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Scandalous House of Calydon #4
The Royal Conquest
His dark seduction will be her undoing…
After being cruelly jilted by a lord who claimed to adore her, Miss Payton Peppiwell swore her future husband would be as ordinary as she. Now if only her family would listen to her. Then she meets Mikhail Konstantinovich, an untitled horse breeder, in a highly improper and scandalous encounter. Never had Payton expected to be so attracted to the dark, intriguing man, who seduces her to recklessness with a mere stare.
Mikhail abhors anything to do with intimacy. Yet Miss Peppiwell stirs hunger and a need long forgotten in him. But Mikhail has a dark past—one that means his lust must be sated in a way entirely unsuitable for a lady. But his biggest secret will be the hardest for Payton to overcome: Mikhail is not only titled, he’s a prince…
After being cruelly jilted by a lord who claimed to adore her, Miss Payton Peppiwell swore her future husband would be as ordinary as she. Now if only her family would listen to her. Then she meets Mikhail Konstantinovich, an untitled horse breeder, in a highly improper and scandalous encounter. Never had Payton expected to be so attracted to the dark, intriguing man, who seduces her to recklessness with a mere stare.
Mikhail abhors anything to do with intimacy. Yet Miss Peppiwell stirs hunger and a need long forgotten in him. But Mikhail has a dark past—one that means his lust must be sated in a way entirely unsuitable for a lady. But his biggest secret will be the hardest for Payton to overcome: Mikhail is not only titled, he’s a prince…
220 pages, Paperback
First published November 30, 2015
249 people are currently reading
1136 people want to read
About the author
Stacy Reid
89 books3,425 followersI am an unapologetic romance lover. I read it. I write it. Enough said. Well..I also have a warrior way "Never give up on my dreams." I spend a copious amount of time drooling over Rick Grimes from Walking Dead, watching Japanese anime and playing video games with my love, Dusean.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 141 reviews
December 2, 2015
Before anything else, allow me to fangirl first and ask Stacy Reid a question through this review. Were you Lisa Kleypas's apprentice? Because her writing and yours have the same impact to my heart. You are a historical romance genius!
Alright, on to my review. :)
The Royal Conquest seriously made me miss reading historical romance because I consider this genre my first love. In this book, I experienced such overwhelming feelings and love because Stacy Reid's way of writing offers flawless romance and emotional depth.
This book is the fourth book of the Scandalous House of Calydon series. This time we get to know more about Payton Peppiwell, the younger sister of Phillipa Peppiwell from The Irresistible Miss Peppiwell. Payton, who was jilted by her fiancé Lord Jensen because of her previous family scandal, has already moved on and decided that the social circle is not for her. But when her visitation to Sherring Cross led her to meeting the alluring and devilishly handsome Mikhail Konstantinovich, her world tumbled upside down because of the inevitable attraction they both felt towards each other. However, Mikhail had some secrets that he was not willing to divulge to Payton and all of a sudden, Lord Jensen came into the scene once again to win her back and propose a marriage for the second time.
This book certainly has a lot of elements that attract a romance reader like me. One of these is the sexual tension which was very discernible and powerful that I was most definitely swooning the entire time and rooting for the two to end up together. The main characters are strong and very attractive and they definitely burst with amazing qualities. Payton especially enthralled me because of her love for books and writing.
Here's one of my favorite conversations shared by Payton and Mikhail that made me laugh:
The two of them have undeniable chemistry and it was endearing and a pleasure to read. The overall romantic plot is also raw and very enticing. It's basically a book that makes it all difficult to tear your eyes away from it. As a whole, this book is an exquisite addition to the series. It was written with passion and it's one with a great conflict delivery and remarkable resolve.
I can't wait to see what the author has in store for her readers on the next books. Man, the series continues to get better in each book!
(ARC was given freely by the Publisher in exchange for an honest review)
Rating:
Alright, on to my review. :)
The Royal Conquest seriously made me miss reading historical romance because I consider this genre my first love. In this book, I experienced such overwhelming feelings and love because Stacy Reid's way of writing offers flawless romance and emotional depth.
This book is the fourth book of the Scandalous House of Calydon series. This time we get to know more about Payton Peppiwell, the younger sister of Phillipa Peppiwell from The Irresistible Miss Peppiwell. Payton, who was jilted by her fiancé Lord Jensen because of her previous family scandal, has already moved on and decided that the social circle is not for her. But when her visitation to Sherring Cross led her to meeting the alluring and devilishly handsome Mikhail Konstantinovich, her world tumbled upside down because of the inevitable attraction they both felt towards each other. However, Mikhail had some secrets that he was not willing to divulge to Payton and all of a sudden, Lord Jensen came into the scene once again to win her back and propose a marriage for the second time.
This book certainly has a lot of elements that attract a romance reader like me. One of these is the sexual tension which was very discernible and powerful that I was most definitely swooning the entire time and rooting for the two to end up together. The main characters are strong and very attractive and they definitely burst with amazing qualities. Payton especially enthralled me because of her love for books and writing.
Here's one of my favorite conversations shared by Payton and Mikhail that made me laugh:
(Mikhail) "Do not be embarrassed. I possess a similar need to know all of your secrets. I hunger to know your passion, what you dream of, the food you love, what makes you angry, what makes you throw back your head and laugh without a care in the world, what makes your golden eyes darken with need, and what makes you moan in abandonment."
(Payton) "Books."
(Mikhail) "What?"
(Payton) "When I smell a new book and clasp the leather binding in my arms. I moan... in pure pleasure."
The two of them have undeniable chemistry and it was endearing and a pleasure to read. The overall romantic plot is also raw and very enticing. It's basically a book that makes it all difficult to tear your eyes away from it. As a whole, this book is an exquisite addition to the series. It was written with passion and it's one with a great conflict delivery and remarkable resolve.
I can't wait to see what the author has in store for her readers on the next books. Man, the series continues to get better in each book!
(ARC was given freely by the Publisher in exchange for an honest review)
Rating:
November 2, 2015
I am very excited for this book to be in readers hands! After Sins of a Duke I received several messages from wonderful readers asking for Marcus and Charlotte's book. Excited I dived in, but Payton's story kept tugging at me. So I paused Char's book and churned out Mikhail and Payton's journey, and it is here!
I think this is my first book where there is a little bit of me in my heroine and hero. There is a scene where Payton got caught in a compromising situation, and I modelled this very scene after my own life.LOL. Down to her clasping her cheeks and saying "I cannot believe this is happening." Those were the same words I said to my hubby when we got caught!Distressingly I was 16 at time and he was 17. Ughhh...the very memory has me upset even now. Ha!
