น้ำผึ้งซาตาน

by Janmarie Anello, อคีราอนาคิน (Translator)

"ริชาร์ด เวกซ์ตัน" ดยุกหนุ่มแห่งเซนต์ออสตินถูกแบล็กเมล์จากพ่อของ "ลีอาห์" ให้แต่งงานกับลูกสาวของตัวเองเพื่อรักษาความลับของตระกูลที่น้องชายของเขาเผลอหลุดปากออกไปตอนเมาเหล้า ทำให้ผู้คนต่างพากันลือว่า เขาแต่งงานกับเธอเพียงเพื่อต้องการเงิน ส่วนลีอาห์ก็จะได้ตำแหน่งและความมีหน้ามีตาในสังคมเป็นสิ่งตอบแทน ริชาร์ดโกรธแค้นพ่อของเธอยิ่งนัก ที่ทำให้ผู้ชายหยิ่งทะนงอย่างเขาต้องตกอยู่ในสภาพกลืนไม่เข้าคายไม่ออก ดังนั้นเขาจึงเอาความโกรธแค้นทั้งหมดไปลงที่เธอ เพราะคิดว่าเธอมีส่วนรู้เห็นกับแผนการของพ่อ! ชายหนุ่มประกาศกร้าวว่าเขาจะไม่มีวันตกหลุมรักเธอเด็ดขาด จนเมื่อวันหนึ่งที่เธอจากไป ทำให้เขาคิดได้ว่าตัวเองคงไม่สามารถใช้ชีวิตอย่างมีความสุขได้หากไม่มีลีอาห์...

Genres: Historical Romance, Historical, Romance, Regency, Marriage Of Convenience, Fiction

342 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2008

About the author

Janmarie Anello pens historical romance novels set in the elegant world of Regency England, where courageous heroes and daring heroines fight for their love and their happy ending.

Like the characters in her stories, Janmarie believes in love at first sight and happily ever after. How could she not, when she knew within minutes of meeting her husband that he was the rogue for her? Together they have two fabulous children and two rambunctious golden retrievers. A native New Englander, Janmarie loves the changing seasons, sharing long, leisurely dinners with family and friends, and hearing from her readers.

Reviews

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read 2018
setting: 1822 England
trope: second chances, class difference, forced marriage
Reread: 2019
Reread: 2020
Reread: 10/10/21
Reread: 5/7/22
Reread: 1/19/24
Reread: 9/18/25

I was just in the mood to read one specific scene, and there I go again, rereading the whole book. There are many flaws in the plot, but it's like catnip to me. I think it's the MC chemistry and sex scenes. This is also one of the few times I like how possessive the H is toward the h.

Leah is a great h! Leah strives to do the right thing. She even tries to stop the marriage when she thinks her father is manipulating Richard and then offers an annulment after they marry. Leah doesn't pressure Richard but just loves him. She's only 17 but was wise beyond her years. Her one fault was she was too nice sometimes.

Richard is the perfect, tortured Duke. Several betrayals have left him a bitter, cynical man who is tied to the monster who destroyed him. Now, he is being blackmailed into marriage to protect his daughter. He hopes to dump Leah in the country but changes his mind. He quickly understands that she's innocent in all this. It doesn't hurt she's very attractive. She brings out the possessive/jealous side of his personality he didn't know existed, but he must never fall in love.

There are several characters plotting the downfall of the couple. Richard's ex mistress and Leah's former best friend/OM. The ton also won't forget that Leah is common born who married one of their prestigious Dukes.

The biggest problem is Richard's SIL. A long time ago, she broke Richard's heart so she could marry his brother. She thought to have her title and cake too. She didn't count of brother loyalty. Richard finally returned home after years of soldering, and while passed out, she seduced/raped him. Then, later, she gave birth to his daughter. This betrayal nearly killed Richard. He can't let Leah know the truth and become disgusted with him.

dislikes:
1. there needed to be more secondary characters. Leah didn't have any friends and Richard didn't try to remedy that.
2. The SIL was straight up delusional and OTT but I kind of liked it.
3. it took him too long to trust Leah with the truth.

