Bed Me, Baron

The Bed Me Books #2

by Felicity Niven

After twenty-two years, someone has to make a move.

Lady Phoebe Finch, the youngest of the Duke of Abingdon's daughters, is done waiting. She's a grown woman and ready to be a wife and a mother. If it means giving up on the man she's loved all her life, so be it!

Baron Danforth taught Lady Phoebe Finch to walk when she was one. He taught her chess when she was eight. He's like a big brother to her, surely. But when his dear Phoebe comes to him for bedding lessons, George Danforth must confront the truth—his best and oldest friend is not only the most alluring woman in the world, she's also the love of his life.

And she's engaged. To a man that's not him.

When you've blundered everything, stalemate isn't an option.

Genres: Historical Romance, Friends To Lovers, Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction, Regency, Fiction

366 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 7, 2023

About the author

Sign up for Felicity Niven's newsletter and to receive a free prequel novella to the series The Lovelocks of London at https://www.felicityniven.com/reviews....

Felicity Niven is a hopeful romantic. Writing Regency romance is her third career after two degrees from Harvard. And you know what they say about third things? Yep, it’s a charm. She splits her time between the temperate South in the winter and the cool Great Lakes in the summer and thinks there can be no greater comforts than a pot of soup on the stove, a set of clean sheets on the bed, and a Jimmy Stewart film on a screen in the living room.

Reviews

[Becky (romantic_pursuing_feels) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note: Some of my goodreads shelves can be spoilers

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖(I struggled in the beginning but then was riveted)
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑 (varies, one is very long and one is on the shorter end but most are decent size!)
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Humor: A bit
Perspective: Third person from both the hero and heroine
When mains are first on page together: Immediately
Cliffhanger: No, ends with a happily ever after
Epilogue: Yes, a few months later. Also a second, longer epilogue is available as a newsletter subscriber that takes place 6 years later.
Format: voluntarily read an advanced reader copy from the author
(Descriptions found at end of my review)

Should I read in order?
It’s not necessary. There’s a few mentions of characters from the prior book but nothing extensive.

Basic plot:
Phoebe decides to take another offer of marriage when she believes George will never see what is in front of him.

Give this a try if you want:
- Regency (1819)
- mix of London and house party settings
- chess
- childhood friends to lovers
- Baron hero
- bald hero
- sex lessons
- loud in bed hero
- friend’s brother
- emotionally strong hero (hero cries)
- jealous and possessive hero
- bargain (bet?) If the hero wins a chess match, he can have a copy of her first edition Table Alphabeticall by Cawdrey and if the heroine wins, she wants the hero to bed her
- all the angst
- higher steam – 6 full scenes and some shorter ones I didn’t count

Ages:
- Heroine is 22, hero is 26ish

First line:
George found Phoebe in the blackness of the priest hole.

My thoughts:
This book. This book! This is definitely my favorite Niven I have read yet. It ripped my heart out. And then it went back in and took out what was left. Stomped on it. Kicked it around. I felt Phee and George’s pain so badly!

I did struggle in the first half a touch. I loved the beginning, seeing them together as friends and opening to that sex lesson bargain. But as we went on, I found George a bit, well, annoying. A bit of an idiot. And when my guard was down, this entire book wrapped itself around my heart and SQUEEZED. Before I knew it, I was gutted over these characters. I was so dang invested in what was going to happen. How George was going to pull this off, make up for the things he did. He was so raw, and real and flawed and I didn’t like him until I adored him and was rooting for him as my heart ached.

Phee is a bit lost in her own world sometimes, late to things, losing gloves...but so delightful. George calls her Bumblephee because she was a buzzing thing, flying and never still and maybe a bit clumsy and messy. Again, the uniqueness and flaws in these characters gave them such depth, made them so memorable and relatable.

This book took me emotionally all over. I was worried about the ending making me feel it was all okay – but it did. I’m very excited to read the 6 year after epilogue to really experience that happy ever after (grab it as a newsletter subscriber!)

Endearments:
The hero calls the heroine ‘phee’, ‘bumblephee’, ‘lovely girl’, ‘sweetheart’

Quotes/spoiler-y thoughts:Any mistakes/typos are my own

It’s so beautiful!

He stared at her mouth which suddenly looked like the most fragile of roses. Delicate and lush, at the same time. Full-blown. One touch and a petal would fall.
---
“Goodness.” Her tongue darted out and ran over her lips. “George, you’re beautiful.”
He grunted. Some very male noise of denial, he hoped. His face felt warm. “Men aren’t beautiful.”
“Oh, no, you’re wrong.” She hopped off the bed and took a few steps toward him. “You’re wrong, dear teacher,dear friend.” And then her fingers were running over his abdomen, his chest, his shoulders, his arms. “Look, you have hair here. And you’re so hard. All these muscles. Did you get all these just from riding? You’re like some delicious village blacksmith.”
---
Oh, the pleasure, the pleasure of being inside her.
Not, that was wrong.
Because pleasure was a totally inadequate word to describe being inside Lady Phoebe Finch.
The paradise of being inside her.
He supported himself with both hands and bent his head down to her. “Kiss me, Phee.”
---
He closed the door behind him. The very vile man in him closed the door. Yes, he wanted the door closed. Definitely.
“What’s wrong? Why are you crying?” He crossed to her, forcing his voice to be gentle instead of predatory. He would take her in his arms, feel her soft body against his, let her cry. And after a bit, he would pull her face away from his chest and kiss her. Tenderly, at first. Sweetly. And then with a bit more force. Show her his desire for her. Like a lover. So she would know his intentions. No more brother George. No more teacher George. He was George, the ravisher.
---
“Oh. So you weren’t here to see me?”
I’m not here to see you, Phee. I’m here to kiss you, tear your clothes from your body, and take you here on the sofa in the drawing room of your father’s town house.
---
“That’s right, lovely girl, just relax. I’ve got you. And don’t worry about the perspiration. You smell divine. Like Phoebe times ten.” He put his nose and mouth against the side of her neck and she could feel her nipples hardening and aching under her chemise as he held her breasts. “And I intend to make you perspire a bit more.” A long, soft lick of his tongue on the side of her neck and she shuddered as his fingers very lightly scraped over her erect peaks.
“You taste even better than you smell. And I’m going to taste you everywhere.”
---
I am laughing because of all the alien romance I read as well

“Oh, George, wouldn’t it be wonderful if men had a little tongue just above their cocks?”
---
Filled with fury, George stood.
He would not tell Alice off in his most imperious manner. Thunder at her that she was a meddling, conniving bitch of a sister who knew nothing about Phoebe. About him, About what was between the two of them.
He was shocked when his knees buckled and took him to the floor and his words came out in a pitiful bleat.
“Tell me what to do, Alice. Tell me what to do. I love her. I love her. I lover her.”
---
George went on. “He doesn’t care for you like - “
“Shut up. Put me down.”
“No, I won’t shut up. Ever. And I won’t put you down. And I won’t stop kissing you. Ever.”
---
“We will say exactly what I told you.” William grinned. “And certainly, if you prefer, we will not mention any kissing.”
“I prefer you do not.”
George must have come out of his swoon because he opened his eyes and raised his head at that point. “And I prefer you do. Lots of kissing. Tell that pusillanimous arsehole there was lots of kissing. Between me and Phee.”