There is also bit of Mikhail in me as well. After I fell in love with my hubby and we got together, It took him almost two years before he could kiss my neck, my cheek, and I did not flinch, and another several months before he could hug me for more than five seconds (wonderful man!). I channelled most of my emotions into Mikhail and his reactions...and I fell in love with him so hard. I am hoping you guys fall in love with him as well!
Happy reading! And Marcus and Charlotte's book is coming pretty soon!
Stacy
I think this is my first book where there is a little bit of me in my heroine and hero. There is a scene where Payton got caught in a compromising situation, and I modelled this very scene after my own life.LOL. Down to her clasping her cheeks and saying "I cannot believe this is happening." Those were the same words I said to my hubby when we got caught!Distressingly I was 16 at time and he was 17. Ughhh...the very memory has me upset even now. Ha!
There is also bit of Mikhail in me as well. After I fell in love with my hubby and we got together, It took him almost two years before he could kiss my neck, my cheek, and I did not flinch, and another several months before he could hug me for more than five seconds (wonderful man!). I channelled most of my emotions into Mikhail and his reactions...and I fell in love with him so hard. I am hoping you guys fall in love with him as well!
Happy reading! And Marcus and Charlotte's book is coming pretty soon!
Stacy
July 20, 2020
**** 4.5 stars ****
I am completely, utterly, thoroughly and wholly a Stacy Reid's fan!
I don't think there's gonna be a book by her which I won't like.
This is the story of Payton who is outspoken and don't care about the ton or the society. She is the daughter of American businessman who is reluctant in getting his daughters married to titled gentlemen.
Payton is a non-materialistc person who is not bothered in how much a gentleman owns and what his title is..... I loved this quality of her!!
She's once been jilted which broke her heart very badly. The society has insulted her alot which made her hate them even more.
Then comes Mikhail who is a Prince but wants to keep his identity hidden. He meets Payton and they fall in love.
The story is about all the happenings when Payton comes to know that Mikhail is not a commoner she wants to marry.
⚫The writing style as usual is fantabulous. I just love how Stacy makes readers fall un love with her work so easily.
⚫ Plotting was amazing. Every twist and turn made my heart twist with them.
⚫ Character building too is good.
A very romantic and heart touching read.
I am completely, utterly, thoroughly and wholly a Stacy Reid's fan!
I don't think there's gonna be a book by her which I won't like.
This is the story of Payton who is outspoken and don't care about the ton or the society. She is the daughter of American businessman who is reluctant in getting his daughters married to titled gentlemen.
Payton is a non-materialistc person who is not bothered in how much a gentleman owns and what his title is..... I loved this quality of her!!
She's once been jilted which broke her heart very badly. The society has insulted her alot which made her hate them even more.
Then comes Mikhail who is a Prince but wants to keep his identity hidden. He meets Payton and they fall in love.
The story is about all the happenings when Payton comes to know that Mikhail is not a commoner she wants to marry.
⚫The writing style as usual is fantabulous. I just love how Stacy makes readers fall un love with her work so easily.
⚫ Plotting was amazing. Every twist and turn made my heart twist with them.
⚫ Character building too is good.
A very romantic and heart touching read.
May 26, 2024
Review from 2017
I DESERVE A MEDAL FOR LISTENING TO THAT!
I've given this a D- for narration and a D for content at AudioGals.
I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that Stacy Reid’s The Royal Conquest is far and away the front runner for the title of “Worst Audiobook I Have Listened to This Year” . I’ve listened to mediocre stories performed by excellent narrators and excellent stories ruined by poor narrators, but this one has it all – a mediocre story performed by an inept narrator. It rarely gets worse than this.
But such is the reviewer’s lot. Sometimes when looking for titles to review, I think – “oh, I’ve not listened to that author/narrator before, so let’s give it a go”, and sometimes I’m lucky – like when I thought “oh yes, Alex Wyndham – I’ve seen him on the telly, so let’s see what he does with an audiobook” – and sometimes I’m not. This is one of those times.
Normally when I write a review of an audiobook, I spend a bit of time talking about the plot and characterisation and leave the discussion of the narration until the end. This time, however, I am going to reverse that, because even if this book had been the best ever written – and that isn’t the case by a long chalk, I assure you – the narration is so dreadful it would have rendered it completely un-listenable-to. (I may have made that term up – put it down to my still being traumatised!)
I’ve listened to Anna Parker-Naples just once before – in Deanna Raybourn’s Night of a Thousand Stars (when I gave her performance a C-) – but that was two years ago, and I had hopes that someone who continues to work as a narrator would have improved over that space of time. Yeah, just call me Ms. Over-Optimistic. In that review, I referred to her “incredibly girlish, overly bright” tone and called her American accent execrable, and nothing has changed; her voice is still girlish and her American accent is still execrable. Strangely enough, however, those aren’t the worst things about her performance. No, the hero, who is a Russian prince in disguise, sounds like a Nazi from an old black-and-white B movie, and any moment I was expecting him to say “Ve haf vays off mekking you tok!” Ms. Parker Naples can’t lower the pitch of her voice very much at all, so she resorts to some weird cross between a vocal fry and a croak in order to try to make him sound masculine and sexy, but instead he sounds about as sexy as a pair of baggy Y-fronts and every time he spoke, I cringed.
Feisty American heroine Peyton Peppiwell (oh, good grief!) is an unconventional, breath-of-fresh-air (yawn) heroine who doesn’t want to be bound by convention or to marry the sort of man she is expected to marry, especially as she had her heart broken by one such gentleman who jilted her when he learned of a scandal in her family. The hero is Mikhail Konstantinovich, aka Prince Alexander Konstantinovich Dashkova, Duke of Avondale and Count of Montgomery, who is hiding in plain sight as a mere horsebreeder because he has recently inherited an English dukedom and wants to enjoy a few weeks of blissful anonymity before he is flung into the social whirl. (The fact that he’s presumably leaving behind the responsibilities associated with his being a Prince in his homeland in order to take up the reins of this dukedom is never addressed.) The pair meet when Peyton steals his horse late one night and ends up falling off in the midst a storm; unwilling to let her make off with his prize stallion, he has (luckily for her) followed her and takes her unconscious form to a conveniently located cottage in the forest. When she comes round, she is concerned at the impropriety of his having undressed her in order to keep her warm, but is not at all bothered by the impropriety of having, in effect, stolen his horse.
And here, I can’t resist letting you sample some of the choice writing at the beginning. At just over two minutes in, Peyton comes out with this doozy:
You beautiful, magnificent beast; I want to ride you so desperately… I want to feel your power and strength between my thighs. Will you allow me to mount you?
My friends, that doesn’t even qualify as a SINGLE entendre, let alone a double one. And by the way, in case you were wondering, she’s talking to A HORSE. (Also, Ms. Parker Naples pronounces strength as “strenth”, and talks about Mikhail’s hardening “lenth”, both of which are profoundly irritating).