I loved every minute with this couple! Though the overall plot isn't as strong as it could be, I still enjoy this book everytime I read it!

*******************
I swear GR is erasing my reviews. Still, good!
************************
This is one of my favorite books. The MC have such great chemistry!

[Jac K · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars
I’m WAY behind on reviews… and read this last week, but I gobbled it up. It has all the tropes I love… blackmailed reluctant groom, unaware h that is instantly smitten, family secrets, plus TWO EVIL wannabe women. YUM

Richard Wexton, the newly appointed Duke of St. Austin is keeping secrets and lugging around a suitcase of man-baggage. Unfortunately for him, Leah Jamison’s duplicitous father has learned said secret and threatens to share if he doesn’t agree to marry his daughter. Reluctantly, a bitter Richard agrees to the match and prepares to HATE Leah and send her off to the country. This doesn’t work out though because Leah is BEAUTIFUL and obviously unaware of her father’s treachery.

At first, I was a smidge bummed that Richard melted so quickly (I tend to love an asshole) but I surprisingly enjoyed that he was smitten and protected her. It also helped that he repeatedly flipped hot and cold anytime he felt any man feelings growing… and that the two wannabe OW were like starved dogs on a bone.

Bottom Line- I loved this one. I loved that the h had some backbone… I loved she was more beautiful than the wannabe OW… I loved the hot/cold- mean/nice from the H while he mused over his love for the h… I loved that he kept it in his pants… I loved that the evil OW got plenty of page-time AND comeuppance. It was delicious, and I know I’ll reread it again and again. My only complaint is that I wish the SIL would’ve heard him profess his love for Leah before she received said comeuppance.

Safety- Richard had a mistress and visits her once after he meets Leah (before marriage) he intends to get his betrothed out of his mind, but he ends up breaking up with her. Later he visits a brothel with his friend, but leaves before anything happens.

[Deniz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a such a good love strory!
it's really amazing. It has everything I want to read in a HR book.

Every historical romance reader should try this one!

[Luana ☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are looking for a messy story with lots of guilt, angst, anger, self torture, addictions, marriage of convenience, class difference, kids, steam and much more, this book is for you.

The good rate is more towards the organized mess than anything else. The story was interesting and so many lives are intertwined. It was a big web and we can clearly see how one person, only one person, can and is able to change the lives of so many people around them either for the good or for the bad.

I did not agree with many things that happened here, I thought the hero a coward sometimes, other times he was selfish and I hated his attitude towards his wife even though I understood his fear and his darkness. He redeemed himself in the end and I am happy he got himself a HEA, I just wish he would have groveled more lol

And the heroine had a quiet strength that made me like her so much. Even when I thought she too naive to think she was in love at first sight, her attitudes afterwards were very mature and she has a very caring soul.

[Preeti ♥︎ Her Bookshelves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, a good read with lots of drama going on - some I liked, some not as much but never a dull moment. Yes, the ending could have been wrapped up quicker than was done.

BIG spoilers!!! The secret is that his dead older brother's daughter is actually the H's. In the time honoured way of scheming ow, the H's sweetheart grabbed the older brother, the heir - making up a sobbing story of being pushed into it by her parents. The H tries to keep away by going to the war-zones of the era, but he comes back and! So the H/ow had sex before she got married where the idiot doesn't realise her non-v state? And the second/fruitful/betraying act happens much into the marriage and the brother catches them at it and is most forgiving. This all is a bit hazy but I think the H was sleepy/drunk/addled when the ow climbs into his bed. So, yes don't blame him! *eyeroll* I really don't like Hs cuckolding others, certainly not his brothers!

Cut to the present - The brother is dead and the ow/his SIL (much like the h's father) dangles the threat of the daughter over the H's head - that she'll leave and take away his beloved niece/daughter. The ow is extraordinarily devious and sly, and later even turns psycho!