Content warnings: These should be taken as a minimum of what to expect. It’s very possible I have missed some.

- possible feelings of infidelity – the heroine asks (and follows through on) the hero to bed her while engaged to another
- mention of death of parents
- death of a parent on page THAT WAS BELOVED AND I WILL NEVER GET OVER IT. NEVER. EVER.
Author given content warnings: Found here




Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:

Safe sex: Hero pulls out in all the scenes except for the last few
9% - 🔥kisses leading eventually to fingering for her, missionary
25% - heroine kisses her fiance (not the hero)
26% - heroine masturbation (short)
30% - hero masturbation (short)
33% - 🔥blow job (complete), oral for her twice
47% - 🔥doggy style
69% - kiss
75% - 🔥kisses, her on top
79% - kiss
86% - 🔥sex (missionary?) but it includes the orgasm where your emotions are so riled you just bawl after you have an orgasm
89% - 🔥missionary (a bit short)


Extra stuff like what my review breakdown means, where to find me, and book clubs


Full break down on what my ratings above mean here:
Overall: How I felt about it everything considered!
Readability: How ‘readable’ was the book? Did I fly through it? Did I have to tell myself to pick it back up repeatedly? Were any passages confusing? (I will probably score like (1) is literally unreadable due to formatting/typing errors, etc (2) There were lots of errors that made it difficult to read OR It was extremely confusing and I had to reread passages to make sense of it OR I disliked it so much I had to bribe myself to keep reading (3) I didn’t really want to keep reading and would have preferred to abandon the read and start something else OR some minor continuity issues/confusion (4) I liked it fine, maybe a minor error or 2. I was happy to pick it up when I had time. (5) I never wanted to put this down. I thought about it when I wasn’t reading it. I hid in the bathroom from my kids to read. I threw inappropriate food at my children for dinner so I could read instead.)
Feels: Totally subjective to each person but did the book give me any tingles? Any butterflies? Did it rip my heart out (in a good way?)
Emotional depth: How well do I feel I know the characters at the end? How much did I feel their emotions throughout the story?
Sexual tension: Again, subjective, but how strong was the wanting and longing to me between the characters? A book might have strong sexual tension without a single touch.
Romance: Was there romance? Did romantic things happen? This can be actions/words/thoughts of the characters and again is subjective.
Sensuality: This is how the intimate scenes are written. Kisses and sexual scenes – how sensual were they? Were they on the mechanical side? Was there emotional pull tied in? Were the details explicit or flowery? These are subjective but generally (1) too short to get a good judgement (2) not all what I'm looking for - very vague or flowery prose (3) either not explicit enough or not enough emotional pull (too mechanical/physically descriptive without the emotions) (4) what I love in a scene (5) absolute perfection - perfect balance of emotional longing and explicit descriptions
Sex Scene Length: How long the bedroom scenes are (generally (1) is 1-3 sentences (2) is a few paragraphs to a page-ish (3) is about average, a few pages (4) more well developed scenes, quite a few pages with descriptions (4) the majority of the book takes place in the bedroom. This is always hard to tell for me on audio!
Steam Scale: Generally, each flame is a scene. If scenes are super close together I sometimes combine them. If a scene is super short or so vague I don’t know what’s happening, I don’t count it. There’s some levels of grey but generally the number of flames is how many sex scenes there are (I max out at 5 so I’ll put a + after if there’s more than that)


Find me
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Book Clubs
The Ton and the Tartans (Historical Romance)
Upturned Petticoats and Undone Cravats (Historical Romance with Steam Requirements)
A Love Less Ordinary (Science Fiction, Paranormal, Monster, Fantasy)
Modern Manuscripts (Contemporary Romance)
Words for the Wicked (Contemporary Romance with Steam Requirements)
Vintage Romance (Old School Romance – published 2000 and prior)

[Ali L · Rating 4 out of 5]

George has been in love with Phoebe since she was a baby, which admittedly sounds pretty out there even for a historical, but he didn’t know it so I guess it’s fine. When she gets engaged to a Duke with a small pecker, George reluctantly agrees to teach her how to boink which turns out to be a bad idea, feelings-wise. At one point, Phoebe’s brother laments that he can’t marry her, challenging the whole baby thing for Bonkers Supremacy. This book starts off a slightly angsty sex-lesson tale and around the 55% mark takes a HARD left into “what the hell is going on”. George says mean stuff; Phoebe is betrayed; Alice sucks; there’s a wild pig chase (?). Phoebe responds to George’s unintended cruelty exactly how I would, which is by reminding him of it every second of the day for the rest of my life. She gets over it when George almost dies in a closet but whatever.

[busyreadingwithASD⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 out of 5 stars for, what to me, is an Emma retelling where this time, "Emma" (in this book = Phoebe) knows what she wants and straddles "George Knightley" (in this book = George too) when she wants.

Thank you so much to Felicity Niven for this eARC!!! I appreciate it so much and all thoughts/opinions are my own.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

While I did thoroughly (THOROUGHLY) enjoy "Bed Me, Duke" (Book 1 in this series), I enjoyed this one even more. The push and pull between George & Phoebe was so delicious and oh so swoony. Despite me being a very slow reader, I actually had to take breaks from this one so that I wouldn't finish it all at once... because, quite honestly, I was hooked! We have friends-to-lovers (a trope I'm not a huge fan of but worked very well here), slight age-gap (just enough to create the "Emma" forbidden romance setting), stern-sunshine dynamics (George isn't grumpy, so much as stern, which was a delight), and 2 people who are very horny for each other (one of whom is eager to learn about sex and the other who is having his world absolutely rocked by the no-longer-little-girl minx who, in turn, is changing his life too quickly — for him, in the best possible way, which he comes to realize later).

·:*¨༺ Here is a list of some lovely elements in this book to give you an idea of the endearingly tender/swoony nature of this book ༻¨*:·.
♡ jane austen's "emma" vibes (this time, "emma" lets "kightley" know *exactly* what she wants) ♡
♡ pining... and more pining ♡
♡ tender and tender *wink wink* head caressing/rubbing ♡
♡ chess ♡
♡ bumblephee nickname🐝 ♡

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

There's also one quote in particular that I want to include because it is basically George realizing that he (in that particular moment) exists only to bring Phoebe to *ahem*. So she's straddling him and he's like "this isn't about me, this is about her." Yay😌

"Lie back." It was not a request. It was a command. A queen's fiat.
(more description here)
There was a moment of stillness. A groan from her.
He suppressed his own groan. Even as every bit of his being was aching to tell her he loved her, he stayed silent. She had told him to shut up. He would do as she said. She was his queen. If this was what she needed, something wordless and primitive here in the dark, she could have it.