We already know that Mikhail is in the shadows listening, and of course, overhearing that renders him more fired up with lust than he has ever been before – we’re told this a LOT – even though for the past ten years, his heart has been encased by ice, and he pretty much makes his bed-partners fill out a questionnaire to make sure they don’t want more than he’s prepared to offer. Oh, and he only does it doggy-style. Following an abduction by a notorious courtesan some ten years earlier (because Reasons) and the sexual abuse that ensued, Mikhail cannot bear to be touched. I had to roll my eyes at the idea of a kidnapping courtesan, but the real problem is that the narrator makes Mikhail sound so utterly ridiculous that it’s impossible to have any sympathy for his situation or to take him at all seriously. I want to say here that I am absolutely not making a joke about sexual abuse, which is a terrible thing. It’s the narrator’s interpretation of the character that’s the problem – for all I know the author has written about a tricky subject in a sensitive manner; but I don’t know because it was nigh on impossible to pay attention to the words. I just wanted that stupid, squeaky-door voice to stop droning on.
Basically then, we have a heroine who doesn’t want to marry a man with a title and a prince with intimacy issues in disguise as a commoner who can’t possibly court Peyton because (almost) everyone thinks he’s a nobody. No problem – all Mikhail has to do is reveal his real identity. But wait! Peyton won’t want him if he’s nobility, and her parents won’t accept him if he’s untitled, so he’s stuffed on both counts.
It’s hard to divorce the story from the terrible narration, but The Royal Conquest offers nothing new plotwise, the dialogue is clichéd and often downright cheesy, (“though your kisses are sublimely wonderful, I yearn for a life without the glitter of high society.”) Peyton is naïve and intent on cutting off her nose to spite her face – she could truly not tolerate the idea that the man she was falling hopelessly in love with may forever be taken from her grasp if he proved to be a lord – and I couldn’t get a handle on Mikhail because I wanted to scream every time he opened his mouth. The Duke of Calydon (Mikhail’s close friend) makes a few appearances in the story and he is portrayed … decently, although of course, given what he’s up against, it may just be that I was relieved to hear a voice that sounded vaguely normal and missing the crappy accents.
I listen to rubbish like this so you don’t have to – do yourself a favour and go and watch some paint dry.
ETA: If you want to hear "that quote" - because it's early in the book, you can listen to the Audible sample and judge for yourselves!
https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Fiction/...
I DESERVE A MEDAL FOR LISTENING TO THAT!
I've given this a D- for narration and a D for content at AudioGals.
I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that Stacy Reid’s The Royal Conquest is far and away the front runner for the title of “Worst Audiobook I Have Listened to This Year” . I’ve listened to mediocre stories performed by excellent narrators and excellent stories ruined by poor narrators, but this one has it all – a mediocre story performed by an inept narrator. It rarely gets worse than this.
But such is the reviewer’s lot. Sometimes when looking for titles to review, I think – “oh, I’ve not listened to that author/narrator before, so let’s give it a go”, and sometimes I’m lucky – like when I thought “oh yes, Alex Wyndham – I’ve seen him on the telly, so let’s see what he does with an audiobook” – and sometimes I’m not. This is one of those times.
Normally when I write a review of an audiobook, I spend a bit of time talking about the plot and characterisation and leave the discussion of the narration until the end. This time, however, I am going to reverse that, because even if this book had been the best ever written – and that isn’t the case by a long chalk, I assure you – the narration is so dreadful it would have rendered it completely un-listenable-to. (I may have made that term up – put it down to my still being traumatised!)
I’ve listened to Anna Parker-Naples just once before – in Deanna Raybourn’s Night of a Thousand Stars (when I gave her performance a C-) – but that was two years ago, and I had hopes that someone who continues to work as a narrator would have improved over that space of time. Yeah, just call me Ms. Over-Optimistic. In that review, I referred to her “incredibly girlish, overly bright” tone and called her American accent execrable, and nothing has changed; her voice is still girlish and her American accent is still execrable. Strangely enough, however, those aren’t the worst things about her performance. No, the hero, who is a Russian prince in disguise, sounds like a Nazi from an old black-and-white B movie, and any moment I was expecting him to say “Ve haf vays off mekking you tok!” Ms. Parker Naples can’t lower the pitch of her voice very much at all, so she resorts to some weird cross between a vocal fry and a croak in order to try to make him sound masculine and sexy, but instead he sounds about as sexy as a pair of baggy Y-fronts and every time he spoke, I cringed.
Feisty American heroine Peyton Peppiwell (oh, good grief!) is an unconventional, breath-of-fresh-air (yawn) heroine who doesn’t want to be bound by convention or to marry the sort of man she is expected to marry, especially as she had her heart broken by one such gentleman who jilted her when he learned of a scandal in her family. The hero is Mikhail Konstantinovich, aka Prince Alexander Konstantinovich Dashkova, Duke of Avondale and Count of Montgomery, who is hiding in plain sight as a mere horsebreeder because he has recently inherited an English dukedom and wants to enjoy a few weeks of blissful anonymity before he is flung into the social whirl. (The fact that he’s presumably leaving behind the responsibilities associated with his being a Prince in his homeland in order to take up the reins of this dukedom is never addressed.) The pair meet when Peyton steals his horse late one night and ends up falling off in the midst a storm; unwilling to let her make off with his prize stallion, he has (luckily for her) followed her and takes her unconscious form to a conveniently located cottage in the forest. When she comes round, she is concerned at the impropriety of his having undressed her in order to keep her warm, but is not at all bothered by the impropriety of having, in effect, stolen his horse.
And here, I can’t resist letting you sample some of the choice writing at the beginning. At just over two minutes in, Peyton comes out with this doozy:
You beautiful, magnificent beast; I want to ride you so desperately… I want to feel your power and strength between my thighs. Will you allow me to mount you?
My friends, that doesn’t even qualify as a SINGLE entendre, let alone a double one. And by the way, in case you were wondering, she’s talking to A HORSE. (Also, Ms. Parker Naples pronounces strength as “strenth”, and talks about Mikhail’s hardening “lenth”, both of which are profoundly irritating).
