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The Taming #1
Taming Ivy
A DARKER REGENCY ROMANCE
Only one thing stands between Sebastian and his quest for revenge.
He's falling in love with his prey.
Ivy Kinley, the Countess of Somerset, destroyed a young man, heart and soul. Now she's become the target of a cruel game where she is the prize. Wagers are placed: Survive her or win her.
Sebastian Cain, the Earl of Ravenswood, is undaunted by the high stakes and Ivy's reputation. Returning to England, he means to avenge his cousin's tragic death and ruin the woman responsible. His plan is to lull her with an offer of friendship, one he is certain she will not refuse. But until he has Ivy's heart bleeding and tattered in his pocket, and the countess herself in his bed, at his mercy and begging for more, he will pursue her.
Can he tame her? Perhaps. Could he ruin her? Most definitely. Should Ivy trust his offer of friendship? Absolutely not.
Taming her becomes a pleasurable addiction. Loving her, a dangerous development. Understanding his fascination proves confusing at best.
And somehow, a quest for revenge becomes a mutual obsession for them both.
Who will be ruined first? Who will be tamed?
The Earl is playing the game to win...the Countess's heart is the prize.
TAMING IVY contains several instances that could be disturbing to some readers. These include dubious consent, abduction, strong language, suicide references and mental illness. If these things disturb you as a reader, please be aware they are an integral part of the storyline and the characters' development.
Only one thing stands between Sebastian and his quest for revenge.
He's falling in love with his prey.
Ivy Kinley, the Countess of Somerset, destroyed a young man, heart and soul. Now she's become the target of a cruel game where she is the prize. Wagers are placed: Survive her or win her.
Sebastian Cain, the Earl of Ravenswood, is undaunted by the high stakes and Ivy's reputation. Returning to England, he means to avenge his cousin's tragic death and ruin the woman responsible. His plan is to lull her with an offer of friendship, one he is certain she will not refuse. But until he has Ivy's heart bleeding and tattered in his pocket, and the countess herself in his bed, at his mercy and begging for more, he will pursue her.
Can he tame her? Perhaps. Could he ruin her? Most definitely. Should Ivy trust his offer of friendship? Absolutely not.
Taming her becomes a pleasurable addiction. Loving her, a dangerous development. Understanding his fascination proves confusing at best.
And somehow, a quest for revenge becomes a mutual obsession for them both.
Who will be ruined first? Who will be tamed?
The Earl is playing the game to win...the Countess's heart is the prize.
TAMING IVY contains several instances that could be disturbing to some readers. These include dubious consent, abduction, strong language, suicide references and mental illness. If these things disturb you as a reader, please be aware they are an integral part of the storyline and the characters' development.
518 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2017
568 people are currently reading
842 people want to read
About the author
April Moran
14 books282 followersApril enjoys writing both historical and contemporary/dark romance with a generous splash of heat. When not penning tales of passion, she enjoys traveling with her husband, attending rock concerts with friends, and time spent with family. Brainstorming new storylines is best done while riding her horse or during long walks with her German Shepherd. A tumbler of good whiskey helps tie all the details together and brings her characters to life.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 163 reviews
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July 30, 2020I was going to give this book ⭐⭐ simply because I cannot stand weak heroines with little self - respect (although I adore fragile and vulnerable ones), but then I saw that the author gave herself ⭐ and OMG I felt truly bad for her. No one should do this 🥺, nobody should hate their baby no matter how bad they think it is
P. S. Yes, I called a book baby😐
P. S. Yes, I called a book baby😐
April 18, 2021
Sebastian Cain and Ivy Kinley are locked in a game of wills, one for revenge and the other expecting to fall in her trap. But this gives them a drastic change when loyalties and feelings are challenged. I like Sebastian and Ivy - one hard the other soft. This spilt story of revenge was investing but there were times when I was bored and Ivy's reactions to Sebastian's push wasn't satisfying.
Lady Ivy Kinley is popular among her peers, so beautiful and rich. She was so famous that men set her up as a wager among themselves in a gentlemen club as an objective game as who can withstand the charms of Lady Ivy and snag the woman in marriage considering she is a countess herself and many men were eager for her fortune. Of course her popularness turned twofold when an admirer of her, Lord Timothy Garrette ended up dead.
Lord Sebastian Cain believes Ivy is responsible for his cousin, Timothy's death. His revenge was to make Ivy fall for him and abandon her. He has come to ruin her which would also provide an amusement pursuit for society. He was cruel and his hardened heart held no room for pity.
Sebastian first met Ivy when she was twelve-year-old as one defiant, awkward daughter with horrid manners. Where he thought she would be plum and ugly he didn't expect her to grow and become uncommonly beautiful with proper manners. Ivy is wary of Sebastian at first, she knows he doesn't like her considering his cousin commited suicide because of her. Her self-preservation keeps telling her to run but she found impossible to resist Sebastian when he looked her as if he wants to devour her. Sebastian unwittingly falls for her which makes his conscience hard to ruin her. She is sweet and gentle, not shallow as he expected her to be. The revenge pursuit was awesome, I like how Sebastian was battling his feelings for Ivy who took a chance on him believed him to pursue her because he likes her. His cruel and aggressive behaviour is expected mostly because of the time period the story is told and it should be. But Ivy was expected not a virgin and forgiving him for all the wrongs he has done so easily kind of lost all the story-thrill. I know a hero from historical period is demanding and unjustly in many circumstances compared to modern times, but it would be more exciting if the heroine is stubborn and has more guts to fight before she loses to the hero. It's satisfying actually.
I enjoyed the story. It has it's ups and downs. I would still recommend this book but just be warned the hero is cruel and the heroine is kind of weak.
Lady Ivy Kinley is popular among her peers, so beautiful and rich. She was so famous that men set her up as a wager among themselves in a gentlemen club as an objective game as who can withstand the charms of Lady Ivy and snag the woman in marriage considering she is a countess herself and many men were eager for her fortune. Of course her popularness turned twofold when an admirer of her, Lord Timothy Garrette ended up dead.
Lord Sebastian Cain believes Ivy is responsible for his cousin, Timothy's death. His revenge was to make Ivy fall for him and abandon her. He has come to ruin her which would also provide an amusement pursuit for society. He was cruel and his hardened heart held no room for pity.
Sebastian first met Ivy when she was twelve-year-old as one defiant, awkward daughter with horrid manners. Where he thought she would be plum and ugly he didn't expect her to grow and become uncommonly beautiful with proper manners. Ivy is wary of Sebastian at first, she knows he doesn't like her considering his cousin commited suicide because of her. Her self-preservation keeps telling her to run but she found impossible to resist Sebastian when he looked her as if he wants to devour her. Sebastian unwittingly falls for her which makes his conscience hard to ruin her. She is sweet and gentle, not shallow as he expected her to be. The revenge pursuit was awesome, I like how Sebastian was battling his feelings for Ivy who took a chance on him believed him to pursue her because he likes her. His cruel and aggressive behaviour is expected mostly because of the time period the story is told and it should be. But Ivy was expected not a virgin and forgiving him for all the wrongs he has done so easily kind of lost all the story-thrill. I know a hero from historical period is demanding and unjustly in many circumstances compared to modern times, but it would be more exciting if the heroine is stubborn and has more guts to fight before she loses to the hero. It's satisfying actually.
I enjoyed the story. It has it's ups and downs. I would still recommend this book but just be warned the hero is cruel and the heroine is kind of weak.
May 13, 2022
Wow. OTT jealous/possessive hero FTW!
I really liked this one! The H is j/p as soon as he meets the h, despite desperately resisting that inclination.
This book is filled with drama and dastardly deeds and angst. It was a lot of fun. I mean, surprise virgin is my favorite, so I was in heaven. 🙃
I liked that the h did her best to fight back and didn’t forgive the H immediately. I liked that the author didn’t try to impose modern girl expectations and attitudes on a historical heroine. Her options and power were limited and she was surprisingly plucky given her circumstances.
I loved the angst and the grovel, without completely emasculating the H. He was still aggressive and pushy, while also contrite.
The thing I didn’t love and why this isn’t a 5-star, is that it bothered me that the H left her and didn’t tell her he was coming back for her… and he was passive at a critical point. I didn’t liked that he had to be coerced into taking action. Also, his reason for the “revenge” seems flimsy and it was weird that he acknowledged time and again that the h wasn’t the cold-hearted tart he had originally assumed, and yet he went through with his plans anyway. It bothered me that he didn’t step in sooner to protect her from the fallout. He eventually gets his act together, but it lost a star.