So much for the ow! But I, actually enjoyed the h/H dynamics and chemistry. I liked how their relationship develops from strained to trusting to loving. The H had a bagful of issues but they get resolved satisfactorily. He starts from a hateful, sneering man to a believer. And no, the ex had no attraction for him but he has another ow - a mistress in the background who also creates a lot of trouble. The h too had a beau she 'thought' she loved and wished to marry before the h/H got forced into this moc and he also plays a role in the buildup of mus.
The h feels highly betrayed by the mu/events but then she gets a spot of amnesia - so yes, the drama continues.

But, I love the h the best. I liked her falling in love with the H at sight (almost) and she's open and vocal about her feelings only to be spurned or ignored (Aaangst!). So, all good on that front!

I like the author and her world building. And I will definitely look up more by her.

[Melluvsbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s got all the things I love.

- a reluctant but super jealous/possessive hero - so very jealous. He is ate up with it. 😈
- a sweet but strong and not stupid heroine - she’s selfless and loving and blameless.
- OW drama
- OM drama
- damsel in distress moments
- loads of angst
- loads of drama
- lovely emotional ending

I do not hand out 5-stars all willy-nilly

I should take away a star because it appears this is the author’s ?ONLY? book and I could only find it as a pdf on Scribd. 👀😐
Because, OF COURSE. 😩😂

**edited: sorry there are 2 more books, but for someone like me, who struggles to find authors I like, it might as well just be one 🤡**




⚠️SAFETY SQUAD SPOILERS⚠️

- no cheating or sharing
- OW drama - past lovers cause problems - one-sided interest
- OM drama - the h wanted to marry OM and the H is veeerrrry jealous
- no dubcon/noncon

[Ivy H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great novel and the perfect ending for the most evil, slimy, fucked up in the brain OW ever ! Damn, but I came away from this novel feeling happy about the evil bitch's wonderful death. The next best thing was the open insult that the hero gave to the other OW - his former mistress Margaret. He walked up to her at a ball stared at her directly in the face for a few long seconds and then turned his back on her as if she's beneath him. I would say that bitch's social life would be hampered severely after he made her a laughing stock within the ton. It was well deserved too because she had sought to destroy his marriage by spreading lies and trying to belittle the heroine.

[Anne in VA · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. The L bomb was dropped ridiculously early and I literally rolled my eyes because I don't think they had spoken 10 sentences to each other yet. I still enjoyed this and it's well written, but I do wish there was more relationship building between the two characters. And I know the author doesn't have much power on choosing the title with publishers, but "a dangerous man" is not what I would call the MMC.

[Debbie DiFiore · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first book by this author and it was very intense. The hero fathered a child with his brothers wife. He was passed out drunk and she came to his bed. He hates her now but she is so evil and crazy she thinks she can still have him. He has an ex-mistress that is still wanting him and lying about their relationship. I do believe the hero was faithful to her but there is a scene where He is in a brothel room with a prostitute but is unmoved by her so he leaves. But he is pushing his wife away by this point and he sends her to his Cornish estate for four months when she issues him an ultimatum. I didn't really understand that but I cried for the heroine. She loved him so much. They were separated for four months and his brother was mad at him for 'drinking and carousing' so I wasn't sure if he was faithful or not but no truly think he was. My rose colored glasses are firmly in place. There are mysteries surrounding his older brothers death, whose wife he slept with, and She still lives with him and their daughter. There are all sorts of things happening in the story. And believe it or not there is an HEA. I did enjoy the book too, just parts did piss me off. His pushing away especially and sending her away. I will read this author again.

[Jena · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 stars, but the ending moved it to 4.

No cheating but too much Ow drama for safety readers.

[Aou · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has all elements to be an angsty trainwreck alas H was too beta for this.

