A Ward for the Baron: Lords of Voluptas Book Five

by Kathy Leigh

A red-haired hoyden ignites the flame of love in sensible, sophisticated Lord Adam Loxley. But is love enough when her impulsive nature and his determination to keep his family honor clash? Harriet is a lively young lady who just wants to have fun. When Baron Loxley is appointed as her guardian, she looks forward to a whirl of social activity in London. But Lord Adam Loxley is determined to keep any hint of scandal from his family name. He does not expect to fall in love with the vivacious young woman who creates a stir wherever she goes. Harriet is intimidated by her guardian’s sophistication and innate authority but she admires and respects him. However, his cousin, Captain Clive Loxley, has his eye on Harriet and she finds herself torn between the charming, suave captain and the powerful, sophisticated baron. Will her heart choose the right man? Book Five in the Lords of Voluptas series can be read as a standalone but will be enjoyed even more if you read the entire series. Publisher's This steamy Regency romance contains elements of power exchange.

255 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 28, 2026

About the author

Kathy Leigh writes Regency and other historical romance novels in which women are strong and independent, and the men are commanding and powerful. Historical accuracy blends with sensuality and desire, creating exciting tales of love and adventure.
She has loved books and writing since she could first follow the stories in her bedtime tales and began writing stories in old school notebooks when she was eight years old. She is now the successful writer of the historical romance series To the Manor Born, The Lords of Voluptas, and The Wards of Lamercier.
A romantic at heart, she is inspired by thunderstorms, sunflowers, and the belief that every princess deserves to find her prince. She loves curling up on her couch with a good book, a glass of wine, and her cats for company. As a young girl, she particularly enjoyed novels by Georgette Heyer and Jane Austen, and sighed over Mr. Rochester in Jane Eyre. She now enjoys historical romance with an edge. She also enjoys fantasy, especially when it has a touch of romance.

Reviews

[Bonnie]

I have received a free review copy from BookSprout and this is my freely given opinion.

Warning - this story contains a rape scene so keep this in mind if this is a trigger for you!

This is the fifth book of the Lords of Voluptas series and I generally enjoyed them all to some degree. These are all books that showed couples developing relationships valuing pleasure, and control, over the expected social norms of the regency era, and there is some degree of openness and shared pleasure as close friends in the group, and definitely some light BDSM/spanking/power exchange. So if that is not for you, then the series is not for you. The established couples demonstrate a lot of closeness, friendship, love and trust as a group, and as couples, and I enjoyed seeing those relationships continue in through the series.

This story is about Baron Loxley and the ward he was charged to care for after the death of his great aunt. Despite being a member of the Lords of Voluptas, he appears to be quite stern and in great control at times, and that is because of his family history, having members who have stained the family name. He still currently has relatives who are resentful of his wealth and good fortune, but work to squander what they have, but harrying him to pay their way and undermining him.

Harriet, his ward, is a high spirited woman, who wants to have fun, having lived with no real boundaries, and in the country with his elderly aunt. She is socially awkward, unrestrained and rather unsophisticated, but the Baron and Harriet are attracted to each other. She seems to have quite a desire to please him, and is very sensitive to when she disappoints him, and does not know how to cope when that happens. In this, she seems quite sensitive, emotionally immature, and lonely. He is very attracted to her, but she is not what he expected to have in his controlled, and orderly life. But he also is at fault for not communicating well, but seems to be at odds with himself and in denial of his feelings often. It does not help when his cousin works to undermine the Baron's relationship and standing with her, and manipulates her to try to steal control of her inheritance himself.

Again, if you have issues with power exchange, elements of BDSM, and there is the trigger of rape in this story, stay away.

3.5 stars out of 5 for me. I would have liked to see the uncle and cousin get a more definitive comeuppance for their actions, especially the cousin.

[Leena Palarpong]

It can hardly be called romance.....

I think I have only given 1 bad review before this one of all the hundreds of regency romance I read.....this one did it....Considering that the author portrayed the heroine as a 12 yrs old kid when she is supposedly 20, the hero is akin to a pedophile....Innocent, guileless, and gullible is acceptable but we're talking about a 20 year old girl that needs 15 min time off and "spanking" for misbehaving....