I liked all the dubcon and passionate encounters. 🤷🏼♀️😅
Bottom Line? This was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed it. The H was a delicious conflicted bastard and wonderfully jealous/possessive. And the h was a sweet misunderstood angel. So much drama. 😍⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
⚠️SAFETY SQUAD SPOILERS⭐️
- no cheating or sharing
- OW drama - none after the MCs meet - the h wonders about his past, but that’s the extent of it
- OM drama - all the menz are in luuuurve with the h and it makes the H CRAZY 😈
- dubcon - their first time starts very consensual but turns ugly… and the H has relations with the h when she’s drunk (but lucid) another time - the H is very aggressive in general 🥵😍
- h is a virgin -this is discovered The Old Fashioned Way
- the H is a manwhore - we get a love scene between him and his soon to be ex-mistress in the first chapter. It’s low on details. Beyond that first chapter he is fully focused on the h and his past doesn’t really come into play.
- there is an attempted sexual assault by OP on the h
- no protection, used because it’s historical, but the H is celibate while pursuing the h.
I really liked this one! The H is j/p as soon as he meets the h, despite desperately resisting that inclination.
This book is filled with drama and dastardly deeds and angst. It was a lot of fun. I mean, surprise virgin is my favorite, so I was in heaven. 🙃
I liked that the h did her best to fight back and didn’t forgive the H immediately. I liked that the author didn’t try to impose modern girl expectations and attitudes on a historical heroine. Her options and power were limited and she was surprisingly plucky given her circumstances.
I loved the angst and the grovel, without completely emasculating the H. He was still aggressive and pushy, while also contrite.
The thing I didn’t love and why this isn’t a 5-star, is that it bothered me that the H left her and didn’t tell her he was coming back for her… and he was passive at a critical point. I didn’t liked that he had to be coerced into taking action. Also, his reason for the “revenge” seems flimsy and it was weird that he acknowledged time and again that the h wasn’t the cold-hearted tart he had originally assumed, and yet he went through with his plans anyway. It bothered me that he didn’t step in sooner to protect her from the fallout. He eventually gets his act together, but it lost a star.
I liked all the dubcon and passionate encounters. 🤷🏼♀️😅
Bottom Line? This was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed it. The H was a delicious conflicted bastard and wonderfully jealous/possessive. And the h was a sweet misunderstood angel. So much drama. 😍⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
⚠️SAFETY SQUAD SPOILERS⭐️
- no cheating or sharing
- OW drama - none after the MCs meet - the h wonders about his past, but that’s the extent of it
- OM drama - all the menz are in luuuurve with the h and it makes the H CRAZY 😈
- dubcon - their first time starts very consensual but turns ugly… and the H has relations with the h when she’s drunk (but lucid) another time - the H is very aggressive in general 🥵😍
- h is a virgin -this is discovered The Old Fashioned Way
- the H is a manwhore - we get a love scene between him and his soon to be ex-mistress in the first chapter. It’s low on details. Beyond that first chapter he is fully focused on the h and his past doesn’t really come into play.
- there is an attempted sexual assault by OP on the h
- no protection, used because it’s historical, but the H is celibate while pursuing the h.
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October 26, 2020So scary to put something out there for the world to see...
July 11, 2024
Our first group Buddy Read, thanks Izzie, Izzah and Gloria! (reverse ABC order)
The hero’s main goal was to seduce and ruin the heroine, in revenge for his cousins untimely death (that he foolishly blamed the heroine for). He kept saying he wanted to ruin her, ok…. I had assumed he meant ‘to ruin her reputation in society’. Which is what the term ‘to be ruined’ typically meant in that society and era. That didn’t make any sense at all though, as he was under the wrong impression for the first 50% that she’d been sleeping around with her little guy groupies, The Pack. He was acting as if it was common knowledge that she was London’s most popular trollop. If she was really sleeping around as he suspected, wouldn’t she already be ruined in society?? Yet she was a popular debutante that was invited to all of the balls, etc. Obviously she was not sleeping around, or the ton would have given her the cut direct and stopped inviting her to functions. That should have been his first clue. If only the hero got his facts straight from the beginning, this would have been a novella. Someone needed to explain to him why it’s important not to ASSUME anything. (it makes an ASS out of U and ME). Eventually I started to think, maybe he meant to ruin her mentally, not socially. Destroy her spirit and break her heart.
This trope, the hero seeking revenge against the heroine but accidentally falls in love along the way, is one I’ve read hundreds of times in HR and I was excited to see this authors take on it. I see this might be the authors debut book, and I will give props for some cute moments here and there, but there were too many elements that took me out of the story and prevented me from becoming engaged in the story.
The hero - starts the story off after having just finished a 4-yr sexcapade around Europe and the Caribbean. How he is not hooked up to a round-the-clock penicillin drip, I don’t know. Anyway, I normally love a jealous/possessive type hero that accidentally falls in love, but this guy wasn’t it. The only good thing about him was his cover shot on the book cover. Otherwise, he just acted like a brainless bulldozer. Wait, doesn’t syphyllis cause brain damage?
The heroine- is a 19-yr old debutante, the most sought after at every ball, father is always out of town so the heroine galavants unchaperoned to all functions, no one is watching out for her best interests at the functions except for The Pack. A group of guys that follow her around like a gaggle of groupies backstage at a Poison concert. It was ridiculous, not cute. The heroine’s servants acted as her family, not employees. Anyway, normally I love a naive/ innocent type heroine but she was cartoonish with her The Pack following, her Monthly Dinners for The Pack, etc. There was nothing about her that endeared me to her.
The book, on my iPad, was 419 pages long, which made me 😧 on page one. The 3rd act break-up happens just before the 50% mark…. A good edit and skimming off of about 100 pages would definitely help this story.
Ultimately, I liked the idea of the storyline, but I didn’t enjoy the alternate universe setting (way too modern happenings for 1839). I’m not a stickler for historical accuracy, but these glitches were too jarring to be able to mentally follow along with the story. I’ll still check out the other two books in the series, in hopes that the authors writing smoothes out with time.
The hero’s main goal was to seduce and ruin the heroine, in revenge for his cousins untimely death (that he foolishly blamed the heroine for). He kept saying he wanted to ruin her, ok…. I had assumed he meant ‘to ruin her reputation in society’. Which is what the term ‘to be ruined’ typically meant in that society and era. That didn’t make any sense at all though, as he was under the wrong impression for the first 50% that she’d been sleeping around with her little guy groupies, The Pack. He was acting as if it was common knowledge that she was London’s most popular trollop. If she was really sleeping around as he suspected, wouldn’t she already be ruined in society?? Yet she was a popular debutante that was invited to all of the balls, etc. Obviously she was not sleeping around, or the ton would have given her the cut direct and stopped inviting her to functions. That should have been his first clue. If only the hero got his facts straight from the beginning, this would have been a novella. Someone needed to explain to him why it’s important not to ASSUME anything. (it makes an ASS out of U and ME). Eventually I started to think, maybe he meant to ruin her mentally, not socially. Destroy her spirit and break her heart.
This trope, the hero seeking revenge against the heroine but accidentally falls in love along the way, is one I’ve read hundreds of times in HR and I was excited to see this authors take on it. I see this might be the authors debut book, and I will give props for some cute moments here and there, but there were too many elements that took me out of the story and prevented me from becoming engaged in the story.
The hero - starts the story off after having just finished a 4-yr sexcapade around Europe and the Caribbean. How he is not hooked up to a round-the-clock penicillin drip, I don’t know. Anyway, I normally love a jealous/possessive type hero that accidentally falls in love, but this guy wasn’t it. The only good thing about him was his cover shot on the book cover. Otherwise, he just acted like a brainless bulldozer. Wait, doesn’t syphyllis cause brain damage?
The heroine- is a 19-yr old debutante, the most sought after at every ball, father is always out of town so the heroine galavants unchaperoned to all functions, no one is watching out for her best interests at the functions except for The Pack. A group of guys that follow her around like a gaggle of groupies backstage at a Poison concert. It was ridiculous, not cute. The heroine’s servants acted as her family, not employees. Anyway, normally I love a naive/ innocent type heroine but she was cartoonish with her The Pack following, her Monthly Dinners for The Pack, etc. There was nothing about her that endeared me to her.
The book, on my iPad, was 419 pages long, which made me 😧 on page one. The 3rd act break-up happens just before the 50% mark…. A good edit and skimming off of about 100 pages would definitely help this story.