[Inara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Richard Wexton, the Duke of St. Austin is furious. Blackmailed by a wealthy merchant into a marriage with his daughter he has every intention to ignore his wife. Leah is shocked to have to marry an unknown man and suggests to the Duke to go through with the marriage only to divorce the next day. But – as always – love and fate has something else in mind…
This book has everything you could wish for in a romance book: a forced marriage, intrigue, a malicious dowager duchess, a former scheming mistress, a big secret, even attempted murder. Leah is determined to make her marriage work and it´s wonderful to read how the attraction, respect and love grows between the couple. Being a merchant´s daughter Leah is ignored by the ton, her new life isn´t easy for her to endure but Leah doesn´t give up her dream of a loving marriage. Richard has his own dark secret which casts a dark cloud over the future of his marriage and could destroy his newfound happiness entirely.
I really liked this book, the plot was interesting, the heroine engaging and although the melodramatic effect was sometimes a bit overused in my opinion it´s worth reading and I will surely look out for more books written by this author.

Website of the author: http://www.janmarieanello.com/

[j · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

This was a captivating but frustrating read. I wanted to enjoy it, and I did enjoy the author’s writing style, but this story was too messy for me to take the couple seriously. The hero and heroine had a lot of sweet moments, but those were easily overshadowed by the miscommunication that continued until the last few chapters of the book. I felt like a lot of unnecessary drama could have been prevented if the hero had been honest from the start. I enjoy novels with good bouts of drama, but I guess I have no tolerance for characters that lack the ability to have honest, mature communication 😅

I will say, I did appreciate the heroine’s backbone (I loved how she continued to stand up for herself) and persistence in loving the hero.

[S · Rating 5 out of 5]

What constitutes a 5 star?
A promising plot (in this case, forced marriage between two unwilling people) and two great characters.
Hero: (Richard) a handsome, tall, and rich Duke, brooding, (had a string of women falling for him - prior to heroine), one who was unwilling to love.
Heroine: (a beautiful, compassionate, kind-hearted daughter of a wealthy (but horrible father), one who wore her heart on her sleeve, and not a doormat.

The plot was excellent.
Richard married Leah (oh, and I so loved that name Leah ... so pure) within two days.
He was attracted to her instantly and it was mutual.
The earlier plan to forgo sexual relations went down the drain.
And it got interesting, there were OW and OM who kept popping up and disturb their HEA.
Now that Leah was openly falling in love with her husband, he tried so hard to push his feelings inside.
He distanced himself, turning into a cold bastard.
There was also the mystery of who Alicia was ...

I really liked this story (and was hoping the secondary character: Pierce had a story of his own ... but he didn't - anyways I digressed). I also looked at other books the author had written and to my dismay found only a handful. So onto her next books ...

[Julie (jjmachshev) · Rating 4 out of 5]

YAY, another author to watch. Janmarie Anello's "A Dangerous Man" is my second read by this author and just an enjoyable and moving as the first.

Richard is outraged that he must acquiesce to a blackmailer and marry a merchant's daughter in order to protect his family. But from his first glimpse of Leah, he's struck by her beauty and it doesn't take long for him to realize she's just another pawn in her father's plans. But Richard was fooled by love before and still suffers from the memory and he has no intention of developing deep feelings for this woman.

Leah can't believe what her father has done now. She's being bartered away to fulfill her father's dreams of the future without regard for her feelings. Surely this Duke will help her resist her father's plans? But when Leah discovers the difference between love for a friend and love for a mate, will it matter? Plots and schemes swirl around her while she fights to win her husband's love.

Anello writes with feeling and a touch of melodrama. She 'feels' like a less-experience writer and there are certainly weaknesses in plotting and pacing. Yet she somehow manages to keep me reading through the occasional eyebrow lift and yes, even though I know how the story will play out, I come to care for her characters and want to see them triumph despite of that. She can play on my emotions and draw me into the story and that makes her an author to watch for me.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find any information regarding her next release, but I did add Anello's name to my watchlist.

[Nelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Insta-lust for the hero and insta-love for the heroine. I don't like it. It just ruins the story and makes it very boring...
From the blurb I was expecting hate to love or slow build up, not another case of "he looked at her and his body went hard" and "She loved him. Just like this" They were supposed to hate each other at first but it didn't happen.