We already know that Mikhail is in the shadows listening, and of course, overhearing that renders him more fired up with lust than he has ever been before – we’re told this a LOT – even though for the past ten years, his heart has been encased by ice, and he pretty much makes his bed-partners fill out a questionnaire to make sure they don’t want more than he’s prepared to offer. Oh, and he only does it doggy-style. Following an abduction by a notorious courtesan some ten years earlier (because Reasons) and the sexual abuse that ensued, Mikhail cannot bear to be touched. I had to roll my eyes at the idea of a kidnapping courtesan, but the real problem is that the narrator makes Mikhail sound so utterly ridiculous that it’s impossible to have any sympathy for his situation or to take him at all seriously. I want to say here that I am absolutely not making a joke about sexual abuse, which is a terrible thing. It’s the narrator’s interpretation of the character that’s the problem – for all I know the author has written about a tricky subject in a sensitive manner; but I don’t know because it was nigh on impossible to pay attention to the words. I just wanted that stupid, squeaky-door voice to stop droning on.
Basically then, we have a heroine who doesn’t want to marry a man with a title and a prince with intimacy issues in disguise as a commoner who can’t possibly court Peyton because (almost) everyone thinks he’s a nobody. No problem – all Mikhail has to do is reveal his real identity. But wait! Peyton won’t want him if he’s nobility, and her parents won’t accept him if he’s untitled, so he’s stuffed on both counts.
It’s hard to divorce the story from the terrible narration, but The Royal Conquest offers nothing new plotwise, the dialogue is clichéd and often downright cheesy, (“though your kisses are sublimely wonderful, I yearn for a life without the glitter of high society.”) Peyton is naïve and intent on cutting off her nose to spite her face – she could truly not tolerate the idea that the man she was falling hopelessly in love with may forever be taken from her grasp if he proved to be a lord – and I couldn’t get a handle on Mikhail because I wanted to scream every time he opened his mouth. The Duke of Calydon (Mikhail’s close friend) makes a few appearances in the story and he is portrayed … decently, although of course, given what he’s up against, it may just be that I was relieved to hear a voice that sounded vaguely normal and missing the crappy accents.
I listen to rubbish like this so you don’t have to – do yourself a favour and go and watch some paint dry.
ETA: If you want to hear "that quote" - because it's early in the book, you can listen to the Audible sample and judge for yourselves!
https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Fiction/...
December 1, 2015
4.5 stars
***ARC kindly provided by Entangled Publishing, LLC and Netgalley for the exchange of an honest review***
This was a really beautiful story!!!! I really loved it!!!!! The plot moves fast and there are no surprises on the way. The writing is really amazing!!!! Ms. Reid gave me so many feelings and she actually took my breathe away!! I even had tears in my eyes a couple of times and my heartbeat was going crazy!!!
The story of Payton and Mikhail is so beautiful and so honest! Actually this story shows how true love should feel!!!!
Payton is amazing heroine! She always holds her chin up and she knows what she wants! She is also brave and she is not afraid to risk in the name of love! I really love her!!!!
Mikhail has issues but he is aware about them. But he also does what it has to be done! He is amazing in his way.
Their connection was fantastic!!!!
The end of the story was also amazing! There was also a short epilogue! I wish there was more of Payton and Mikhail!!!! I definitely recommend this book to everyone who likes a steamy historical romance!
***ARC kindly provided by Entangled Publishing, LLC and Netgalley for the exchange of an honest review***
This was a really beautiful story!!!! I really loved it!!!!! The plot moves fast and there are no surprises on the way. The writing is really amazing!!!! Ms. Reid gave me so many feelings and she actually took my breathe away!! I even had tears in my eyes a couple of times and my heartbeat was going crazy!!!
The story of Payton and Mikhail is so beautiful and so honest! Actually this story shows how true love should feel!!!!
Payton is amazing heroine! She always holds her chin up and she knows what she wants! She is also brave and she is not afraid to risk in the name of love! I really love her!!!!
Mikhail has issues but he is aware about them. But he also does what it has to be done! He is amazing in his way.
Their connection was fantastic!!!!
The end of the story was also amazing! There was also a short epilogue! I wish there was more of Payton and Mikhail!!!! I definitely recommend this book to everyone who likes a steamy historical romance!
April 10, 2023
I listened to the audiobook and the narrator’s Russian accent for the hero is just awful.
December 1, 2015
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http://alysenovak.blogspot.com
I thought The Royal Conquest had a lot of potential, but it just fell flat for me. Boy hides out from society and their judgements. Girl was jilted by fiancee and is judged by society. Boy and girl meet, drama drama drama, fall in love. Potential, but where it fell flat for me were the actual characters.
I thought Payton was very fast to judge others, especially when that was her problem with "society". I thought she WAS the hypocrite throughout the book. It was like there were two completely different Payton's throughout the story and they didn't mesh well. One was inexperienced and shy, while the other was demanding, judgmental, and mean. She complained that society "judged" her for not having a title, yet she judged Mikhail for HAVING one... makes no sense to me.
As for Mikhail, I felt bad for what happened to him when he was a teenager. I didn't dislike his character exactly, I just didn't connect with his or understand why he was so infatuated with Peyton.
Rating: 2 out of 5
**I received an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.**
http://alysenovak.blogspot.com
I thought The Royal Conquest had a lot of potential, but it just fell flat for me. Boy hides out from society and their judgements. Girl was jilted by fiancee and is judged by society. Boy and girl meet, drama drama drama, fall in love. Potential, but where it fell flat for me were the actual characters.
I thought Payton was very fast to judge others, especially when that was her problem with "society". I thought she WAS the hypocrite throughout the book. It was like there were two completely different Payton's throughout the story and they didn't mesh well. One was inexperienced and shy, while the other was demanding, judgmental, and mean. She complained that society "judged" her for not having a title, yet she judged Mikhail for HAVING one... makes no sense to me.
As for Mikhail, I felt bad for what happened to him when he was a teenager. I didn't dislike his character exactly, I just didn't connect with his or understand why he was so infatuated with Peyton.
Rating: 2 out of 5
**I received an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.**
April 23, 2017
I couldn't put down The Royal Conquest. This story is fast paced and interesting.
Miss Payton Peppiwell and American Heiress is at the house party of the Duke of Calydon. Payton is not a conventional female of the haute ton. She has been jilted by Lord Jensen St. John and of course the Ton blames her and now she is surrounded with scandal and treated like a piranha!! She goes out to the stables in the middle of the night and meets whom she thinks is a servant of Sebastian the Duke of Calydon. She wants to ride off on his horse Sage and she is dressed in breeches.
Prince Alexander Mikhail Konstantinovich the new Duke of Avondale doesn't want anyone in the haute monde to know who he is. He is hiding out in his cousin Sebastian's the Duke Calydon's stables when Payton dress in breeches starts talking to his horse Sage. He is fascinated by what he sees. He comes out of hiding and comforts her and she takes off on his horse. He pursues her in a storm to a cabin that he and his cousin played in as boys. This is the Meet and Great of the story. They are stranded in the cabin in the storm. Payton has fallen off Sage and has been unconscious. She wakes up to the most handsome man she has ever seen. She assumes him to be just an employee of the Dukes.