Okay but now I need Phineas' and Caro's book NOW because I've been in need of it since Book 1!!!

[daemyra, the realm's delight · Rating 2 out of 5]

This books does not make sense at all to me lol. I can get why the hero doesn’t realize he loves the heroine until way too late. and I also appreciate the heroine’s self-awakening (realizing she has been used/not her own person), in fact I kind of like how the heroine could compartmentalize her affections for her finance and her friendship with the hero. That was interesting to read.

But BUT I am still stuck by how the heroine propositions sex through a chess game.

I went along with it, but I never completely suspended my disbelief.

I also didn’t find the hero attractive. I like a stuffy hero but there were some parts with their chess dynamic that soured. He didn’t mind that she was late, but she also learned chess out of a desire to please him. That left a bad taste in my mouth.

Take Run Posy Run. The hero bonds with the heroine after he finds a board game in her room. He finds himself surprised by how her mind works, and loves to play with her. She likes to play too, although she’s not as obsessed with it. Her love of the game is irrespective of him.

The heroine and hero dynamic also reminded me in some ways of Elissa Braden’s Lessons From A Dangerous Lord.

[Amanda books_ergo_sum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uhhh.. is this my favourite Felicity Niven? The childhood friends to lovers? With the bald guy?

(no shame to bald guys—I’m obsessed with the way George wasn’t your typical hottie)

This book was:
🖤 part too earnest and pure for this world
🖤 part slow motion car crash I couldn’t look away from
🖤 part forest of pining
🖤 part RIPPING MY HEART OUT
🖤 part putting it back together 😭

I am seriously struggling to fully grasp my love for this book. I mean, I love this author and hoped this could be in maybe my top 100 books ever… but it’s in more like my top 5?

Again, the childhood friends to lovers book??

(which is such a risky trope for me, very prone to containing my bookish pet peeves. Particularly no on-page falling in love, just lazily grandfathered-in affection from another timeline. Also annoying kid MCs and nonsensical non-conflict.)

But this book was incredible!! It had conflict. And angst for days. If I’m going to do childhood friends to lovers, I want it to be like THIS. Awkward as F. And filled to the brim with character arcs and growing pains.

I think it was the character arcs that did it for me. The sex lessons were fun, the ‘she’s engaged to someone else’ created drama-lama, certain events (and there were many) had me INVESTED.

But the character arcs launched this book into god-tier. We had a whole Hegelian dialectic going on in here. George was too "being-for-itself” (too rigid, too self-referential), Phoebe was too “being-for-another" (too unsure, too de-centered), they grew, it was everything (aka “being-in-and-for-itself” aka das Absolute)

This book was SERIOUSLY GOOD. And it made me cry. And the good-book-haze it put me in was so obvious to everyone around me that my husband is binging Felicity Niven’s backlist so that he’ll be all caught up when this comes out.

I’m so happy that I received this ARC!

[Dagmar · Rating 4 out of 5]

A steamy, fresh, original story with lots of heart. Really enjoying my time reading these scrumptious books! Looking forward to the next one. Felicity Niven's writing is absolutely page turning and a breath of fresh air🩷📚

[guiltless pleasures · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Teach me, George." 🥵

I dithered for ages about whether to give this 4 or 5 stars on Goodreads (it still doesn't offer half stars, grrr), because it's a very good 4.25 stars for me. Felicity Niven is firmly in my top 10 favorite historical romance writers list. The word that keeps coming to mind when I think about her writing is 'exquisite'. It's elegant, witty, sexy and just so well crafted and intelligent. She writes beautiful and intimate character-driven romances that take you on the full Feelings Rollercoaster.

Bed Me, Baron is the story of starchy, rigid George and scattered, people-pleaser Phoebe. They're childhood friends who have been smitten with each other at one point or another but have settled into a teacher-pupil relationship (words and chess, mainly). That all changes when Phoebe gets engaged to the Duke of Thornwick and comes to George for sex lessons. He can teach her chess; why not the art of lovemaking? It ends up opening a can of worms for George, who is a little thick when it comes to recognizing the feelings of others (and his own, for that matter). He realizes he's obsessed with Phoebe (all their friends and family: "OF COURSE YOU ARE, GEORGE."), but she'll soon be marrying another man.

I can think of other character-driven books that feel weighed down by internal thoughts and feelings, paragraphs and paragraphs of internal agonizing, which makes me bored and impatient. Niven shows us both the protagonists' feelings and inner lives in such an efficient way (and I mean that in the most complimentary way); every word is considered and powerful.

I loved how she dived into the sex right at the start; it was so sexy and sweet and funny. I am not a 'squeee' type of person but reader, I squee'd. The rest of the book saw me alternately shouting "George, you sweet, stupid idiot!" and "Phoebe, don't be a doormat!" George needed to allow himself to love Phoebe in an adult way, and Phoebe needed to love herself and to allow herself to be loved. I confess she did work my nerves a little with all her self-doubt and misinterpretation of his actions; poor George was always having to try to interpret what was going on in that muddled brain of hers. But I reminded myself that she is in her early 20s; she had so much growing up to do, emotionally.

Anyway, I loved this except for two things, which is why I took .75 stars off:
1. There was a scene with George's former mistress early on; he decided he couldn't be with her anymore because he realized his feelings for Phoebe. The mistress went nuts and said all sorts of crazed things to George. This had the taint of 'the protagonist is the only good woman/she's not like other girls,' which I loathe. There was no need to turn the Other Woman into a shrew. Also she becomes Phineas' mistress afterward, and my dear Phineas CANNOT have a shrew for a lover. Would not!
2. The Duke of Thornwick was a true villain, subtle in his cruelty and sadism. He just kind of disappeared, though, and we never got to hear about what Lady Anne had to tell Phoebe about him. That feels like an editing error rather than a deliberate choice.

I'll leave you with a few of my journal entries for this one:
1. Niven used the word “penis” in a romance novel—gasp!—BUT she did it in the correct way: when referring to an undersized member.
2. “How am I ever going to top this experience? A beautiful woman rubbing both my heads at the same time?” Oh George.
3. Phoebe 😂 “You’re like some delicious village blacksmith.” George is full of consternation at this. He’s so starchy.
4. I love how we’re getting a rundown of various men’s cock sizes. And Phineas gets a shoutout for being a great lover! Can’t wait for his book.
5. Why, why would you do that, George?
6. Oh, this flashback to right before she turned 20! The longing on her side 😭
7. Drama! Thornwick drags Phoebe into the forest (!) and threatens to hit her (!) and gets all misogynist (!) and then George appears (!) and then a wild pig enters the scene!
8. PHOEBE DON’T BE A DOORMAT
9. Sex in a priest hole!
10. What a wedding: the bride in mourning black and unsmiling, her brother angry, George worried, and only a few lines spent on it.