[Margo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three-and-a-half stars. This was a fairly fun read that held my interest. The H was a bounder and very suspicious of the h for quite a while, but he fell hard when he finally did. She had some self-respect and pride despite a tendency to assume the guilt for her father's misdeeds.

There are several OW. One is a long-term schemer, the other a discarded mistress.

I'm sorry to say that the author does not seem to write anymore because I enjoyed this book. I will read the other two she has written.

[Debby]

The book has 350 pages. I would have liked it to have less OW drama and less brother drama and thus less pages.

The H is a nice guy. Too beta to be interesting 350 pages long.

The h screams ‘I love you’ during the deed on the third day after seeing him for the first time. He told her not to say that again. It was embarrassing and it spoiled the story for me.

I like romances in which the H is uncertain about the h, in which he feels he has to pursue the h. This H didn’t have to do any pursuing. This is not the kind of romance I like. DNF, so no rating.

[MissKitty · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was just okay.

It was well written, meaning there were no grammatical errors that irritated me and I liked the story well enough, but there were some things that still bugged me. Maybe Im knit picking, but anyway…

I found the story a little bit disjointed, there were some abrupt changes in the characters speaking without a smooth transition so I had to go back and check to see who was speaking.

The heroine falls in insta-love for the Hero, for no rhyme or reason, so we can only assume she fell for his looks. On his part the Hero fell into insta-lust with the heroine, but that’s easily believable since she was beautiful. At least there is some relationship development when he does finally fall in love w the heroine.


SPOILERS:

The Hero is a prize wimp several times in the story. He allows his evil manipulative sister in law to live with him and his wife knowing this gives her the best opportunity to undermine his marriage. His reasoning? (SPOILER) His niece is actually his daughter, evil OW seduced him when he was too drunk to know and she had his daughter. Hero is so afraid of the scandal this would cause that he allows the OW to have her way.

He is a Duke, the niece is the acknowledged legitimate daughter of his brother and the wife (evil OW) No one would have questioned it and even if rumors surfaced, they could easily have been dismissed it as spiteful gossip. I just think as a plot line to carry the whole story it was a bit weak, considering their wealth and his status as a Duke.

Then he acts like a jerk to the heroine for several months and allows the evil OW to drive her away, because he is too afraid to tell her the truth. He already knows the OW has filled her head with hateful lies. But No, as i said he was a wimp and wallows in a drunken stupor for 4 months instead of going to his wife.

Another annoying dangling thread. When the Hero finds the lost son of the heroine’s sister, he returns home and hands down from the carriage the most amazingly beautiful woman with red hair. The heroine is momentarily jealous until a little boy is introduced and she is overcome to finally meet her nephew!

Who was that woman? She never gets introduced to the heroine! Several pages later, the children are playing under the supervision of their nurses, and the OW makes spiteful comments that the one nurse is too beautiful that she may be more than just the child’s nurse…SO she was the nurse! And thats it, we never really know who this person is, she is never mentioned again! Why did the author even belabor the point of her beauty?? The Duke even carefully hands her down from the carriage, if she was a servant, the footman would have helped her down, further the nephew as the relative takes precedence and should have come down from the carriage after his uncle the Duke 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️ I was so confused 😐 what was the whole point of this minor character??

Maybe my copy had missing pages… I dont know.

[Alice · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't leave an impression.

[Vala · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars!

I really liked this book, the story hooked me from the very beginning and I also liked the writing and the pacing.

Although it was a bit angsty and with a little too much ow drama for my liking I still enjoyed it because the hero never wavers in his feelings for the heroine, although reluctant and in denial he is obsessed with her from the beginning and does not touch anyone else after, he realizes he never loved the other woman and actually despises her, so that’s why all the drama and the angst did not bother me too much because it was nicely written and explained.