Ultimately, I liked the idea of the storyline, but I didn’t enjoy the alternate universe setting (way too modern happenings for 1839). I’m not a stickler for historical accuracy, but these glitches were too jarring to be able to mentally follow along with the story. I’ll still check out the other two books in the series, in hopes that the authors writing smoothes out with time.
July 15, 2024
4 Guilty Pleasure stars, but 2.5 on the Let’s Get Real scale. Averaging down to 3.25⭐️.
First, my thanks (in alphabetical order) to 🌹Gloria, 🌹Izzah, and 🌹Paige for our Buddy Read. If it weren’t for their input and humor this would have been a DNF.
After each time we chatted I returned with renewed enthusiasm to strengthen my suspension of disbelief. It took wedging a barge below to support it, and a crane above to prevent it from collapsing, but by George, I was able to push through and overlook the following:
🏗️ The dissonance between the author’s meaning for “ruin” and the ton’s. Story set in 1839.
🚢 PDA
🏗️ Lack of a chaperone in public.
🚢 Backless ball gowns. (Noted by Paige)
🏗️ The existence of blue topaz before 1970. (v rare)
🚢 Gaslit chandeliers in homes.
🏗️ A reference to carousels
🚢 Typos
With that out of the way, here’s what did and did not work for me in the story.
The Good
🌹The first 70%. This was a 500 page book. The story with a few tweaks should have wrapped up here.
🌹Ivy and Sebastian. Combine Miss Guileless with Lord Jerkwad* and you have chemistry. Nothing makes me happier than a MMC hellbent on revenge on the FMC while unaware of his obsessive passion for her. Even better—anticipating the copious groveling that will be necessary to win his beloved back. Voilà! My guilty pleasure sweet spot. ❤️
🌹Angsty yearning.
🌹Verbal as well as nonverbal declarations of love. Maybe here is a good time to say this wasn’t so much a romance as mutual instalust. It was so predominant I thought of it as everlust.
The Bad
🥀 The last 30%.
🥀Miscommunication. Ivy became annoyingly passive-aggressive for reasons even I had trouble fathoming.
🥀Disappointing epilogue.
Here’s hoping the couple may always dwell in foreverlust.
Looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
*Warning: There is one scene where jerkwad might be too kind of a description for Sebastian. YMMV
First, my thanks (in alphabetical order) to 🌹Gloria, 🌹Izzah, and 🌹Paige for our Buddy Read. If it weren’t for their input and humor this would have been a DNF.
After each time we chatted I returned with renewed enthusiasm to strengthen my suspension of disbelief. It took wedging a barge below to support it, and a crane above to prevent it from collapsing, but by George, I was able to push through and overlook the following:
🏗️ The dissonance between the author’s meaning for “ruin” and the ton’s. Story set in 1839.
🚢 PDA
🏗️ Lack of a chaperone in public.
🚢 Backless ball gowns. (Noted by Paige)
🏗️ The existence of blue topaz before 1970. (v rare)
🚢 Gaslit chandeliers in homes.
🏗️ A reference to carousels
🚢 Typos
With that out of the way, here’s what did and did not work for me in the story.
The Good
🌹The first 70%. This was a 500 page book. The story with a few tweaks should have wrapped up here.
🌹Ivy and Sebastian. Combine Miss Guileless with Lord Jerkwad* and you have chemistry. Nothing makes me happier than a MMC hellbent on revenge on the FMC while unaware of his obsessive passion for her. Even better—anticipating the copious groveling that will be necessary to win his beloved back. Voilà! My guilty pleasure sweet spot. ❤️
🌹Angsty yearning.
🌹Verbal as well as nonverbal declarations of love. Maybe here is a good time to say this wasn’t so much a romance as mutual instalust. It was so predominant I thought of it as everlust.
The Bad
🥀 The last 30%.
🥀Miscommunication. Ivy became annoyingly passive-aggressive for reasons even I had trouble fathoming.
🥀Disappointing epilogue.
Here’s hoping the couple may always dwell in foreverlust.
Looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
*Warning: There is one scene where jerkwad might be too kind of a description for Sebastian. YMMV
October 7, 2022
A revenge plot gone wrong is one of my all time favorites.
A vengeful H who deceives the h into falling in love with him - all for revenge for a young cousin's death that's laid at her feet by the ton. Imagine the angst when the truth will get revealed to the h, and later to the H...
But mostly such books disappoint because - either the whole revenge buildup fizzles out or the H is seriously cruel and mean but the grovel is absent.
So, a balance is needed.
What goes here? Hmmm...
A vengeful H who deceives the h into falling in love with him - all for revenge for a young cousin's death that's laid at her feet by the ton. Imagine the angst when the truth will get revealed to the h, and later to the H...
But mostly such books disappoint because - either the whole revenge buildup fizzles out or the H is seriously cruel and mean but the grovel is absent.
So, a balance is needed.
What goes here? Hmmm...
July 10, 2024
2.5 stars, rounded up because our group read was a barrel of fun
My first group read (which I thoroughly enjoyed) and my first book by this author, which was a mixed bag of overdone and undercooked disguised by a great deal of undisciplined writing talent.
Undercooked: (1) the plotline, which swerved like a drunk on the road at 3:00 a.m. and which the author herself seemed to have trouble keeping a grip on. Sebastian believed Ivy to be a 19-year-old temptress with a string of conquests—evidently he thought she started seducing men at age 13–including his cousin who had killed himself in despair over her rejection. Revenge, he vowed! He would publicly ruin her, he vowed! He never explained how he could ruin someone he believed already ruined. (One of our reading group wondered if the author knew what “ruined” meant.) Ivy planned to use her friendship with Sebastian to redeem her reputation, except she continued to tank her reputation by being seen with Sebastian in compromising situations without a chaperone and shrugged it off by saying she didn’t have a reputation to worry about anyway. How does that even make sense? That plot phase moved to Ivy’s revenge, if revenge is obtainable by displays of drunkenness and pawing, which moved to Sebastian’s remorse phase, which moved to Ivy’s stubborn phase, which moved to the danger phase. If the author had focused on any one aspect of the plot and applied herself instead of letting her pen fly free and unfettered, this would have been a more compelling novel. (2) historical accuracy, which was nonexistent. (3) Character development, which was the only consistent element of the story: Ivy was consistently stupid and Sebastian was consistently arrogant and overbearing and the king of jumping to conclusions based on zero evidence, and also stupid. The amount of stupidity displayed by the characters in this book was impressive.
Overdone: the writing. While this author has tons of natural talent, she turned the volume button to 11 and left it there. Overblown drama, strained metaphors, hyperbole, ANGST in all caps, and page after page of it. When everything is magnified and inflated, nothing becomes important.
And yet, this wasn’t without entertainment value. Soap operas are fun even when eye rolls rule the day. Individual passages were well-written, and a few were even moving. And the book has a great cover. Hey, art matters.
Thanks to Izzah, Izzie, and Paige for the best time a girl can have reading a mediocre novel.
My first group read (which I thoroughly enjoyed) and my first book by this author, which was a mixed bag of overdone and undercooked disguised by a great deal of undisciplined writing talent.
Undercooked: (1) the plotline, which swerved like a drunk on the road at 3:00 a.m. and which the author herself seemed to have trouble keeping a grip on. Sebastian believed Ivy to be a 19-year-old temptress with a string of conquests—evidently he thought she started seducing men at age 13–including his cousin who had killed himself in despair over her rejection. Revenge, he vowed! He would publicly ruin her, he vowed! He never explained how he could ruin someone he believed already ruined. (One of our reading group wondered if the author knew what “ruined” meant.) Ivy planned to use her friendship with Sebastian to redeem her reputation, except she continued to tank her reputation by being seen with Sebastian in compromising situations without a chaperone and shrugged it off by saying she didn’t have a reputation to worry about anyway. How does that even make sense? That plot phase moved to Ivy’s revenge, if revenge is obtainable by displays of drunkenness and pawing, which moved to Sebastian’s remorse phase, which moved to Ivy’s stubborn phase, which moved to the danger phase. If the author had focused on any one aspect of the plot and applied herself instead of letting her pen fly free and unfettered, this would have been a more compelling novel. (2) historical accuracy, which was nonexistent. (3) Character development, which was the only consistent element of the story: Ivy was consistently stupid and Sebastian was consistently arrogant and overbearing and the king of jumping to conclusions based on zero evidence, and also stupid. The amount of stupidity displayed by the characters in this book was impressive.
Overdone: the writing. While this author has tons of natural talent, she turned the volume button to 11 and left it there. Overblown drama, strained metaphors, hyperbole, ANGST in all caps, and page after page of it. When everything is magnified and inflated, nothing becomes important.