I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Lori ◡̈]

Note to self: heroine finally gets proposed to, so she asks her male bff to teach her all about sex so she’s ready for her hubby. 🥴 female characters acting way too forward sexually for the Regency period, openly talking about their premarital sex life with their brother, etc. (per reviews I’ve read).

[Kiera · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read books w/crippled heroes, older heroes, virgin heroes, one who had a stroke, several who were temporarily or permanently blind, but I'm reading my first ever romance with a prematurely bald hero. Applause, Felicity Niven!
It's SO refreshing when characters aren't perfect - e.g, the heroine here is a habitual nail biter, short, plump, and eternally chaotic. I'm loving the recent trend for 'real' characters, and Felicity writes them superbly.
George and Phoebe are both so gorgeously vulnerable to one another, and with each other, and this story is truly a joy. And the sexy bits are written with the author's inimitable, intelligent, sensual style.
Seriously, GET THIS BOOK. Five enthusiastic stars!
(I received an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review)

[Namera [The Literary Invertebrate] · Rating 3 out of 5]

RTC

[Aoi · Rating 4 out of 5]

With most other authors, a book propelled on the basis of the lead's inner thoughts would most likely have been sleep-inducing. I'm honestly blown away at Felicity Niven's adept touch at crafting character-driven narratives.

In "Bed Me, Baron", we are whisked into Phoebe and George's childhood friends-to-lovers drama. Phoebe, who has loved the slightly older George for all her life, has settled into being his chessmate and pseudo-mentee. George's feelings about Phoebe were a lot more opaque - but imagine his consternation when, on the heels of her engagement to someone else, she proposed the titular bedding lessons to him!

I was pleasantly surprised at how "everyday" these characters felt - and I mean this in the best possible way! Phoebe, young and unsure - is a chronic nail biter and frequently falls into people-pleasing patterns. George, older but also very dense, is prematurely balding. His wigged and unwigged appearances are a great way of showing his sense of 'in-group' and 'out of group' friendships.

My personal preferences lie with keeping 'the mistress' off-page, especially if she's non essential to moving the plot. (Also, she's a Dowager Countess of Somewhere and she's blithely visiting him through the side entrance of his house!) . Her bitchfit and storming off just as she was being 'replaced', stuck out like a sore thumb in a character-driven novel.

One of things that perplexed me were the rather strange dynamics between the leads once the bedding lessons commence. George becomes increasingly sex-obsessed, to the point of having demented monologues about kissing and bedding her; but can't come to the conclusion of wishing to marry her for half the book!

Including such awkward phrasing:
He imagined how he would seduce her in his very particular way as he had his five previous mistresses.

Phoebe, meanwhile, struck by qualms about her engagement, casually convinces herself that sleeping with someone else while already engaged does not amount to infidelity. George - "I am sure what someone does before marriage is not a breaking of a commandment" - comes across as the chimings of a self serving prig.

One of the things that I most look forward to in this trope, is the unstinting sense of trust in each other while navigating fledgling emotions. I strongly felt that George did not get the difference in loving passionately versus possessing someone.

Just when all seems to have been lost, the book delivered in spades in Phoebe's arc. Young Phoebe, once unsure of own thoughts, courageous enough to wear her heart of her sleeve (ouch! that flashback) gets put through the wringer. At the end, even though I hated the fact that she got her choices taken away - she valued herself enough to break the rules, go after what she wants and keep aside the rest.

3.5 Stars : I enjoyed Felicity Niven's storytelling - even the teeth-grittingly frustrating bits. As much I loved Phoebe - I know she could have done much better than George.

Leaving you with Phoebe's effervescent wit:

"George, if you were a stallion and I owned you, I could make such a lot of money studding you out"
.
.
"Oh,George, wouldn't it be wonderful if men had a little tongue just above their cocks?"
.
.
"You're like some delicious village blacksmith"
.
.

My thanks to the author for the eARC, this book is out 7th Sept!

[Deyanira C. · Rating 1 out of 5]

I would have titled this " A COUPLE OF IDIOTS"

The plot: Phebe is 22 years old, the daughter of a duke, she has had 4 seasons without glory, but suddenly receives a proposal from a duke, Phebe longs to be a wife, to be loved, to be a duchess and to be a mother, so she accepts even though she doesn't know Arthur the duke well, among high society there are many rumors about Arthur and he proves to be temperamental and very bossy, but she is still excited about being a duchess, however Phebe is a virgin and wants to be an expert in sex, so she asks her best friend Baron George to have sex and teach her, Phebe has been in love with George all her life but he had not shown any interest, at first George refuses but they end up having sex, it is then that George realizes that he loves Phebe, he tries to declare his love but Phebe is reluctant, then they have misunderstandings and differences of character and they will have to deal with that to be together.

Months ago I read the third book in this series, "BED ME EARL", which is the next one. I loved the story and the different style of the author. However, I wasn't interested in reading the other books in the series, but in the end I decided to read this one because I already knew the characters. Unfortunately, this novel turned out to be ridiculous, absurd from start to finish, boring to death, has totally stupid characters, filler plot, and the most pathetic love story I've ever read.

The book starts with Phoebe playing chess with George, they are friends and she is a virgin recently engaged to a duke, but since she wins the game, she asks George to sleep with her, George is a little hesitant but accepts, and they immediately go at each other like animals, so the first 20% of the novel is descriptive sex between two characters that we know almost NOTHING about and who really shouldn't be having SEX!!! let alone crazy sex, and look I don't mind graphic scenes it's one of the things I like about the author but it was too weird and uncomfortable to read that in these circumstances, not to mention how incongruous it is, Phebe is about to get married, does she really think her experienced fiance won't question her lack of virginity???? And why does she want to know about sex... Well, wasn't it better to experience it with HER FIANCE???? I mean, it was the most viable option. If she was really that URGENT, because, sorry, but she didn't seem curious, or brave, or adventurous, just URGENT. She practically begs George and gets on her knees to get him to agree to sleep with her... Which was uncomfortable to read. Plus, she's supposed to be very knowledgeable, but she never stops to consider that she's risking pregnancy, illness, social rejection, etc..... Yes very smarth of your girl...