Payton never wants to marry or even get involved with a title man after begin jilted by one and gossiped and whispered about by the haute monde. Mikhail wants to find a wife who will except him as an ordinary man and not just want him for his title and wealth. Mikhail also, can't stand to be touched he was kidnapped at 16 and held captive in a brothel. The Madame has him tied up and abused for several days. So now he can't stand to be touched. He must always be in control.
I don't usually like stories that are about sexual abuse of any sort. But the author had to come up with a plausible reason as to why Mikhail couldn't stand to be touched. The story only gives a brief explanation as to what happen to Mikhail and that is almost toward the end. when he has to explain to Payton on lose her.
I found The Royal Conquest interesting with two lovable H/H. The sexual tension is a slow burn up to the end when it sizzles off the pages. I Highly Recommend The Royal Conquest but I would recommend reading the prior books in the Scandalous House of Calydon series first!! All of them are very good!
Miss Payton Peppiwell and American Heiress is at the house party of the Duke of Calydon. Payton is not a conventional female of the haute ton. She has been jilted by Lord Jensen St. John and of course the Ton blames her and now she is surrounded with scandal and treated like a piranha!! She goes out to the stables in the middle of the night and meets whom she thinks is a servant of Sebastian the Duke of Calydon. She wants to ride off on his horse Sage and she is dressed in breeches.
Prince Alexander Mikhail Konstantinovich the new Duke of Avondale doesn't want anyone in the haute monde to know who he is. He is hiding out in his cousin Sebastian's the Duke Calydon's stables when Payton dress in breeches starts talking to his horse Sage. He is fascinated by what he sees. He comes out of hiding and comforts her and she takes off on his horse. He pursues her in a storm to a cabin that he and his cousin played in as boys. This is the Meet and Great of the story. They are stranded in the cabin in the storm. Payton has fallen off Sage and has been unconscious. She wakes up to the most handsome man she has ever seen. She assumes him to be just an employee of the Dukes.
Payton never wants to marry or even get involved with a title man after begin jilted by one and gossiped and whispered about by the haute monde. Mikhail wants to find a wife who will except him as an ordinary man and not just want him for his title and wealth. Mikhail also, can't stand to be touched he was kidnapped at 16 and held captive in a brothel. The Madame has him tied up and abused for several days. So now he can't stand to be touched. He must always be in control.
I don't usually like stories that are about sexual abuse of any sort. But the author had to come up with a plausible reason as to why Mikhail couldn't stand to be touched. The story only gives a brief explanation as to what happen to Mikhail and that is almost toward the end. when he has to explain to Payton on lose her.
I found The Royal Conquest interesting with two lovable H/H. The sexual tension is a slow burn up to the end when it sizzles off the pages. I Highly Recommend The Royal Conquest but I would recommend reading the prior books in the Scandalous House of Calydon series first!! All of them are very good!
July 28, 2019
Great historical detail however, the heroine, American heiress Payton Peppiwell, was such a stubborn, rebellious twit most of the book. She does not have the gravitas to stand besides a wonderfully complex man as Mikhail as his princess and duchess. The best parts of the book was the interactions between Mikhail and his cousin, Sebastian the duke of Calydon, I wish their familial background has been further explored. It was awesome to see glimpses of Sebastian's duchess, Jocelyn and her sweet, close knit family as well as mention of two new little Calydons. Overall, a good read.
December 28, 2020
After being rejected by the lord who claimed to love her Payton vows to only marry a common man. One night she meets Mikhail Konstantinovich, a common, untitled horse breeder. Their nighttime encounter is scandalous and VERY exciting. The man completely melts her into a puddle of lust with a glance and Mikhail feels an attraction to Payton in such a powerful way that he had forgotten he was capable of.
Mikhail has a very dark past. He hates intimacy, abd can only be physical with a woman in a manner not suited for a lady like Payton.
But that's not his only secret, he's also a prince.
HOT DANG THIS WAS SPICY and intriguing and unique! I loved seeing this unlikely couple fight (and fail) their attraction and feelings for each other. Mikhail's secret dark past wasn't exactly shocking, but I didn't mind that because I was SO DANG INVESTED in this couple! I don't know the last time I rooted so hard for a couple to get their HEA as this one!
Very unique, extremely sensual, and a Russian prince?? SWOON.
Mikhail has a very dark past. He hates intimacy, abd can only be physical with a woman in a manner not suited for a lady like Payton.
But that's not his only secret, he's also a prince.
HOT DANG THIS WAS SPICY and intriguing and unique! I loved seeing this unlikely couple fight (and fail) their attraction and feelings for each other. Mikhail's secret dark past wasn't exactly shocking, but I didn't mind that because I was SO DANG INVESTED in this couple! I don't know the last time I rooted so hard for a couple to get their HEA as this one!
Very unique, extremely sensual, and a Russian prince?? SWOON.
November 8, 2015
I'm pretty sure my new favorite name for a heroine is Miss Payton Myrtle Peppiwell. Seriously, try to say that 5 times and not smile. I have not read the other books with intertwining characters, but had no problem following along. In fact, I'm looking forward to catching up with those. Stacy Reid created a bright and lovely heroine (how can you not be with a name like that) and a brooding and sympathetic hero. You know it's going to happen, but you're on the edge of your seat for the climax/reveal of his identity. The development of the characters and chemistry between them is perfect. I really enjoyed this book and am grateful to Entangled Publishing (via NetGalley) for providing a copy to give an honest review.
