A London Crime Lord Takes a Bride

Monks of Blackfriars #1

by Shana Galen

A spinster is sold into a marriage to London’s most dangerous crime lord in this thrilling Regency romance by Shana Galen.

At twenty-eight, Lady Charity Claremont has long resigned herself to life as a poor, lonely spinster. But her mother’s desperation leads to an unthinkable bargain: She sells Charity’s hand in marriage to London’s most feared crime lord, the Baron of Blackfriars, in exchange for financial security.

In the blink of an eye, Charity is wed to a dangerous, ruthless stranger. She is whisked away into a world of gaming clubs, illicit deals, and a husband who is equal parts cunning, treacherous, and devastatingly handsome. And despite his reputation, he gives Charity one thing she’s never had: a choice.

Charity is caught between two worlds: the stifling respectability of the ton and the scandalous freedom of London’s most indecent social club. Blackfriars is as alluring as he is notorious, and Charity must decide where her loyalties lie before everything goes up in flames.

Genres: Romance, Historical Romance, Historical

Kindle Edition

Expected publication March 23, 2027

About the author

Shana Galen is three-time Rita award nominee and the bestselling author of fast-paced, witty, and adventurous Regency romances. Kirkus says of her books, "The road to happily-ever-after is intense, conflicted, suspenseful and fun," and RT Bookreviews calls her books “lighthearted yet poignant, humorous yet touching." She taught English at the middle and high school level off and on for eleven years. Most of those years were spent working in Houston's inner city. Now she writes full time. She's happily married and has a daughter who is most definitely a romance heroine in the making.

Want to know more? Visit Shana's website at http://www.shanagalen.com and sign up to be notified when Shana has a new release http://bit.ly/ShanaGalenNews

Reviews

[Azanta (azantareads) · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

idk this was fun and i genuinely had a good time don’t ask me any questions

[Silvy (silvylinings) · Rating 4 out of 5]

genuinely nothing fuels me like great historical romance because what do you MEAN the devastatingly handsome criminal lord of the underworld in london is your arranged-marriage-husband??? what do you MEAN he’s hot and respectful and has a slutty little tricorn hat!!! what do you MEAN he runs an aesthetic gaming club in an old church with profane adam and eve stained glass paintings???? THE VIBES!!! IMMACULATE!!!!!

this is an ARC review!! thank you to berkley for the gifted book!

this was such a delight i read it in less than 24 hours. i went to bed thinking about this book and then promptly woke up thinking about it and proceeded to devour it with glee and joy in my heart until it was over. it was funny, twisty, hot, and romantic!!! everything i could want in my historical romances, with the added benefit of it appealing to my peaky blinders loving heart. WE STAN HOT FICTIONAL CRIMINALS IN THIS HOUSE.

i wish this book was 100 more pages simply for the pleasure of not having to be done with it yet. if you’re in the market for a historical romance that’ll make you kick your feet and blush, this is the one!!!!!

brb while i go read all of shana galen’s backlist.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was startled to see that Shana Galen has switched to first person POV. First person POV is very very rare in Historical romance, because it often lends a very modern voice to the text and is jarring. While the first chapter or two felt a little awkward, the rest of the story was engaging enough that I could look past the first person POV.

Charity is a 28 year old spinster whose father has passed away, leaving herself and her mother with nothing, since his viscountcy and ALL of his property has gone to her cousin. Her mother arranges for her to marry Crime Lord Trig Blackfriar, known as the Baron of Blackfriar. He is not an actual Baron.

I liked the secondary characters, Manon, the Blackfriar’s security, Kit, Charity’s new (natural) stepson, Marinette, Charity’s lady’s maid, and Dibbles (the renamed Butler, who like all the others was hired from the streets or Blackfriar’s gambling club, The Monastery).

The a plot of Blackfriar’s arch rogue rival Archeron was suspenseful, while the b plot was also interesting in how Charity and Blackfriar worked together to try to bring him into the ton. I had to keep reading to find out what would happen to them. It looks like this might be the first book in a new series, so I fully intend to keep an eye out for the rest when they come.

I highly recommend this book, and took off one star only for the first person POV.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book, and I am offering my honest opinion.