And yet, this wasn’t without entertainment value. Soap operas are fun even when eye rolls rule the day. Individual passages were well-written, and a few were even moving. And the book has a great cover. Hey, art matters.
Thanks to Izzah, Izzie, and Paige for the best time a girl can have reading a mediocre novel.
November 15, 2021
Rating 3.5
Short review.
Hero, Sebastian, pursued heroine for revenge, he believed she was the reason his cousin committed suicide. He was obsessed with her, she considered him a friend but he wouldn't have it.
Heroine, Ivy, was very beautiful, sweet and strong.
She was guarded and came across as cold by others.
Men pursued her and she had a "following" or in the book they were called a pack.
Sebastian was definitely a alpha in this story. Some of the things he did really pissed me off and was a total jerk. But he did redeem himself, then made me made again, the redeemed himself again, I think you get the picture. Got a little repetitive. In the end he came through.
The middle did drag for me a bit, but picked up again.
Lot's of angst.
Was overall on good read.
Short review.
Hero, Sebastian, pursued heroine for revenge, he believed she was the reason his cousin committed suicide. He was obsessed with her, she considered him a friend but he wouldn't have it.
Heroine, Ivy, was very beautiful, sweet and strong.
She was guarded and came across as cold by others.
Men pursued her and she had a "following" or in the book they were called a pack.
Sebastian was definitely a alpha in this story. Some of the things he did really pissed me off and was a total jerk. But he did redeem himself, then made me made again, the redeemed himself again, I think you get the picture. Got a little repetitive. In the end he came through.
The middle did drag for me a bit, but picked up again.
Lot's of angst.
Was overall on good read.
March 25, 2022
2.5 Stars
*I am writing this review on my phone so please excuse the short sentences, grammatical errors and extra alphabets!
- What a confusing, looooooong ramble this was. I read it on my iphone and it was 1428 pages! That’s like 3 books, well it felt like 3 books. Was this a debut book per chance? It felt like it because there was everything in it.
- There were a couple of revenge stories, a couple of resisting love subplots, a couple of misunderstanding dramas, and a secondary love story. That was 3 too many I think.
- You start with hating the hero, then liking the hero but hating the heroine and by the end of it I couldn’t care less about the two of them. The only thing I needed was the book to be over.
- The first Sebastian I hated, surprisingly he was the one to keep jumping to conclusions. He was super alpha, super critical, super autocratic towards everyone.
- Ivy was amazing for the first half and later I cannot be sure what she was supposed to be.
- On the plus side, great angst, great steam, crazy villain, likeable side characters.
PS - I read the second in the series first. And now my assessment of Sebastian is confirmed. He treated Nicholas badly. This Sebastian treats everyone badly and then is apologetic later. I don’t like it in my HR heroes.
Recommendation - Read the Untamed Duke than this one.
*I am writing this review on my phone so please excuse the short sentences, grammatical errors and extra alphabets!
- What a confusing, looooooong ramble this was. I read it on my iphone and it was 1428 pages! That’s like 3 books, well it felt like 3 books. Was this a debut book per chance? It felt like it because there was everything in it.
- There were a couple of revenge stories, a couple of resisting love subplots, a couple of misunderstanding dramas, and a secondary love story. That was 3 too many I think.
- You start with hating the hero, then liking the hero but hating the heroine and by the end of it I couldn’t care less about the two of them. The only thing I needed was the book to be over.
- The first Sebastian I hated, surprisingly he was the one to keep jumping to conclusions. He was super alpha, super critical, super autocratic towards everyone.
- Ivy was amazing for the first half and later I cannot be sure what she was supposed to be.
- On the plus side, great angst, great steam, crazy villain, likeable side characters.
PS - I read the second in the series first. And now my assessment of Sebastian is confirmed. He treated Nicholas badly. This Sebastian treats everyone badly and then is apologetic later. I don’t like it in my HR heroes.
Recommendation - Read the Untamed Duke than this one.
June 21, 2020
It's less dark, more bodice ripper I think, but definitely has triggers.
And "less is more", that's why I reduced a star.
And "less is more", that's why I reduced a star.
June 24, 2021
Beautiful! I almost forgot to do other things, as eating, sleeping, working, having a husband, only to finish it. I couldn’t stop reading it! There’s love, passion, revenge, sex all well mixed together, I hated and loved the hero, he falls desperately for the woman he’s trying to ruin because he thinks she caused his cousin’s death. He received his aunt’s letters and his cousin’s letter saying that heroine left his cousin after leading him on, and he committed suicide because he was desperate. The hero then plans revenge: he will court the heroine and will seduce her, afterwards he’ll jilt her publicly, demeaning her. When he sees her for the first time he’s smitten. He starts to court her and cannot believe that the innocent and kind woman is the same cold blooded slut his aunt described. But he has to get his revenge and during a dinner with other admirers he seduces her and afterwards tells her it was only for revenge. The heroine thought he was in love with her and is shattered, but instead of drowning in despair she starts partying recklessly with dangerous men. One night the hero, who never stopped following her, meets her at a party, half drunk and being harassed by some gentlemen, and leads her to his home where they have sex (again).
Some days later she’s kidnapped by one of her admirers and the hero saves her and asks her to marry. She still hates him but accepts because her reputation is compromised. The hero found out what really happened between her and his cousin, the cousin was unstable and was taking drugs for his migraines, he had become a stalker and tried to kidnap her and rape her, hurting her badly. He feels guilty for misjudging her so much. The marriage is difficult and the heroine still doesn’t trust the hero, while he’s jealous and not satisfied because she cannot forgive him. They quarrel all the time and the heroine wants to leave him. There’s a little drama with evil aunt and then they eventually declares their love. Wow. I liked it a lot. Maybe it is not historically perfect: the heroine is an unmarried lady who goes out with gentleman without a chaperone, he calls her countess, but she’s not because his father is an earl and she’s a lady, she organizes a dinner with her admirers (only men) : all these behaviors would have not been possible of course in nineteenth century.
-the hero is borderline crazy. He pursues her, debases her, gaslights her. The first time they have sex it’s almost a rape, the second time is sex without consent because she’s completely drunk. Then he forces her to marry him and stalks her with his jealousy. All these behaviors could be really disturbing, so if you can’t deal with these issues this book is not for you.
It’s not a tender and sweet story but it’s full of passion and angst angst angst.
Did I say that there’s so much angst???
Maybe it’s not the perfect love story or the perfect hero but a book where I have to stop and measure my blood pressure is the perfect book for me. I wish there were more like this!
Some days later she’s kidnapped by one of her admirers and the hero saves her and asks her to marry. She still hates him but accepts because her reputation is compromised. The hero found out what really happened between her and his cousin, the cousin was unstable and was taking drugs for his migraines, he had become a stalker and tried to kidnap her and rape her, hurting her badly. He feels guilty for misjudging her so much. The marriage is difficult and the heroine still doesn’t trust the hero, while he’s jealous and not satisfied because she cannot forgive him. They quarrel all the time and the heroine wants to leave him. There’s a little drama with evil aunt and then they eventually declares their love. Wow. I liked it a lot. Maybe it is not historically perfect: the heroine is an unmarried lady who goes out with gentleman without a chaperone, he calls her countess, but she’s not because his father is an earl and she’s a lady, she organizes a dinner with her admirers (only men) : all these behaviors would have not been possible of course in nineteenth century.
-the hero is borderline crazy. He pursues her, debases her, gaslights her. The first time they have sex it’s almost a rape, the second time is sex without consent because she’s completely drunk. Then he forces her to marry him and stalks her with his jealousy. All these behaviors could be really disturbing, so if you can’t deal with these issues this book is not for you.
It’s not a tender and sweet story but it’s full of passion and angst angst angst.
Did I say that there’s so much angst???
Maybe it’s not the perfect love story or the perfect hero but a book where I have to stop and measure my blood pressure is the perfect book for me. I wish there were more like this!
December 3, 2025
Crumbled worst than a sandcastle under a toddler's feet
This is my second read and my absolute last.
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🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
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This is my second read and my absolute last.
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🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
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October 26, 2018
I had to stop reading this book after the second time the “hero” forced himself on Ivy. Whether she enjoyed his advances after the fact wasn’t relevant to the fact she tried to stop them, and he didn’t care.
October 27, 2021
A rough diamond 💎
I really loved this story, it had a raw, contradictory, earnest beauty I can't pinpoint. Intense bodice ripper vibes. A tangly, gripping, deliciously dark and sexy regency romance. An intense, tumultous love story from a time long past. A rollercoaster ride of enemies-to-lovers revenge.