And seriously what kind of well-educated lady would risk so much??? for a man who's never treated her as anything more than an acquaintance??? that brings me to another point George what the hell???? What a bad hero!!! He's supposed to love Phoebe like a sister, respects her and cares for her, but he makes her feel bad about everything, gives her a stupid nickname, never cares for her or treats her sweetly, in fact he's not even interested in her, and doesn't think twice before potentially ruining her....so I wonder and his feelings of brotherhood??

The worst thing is that they're both equally IDIOTS!!! George takes YEARS... to notice that he loves her, EVERYONE around him knows it but he doesn't realize it UNTIL HE SLEEPS WITH HER, AND SHE'S ABOUT TO MARRY SOMEONE ELSE!!! Also, why is he bald? There isn't even a good description of him, and when the book tells me that he is bald at 26, having crazy sex, not very sexy images come to my mind, and if his physique is weird, his personality is disgusting, I never found him attractive or striking.

Phoebe is not the brightest person either, she never notices George's love which is understandable since she is so DUMB that she can't even see his virtues, which are many and everyone applauds him... She also doesn't notice that something is wrong with her fiancé, I mean:

1) He yells at her
2) He threatens to hit her
3) He cheats on her in front of everyone
4) He leaves her alone when a wild animal threatens her life
5) He is always in a bad mood
6) He treats his mother with contempt
7) Many people warn her about his "peculiarities"
8) He forces her to lose to humiliate her
9) He criticizes her for everything
10) He doesn't show her affection or attention

But our brilliant Phoebe still thinks he is great and that there is nothing wrong with him, I know that for his time men were not always very nice, but even his contemporaries are amazed that she still considers marrying him. Afterwards, when she and George have to live together, and he is good, she spends her time throwing tantrums for no reason, which was very desperate, most of the time Phoebe acts stupid and immature, I never understood her actions or her way of thinking.

Now Phoebe and George have been best friends all their lives, they tell us that he taught her to walk, to play chess and to live, but George is only 4 years older than Phebe, he is a Baron who is not even part of Phebe's family, his family is a neighbor but they are not family nor friends, so it is never understood why George and Phebe grew up together, How is it that a 4 year old boy would teach a baby to walk ????? I'm not saying it's not possible but ... PHOEBE is the daughter of a duke !!!! She is a lady who grew up surrounded by nannies, governesses with a loving mother, a devoted father and attentive siblings, in what mind does it fit that she would be educated by a 4 year old brat !!!!? a brat heir to a barony who would have been educated from birth and treated according to his rank! In that same sense that George and Phoebe could be alone playing chess is unthinkable, even the most flexible parents would not have allowed their 16-year-old daughter to be locked in a room alone with a 20-year-old boy.

On top of that, their interactions are always with Chess in the middle and I don't know about the others but that is very boring to me, I literally never saw the spark arise or the romance, only conversations about a boring game, and not to mention the plots and secondary characters, things that are just meaningless filler, the mystery surrounding Arthur is never resolved nor is it understood how George's sister can act like a 21st century woman without repercussions and without problems, she has sex with all the men she meets, she boasts about it, she is scandalous and rude, but nothing happens to her, everyone knows it but they applaud it! Many perfect suitors look for her and All the ladies in society admire her WTF? I think the author forgot that this is supposed to be set in the regency!!!!!!

I really think I'm saying goodbye to the author with this book, I think "BED ME EARL" was an exception, because the other books I've tried to read have been a disappointment.

[Jessica White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Historical romance has a new author in town and her name is Felicity Niven! I’ve never wanted a book to go viral more than I have with Bed Me Baron because it is that effortlessly excellent. The second book of the Bed Me series, this can easily be read as a standalone (although Bed Me, Duke is fantastic, so why would you?), but does contain crossover characters from George’s friend group.

Bed Me, Baron starts off with a bang. Sex lessons are a part of each of the books in this series, but this one was not only super steamy, 🥵🥵🥵 but fun and flirty too with excellent internal dialogue and banter. When Baron George Danforth is surprised by his best friend from birth Lady Phoebe’s daring bet to exchange a chess win with bedding lessons to prepare her for her upcoming nuptials, it completely rocks George’s world. His eyes are opened, so to speak, and suddenly George can’t seem to get Phoebe out of his head. But if George wants Phoebe for himself, is he too late? This book contained one of my favorite microtropes, when the hero is grouchy and in a bad mood but can’t figure out why. Of course it’s all because he’s completely madly in love with the heroine, but his feelings just don’t compute. The dynamic between George and Phoebe works so well because he has known her for so long and from such a young age that he can’t wrap his mind around her being anything other than his young girlish chess-mate. The idea of Phoebe as a woman and as a desirable woman, makes him literally ill.

Bed Me Baron is a new favorite not just because of the steamy bedding lessons and secretive sex, but also because of the emotional turmoil. Niven put me through the wringer with George and Phoebe, but in the best possible way. I feel like there is a very real portrayal of depression that is crucial to the plot line and to the MC’s relationship. Having true to life conflict in a romance makes the characters that much more tangible; if I can feel or relate to their turmoil then it makes the happy ending that much sweeter. The point of conflict is also worked out over many pages. It’s not just a quick fix, but both George AND Phoebe have to be willing to change. I appreciated this so much because often romance has a third act breakup with a solution that’s slapped on, but the problem in BMB is not something that can be resolved in a paragraph. The reader gets to see George’s love for Phoebe evolve over the course of many days and nights and this made me fall in love with him as a hero even more.

I cannot say how much I love this pairing, and I think this is a romance readers will come back to again and again because of the couple, the writing, the smoking hot chemistry, and the messy “realness” of George and Phoebe. Although I received an advanced copy from the author, you can bet that this book will be finding a place on my shelf where I can read it again and again.

[ScarletPhoenix · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Bed Me series has a concept I can get behind, both this and the former book, get right to it. There isn't any coyness around the intimacy and I'm a fan of that. Niven's first book was a surprise hit for me but I certainly felt different about this one.

Starting with the positives, I was fond of the MC from the beginning. She does a good job and making them likable, specifically George. He's got such a charming inner monologue, the whole part where he's comparing the size of other men's penis(es) was hilarious. His arc makes sense to me, he had always been fond of Phoebe, he loved their friendship. In his youth he did consider her attractive but was kind of told to stay in his lane. I find it bogus when you get these stories where the MMC NEVER thought of the FMC as attractive, that in adulthood there's this click. Both George and Phoebe had considered each other before. George had a unique sternness and fragility that mostly worked for me (I would say the last priest hole scene was not my favorite). I really liked him. He was also bald and honestly, I can't say I've ever read a book with a bald protagonist so that was unique.