In summary, its a story of a heroine who is a witless chit (mental development disorder) and a hero who is a pedophile

[Slwd]

Baron Adam and his ward Harriet

“A Ward for the Baron” is the 5th of the Lords of Voluptas books by Kathy Leigh and the fifth I have read. Overall, this is probably my least favorite of the series. Lord Adam Loxley is the last unmarried man in his tight knit group of friends when he inherits a ward, impetuous, spirited Harriet Spencer. She is an heiress in her own right. Adam was planning to leave Harriet in the country until he was ready to visit her and decide what course of action to take regarding her future. However, Harriet, tired of the sedate country life, takes it upon herself to travel unaccompanied to London anxious for fun and and excitement. From the moment these two meet, a bond forms. I found Harriet to be very immature, she was quick to act and speak without thinking. Quite the opposite was Adam, a mature, refined gentleman of the ton. He was making inroads into cleaning up the family name and keeping it free from scandal, Harriet’s manner threatened his work. Also threatening the family name was Adam’s cousin, Captain Clive Loxley and Clive’s father, Brigadier Hiram Loxley, both men expect Adam to pay their debts, gambling and otherwise, so they can live well beyond their means. Hiram is an unrepentant gambler, a cheat, and a drunk; Clive is a rake, a gambler, and wants to live the high life without working for it. He sees innocent Harriet Spencer as a means to that end. He is constantly feeding gullible Harriet a pack of lies about Adam while puffing himself up. Clive’s only goal is Harriet’s money. Adam tries to guide Harriet to think before she acts. This story includes spanking, elements of power exchange, a lot of steamy scenes and, for those who need trigger warnings, a rape scene. I enjoyed the inclusion of characters from the other stories in the series. I would’ve liked Clive’s punishment for his act against Harriet to be included. Adam and Harriet, the fifth and final couple of the group of friends, reach their happy ever after.

[Kat Tolle]

OK Read! A Ward for the Baron by Kathy Leigh is book 5 in the Lords of Voluptas series and I have to say this book is not what I thought it was going to be. Though in a series this book can be read as a standalone. I found this book to be quite spicy and not in a bad way necessary. It had the true feeling of the regency era, original and the romance between Adam and Harriet I found just a tad disturbing. What I really didn’t like was that I found Harriet too immature for the likes of Adam. Harriet was more like a 14 year old than a 20 year and I have to admit it bugged me. Over all I like the actual storyline with the uncle and his son being just evil and greedy and how Adam did not give in to them. I felt at time this was really a good read and at other times I felt like the story just didn’t flow.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Donique Collins]

Harriet is a 20 year old woman who has been sheltered living in the country all of her life. She has the mind of a girl of 17 or 18. This innocence unfortunately puts her in a horrible situation. Adam is so worried about the family's reputation that he does not always react rational in situations. Regardless, Adam desires to help Harriet learn about herself and the true goodness of pleasure.
This book contains some BDSM as well as a forced sex scene.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sandy]

I enjoyed this historical romance story with all of the characters. The two main characters were Harriet and Baron Adam Loxley.

Harriet is young woman that want to have fun. She is looking forward to all of the activity that is in London. Her new guardian is in London.

Baron Adam Loxley has been appointed a ward. His ward is a young lady that needs protecting and guidance.

This was a fun story to read. It action and drama. It was also steamy at times.

I received a complimentary copy via Booksprout. This is my honest unbiased opinions.

[Cathylynn]

Adam has become guardian after her aunt dies. There is an age gap. Adam is a stuff ol' Baron, but likes Harriet. There is chemistry between the two is unmistakable. Enter Clive he is not a nice man but also has his sites set on Harriet. He tries to ruin things between the two. I loved this book and the interactions between Adam and Harriet were great. I liked this book and it kept my interest.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Alyssa]

Harriet is Adam's ward after the death of her aunt in a time period where a man has to have control over a woman's estate and finances. However, there is tension and chemistry between the two of them that they are unable to deny.

Adam's cousin, is a scumbag and attempts to get in between them in the worst way.

This book has spice, some triggering scenes, and a HEA.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Debra]

I love it frist time reading her book and not a dull moment in fact I’ve downloaded the set. Continue success Kathy you have another fan merry Christmas to you and yours and all who reads this review.

DH from NYC 12/10/2023

[Patricia Perez]

Awesome

I just loved Adam and Harriet. I just wish that I found out what became of Clive. Evil bastard is what he was. A definite must read series. Get your copies today.📚😍📚😍📚😍📚

[Tawny]

This was a good end to this series although it was a little predictable. I was disappointed that we didn’t really get a conclusion about what ended up happening with Clive or his father.