This story did exactly what it should- it held my attention from start to finish. Descriptively and passionately written. Some intriguing secondary characters as well. Were the characters and relationships flawed and inconsistent? Yup, BIG time. As humans and love can be. They continually fought their feelings for each other which was very frustrating, super hot, exhausting, and messy...yet also somehow very authentic.
The highly possessive hero was often a totally conflicted utterly obsessed WAY over-the-top jealous complete alphahole, the heroine exhaustingly vascillated at times. This led to some really raw, powerful, dubious, heartwrenching scenes as the characters worked through all the seething, cruel, desperate, conflicted intensity of their attraction.
The ugly/pretty, angsty, toxic beauty of the love story was both completely maddening, WTF? confusing, frustrating at times and yet...completely engrossing. Sebastien and Ivy were damn sizzling 🔥🔥 together. The revenge and misunderstanding plot line was intriguing and threaded through the book in a sort of dark web. Some redemption at the 11th hour.
I loved this story in all its crazy, hot and cold mad love, deliciously hyper-lusty, dramatic glory💗
If all that sounds enticing to you, check it out! I'll definitely be reading more from this author.
I really loved this story, it had a raw, contradictory, earnest beauty I can't pinpoint. Intense bodice ripper vibes. A tangly, gripping, deliciously dark and sexy regency romance. An intense, tumultous love story from a time long past. A rollercoaster ride of enemies-to-lovers revenge.
This story did exactly what it should- it held my attention from start to finish. Descriptively and passionately written. Some intriguing secondary characters as well. Were the characters and relationships flawed and inconsistent? Yup, BIG time. As humans and love can be. They continually fought their feelings for each other which was very frustrating, super hot, exhausting, and messy...yet also somehow very authentic.
The highly possessive hero was often a totally conflicted utterly obsessed WAY over-the-top jealous complete alphahole, the heroine exhaustingly vascillated at times. This led to some really raw, powerful, dubious, heartwrenching scenes as the characters worked through all the seething, cruel, desperate, conflicted intensity of their attraction.
The ugly/pretty, angsty, toxic beauty of the love story was both completely maddening, WTF? confusing, frustrating at times and yet...completely engrossing. Sebastien and Ivy were damn sizzling 🔥🔥 together. The revenge and misunderstanding plot line was intriguing and threaded through the book in a sort of dark web. Some redemption at the 11th hour.
I loved this story in all its crazy, hot and cold mad love, deliciously hyper-lusty, dramatic glory💗
If all that sounds enticing to you, check it out! I'll definitely be reading more from this author.
Want to read
November 24, 2018💝 FREE on Amazon today (11/24/2018)!💝
Blurb:
Only one thing stands between Sebastian and his quest for revenge.
He's falling in love with his prey.
Ivy Kinley, the Countess of Somerset, destroyed a young man, heart and soul. Now she's become the target of a cruel game where she is the prize. Wagers are placed: Survive her or win her.
Sebastian Cain, the Earl of Ravenswood, is undaunted by the high stakes and Ivy's reputation. Returning to England, he means to avenge his cousin's tragic death and ruin the woman responsible. His plan is to lull her with an offer of friendship, one he is certain she will not refuse. But until he has Ivy's heart bleeding and tattered in his pocket, and the countess herself in his bed, at his mercy and begging for more, he will pursue her.
Can he tame her? Perhaps. Could he ruin her? Most definitely. Should Ivy trust his offer of friendship? Absolutely not.
Taming her becomes a pleasurable addiction. Loving her, a dangerous development. Understanding his fascination proves confusing at best.
And somehow, a quest for revenge becomes a mutual obsession for them both.
Who will be ruined first? Who will be tamed?
The Earl is playing the game to win...the Countess's heart is the prize.
Blurb:
Only one thing stands between Sebastian and his quest for revenge.
He's falling in love with his prey.
Ivy Kinley, the Countess of Somerset, destroyed a young man, heart and soul. Now she's become the target of a cruel game where she is the prize. Wagers are placed: Survive her or win her.
Sebastian Cain, the Earl of Ravenswood, is undaunted by the high stakes and Ivy's reputation. Returning to England, he means to avenge his cousin's tragic death and ruin the woman responsible. His plan is to lull her with an offer of friendship, one he is certain she will not refuse. But until he has Ivy's heart bleeding and tattered in his pocket, and the countess herself in his bed, at his mercy and begging for more, he will pursue her.
Can he tame her? Perhaps. Could he ruin her? Most definitely. Should Ivy trust his offer of friendship? Absolutely not.
Taming her becomes a pleasurable addiction. Loving her, a dangerous development. Understanding his fascination proves confusing at best.
And somehow, a quest for revenge becomes a mutual obsession for them both.
Who will be ruined first? Who will be tamed?
The Earl is playing the game to win...the Countess's heart is the prize.
September 28, 2019
Taming Ivy is about Sebastien Cain seeking revenge against Ivy, the woman who broke his cousin’s heart, causing him to kill himself. Sebastien believes Ivy is a shallow woman who breaks men’s hearts on a whim. This being an HR, Sebastien’s revenge is to make her fall in love with him and then ruin her. This being an HR, Ivy is not a shallow woman but the complete opposite - a nice, blank slate.
Read this if you’re in the mood for an obsessive d-bag hero that's psychologically manipulative to the heroine. I lost count the number of times Sebastien realizes he likes Ivy then proceeds to ignore her for, like, 2 weeks. Even when they were And that’s like, one of his lighter offences.
Sebastien is a cruel hero. He does not mince words and makes pretty vile accusations to the heroine in the most intimate settings. However, if you are hoping for a hate/hate dynamic, this is not the case. The revenge plot loses steam about halfway through so that Sebastien and Ivy can reconcile their differences together, learn to trust each other etc. In terms of steam, the first scene is great. There are dubious consent scenes. Ivy is
This was fun to read but I never felt like I had to read it all in one sitting, and some parts of the story were slower. There were some decisions with the plot and atmosphere that I had an issue with, but the major lost opportunity was Ivy. She could have had way more bite to her, and she had so much to work off what Sebastien was giving her. Sebastien's chewing the scenery but Ivy simply cries, forgives... A pet peeve of mine is when the popular heroine considered vain by society is actually a good girl. At one point, the reader is told that the majority of her suitors are not her suitors but lonely misfits using her popularity by association for numerous reasons, whether it’s to secure the match that they really want, or to simply mourn in peace.
Worse than a good girl, Ivy is such a blank slate. She is completely objectified without any selfhood. She simply accepts it. Look, Sebastien is a pretty shit hero, and I say this with all due respect. He's fun but he does get off light on his atonement for the psychological warfare that leaves Ivy with trust issues/gaslighting fears. And all of Ivy's suitors treat her like shit from the "nice" ones to the ones that are clearly wifebeaters. Ivy is physically assaulted numerous times. But she never wants to think about it. She always wants to move on.
That does not do her character justice. She sees a fox being chased by hounds, an image on a screen in Sebastien's rooms. She relates to the fox. This arresting image is the only moment of poignancy for Ivy. I feel for Ivy but I am not allowed to feel for her, because I am never in her mind when she thinks about herself or her life. To be the victim, never the hero. To be considered a goddamn butterfly. She must realize all of this on some level - that men treat her this way, that she is being used by her suitors so that they can feel confident in themselves, that she is also blamed and considered poison ivy. There's a lot going on that we don't get see.
Anyways, overall, it is a fun read and I am looking forward to seeing what the second book in the series is like!
Read this if you’re in the mood for an obsessive d-bag hero that's psychologically manipulative to the heroine. I lost count the number of times Sebastien realizes he likes Ivy then proceeds to ignore her for, like, 2 weeks. Even when they were And that’s like, one of his lighter offences.
Sebastien is a cruel hero. He does not mince words and makes pretty vile accusations to the heroine in the most intimate settings. However, if you are hoping for a hate/hate dynamic, this is not the case. The revenge plot loses steam about halfway through so that Sebastien and Ivy can reconcile their differences together, learn to trust each other etc. In terms of steam, the first scene is great. There are dubious consent scenes. Ivy is
This was fun to read but I never felt like I had to read it all in one sitting, and some parts of the story were slower. There were some decisions with the plot and atmosphere that I had an issue with, but the major lost opportunity was Ivy. She could have had way more bite to her, and she had so much to work off what Sebastien was giving her. Sebastien's chewing the scenery but Ivy simply cries, forgives... A pet peeve of mine is when the popular heroine considered vain by society is actually a good girl. At one point, the reader is told that the majority of her suitors are not her suitors but lonely misfits using her popularity by association for numerous reasons, whether it’s to secure the match that they really want, or to simply mourn in peace.