The negatives...George had a couple of cringe thoughts, but nothing horrible. I think his mommy issues were highly underdeveloped. It would have really worked but it came off as an afterthought.
Overall he wasn't the issue for me. It was Phoebe, I was rooting for her in the beginning and I got lukewarm and then I got downright annoyed. By 35% of the book I was questioning her and by 81% I was over it, rolling my eyes at her. I completely appreciate the lesson in her arc, she discovers that her entire identity is a people pleaser and she wanted to be more than that. She realized that you could do everything right and still not get what you think you deserve. That lesson is why I didn't go below a 3/5 rating because it means something. It's a good lesson but the trajectory seemed sudden and choppy at best. She seemed to project her hurt, she lacked some accountability, and was careless with people's feelings. She was hot/cold, I could hardly keep up with her.

Ultimately she had this weird shift. In my opinion, the same person who showed up at George's home for a saucy wager, was not the same as the person who pitched a fit at the end of the book. Now, I can entertain that she was going through it at the end of the book (lots of factors that could explain her mood/behavior). It's very much a regression for her at that stage of the book.

As a side note, the secondary characters are either stellar or much like the MCs, inconsistent. I would say Phineas and Andrew are intriguing, I want to know more about them. Phoebe's mom is possibly as confounding as she is, she's painted as this somewhat irredeemable shrew during 3/4 of the book and then suddenly she's all warm and supporting. Odd. Again, I can entertain that certain life events can alter people's behavior but it was too sudden for me. For example, I still think about this days after finishing the book, in over 22 years of life Phoebe never heard her mother speak about her father with affection/call him by a sweet nickname. The mom talked about how she's loved phoebe's dad forever, before they courted. There was no indication of that in the first half of the book.

I had trouble coming back to the book midway but I did finish and I don't regret doing it, it was just a bumpy ride for me.

[Blueglass · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not like this one at all. Phoebe is recently engaged to a duke after four unsuccessful seasons. So then she asked her best friend George to bed her so that she is prepared for her wedding night. While George did not really condone her request, he agrees anyway. Following is a very uncomfortable and unsexy scene, wherein George tried to be the teacher of the amorous arts. I really do not understand this premise. Phoebe was way too overeager and knew more than a person who needs to be taught.
So Phoebe is so happy to have had an orgasm and now becomes obsessed with sex. So she thinks she can get her betrothed, Thornwyck, to show some sexual interest in her. She is very forward with him and he attempts to curb her enthusiasm. George had told her not to be forward because Thornwyck would not believe her to be a virgin. But even when she is trying to seduce Thornwyck, she realizes that George is the only one who revs her engine and luckily George feels the same.
However, in an attempt to sully Thornwyck's esteem in Phoebe's eyes, he says something inappropriate and cruel. She refuses to talk to him after this, which made no sense. They have been best friends all of their lives and she won't allow him to apologize? What kind of friendship is this?
Then Thornwyck has a house party and invites Phoebe, George and George's sister (and Phoebe's other best friend) Alice. The party is strange with some pointed innuendos about Thornwyck's character/behavior. No one will say anything out right, but instead leave Phoebe secretive notes. Then in order to sabotage the betrothal, Alice does something totally unacceptable, especially for a best friend. So then Phoebe refuses to talk to Alice. Honestly, Alice probably deserved it.
Speaking of Alice, her behavior is really beyond the pale for a lady of her breeding and time period. The way she talks to her brother about sex is icky and I would think just not done in that time period. She was an annoying sidekick and an unreliable friend.
Also, I guess I just did not get the vibe that George was always trying to give Phoebe a lesson and never accepting her for who she was. When she pulled out that sentiment mid-book, I was scratching my head. The whole tone of the book changed in a very negative way. Furthermore, I find it odd that while everyone in the book thought that George and Phoebe would marry, they had absolutely no idea. The worst was the intimacy between them. For some reason I found it revolting. And I did not need to know how much everyone was sweating.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book should have been a knockout for me (see tropes: childhood friends, best friend’s brother, sexual lessons, she fell first/he fell harder, MC engaged to someone else) but somewhere about halfway through I started to really dislike George and Phoebe.

Because what even is happening? Why does Phoebe act like George is this huge villain when she is the one who pursued him despite being engaged and making a vow to give up on him 2 years ago? Why does George not take a single moment to let Phoebe know he is in love with her but acts like an enormous pushover who berates himself for Phoebe’s very outlandish reactions? Why is nobody telling Alice to get a grip and stop orchestrating her sibling and friend’s lives? Why does Phoebe’s “caring” family not see that her betrothed is scum? For that matter why doesn’t anybody just flat out tell Phoebe that they have dirt on him? Why doesn’t anybody just have a single clear conversation?? The angst just comes from nowhere for me and then just doesn’t relent until the very end and it doesn’t really seem like I want these people together by the time it happens!

Also the “teaching her how to walk at 1” stuff got really creepy. I’m all for childhood friends and a minor age gap but good grief can we at least pretend to have a realistic childhood infatuation? What 4 year old is saying “this baby is for me” about a newborn? Niven lost me with this one.

I truly hope book 3 is better. I thought this book would be my favorite over book 1 but even with its bad ethics book 1 is more readable than this and the characters didn’t totally lose me halfway through. Such a shame because I thought having a bald and somewhat neurodivergent seeming MMC was going to make this book fresher than the tropes it’s based on.

EDIT: one star because Phoebe’s brother Andrew - the blind musician and ducal heir - is literally the only person in this book I care about.

[Adriana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bed Me, Baron continues to series's central theme of the heroine asking to be bedded by the titular hero and I was really not prepared for how angsty and heart-wrenching Phoebe and George's story would be.

There’s something so deliciously angsty about two people who have known each other their whole lives starting to see each other in a completely different light —or feelings that were hidden for years bubbling to the surface. Phoebe and George have been best friends since she was born (and George was 4) but now at age 22, Phoebe is engaged to marry someone else and asks George to have sex with her, so that she will not go to her marriage bed with no idea what to do or expect. George is endearingly oblivious to Phoebe as a woman. I love Niven’s ability to create such distinctive characters. George is unlike the lovable mess and alpha-hole Jack Pike we met in the previous book. George is serious and strict with himself and those around him, he follows a regimented schedule where he deigns to carve out some time weekly for his chess games with Phoebe —a life long tradition between them. He’s never really allowed himself to see Phoebe as the adult woman she is until she barges into his study and asks to be bedded. It’s so interesting to watch a single thread in George’s life be tugged at until his entire life is unraveling out of his control.

Once again: Niven’s books are almost entirely character driven. I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say that the plot of this book revolves around George discovering he may actually have feelings for Phoebe after all, only for it to possibly be too late —with her engaged to someone else.

But it’s the way these characters break down and get built back up that make the story such a masterpiece. George will do absolutely anything to win over Phoebe away from her fiance, except actually confront his feelings for her and be honest with her.