November 30, 2015
Another wonderful, emotional, sexy, romantic read by Stacy Reid. She never disappoints and has officially become one of those authors who I don't even need to read the blurb to see what the book is about. It's an auto-buy because her name is on the cover. And The Royal Conquest, book 4 in the Scandalous House of Calydon proves why. Payton Peppiwell is Phillipa's, from The Irresistible Miss Peppiwell, sister. Side note: If you haven't read The Irresistible Miss Peppiwell, why not?? You're missing another awesome passionate story, and it's where we first meet Payton. I loved how Payton matured from then to now. Because of the hurt and embarrassment from being jilted because of the parentage of her sister's husband, her fiance jilted her. Now, she is disillusioned about society, and is determined to avoid titled men and all the hypocrisy that comes with a title. She wants to marry an "ordinary" man, like herself. In walks, Mikhail. Their first meeting is electric. He rides out after her into a storm, and saves her after she takes a tumble from her horse. She believes him to be a horse breeder and a financial adviser. Her attraction to him makes her "love" for her ex-fiance seem like a childhood crush. She wants him with a surprising dark, hungry need that she's never experienced. Mikhail is equally taken aback by the desire he feels for this young woman. But he has secrets. And not just that he is a Russian Prince, not untitled. He also hates intimacy. And has reason to. If what he felt toward Payton was just lust, that would be one thing--he could satisfy it like he has over the years. But there's a tenderness and fascination there. And a woman like Payton would need intimacy and want to touch. Plus there's the fact, she makes him actually want to give it to her but he can't--not just won't, can't. I won't throw in a spoiler about why, but oh. It was heart-breaking. But reading how he--they--overcame it was lovely and empowering. And it still stays with me now. Stacy Reid does a tortured hero like nobody's business. So also throw in an ex that won't take no for an answer and a pushy, title-hungry family, and you have a story that practically hums with passion, romance, conflict and every emotion on the scale. I adore every book in the Scandalous House of Calydon. That said, The Royal Conquest may be the best in the series. I say "may" because I'm a bit of a fence straddler...:-) It makes you FEEL. I loved Payton's spirit. Her refusal to be cowed and intimidated by her family, and her determination to not give up on Mikhail. Mikhail touched every button in me that makes a hero memorable, lovable and powerful. Together they were combustible and like steel forged in fire. I can't say enough about this book. I read it in one day. I absolutely can't wait for the next book! Stacy Reid not only wrote another awesome book, she knocked it out the park, topping her ownself!
January 17, 2016
I loooove this boook . It was so achingly beautiful with such emotion that it had me so far gone . The storytelling was fabulous with the author allowing me to understand the characters and why they are how they are . I honestly did not have any complaints with the main characters , they were just right enough to be everything I like in my hero or heroine. The last few pages were so sweet and beautifully done that it almost made me cry , the freedom and love that these two feel for each other is very inspiring and I can only hope to find a love like that in this lifetime.
Thanks so much Stacy Reid for this book and I really hope the next one is just as fabulous.
5 stars
Thanks so much Stacy Reid for this book and I really hope the next one is just as fabulous.
5 stars
June 6, 2021
2.5 stars. Good concept, I didn’t care for the execution. I especially didn’t like the ending when the both of the MCs were all over the place with their feelings & actions. There didn’t seem to be rhyme or reason for some of the sudden decisions.
Safe
Safe
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 3, 2015
This novel grabbed my attention within the first few pages and didn't let go - good thing too, because "The Royal Conquest" is A Seriously Wild Ride! The Hero is extremely intense and secretive with a mysterious past that makes him quite a Dark character. The Heroine is an American making her way through London's Haute Monde Season. She is rather jaded because her former fiancé has caused her to have a cloud of scandal hovering over her - nothing of her own making. She has decided that she does not want to marry anyone titled because she doesn't want to follow Society's dictates, she wants to live as she likes. Unfortunately, her mother and her aunt have designs to marry her off to a titled man, if it kills them. However, jaded she may be Payton is still more fresh and innocent than not. Mikhail is a enigmatic figure who presents himself as someone who advises the Duke on various business matters and has also trained many of Calydon's horses. In reality he is not only the Duke's cousin but he is also a Royal. Mikhail is the new Duke of Avondale and a Russian Prince. In contrast to Payton's naïveté, Mikhail has been exposed not only to scandal but to a haunting past that has left him unable to tolerate being touched by another human being. Stacy Reid brings so much heat to this novel. The sex scenes are incredibly racy and provocative for a Historical Romance. Mikhail and Payton's physical and sexual attraction is off the charts! At the onset of the novel, the characters feel as though they are on somewhat equal footing. Especially because of their overwhelming feelings of passion for each other. However, they are far from it. Mikhail knows his mental and physical limitations due to the trauma of his past will sabotage any lasting and loving future they may have. Payton's vehement feelings about the Haute Monde and her refusal to even tolerate being a part of that Society, is another hurdle. The thought of having to follow the rules of decorum - actually causes her a tremendous amount of self doubt and anxiety. Payton also has a dream career that she wants to pursue, and she knows that if she becomes the wife of a Lord, she would never be able to achieve her goal. Mikhail's knowledge that Payton could/would reject him for having a title (and even worse being a Prince) or even lying to her by not telling her about his titles.
There is so much that happens in this novel. The Lust. Bondage. Lying Exes. Scandal. Baby-Gates. (Yes plural.) Bondage. Cossacks. Deceit. Lies about Being Ruined. Really Being Ruined! Balls. (The dancing kind.) Bastards. (Both kinds actually.) Unwanted Betrothals. Smirking Dukes. Horses. Did I mention the Bondage??? Lots of Rain. Ghost Hunts. Children's Stories. Cottages. (That kind of becomes a Sex Cottage.) So. Much. Good. Stuff!!! This was a novel I couldn't put down. The rhythm of the alternating Points of View made it almost impossible to tear myself away. I can do nothing else but recommend this book.
I'm giving "The Royal Conquest" 5 Lightning Bolts and a Storm Warning.
This novel was provided by the Publisher in exchange for an impartial review.
There is so much that happens in this novel. The Lust. Bondage. Lying Exes. Scandal. Baby-Gates. (Yes plural.) Bondage. Cossacks. Deceit. Lies about Being Ruined. Really Being Ruined! Balls. (The dancing kind.) Bastards. (Both kinds actually.) Unwanted Betrothals. Smirking Dukes. Horses. Did I mention the Bondage??? Lots of Rain. Ghost Hunts. Children's Stories. Cottages. (That kind of becomes a Sex Cottage.) So. Much. Good. Stuff!!! This was a novel I couldn't put down. The rhythm of the alternating Points of View made it almost impossible to tear myself away. I can do nothing else but recommend this book.
I'm giving "The Royal Conquest" 5 Lightning Bolts and a Storm Warning.
This novel was provided by the Publisher in exchange for an impartial review.
November 10, 2015
A steamy, combustible read, but the mutual respect between the characters stood out for this reader. Even though Mikhail hid his titles, the feelings and respect of what each wanted/needed excelled. Payton and Mikhail were two enchanting, even mesmarising characters to read about from start to finish. This story was thorough in detail and had perfectly written characters and scenes from one chapter to the next.
A wonderful story with its share of scandalous trysts, shocks and frocks. Mikhail was a tortured soul and Payton was a whirlwind of magic for him and they blended perfectly. The story completely grabbed this reader and the characters were pure magic to read. The best book in the series by far :D
Review copy received from the Publisher
A wonderful story with its share of scandalous trysts, shocks and frocks. Mikhail was a tortured soul and Payton was a whirlwind of magic for him and they blended perfectly. The story completely grabbed this reader and the characters were pure magic to read. The best book in the series by far :D
Review copy received from the Publisher
June 10, 2020
Out of all 4 books in this series this was my favorite.
Payton just want to be normal live a life without a title marry a man that loves her for her.
