no cost to me and I volunteered to read it; this is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.**

The Prince (Devil's Duke) - Katharine Ashe 

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When I first started reading this story I thought it reminded a lot of the stories I remember reading back in the 90’s … and then I realized it was first published in 1993 so it’s actually a re-release. To be honest had this story been first released recently I would have rated it one star however back in the day things were different so I can see why the story was written the way it was.

So, our heroine Heather is a spoiled brat that is accustomed to getting away with pretty much anything and everything, except with choosing the man she gets to marry. When she meets dashing but “savage” Khalid and is threatened with becoming a slave she behaves as expected and never bends to his will. The interaction between the two was interesting to say the least. It was pretty funny at times but it also tended to be annoying.
I had too keep reminding myself of her age most of the time so I didn’t hate her for being such a shrew and him for acting so superior.

The story and plot were interesting enough to keep me up until late at night but I felt the pace and dialogue were somewhat stilted, but again that could have been my fault because I haven’t read anything like this in a looooong while. Overall it was an ok read and I’ll probably be reading more from this author.

*** I received this book from the author at no cost to me and I volunteered to read it; this is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.***