Also, the mess was mostly caused by the ow and not the confusion of the hero about if he loves her or the heroine, I hate it when the drama is caused by the hero or heroine having feelings for others besides each other, which here does not happen and is settled since the moment they meet.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was great! Multiple evil OW, totally adoring selfless h, j/p H who is fighting his feelings. I loved the two of them together and all those moments where he was taking care of her and sitting by her bedside were so much fun.

The angsts gets pretty intense at some points! Loved that.

My only real complaint was that sometimes the delivery of some things was a little boring and I found myself zoning out. It was so angsty that during those scenes that didn’t grab me I was just like “gah, why this. Get me to the end when everything is resolved”.

The way some things are worded isn’t super clear at times either and scenes change pretty fast but the drama and angst and characters made it all worth it.

[Diedre · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging story with my favorite tropes. A little on the soft angst side. The heroine's love for the hero seemed to make all of the gritty angst kind of cease and desist so rapidly so the drama was always short lived. Even so, the story was delicious and you couldn't find a better heroine. Altruistic, brave, honest and loving. The hero had his own self inflicted guilt that manufactured its own theatre which lengthened the finale. So in that sense, it weakened the suspense.

[Sandra Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a magnificent book, I loved the ups and downs of the plot and the ending. I had figured out early on that dearest Rachel was evil and would loved to see her killed off sooner, but then that story would not have been as good. This was a new author for me and I truly look forward to more books from her.

[Sukainah Bafaqih · Rating 4 out of 5]

a great romance that i have enjoyed reading twice..incomparable

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t know how I came across this. It was a fairly decent read but I just didn’t love the main character he was just a jerk. Overall, a fairly good read.

[Daenerys Targaryen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book started going downhill the moment the heroine blurted "I love you" in a moment of passion!

[C · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.75⭐️

[Basbouseolz]

Dnf at 29

[Live2Read · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unsure how to rate this. I’m surprise that there are so many four-five stars. I personally wouldn’t recommend this book. Well, there was potential but I DNF. And I’m glad I didn’t because now reading some spoilers, indeed, I’m grateful I didn’t waste anymore time on this story.

So hear me out. It was a shame finding out that the hero is already a father, but I must say my problem started way before that. It’s the heroine. She was my biggest dilemma here. While she’s a likable character, she’s also very young at only eighteen and strangely biddable! Despite the author forcing it on us, early on, that Leah was bold, brave and proud I didn’t see those traits in her. Why? Well, she supposedly in love with Alex, her childhood friend, but upon meeting the hero she was instantly sway! She wanted the hero to love her and so she can love the hero, too? Um, what? Really, Leah? And what about your Alex? What about your so called love for him?

Perhaps, it’s because Leah doesn’t know if Alex loves her or not, he never mentioned anything about a relationship beyond friendship; thus Leah followed her father’s bidding and marry the duke. At last, the betrayed and anguish Alex sought her out with a love confession but Leah didn’t rejoiced in the knowledge of Alex’s finer feelings. Why? She didn’t care even one tiny bit. I mean, I would, have I been yearning after someone for years and years and it turns out that person also have feelings for me. Of course, under her new predicament, she only behaved most biddable and honorable and without a proper response merely shooing her beloved and longtime friend away. Yeah, so much for your love, Leah!

Honestly, the heroine traded love for lust. Leah betrayed not only her love for Alex but herself. She dream to marry for love but was fill with lust. She never put up much of a fight against the duke’s advances. After their wedding night, she oddly claimed she loved her husband. It must be love, she says. I question what love truly mean to this young lady.

Last but not least, the author was found forcing emotions and overstating some parts. For example, one scene the heroine said the hero was being vulgar but I didn’t see it that way. I mean, I could think of ten different ways the author could have rewritten that scene, making the hero indeed vulgar but he was not. In fact, I thought he was most heedful, no doubt blunt. Then in another scene, hero claimed himself having been cruel to the heroine. Um…when? Where? You sure? Again, the author could have tried harder as I can imagine crueler things one can say or do in his shoes to be considered so. Frankly, I thought the duke too lusty and besotted to behaved cruel in the first place anyways.