She meets the horse breeder Mikhail. He isn't the man her family would pick but she likes him and he her.
But he has his secrets and demons of his past.
He fear once she knows she wouldn't want to be with him.
Enjoyed Payton she's outgoing and just want to be herself not be what society wants her to be and Mikhail is there for her for not only that reason but for love.
Payton just want to be normal live a life without a title marry a man that loves her for her.
She meets the horse breeder Mikhail. He isn't the man her family would pick but she likes him and he her.
But he has his secrets and demons of his past.
He fear once she knows she wouldn't want to be with him.
Enjoyed Payton she's outgoing and just want to be herself not be what society wants her to be and Mikhail is there for her for not only that reason but for love.
September 10, 2023
Stacy, Stacy, Stacy..... HOW DO YOU DO IT EVERY TIME?! Every book of yours that I read, quickly makes it onto my bookshelf of honor, and you are rapidly becoming my favorite romance author. The way that you write so perfectly, the longing and torment, difficult for authors to capture.... it astounds me every time!
July 19, 2021
Enjoyed this one.
I really like these two.
I really like these two.
October 22, 2022
A solid 4! Liked it very much. Not sure exactly why it doesn’t get a higher rating from me, but just doesn’t 🤷🏻♀️ Just felt like a 4- nothing more and nothing less.
June 13, 2016
I’ve started to wonder, when every historical heroine we read is not a proper lady… were there any left who were?
In The Royal Conquest we meet Ms. Payton an American girl in England, with a sister married into high society and that, after being jilted by a Lord, is totally set on not marrying a titled gent, much to the displeasure of her parents.
Prince Alexander, the Count of Montgomery and Duke of Avondale is currently incognito at his cousin the Duke of Calydon’s house, escaping from yet another scandal in Russia. This one, just like the previous ones, was not of his doing and he wants to stay out of society’s light for at least a couple of weeks. When an enticingly smelling thief gallops away on one of the prized stallions he’s brought his cousin as a present he decides to just be Mikhail and goes after her (there’s no way those curves were male).
As it happens Payton and her family are staying at the Duke’s estate as well since they are acquaintances through her sister’s marriage. And of course the “thief” in breeches is none other than the very improper Payton.
Mikhail suffered a horrible ordeal when he was kidnapped when he was young, and was left with an acute aversion to touch and a complete control over his body and its impulses. So when the beautiful girl he followed makes him feel and want things he had never thought would be in his future again, he doesn’t know what to do. Ok, he totally knows what to do, he just spends some time trying to talk himself out of doing it.
Payton is totally intrigued and enchanted by the Duke’s friend and advisor. Especially when he doesn’t expect her to act the lady, or curtail her “American charm” aka lack of proper manners. He is not disgusted by her laugh, her story writing, her penchant for riding astride… he seems to like her just the way she is. He is not a titled lord, so she can see a promising future between them.
Well, isn’t she in for a surprise! Both of them have a handful of issues to get over. She needs to learn not every Lord is a lying, fickle dickwad, and to trust Mikhail. He certainly has more troubling problems to work through.
Will they let these things get in the way of true love?
I greatly enjoyed reading The Royal Conquest. Payton was my kind of gal, doing pretty much what she pleased in spite of what people may say. Mikhail was one lovable tortured soul, and you couldn’t help but want to cuddle him (once he got over his touch aversion thingy).
Their romance was sweet and steamy, there was a lot of the much expected ravishing, and just enough meddling people to get you almost too exasperated but not quite. I’m certainly looking into Ms. Reid series after this one.
*I received a complimentary copy from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review*
June 17, 2016
In a twist to the normal way of things in a historical romance, this delightful yet emotional story features a heroine who wishes she could marry anyone OTHER than a titled man, after a disastrous broken engagement that ended with her being shunned by the peerage. Now at a house party where her family is determined to find another man with a title for her to marry, Payton catches the attention of Mikhail in the stables, a man who outwardly appears to be exactly what she's looking for (and who her parents will never allow to marry). Mikhail is intriguing, of Russian descent and seemingly as comfortable out of the public eye as she is. In fact though, he carries a few secrets, ones that Payton must be willing to accept in order for them to move forward with a relationship. When the man who jilted her in the first place comes back to try to claim her, will Payton be allowed to choose her own path to happiness?
I always enjoy Stacy Reid's stories, with their attention to detail and intricate plots. Besides the unusual twist of a woman preferring not to marry into the English Aristocracy, there is also a rather heartbreaking story-line involving Mikhail's past and a kidnapping that resulted in him being unable to stand a woman's touch. Naturally this has affected all his relationship with women, including ones he would have married, as his need for control of any intimate moments doesn't bode well for a healthy sex life. But something about Payton is different. From the moment he first lays eyes on her Mikhail is enchanted by her courage, her fortitude and her overall look at life. She confides in him, and in turn he eventually confides in her - everything except for that niggling detail of being royalty in disguise of course. The conflict set up is twofold, with the truth of Mikhail's background (both in terms of parentage and abuse) moving the pace of the story quite swiftly even as the two find the chemistry between them won't be denied. The love scenes between them are very steamy (the more so as they involve some interesting maneuvering around Mikhail's intimacy problems) and eventually of course they find a way to get their happy ending. I really enjoyed the two of them together and the originality of the plot. 4 stars.
Note: a copy of this story was provided by the publisher via NetGalley for review.
I always enjoy Stacy Reid's stories, with their attention to detail and intricate plots. Besides the unusual twist of a woman preferring not to marry into the English Aristocracy, there is also a rather heartbreaking story-line involving Mikhail's past and a kidnapping that resulted in him being unable to stand a woman's touch. Naturally this has affected all his relationship with women, including ones he would have married, as his need for control of any intimate moments doesn't bode well for a healthy sex life. But something about Payton is different. From the moment he first lays eyes on her Mikhail is enchanted by her courage, her fortitude and her overall look at life. She confides in him, and in turn he eventually confides in her - everything except for that niggling detail of being royalty in disguise of course. The conflict set up is twofold, with the truth of Mikhail's background (both in terms of parentage and abuse) moving the pace of the story quite swiftly even as the two find the chemistry between them won't be denied. The love scenes between them are very steamy (the more so as they involve some interesting maneuvering around Mikhail's intimacy problems) and eventually of course they find a way to get their happy ending. I really enjoyed the two of them together and the originality of the plot. 4 stars.
Note: a copy of this story was provided by the publisher via NetGalley for review.
January 26, 2021
Sloppy with details: a standard Russian surname would not end in "a" for a man; women don't start wearing separates (skirts and blouses vs. a one-piece dress) until the twentieth century / Edwardian period; story doesn't explain how a Russian prince would come to inherit an English dukedom.