Worse than a good girl, Ivy is such a blank slate. She is completely objectified without any selfhood. She simply accepts it. Look, Sebastien is a pretty shit hero, and I say this with all due respect. He's fun but he does get off light on his atonement for the psychological warfare that leaves Ivy with trust issues/gaslighting fears. And all of Ivy's suitors treat her like shit from the "nice" ones to the ones that are clearly wifebeaters. Ivy is physically assaulted numerous times. But she never wants to think about it. She always wants to move on.
That does not do her character justice. She sees a fox being chased by hounds, an image on a screen in Sebastien's rooms. She relates to the fox. This arresting image is the only moment of poignancy for Ivy. I feel for Ivy but I am not allowed to feel for her, because I am never in her mind when she thinks about herself or her life. To be the victim, never the hero. To be considered a goddamn butterfly. She must realize all of this on some level - that men treat her this way, that she is being used by her suitors so that they can feel confident in themselves, that she is also blamed and considered poison ivy. There's a lot going on that we don't get see.
Anyways, overall, it is a fun read and I am looking forward to seeing what the second book in the series is like!
March 3, 2022
~Recommended to Audrey by Goodreads (if you can believe it)~
This book went from 2 stars at the very beginning to 3 to 4. So yeah, it definitely improved as it went along. The first half dragged on a bit, then when I reached the halfway mark, it went so much faster.
Plot: Sebastian, the Earl of Ravenswood, plans revenge on Countess Kinley, who he believes is responsible for his cousin's death. (I think his plan of revenge was to make her fall in love with him and then desert her.?) His cousin went mad out of a desire for Ivy, the countess. Unwittingly, he begins to fall for the beautiful Ivy.
I was wondering how the romance was going to work because Ivy was understandably wary of him. However, he asked to be friends and she naively trusted him, allowing his courtship of her to begin.
I still can't believe they didn't get stung by any of those bees that day. That's just so unlikely. Had I been there, there's no doubt in my mind that I wouldn't have been stung.
Also, I felt like Sebastian didn't realize that she was 19. Yes, she seemed to have her own title (I still don't understand how she was more titled than her father, however), but she was still young, and so I was also surprised that he didn't think she was a virgin. Ivy was 19 to his 29. Lol, I just turned 20. I don't think I could be dating a 29-year-old tbh, but it was hot in this book so...
Moreover, I felt like Ivy's beauty was overrated. Everyone was going on and on about it. She was so beautiful she had her own Pack surrounding her. It was just a little over the top. I don't think it was because of her personality lol.
I tagged this disappointing ending, because even though most of it was good, something was missing for me. I don't know exactly what besides my question: was Ivy pregnant?? Why was that not cleared up?! Especially in the epilogue. They could have had a sentence about it in there.
I'm hoping book 2 is about Sebastian's 4th or 5th removed cousin? She was very likable, very likable.
Damn,
This book went from 2 stars at the very beginning to 3 to 4. So yeah, it definitely improved as it went along. The first half dragged on a bit, then when I reached the halfway mark, it went so much faster.
Plot: Sebastian, the Earl of Ravenswood, plans revenge on Countess Kinley, who he believes is responsible for his cousin's death. (I think his plan of revenge was to make her fall in love with him and then desert her.?) His cousin went mad out of a desire for Ivy, the countess. Unwittingly, he begins to fall for the beautiful Ivy.
I was wondering how the romance was going to work because Ivy was understandably wary of him. However, he asked to be friends and she naively trusted him, allowing his courtship of her to begin.
I still can't believe they didn't get stung by any of those bees that day. That's just so unlikely. Had I been there, there's no doubt in my mind that I wouldn't have been stung.
Also, I felt like Sebastian didn't realize that she was 19. Yes, she seemed to have her own title (I still don't understand how she was more titled than her father, however), but she was still young, and so I was also surprised that he didn't think she was a virgin. Ivy was 19 to his 29. Lol, I just turned 20. I don't think I could be dating a 29-year-old tbh, but it was hot in this book so...
Moreover, I felt like Ivy's beauty was overrated. Everyone was going on and on about it. She was so beautiful she had her own Pack surrounding her. It was just a little over the top. I don't think it was because of her personality lol.
I tagged this disappointing ending, because even though most of it was good, something was missing for me. I don't know exactly what besides my question: was Ivy pregnant?? Why was that not cleared up?! Especially in the epilogue. They could have had a sentence about it in there.
I'm hoping book 2 is about Sebastian's 4th or 5th removed cousin? She was very likable, very likable.
Damn,
January 19, 2023
Revenge Plot
Great start, very promising. Sadly, this one didn't work for me. I lost interest--completely. I began skimming after about 20%. Even the angsty parts couldn't save it. I felt zero chemistry between the mains, and I was exceedingly bored. I admit, I have little patience for hate-to-love, enemies-to-lovers tropes. I tried. I hoped I'd warm up to these characters.
One thing worth noting...the heroine's admirers were all sleazeballs, chasing after her like horny maniacs. Two almost raped her. The main male character actually did, which is why I found it ridiculous that he was angry at the other men when he was just as bad or worse. I love dark (really dark) romance but this one will not be going on my faves list. Maybe it's a 'me' thing *shrugs*
Cheating: none
HEA: yes, with epilogue
Length: too long, in my opinion
Great start, very promising. Sadly, this one didn't work for me. I lost interest--completely. I began skimming after about 20%. Even the angsty parts couldn't save it. I felt zero chemistry between the mains, and I was exceedingly bored. I admit, I have little patience for hate-to-love, enemies-to-lovers tropes. I tried. I hoped I'd warm up to these characters.
One thing worth noting...the heroine's admirers were all sleazeballs, chasing after her like horny maniacs. Two almost raped her. The main male character actually did, which is why I found it ridiculous that he was angry at the other men when he was just as bad or worse. I love dark (really dark) romance but this one will not be going on my faves list. Maybe it's a 'me' thing *shrugs*
Cheating: none
HEA: yes, with epilogue
Length: too long, in my opinion
November 15, 2017
LOVED THIS BOOK!!!
This story had an Alpha male and a sweet heroine. It reminded me somewhat of the old bodice rippers that I loved so much.
The beginning plot line was very good ( the evil villain towards the end I thought wasn't really needed and was somewhat predictable, hence 4 stars) .
The author also didn't use the common and boring "I won't tell her I love her" plot line that is so popular today. More importantly, the characters acted like Adults!! I didn't feel as though I was reading a steamy teen romance with immature, silly characters (what a breath of fresh air) .
The hero told the heroine early on how much he loved her and remarkably the author was able to portray the Alpha male as ruthless, but yet human and frail (no easy task, since they usually come off as wimpy or silly).
The writing could have been slightly better, but honestly it is 100 times better then many Kindle Unlimited books and many "paid" books. In fact if I had been charged for the book, I would not have been disappointed in my purchase.
As my profile attests, I have read over 1000 romance books, yet I rarely stop to write a review. I usually just give "stars" and move on. I was so excited to read this book I wanted to take the time to let the author know how much I loved it. Honestly, this is exactly the type of book I have been seeking for the last 5 years. In fact, I had recently given up any hope of finding a decent romance in the historical genre.
Some warnings/observations:
It is a steamy book, (so if you like clean romances, this book is not for you), but it is not erotica. I thought the steamy scenes were well written without any of the cliché male/female part names. I also liked that the characters had real names. (soap opera names in romances is a pet peeve of mine).
There are several scenes where the hero is more Alpha then some of todays readers may be used to. I would not consider these scenes to be "forced seduction" in anyway, but they are slightly more aggressive then what is found in many of todays cookie cutter, conveyer belt, spit out romances (hence why I equated it to an old style bodice ripper) and why I loved this book.
OK basic Plot- even though it has been already done by others-
Beautiful Heroine who is sweet natured has a bevy of men that surround her. A past suitor died after basically stalking her and rumors in the Ton was that it was the heroines fault (she never told anyone this man was obsessed) . Alpha male hero swears vengeance (it was his cousin). Sets out to seduce Heroine and break her heart.
Ms. Moran if you read this review , thank you! thank you! thank you! you have restored some hope that there are some real romances still out there!
Readers- I know I sound "gushy", but have you actually read the majority of todays historical romances? Campy names, silly characters, mystery's that are not a mystery to any reader, over used spy plots, characters that act like teenagers, bluestocking/wallflower plot lines that are badly done and contemporary romances disguised as historical' s . This book was such an unexpected, welcome surprise!