And Phoebe, poor sweet Phoebe, went on a journey I really was not expecting to go on in this book. AKA: I was not expecting to cry so much reading this. Phoebe struggles a lot with her self-worth throughout the book; I don’t want to spoil it, but just be prepared for a lot of angst for the last third of the book.

Thank you so much to the author for sending me an early copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

[bree | breesbookmark ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I absolutely loved this steamy yet deeply introspective romance between two childhood best friends who have to work through their own insecurities and perceived shortcomings to find each other ❤️

Phoebe has always loved George, and George has always loved Phoebe—well, sort of. He knows he loves her, but he doesn’t realize the nature of that love until Phoebe asks him for sex lessons so she doesn’t enter into her marriage completely clueless. I really enjoyed that, despite it seeming like a very silly thing to do in this era (dukes *obviously* wanted virgins, right?), it makes sense in the context of Phoebe’s character to request such a thing.

And George—I love him so much. He’s not the perfect romance hero who always says the right thing at the right time, but his love for Phoebe is so obvious at all points in the book. Their chemistry is apparant from the very beginning of the book, and even through the angst and hurt I never questiones whether they were meant to be!

Highly recommend this one, but definitely check the TWs!

[T Rojo · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC REVIEW (Thanks Felicity!)

Could this be my favorite friends to lovers? Possibly!

Phoebe has been in love with George since the day she was born. She’ll do anything to be in his presence, even let him teach her how to play chess. George hasn’t seen Phoebe as anything other than his opponent until one day she asks him for bedding lessons.

Unfortunately for George, Phoebe is engaged to someone else. But no matter, all he has to do is confess his love and Phoebe will break the engagement-right? Not quite.

Childhood friends to lovers isn’t a new trope but the way each character is nuanced makes the story feel fresh. I loved George and his shiny bald head.

[Maddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like these books but they do feel slow, especially for 300ish pages. Also the characterization of both the MMC and the FMC was annoying at times. Like what George said to her is awful but the way she forgives him just didn’t make sense to me.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25✨’s

This friends-to-lovers story was so heart-warming, angsty, and slightly frustrating. These two were so adorable together- I loved their friendship!

[Belinda Magro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, Felicity Niven has done it again! This is my new favourite by her. I am having a major book hangover now as I can't stop thinking about this story.

I adored the main characters, George and Pheobe who were best friends. Pheobe always loved George and everyone thought they would marry and were surprised she become betrothed to the Duke of Thornwick.

Pheobe is curvy and George is a bald man which both found attractive. They say opposites attact and George and Pheobe were definitely opposites. George liked routine, order and punctuality. Whereas Pheobe was spontaneous, stubborn and always late.

Felicity Niven has a true gift for storytelling. Their love story felt so real and genuine and clutched at my heartstrings. I felt all the characters emotions, the regret experienced by George and the low self worth felt by Pheobe. It was not only a story of best friends becoming lovers but a story of growth and self awareness.

If you love a best friends to lovers story filled with angst, steamy love scenes and romantic storytelling, I cannot recommend this enough.

I was given an arc for free by the author and this opinion is my own and the review was submitted voluntarily.

[Zoe Reads Romance · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second of the Bed Me series and a standalone.

This book is perfect if you love childhood friends to lovers, pining, grovel, flawed characters and sweet, but passionate steam.

Phoebe is awkward, loveable, intelligent and profoundly in love with George, who is determined to see her only as the little girl whom he taught to walk and to play chess.
George is a deeply regimented, fastidious and loyal young man, who keeps his feelings on such a tight rein he is unaware of them most of the time.

They are both likeable and hurting and you long for their HEA, even as they persist is doing unlikeable and hurtful things, mainly to themselves, but also to each other. They are very human and I love that about them.
Over the course of the book, Phoebe and George make revelations about themselves, each other and their place in the world. Their growth arcs are really satisfying as a reader.

Felicity manages to blend character and plot driven romance really well. Bed me, Baron is very well crafted and the use of other characters as well as events makes the plot trot on at a good pace, neither rushed nor dragging.

This is also a book where, similar to Be Me Duke, our characters are unconventionally attractive. George is tall, dark, muscular and bald. Classic male pattern baldness that happens to him young, to his shame and he has worn wigs and toupees. He eshews them, accidentally and its a lovely metaphor for him realising his true feelings for Phoebe and growing into the man she deserves.
Phoebe is plump, fair, burns easily, a bit scruffy, with hair always falling down, peticoats showing and bitten nails. Her "imperfection", so contrary to George, is what he needs.

I received the book as an ARC for free for my honest opinion.

[girlwithhearteyes]

Marking this as DNF @ 25%, as that’s when I started skimming/skipping ahead.

I’m a sucker for the “FMC gives up on her unrequited love for the MMC, which is when he realises that he wants her” set up, but sadly this book didn’t work for me. Phoebe and George were two idiots, and the parts I read while skipping ahead had me raging.

I do find Felicity Niven’s writing style very distinctive though, and I’ve thought this while reading each of her books. It’s very frank at times, but can also be a little flowery? It always takes me a while to get used to, but I end up liking the writing style (just not the story this time around).

[chikki · Rating 2 out of 5]

the longer i read it the less i like it 🤦‍♀️

[Rachael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hold on to your wigs cause this is a messy one!

Did I enjoy this book? Did I hate this book? Did this book send me into a whiplash during the last third? Yes.

This is kinda hard to rate because even though this book enraged me at times I did inhale it and it was entertaining 🤷‍♀️

I’m not sure I needed 28838338 reminders that the mmc George, was bald and I most definitely didn’t need his bald head to be likened to his dick so many times. I also think his wig, his bald head and his affinity for having seen so many other men’s dicks was brought up in every other chapter until 70%. And that’s when the book took a very unexpected dark turn…

The fmc Phoebe is told her best friend Alice (who happens to be George’s sister) was found in a state of undress with HER fiance, she leaves the estate but not before being told that her father has dropped dead so obviously she races home. Once home she figures out that she’s pregnant and the baby is George’s (he’s been giving her sex lessons for the last few months albeit every time it’s mentioned on page they’ve been careful but whatever) and so they must marry. She’s understandably depressed for the majority of the last third of the book. It wouldn’t be a romance book if they didn’t sort their shit out and while I don’t think it was the most awful execution I do think Phoebe’s existentialism could have been handled sooner.

There was some questionable things in this book that has me literally staring at the hidden camera in the corner of my room. George constantly thinks about Phoebes breasts and what they looked like when she was 12/13. Phoebes brother talks about how he wishes he could marry his sister because she’s basically the perfect woman. Phoebe is 22 and hasn’t a clue about how her own body works but is expressing her eagerness for George to finish in her mouth??? Phoebe also has to apologise to Alice even though she was the one who was found with phoebes fiancé (do not get me started on the misogyny here and the concept of Alice doing this on purpose to “save” Phoebe)

Anyways I’m off to read the second epilogue because it can’t get any worse right? … right?