November 20, 2015
Just finished The Royal Conquest by Stacy Reid and trust me you don't want to miss this historical romance!
April 10, 2020
This book was amazing. It has a plot line I’ve never read before and I LOVED it. I couldn’t put it down.
December 8, 2022
Quick unedited notes
Listened to the audio book on Scribd. I would’ve rated this book 3 stars based on the bad Russian accents, very distracting. Payton stood her ground. Mikhail was a delight. His backstory is monstrous and horrifying. It’s sad what lengths American social climbers would go to be of importance to the ton. To grow wealth and status the selling of daughters was the norm. The physical obstacle between Payton and Mikhail made the tension higher. Payton parents are deplorable including her Aunt.
That awful guy she was engaged to didn’t get what he deserved. My one complaint is the drop off of Mikhail’s cousin at the end. I know I will need to go back and read the previous books.
Listened to the audio book on Scribd. I would’ve rated this book 3 stars based on the bad Russian accents, very distracting. Payton stood her ground. Mikhail was a delight. His backstory is monstrous and horrifying. It’s sad what lengths American social climbers would go to be of importance to the ton. To grow wealth and status the selling of daughters was the norm. The physical obstacle between Payton and Mikhail made the tension higher. Payton parents are deplorable including her Aunt.
That awful guy she was engaged to didn’t get what he deserved. My one complaint is the drop off of Mikhail’s cousin at the end. I know I will need to go back and read the previous books.
March 21, 2024
i gotta admit, its probably a smart idea to stick to reading stacy reid’s newer books rather than going back and reading her old/first published works.
March 9, 2020
Loved it
This one was exactly my brand of strawberry jam. Man who cannot be touched except by one special women check. Man is also a prince in disguise? Check! Woman is a vivacious and curvy cutie ? Check! Loved every minute of this one and it was far and away the best of the Calydon series if not my favorite of all of hers put together. Mikahail was sexy and intriguing, and unproblematic. Payton was feisty and wonderful. There was one particular scene where Payton watched Mikail out of a window playing with some children. It starts to rain and he stands in the rain getting soaked and she watches him and he catches her and quirks his eyebrow at her. It was so well written and so sexy. That’s my favorite thing about this author she has a way of writing something extremely sensual without it being too porngraphic. Can not say enough in praise of this one
This one was exactly my brand of strawberry jam. Man who cannot be touched except by one special women check. Man is also a prince in disguise? Check! Woman is a vivacious and curvy cutie ? Check! Loved every minute of this one and it was far and away the best of the Calydon series if not my favorite of all of hers put together. Mikahail was sexy and intriguing, and unproblematic. Payton was feisty and wonderful. There was one particular scene where Payton watched Mikail out of a window playing with some children. It starts to rain and he stands in the rain getting soaked and she watches him and he catches her and quirks his eyebrow at her. It was so well written and so sexy. That’s my favorite thing about this author she has a way of writing something extremely sensual without it being too porngraphic. Can not say enough in praise of this one
September 14, 2023
Not my favorite, but I love this author.
November 13, 2015
I received this book for free from the Publisher at NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
What a magical book! I love romantic historical fiction, but this book took it to a new level for me.
I loved watching Payton's journey and seeing her character develop. She's such a lovable character. I was actually quite shocked (though, really, I shouldn't have been) that she was snubbed because of her love of writing and illustrating children's stories. Personally, I think it's really endearing, but society back then frowned upon it. I really like that Payton stays true to herself in that respect, she doesn't stop doing what she loves just to please everyone. She's quite vulnerable, but also very strong when she needs to be. To me, she's the ideal Lady :) none of this pompous superiority rubbish, give me a down-to-earth Lady any day.
I thought it was really interesting reading about Payton's inner-battles in regard to her prejudices towards noble men. Would it be so bad? Would it be as she feared? Would she be ordered around like all the other women? Moreover, would she be trapped? I loved this because it gave more depth to the story and really let you connect and feel for her.
The actual storyline was fantastic. Two people from different, but freakishly similar, worlds meet. I love how they are both just themselves, all the pomp is put to the side. I know it wouldn't be seen as "proper", and propriety wouldn't allow it... but it made the storyline so sweet! It's because of how they met that you know it's true love :') no more money-grabbing or ambition to contend with.
One more thing I loved about this book, Mikhail despising physical contact. What an obstacle! This comes up so many times in the story, and it could really prove a deal-breaker, can he control it and learn to love her touch? I loved this added twist to the story because all characters should have flaws, and this is his. There is a story behind it and it's utterly believable. I just love how such an original flaw was introduced to the story.
I'd definitely recommend this book, it's so easy to get lost in the historical side of things - it's a work of art. It was such a magical read, I didn't want it to end. I'm going to have to check out the other books in the series now. If you like historical romances, you'll love this one. This is definitely a new favourite of mine :)
If you liked my review, please visit my blog: http://www.anovelstart.com
What a magical book! I love romantic historical fiction, but this book took it to a new level for me.
I loved watching Payton's journey and seeing her character develop. She's such a lovable character. I was actually quite shocked (though, really, I shouldn't have been) that she was snubbed because of her love of writing and illustrating children's stories. Personally, I think it's really endearing, but society back then frowned upon it. I really like that Payton stays true to herself in that respect, she doesn't stop doing what she loves just to please everyone. She's quite vulnerable, but also very strong when she needs to be. To me, she's the ideal Lady :) none of this pompous superiority rubbish, give me a down-to-earth Lady any day.
I thought it was really interesting reading about Payton's inner-battles in regard to her prejudices towards noble men. Would it be so bad? Would it be as she feared? Would she be ordered around like all the other women? Moreover, would she be trapped? I loved this because it gave more depth to the story and really let you connect and feel for her.
The actual storyline was fantastic. Two people from different, but freakishly similar, worlds meet. I love how they are both just themselves, all the pomp is put to the side. I know it wouldn't be seen as "proper", and propriety wouldn't allow it... but it made the storyline so sweet! It's because of how they met that you know it's true love :') no more money-grabbing or ambition to contend with.
One more thing I loved about this book, Mikhail despising physical contact. What an obstacle! This comes up so many times in the story, and it could really prove a deal-breaker, can he control it and learn to love her touch? I loved this added twist to the story because all characters should have flaws, and this is his. There is a story behind it and it's utterly believable. I just love how such an original flaw was introduced to the story.
I'd definitely recommend this book, it's so easy to get lost in the historical side of things - it's a work of art. It was such a magical read, I didn't want it to end. I'm going to have to check out the other books in the series now. If you like historical romances, you'll love this one. This is definitely a new favourite of mine :)
If you liked my review, please visit my blog: http://www.anovelstart.com
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