This story had an Alpha male and a sweet heroine. It reminded me somewhat of the old bodice rippers that I loved so much.
The beginning plot line was very good ( the evil villain towards the end I thought wasn't really needed and was somewhat predictable, hence 4 stars) .
The author also didn't use the common and boring "I won't tell her I love her" plot line that is so popular today. More importantly, the characters acted like Adults!! I didn't feel as though I was reading a steamy teen romance with immature, silly characters (what a breath of fresh air) .
The hero told the heroine early on how much he loved her and remarkably the author was able to portray the Alpha male as ruthless, but yet human and frail (no easy task, since they usually come off as wimpy or silly).
The writing could have been slightly better, but honestly it is 100 times better then many Kindle Unlimited books and many "paid" books. In fact if I had been charged for the book, I would not have been disappointed in my purchase.
As my profile attests, I have read over 1000 romance books, yet I rarely stop to write a review. I usually just give "stars" and move on. I was so excited to read this book I wanted to take the time to let the author know how much I loved it. Honestly, this is exactly the type of book I have been seeking for the last 5 years. In fact, I had recently given up any hope of finding a decent romance in the historical genre.
Some warnings/observations:
It is a steamy book, (so if you like clean romances, this book is not for you), but it is not erotica. I thought the steamy scenes were well written without any of the cliché male/female part names. I also liked that the characters had real names. (soap opera names in romances is a pet peeve of mine).
There are several scenes where the hero is more Alpha then some of todays readers may be used to. I would not consider these scenes to be "forced seduction" in anyway, but they are slightly more aggressive then what is found in many of todays cookie cutter, conveyer belt, spit out romances (hence why I equated it to an old style bodice ripper) and why I loved this book.
OK basic Plot- even though it has been already done by others-
Beautiful Heroine who is sweet natured has a bevy of men that surround her. A past suitor died after basically stalking her and rumors in the Ton was that it was the heroines fault (she never told anyone this man was obsessed) . Alpha male hero swears vengeance (it was his cousin). Sets out to seduce Heroine and break her heart.
Ms. Moran if you read this review , thank you! thank you! thank you! you have restored some hope that there are some real romances still out there!
Readers- I know I sound "gushy", but have you actually read the majority of todays historical romances? Campy names, silly characters, mystery's that are not a mystery to any reader, over used spy plots, characters that act like teenagers, bluestocking/wallflower plot lines that are badly done and contemporary romances disguised as historical' s . This book was such an unexpected, welcome surprise!
June 16, 2021
An enemy to lovers trope. Sebastian, the Earl of Ravenswood wanted to avenge his cousin's death, Timothy by ruining the supposed cause of his death, Ivy, the Countess of Somerset. He wanted to make Ivy fell in love with him, ruined her and left her bleeding.
I was expecting a lot of angst from the blurb. However, I was quite detached emotionally while reading. I was pretty much cruising through. The author's writing was pretty good actually. It was just that I couldn't be invested in the story due to the reasons below.
Coming to the things that I don't like:
1) The book was way too long. Everything could have been resolved in half the length of the book.
2) No character growth. Sebastian remained an ass throughout the book and Ivy was supposed to be this beautiful and naïve person until the end. He kept saying that Ivy was his and he wouldn't let her go (possessive much?) but his actions were deplorable. I would have lapped this up when I was younger, but not anymore (remember Twilight?)
3) Ivy was able to go everywhere openly without a chaperone. Def not possible during that time. She was a maiden at a marriageable age. I know that the author said that she has taken some liberties regarding the chaperonage but it just didn't ring true.
4) I have no idea why they fell in love except that both were beautiful people and this fact were pressed upon you repeatedly throughout the book. Seems terribly shallow.
I guess I expected a bit too much since this was recommended by someone in my Facebook group and the GR rating is high. This is simply not to my taste. The 2 stars would be due to the writing. The writing, IMO, was the saving grace.
I was expecting a lot of angst from the blurb. However, I was quite detached emotionally while reading. I was pretty much cruising through. The author's writing was pretty good actually. It was just that I couldn't be invested in the story due to the reasons below.
Coming to the things that I don't like:
1) The book was way too long. Everything could have been resolved in half the length of the book.
2) No character growth. Sebastian remained an ass throughout the book and Ivy was supposed to be this beautiful and naïve person until the end. He kept saying that Ivy was his and he wouldn't let her go (possessive much?) but his actions were deplorable. I would have lapped this up when I was younger, but not anymore (remember Twilight?)
3) Ivy was able to go everywhere openly without a chaperone. Def not possible during that time. She was a maiden at a marriageable age. I know that the author said that she has taken some liberties regarding the chaperonage but it just didn't ring true.
4) I have no idea why they fell in love except that both were beautiful people and this fact were pressed upon you repeatedly throughout the book. Seems terribly shallow.
I guess I expected a bit too much since this was recommended by someone in my Facebook group and the GR rating is high. This is simply not to my taste. The 2 stars would be due to the writing. The writing, IMO, was the saving grace.
January 24, 2019
“Goddamnit, Ivy. You would tempt a saint.” “You are hurting me,” was her hissed response. “Am I?” Sebastian blinked, his words softly chilling. And gentle. “Maybe I want to hurt you. Maybe this is the only way to handle you and what lies between us. Or perhaps this is some horrible form of self-torture, something I deserve…”
This book, published in 2017, written by a woman, is about rape and revenge sex packaged as erotic romance. Made it through 53%. I stopped right after he ignored her protests (after she told him he was hurting her), physically overpowered her while she was drunk, and raped her, again. The only thing that could have made this book salvageable was if his dick ended up in a jar on her fireplace mantle.
April Moran, FYI: women can have orgasms as a result of rape & lots of sex doesn't = loose vagina. Google it.
This book, published in 2017, written by a woman, is about rape and revenge sex packaged as erotic romance. Made it through 53%. I stopped right after he ignored her protests (after she told him he was hurting her), physically overpowered her while she was drunk, and raped her, again. The only thing that could have made this book salvageable was if his dick ended up in a jar on her fireplace mantle.
April Moran, FYI: women can have orgasms as a result of rape & lots of sex doesn't = loose vagina. Google it.
December 22, 2017
If you're looking for a steamy, emotional, angsty historical romance, one-click Taming Ivy! Debut author April Moran has written a lovely story of revenge derailed by unexpected attraction and love. The late Regency details are true to the era and I enjoyed every scrumptious scene and gown description. I also felt for Ivy as she strains against the confines of her sex in a time when women had so few choices available to them, even when titled and wealthy.
The next book in the series can't come fast enough!
The next book in the series can't come fast enough!
September 29, 2017
Every now and then, I like to go out on a limb and read a book from a genre that I rarely, if ever, delve into. This selection is a first for me, as I have never read a novel from the historical, high romance genre. What an engaging love story this turned out to be!
The author does a fine job establishing a keen sense of time and place, giving great attention to detail while constructing a sexual tension between the two central characters that keeps the pages turning. A compelling cast of supporting characters is finely woven throughout the story, allowing the reader a broader view into the historical time frame of London in the 1830's.
April Moran is an exciting new voice in this genre and I am looking forward to where her stories take her and her readers.
The author does a fine job establishing a keen sense of time and place, giving great attention to detail while constructing a sexual tension between the two central characters that keeps the pages turning. A compelling cast of supporting characters is finely woven throughout the story, allowing the reader a broader view into the historical time frame of London in the 1830's.
April Moran is an exciting new voice in this genre and I am looking forward to where her stories take her and her readers.
December 9, 2019
Romance novel or rape manifesto?
If you like controlling, abusive, and damaged men, this is for you!
I just can't like this book. Pretty much the entire time I just felt awful for the heroine. How much abuse and mental/emotional distress can one character take?? Good grief, this was so awful. The hero is a crime with no redeeming qualities. Possessive, manipulative, controlling, jealous, and honestly, not too bright. He kept saying, oh if only I had my spies do research I could have absolved her. Ok just stop.
I just couldn't stomach all the rape scenes, grammar mistakes, poor historical references, and poor character development. Don't waste your time. How did this get such high ratings????
If you like controlling, abusive, and damaged men, this is for you!
I just can't like this book. Pretty much the entire time I just felt awful for the heroine. How much abuse and mental/emotional distress can one character take?? Good grief, this was so awful. The hero is a crime with no redeeming qualities. Possessive, manipulative, controlling, jealous, and honestly, not too bright. He kept saying, oh if only I had my spies do research I could have absolved her. Ok just stop.