[K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trigger warnings: death of a parent, cheating, depression, threats of domestic violence, vomit, pregnancy

I loved the premise of this - "Hey male best friend, I'm engaged to a guy but I know nothing about sex. Can you teach me so I'm not a bumbling fool on my wedding night?" - and I loved Phoebe as a protagonist. George took a while to grow on me, partly because he was utterly oblivious and partly because I just wanted him to use his words and be like "Your fiance gives me the wiggins, please don't marry him?" even if he hadn't worked out his feelings.

What I really enjoyed:
- How much everyone was relieved that prematurely bald George stopped wearing his wig hahaha
- Phoebe's competitive nature
- Alice
- George's more thoughtful moments
- Phoebe being all "I don't actually know who I am and I need time to figure it out"
- Phoebe and her archery

What didn't work for me:
- The first...two thirds??...felt very PWP
- I got really sick of reading about how much George loves having his bald head rubbed, and it kind of gave me the ick in the end
- The noises Phoebe made when she orgasmed??? Huh. Huh. Huuuuuh, Every time. It didn't need to be written that way.
- The phrase "fleshy sitting place" when referring to Phoebe's arse. Like...that's just odd.
- The last 20% was kind of a bummer tbh

Anyway, I feel like I've been quite negative, but I did very much enjoy this book and I'm definitely going to pick up the next one after reading the excerpt at the end!

[Melanie MacInnis · Rating 4 out of 5]

George and Phoebe grew up on neighboring estates. They’ve been best friends forever. We follow their story primarily in their current day of late Regency, where they still have ongoing chess games - quite competitive actually. Because they grew up together, Phoebe’s father has no problems with her going to George’s home to play in his study. Maybe he should 😈

Phoebe has had 4 seasons, and is very relieved to finally have received a proposal - from a Duke no less! Phoebe’s competitive nature drives her to ask her best friend George to give her “lessons” for her future new husband, because it’s not in her nature to not be super good at something.

Now - what gets me about this, is that she asked George to do this like 2 days after the engagement - before they’ve even set a date!!!! She’s such a clown. But he’s an even bigger clown!! There’s almost no gentlemanly protests from him. Neither will admit to having feelings for the other, which we see their history through flashbacks from as young as 8 and 12 up to Phoebe meeting her betrothed Duke. (Who of course is a shit). These 2 have a history, of course complicated by that awkward time of puberty…. which has resulted in both of them pushing those feelings way way down.

So, while these 2 clowns deny feelings while having their “lessons” which are more and more transparent, literally everyone who knows them is just waiting for them to remove their heads from their behinds.

The overall story did not proceed how I thought it would. Which I suppose is a good thing. I was expecting a fun and sexy friends to lovers(my fave) with a twist of sex lessons (even better). What I wasn’t expecting was the ANGST. I have to say, I tried to be sympathetic to Phoebe, I really did. But I don’t think I liked her much. I understood her thoughts and motivations( thanks Ms Niven!) but once things moved past the engagement with the Duke, I felt George was a more sympathetic character. I think it was quite clear Phoebe very much still had personal growth to do. In the end I was glad to see the support of her mother ultimately helping her to see clearly. All the better since her mother never was a fan of George.

Phoebe was unashamed in taking her pleasure once she knew how. The Duke was made in to the villain quite easily by how vocal he was that being competitive or wanting to win wasn’t lady like and he wanted a “biddable” wife (which was decidedly not Phoebe). And he was a selfish jackass. So good on Phoebe for walking out and realizing she had no one to please but herself.

The one thing still left outstanding for me is if Phoebe ever did visit Lady Anne to hear what she had to say??? This wasn’t resolved in the book, and it seemed like it should serve a purpose - but it’s never mentioned again. I don’t know if this relates to something in one of the other books of the series? But if so I’m not so sure the book can truly be called stand alone. I wish this was resolved in the book or removed. It seems like something is definitely happening between Anne and the Duke!!

This is my first read of Felicity Niven, and I was so excited to be given the opportunity to read and review Bed Me, Baron. Thank you for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Jeriann Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hi HE'S ALWAYS LOVED HER

Felicity Niven gives another masterpiece in this friends to lovers follow up to Bed Me, Duke and we get an insecure, bald hero, a complex heroine, chess, and etymology. (That's words not bugs).

The course of true love does not run smoothly for friends since childhood George, Lord Danforth and Lady Phoebe after she asks him to show her everything a wife should know in the bedroom. (And he does, in a move that surprised me! This is a sexy book and it starts early and often. Lets just say bookish George knows a thing or two and Phoebe wants to learn. And, yes, there is a "consequence".)

You see, Phoebe has just accepted proposal from the arrogant duke of Thornwyck despite literally everybody assuming that George was eventually going to offer for Phoebe. George having been the ever present scowling watch dog at all of the balls and assemblies that Phoebe had attended who had inadvertently scared off every other suitor.

In Felicity Niven's world, people aren't perfect. Sexy heroes are prematurely bald and a bit insecure and the 22 year old heroine has some emotional growing up to do. Quickly. I found this romance heartbreakingly painful to read (don't worry there is an HEA ) I think because it brought back memories of my insecurities in the first few months dating my future husband. Niven reminds us that falling in love -- even with someone you've known your entire life -- can be painful. Now, George has realized almost too late how much he loves and adores Phoebe -- and most definitely not as a childhood friend.

I honestly feel this is George's book. His quest to stop the engagement between Phoebe and the duke pretty much drives the course of the story. And this quest does not run smoothly. But George makes some endearingly rash decisions and takes some bold actions that don't go his way and it temporarily drives Phoebe further away from him, not closer.

I didn't always like Phoebe during the course of the story. There is a middle section where I really wanted to shake her and tell her to just grow up. Ultimately, I wanted her to get more of an epiphany on what drove her to seduce George one day after accepting the proposal of another man. But I have not had a chance to read the follow up 2nd epilogue which is really a novella.

This is a lovely, sexy 5-star read. Don't miss it!

(Thank you to the author for the ARC.)

(I am all in for book 3, Bed Me, Earl! It looks like we're getting a hero of average height)

[Abi Hawkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the second in a series centered around the theme of bedding lessons. This book focuses on the wonderful Lady Phoebe and her long term friend, Baron George Danforth. I personally instantly fell in love with Phoebe, she's perfectly imperfect. The love story that envelops her life is wonderful, running alongside the love story is the deep and abiding lust. It is so special to read a Regency romance that has a strong woman at the helm, who knows exactly what she wants. Felicity Niven is gifted at telling the story of these incredible heroines who can stand up and fight for what they deserve. I can't rate this book highly enough, and I may have a new favourite histrom couple... I was kindly gifted an ARC copy of this beautiful book.