[Visionary Druid · Rating 3.75 out of 5]

Charity Claremont is the twenty-eight-year-old spinster of a viscount. She discovers that her mother has sold her hand in marriage to the infamous crime lord, Baron of Blackfriars. With homelessness as her only alternative, Charity accepts the arrangement. Her new husband is nothing like the man portrayed in the papers. She understands why Trig married her; she also knows the ton will never fully accept him. Can Charity adapt to her new life?

Trig Blackfriars is known throughout London as the notorious crime lord Baron of Blackfriar. He strives for respectability – and marrying into the peerage is the key to achieve that. When Charity’s mother seeks him for financial support, Trig agrees on one condition: her daughter’s hand in marriage. He never expects his bride to captivate him. When his rival threatens everything he has built or loved, Trig is determined to protect Charity at any cost. Will he achieve the respectability he desires?

The entire story is written solely from Charity’s point-of-view. So, readers gain insight into her thoughts, perceptions and feelings. I dislike the childhood Charity’s parents forced upon her – her father’s mistreatment and her mother’s indifference. Honestly, I feel she should cut her mother completely out of her life. What I like the most about Charity is that she never looked down on Trig or acted superior. She treated him as she would anyone else. There were no class distinctions between them.

What is there not to like about Trig? Through sheer grit and determination, he rose from the butter to become a wealthy businessman. I love that, before they married, Trig informed Charity she would always have a choice with him. Something her father and everyone else in her life had denied her. What I adore the most about Trig is that he gave Charity a library. That is every modern bookworm’s dream. Best of all, Trig refused to restrict what she read like most men in that era.

A LONDON CRIME LORD TAKES A BRIDE is the first book in Shana Galen’s brand-new historical romance series, MONKS OF BLACKFRIARS. This is the second book I have read by this author, and I enjoyed it like the first. It did take me some time to adjust to the first-person perspective. I have no issue with that style, although I do know some readers who do. Some of my favorite books are written in it, such as Susan Kay’s PHANTOM and Jenniferson Roberson’s CHRONICLES OF THE CHEYSULI series.

The lengthy title is what first caught my attention on Netgalley. And the synopsis convinced me to give the book a try. I enjoy stories that feature gaming clubs and crime lords. They offer a nice change-of-pace than the usual personages in haut ton. I love the “nod” to A SHOPE GIRL’S GUIDE TO WOOING A LORD, the first book in the author’s THE HEIRESS HUNTER series.

I cannot wait for new releases for both series!

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't mind second person POV in any genre of romance, but I'm also not mad when seasoned historical writers decide to try first person (though, not gonna lie, seeing Eloisa James do it was a shocker--I loved The Last Lady B , but was not expecting first person POV when I cracked it open!) I think it worked here as well--as did only seeing Charity's POV, since it kept us all in the dark about what was going on behind the scenes with Trig and what exactly his feelings were for his wife.

Although the reader, generally less naive than the heroine, probably had a clue what those feelings were starting to be. And why she definitely should have told someone about the mysterious notes she was getting...hopefully she knows better now? The touch of suspense made for a decent subplot, and made sense given her husband's background and lifestyle.

All in all, this one definitely kept me turning the pages. I especially enjoyed the eight-months-in-the-future epilogue, which gave us a small glimpse into their future life as a family (and genuinely made me really happy for Kit! That boy deserves everything good.)

Rating: 4 stars / A-

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

[Diane Rey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forced by her mother into a marriage she doesn’t want, Charity discovers that things are not always as they seem. The title and storyline really intrigued me as it was not the usual Ton romance. Trig isn’t at all what Charity expected. He actually cares for his people and listens to what Charity thinks. But Trig wants to become reputable and doesn’t understand how difficult that is in the Ton world. Charity is the happiest she has ever been and truly does not want to see Trig hurt. What will happen if he goes through with his plan and how will that affect their new relationship?

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Berkley for a copy of this book for an honest review.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books that you just cannot put down. I loved the first person point of view format of the story, I thought it a novel way to describe what was happening, and Ms Galen does it well. Charity has a very unique point of view about most things. I found her naive take on things at times amusing, and her curiosity and defiance refreshing. This heroine starts off a wallflower and really blossoms under Trig’s (less than polished) attentions.

[Jessica]

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

I am having a hard time getting in to this book. The writing is very "telling, not showing." I feel like the plot is just getting narrated to me.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charity and Trig are a fun couple! Charity is a likable heroine, full of kindness and open minded. The story kept me reading and I finished reading it in one day. Great romance!

[Huniyah]

Expected publication March 23