I just couldn't stomach all the rape scenes, grammar mistakes, poor historical references, and poor character development. Don't waste your time. How did this get such high ratings????
March 31, 2020
First-time novelist April Moran strikes gold with TAMING IVY. Romance novels are generally not my forte, but being a history buff I found the setting of 19th century London intriguing. The plot, which has a touch of mystery to it, was intriguing and kept me turning the pages. The dialogue was particularly well-handled; the voices consistent and believable. And the surprise ending was a nice "twist." I do believe the story could've been "tightened" a bit, but overall Ms. Moran has penned a winner with Sebastian and Ivy. Oh, did I mention the hot love scenes? You might want to keep a pair of kitchen mitts handy when the romance heats up.
April 25, 2020
I love books where the hero is unnecessarily mean to the heroine. This one is due to a big misunderstanding. I loved the angst and passion in this book. Ivy really goes through a lot, but I enjoy that kind of thing in historical romance!
May 24, 2019
Modestly giving this novel a 2-Stars. It was not that good and I put it down more than once but trudged my way to finish.
October 22, 2018
If you are into 1980s, Rosemary Rogers-style bodicerippers where the hero borderline rapes (major consent issues), stalks, abducts, and is violently controlling, cruel and jealous (note: he is self-aware and outright acknowledges his abusive behavior several times while questioning why on earth she stays with him - but is also unwilling to let her out of his sight), and the heroine spends her time throwing brief childish fits that provoke him, blaming herself and then forgiving him simply because the minute he touches her she orgasms, then this book is for you.
A lot of time was spent justifying and excusing the hero’s litany of terrible deeds “because he is in love” with her. Every terrible thing seems to be forgiven with mindblowing, earth shattering sex. I had to conclude even by the end that neither of these characters seem to know anything about love, hence their disturbingly unhealthy dynamic.
So about this hero, he was just not a likable person on any level in my opinion. I didn’t note any growth in his character throughout the book either. It starts on the premise of him enacting revenge on a 20 year old girl by emotionally manipulating her, sexually using her and then publicly exposing and ruining her, all for a perceived wrong (his cousin committing suicide) he fails to even investigate. Near the end of the book he continues to enact life-ruining revenge and cruelty, including financial ruin and physical beatings, in the name of “love”. Side note: The hero owns a tea plantation in the Caribbean, which may be historically appropriate, but it is left unwritten that it makes him a slave owner, adding to his already horrible character. Strangely, the only point of this reference seemed to be to explain why a white english aristocrat was tanned bronze right down to his bare bottom (Reason: fooling around naked with his mistress on his plantation’s beach for a year).
The book itself is also very long, which other reviewers have mentioned. I gave the book three stars because I actually slogged through it all and the writing itself was decent (and I was sort of hoping something really terrible would happen to the hero, so I would stop feeling uncomfortable about abusive dynamic). The opening scene of the book was clunky, but after that, the story found its flow. There was one point where a really unexpected reference was made to “whooping like a wild Indian” which is problematic on its own, but also seemed really out of place in the 1830s English countryside, since narration usually keeps in line with the era and location to a degree. My historical gripe was that no pretense of a chaperone was even made in the story: a wealthy young heiress and debutante goes everywhere (drives, balls) without even a maid, let alone society matron or her father; strange men can go in and out the front door of her family’s fully staffed townhouse in the middle of the night without anyone noticing; and she hosts dinners in her home alone with her male admirers monthly. I understand stretching some historical accuracy to move along the story, but at least make some pretense of chaperonage that she circumvents like other authors manage! It would have been so easy.
Anyway, these are a lot of gripes - but it was a long book. ;) While I am worried that Nicholas, the hero of the second book, will be cut from the same cloth as his former friend Sebastian, I am still planning to try reading it. I typically enjoy this trope of enemies turned lovers, so I’m hoping her second book will have fleshed out a hero who has a redemption storyline and is ultimately a decent person.
A lot of time was spent justifying and excusing the hero’s litany of terrible deeds “because he is in love” with her. Every terrible thing seems to be forgiven with mindblowing, earth shattering sex. I had to conclude even by the end that neither of these characters seem to know anything about love, hence their disturbingly unhealthy dynamic.
So about this hero, he was just not a likable person on any level in my opinion. I didn’t note any growth in his character throughout the book either. It starts on the premise of him enacting revenge on a 20 year old girl by emotionally manipulating her, sexually using her and then publicly exposing and ruining her, all for a perceived wrong (his cousin committing suicide) he fails to even investigate. Near the end of the book he continues to enact life-ruining revenge and cruelty, including financial ruin and physical beatings, in the name of “love”. Side note: The hero owns a tea plantation in the Caribbean, which may be historically appropriate, but it is left unwritten that it makes him a slave owner, adding to his already horrible character. Strangely, the only point of this reference seemed to be to explain why a white english aristocrat was tanned bronze right down to his bare bottom (Reason: fooling around naked with his mistress on his plantation’s beach for a year).
The book itself is also very long, which other reviewers have mentioned. I gave the book three stars because I actually slogged through it all and the writing itself was decent (and I was sort of hoping something really terrible would happen to the hero, so I would stop feeling uncomfortable about abusive dynamic). The opening scene of the book was clunky, but after that, the story found its flow. There was one point where a really unexpected reference was made to “whooping like a wild Indian” which is problematic on its own, but also seemed really out of place in the 1830s English countryside, since narration usually keeps in line with the era and location to a degree. My historical gripe was that no pretense of a chaperone was even made in the story: a wealthy young heiress and debutante goes everywhere (drives, balls) without even a maid, let alone society matron or her father; strange men can go in and out the front door of her family’s fully staffed townhouse in the middle of the night without anyone noticing; and she hosts dinners in her home alone with her male admirers monthly. I understand stretching some historical accuracy to move along the story, but at least make some pretense of chaperonage that she circumvents like other authors manage! It would have been so easy.
Anyway, these are a lot of gripes - but it was a long book. ;) While I am worried that Nicholas, the hero of the second book, will be cut from the same cloth as his former friend Sebastian, I am still planning to try reading it. I typically enjoy this trope of enemies turned lovers, so I’m hoping her second book will have fleshed out a hero who has a redemption storyline and is ultimately a decent person.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 22, 2023
Another epic romance fail. This could’ve been an incredible swoon-worthy read, but instead of swoon we get shit: a hero who in the opening pages is rutting some skanky whore, who apparently is happy to entertain other men in his absence. Because STDs aren’t a thing. So he’s literally sticking his unprotected dick into a female who slimes around with other men and probably has syphilis. Why was the hero fucking some sleazy std-trap? No reason whatsoever. It was a pathetic, unnecessary insertion. I had been challenged to read this book by a friend, so instead of DNFing, I plodded on, hoping that there better be a damn good reason why the hero is having on page sex with OW. And I couldn’t find one. The plot wouldn’t have suffered even slightly had that slimy putrid fucktardation not been included.
I love a villain hero and this would’ve been a great book with a villain who falls hard but that one scene soured my stomach and tainted the entire book. It was like spewing shit right onto the page and the stink of it couldn’t be removed.
And the ending sucked. No babies and an epilogue that was weeks out.
I did like the heroine. She was reserved and hid her vulnerabilities behind an icy demeanor.
Not safe. Hero is a gross, morally corrupt manwhore who uses stupid women as cum dumps and has on page sex with OW. OW pops up later and confronts heroine, so now heroine has to face a female who was rutted by her hero. Can you say “vomit?” Heroine is a virgin and belongs only to the hero. Hero is faithful to heroine after meeting her. No sharing or cheating. Violence and kidnapping and discussions of suicide. Unsatisfactory hea, no babies and only weeks out. .
I love a villain hero and this would’ve been a great book with a villain who falls hard but that one scene soured my stomach and tainted the entire book. It was like spewing shit right onto the page and the stink of it couldn’t be removed.
And the ending sucked. No babies and an epilogue that was weeks out.
I did like the heroine. She was reserved and hid her vulnerabilities behind an icy demeanor.
Not safe. Hero is a gross, morally corrupt manwhore who uses stupid women as cum dumps and has on page sex with OW. OW pops up later and confronts heroine, so now heroine has to face a female who was rutted by her hero. Can you say “vomit?” Heroine is a virgin and belongs only to the hero. Hero is faithful to heroine after meeting her. No sharing or cheating. Violence and kidnapping and discussions of suicide. Unsatisfactory hea, no babies and only weeks out. .
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