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The Mating Habits of Scoundrels #2
My Kind of Earl
USA Today bestselling author Vivienne Lorret continues her charming new trilogy with a bluestocking whose search for information on the mating habits of scoundrels has her stumbling upon the missing heir to an earldom... in the London underworld.
Jane Pickerington never intended to start a brawl in a brothel. She only wanted to research her book. Yet when her simple study of scoundrels goes awry, she finds herself coming to the rescue of a dark, enigmatic stranger… who turns out to be far more than an average rake out for a night of pleasure. He’s positively wild!
Only the most feral and cunning could have survived foundling homes and work houses. Orphaned as an infant, Raven never had another name. At least… not until he meets her. Now he’s face-to-face with the one person who recognizes the strange birthmark on his arm and can reinstate him to his blue-blooded birthright.
All at once, Raven’s life takes a turn. His knowledge of dark alleys and gaming hells never prepared him for gilded ballrooms. So Jane becomes his tutor. Yet, the more lessons in decorum she offers, the more this untamed scoundrel wants to teach her all the ways to be wicked.
Jane Pickerington never intended to start a brawl in a brothel. She only wanted to research her book. Yet when her simple study of scoundrels goes awry, she finds herself coming to the rescue of a dark, enigmatic stranger… who turns out to be far more than an average rake out for a night of pleasure. He’s positively wild!
Only the most feral and cunning could have survived foundling homes and work houses. Orphaned as an infant, Raven never had another name. At least… not until he meets her. Now he’s face-to-face with the one person who recognizes the strange birthmark on his arm and can reinstate him to his blue-blooded birthright.
All at once, Raven’s life takes a turn. His knowledge of dark alleys and gaming hells never prepared him for gilded ballrooms. So Jane becomes his tutor. Yet, the more lessons in decorum she offers, the more this untamed scoundrel wants to teach her all the ways to be wicked.
370 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 29, 2020
253 people are currently reading
3560 people want to read
About the author
Vivienne Lorret
36 books1,303 followersUSA Today bestselling author VIVIENNE LORRET writes fun and steamy Regency historical romances. She lives in the Midwest where she coaxes words out of giant mugs of tea and attempts to jot them down before they can escape. For her entire catalog of books, including the Liars’ Club, her latest series from Avon, please visit www.vivlorret.net
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September 23, 2020
*3.5 stars*
My Kind of Earl was my first book by Vivienne Lorret, and I actually thought it was pretty great. However, the lack of a proper ending frustrated me so much that I ended up dropping my rating 1/2 a star.
The story is actually the second in a series, but I thought it worked perfectly as a stand-alone. I think I'd go back and read the first and subsequent books in the series because there is a lot of good content there. I really enjoyed the female MC's circle of friends, and I adored the smart, industrious heroine.
I liked that the story had a little mystery element as it kept the story propelling forwards. The start of the plot was a bit outlandish, but it really came together. Jane's family and neglectful parents felt very real to me, and I liked her chemistry with Raven. There was a lot of good, meaty storyline there for the readers.
The ending was where the problems began. Raven acted in a totally uncharacteristic manner, and I had a hard time believing it was the same character. On top of that, it felt like the author was speeding to finish the book because the last 10% moved at an unrealistic, lightening pace. It left me with a bad taste in my mouth. The story needed at least one epilogue, and I even checked a few times to make sure I wasn't missing pages.
A good story that could have been much more, My Kind of Earl was a promising intro to a new-to-me author.
*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*
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My Kind of Earl was my first book by Vivienne Lorret, and I actually thought it was pretty great. However, the lack of a proper ending frustrated me so much that I ended up dropping my rating 1/2 a star.
The story is actually the second in a series, but I thought it worked perfectly as a stand-alone. I think I'd go back and read the first and subsequent books in the series because there is a lot of good content there. I really enjoyed the female MC's circle of friends, and I adored the smart, industrious heroine.
I liked that the story had a little mystery element as it kept the story propelling forwards. The start of the plot was a bit outlandish, but it really came together. Jane's family and neglectful parents felt very real to me, and I liked her chemistry with Raven. There was a lot of good, meaty storyline there for the readers.
The ending was where the problems began. Raven acted in a totally uncharacteristic manner, and I had a hard time believing it was the same character. On top of that, it felt like the author was speeding to finish the book because the last 10% moved at an unrealistic, lightening pace. It left me with a bad taste in my mouth. The story needed at least one epilogue, and I even checked a few times to make sure I wasn't missing pages.
A good story that could have been much more, My Kind of Earl was a promising intro to a new-to-me author.
*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*
goodreads|instagram|twitter|blog
September 8, 2020
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
His mouth curved in a slow, mysterious grin. “You’re not the only one who knows things, Jane.”
My Kind of Earl is second in the Mating Habits of Scoundrels series where three friends are trying to write a primer on scoundrels for debutantes. Their friend Prudence was caught up in a scandal and banished to the countryside, they want to help fellow debutantes avoid such a fate. New readers could easily start here as the heroine from the first is off on her honeymoon and all you really need to know is this heroine's, Jane, motivation for why she wants to research scoundrels. The hero, Raven, first made an appearance in the Misadventures in Matchmaking series (The Rogue to Ruin).
Catching his breath, Raven stared at her. He felt strangely mystified and exhilarated as if he were a lad seeing fireworks light up the night sky over Vauxhall for the first time.
Raven is a gaming hell factotum who moonlights at an upper class brothel pretending to be a gentleman to bring in more upper class gentlemen, this is where he first sees Jane as she is trying to sneak in. Jane is our heroine bluestocking who has a perfect memory and wildly curious mind. She at first came off a bit annoyingly obliviously naive while Raven was trying to save her and her reputation at the brothel but as the story focused more on her and Raven, their chemistry covered up any rough edges.
She knew he was only flirting with her out of habit, wanting to distract her. There could be no other reason. And yet, that low gravelly drawl made her wonder what, precisely, those wicked ideas were.
I loved these two, instead of insta-lust the author wrote instant awareness and what a burning delicious tingle up the spine these two gave off. The first half is just about wholly devoted to the chemistry between the two and it definitely worked. Once the reveal of what the bird tattoo on Raven's shoulder could mean about his previously thought orphan identity, the beginning steam between the two settles into more of a comfortable heat as Jane gives Raven lessons on how to act in society and he's giving her material on how scoundrels seduce. In the second half, some of Jane's eleven brothers and sisters start to make bigger entrances into the story and we get more flushing out of her personality, how her class obsessed and ignoring parents make her feel easy to be unlovable and being a pseudo-parent to her siblings has made her want to have a plan for every contingency. The brothers and sisters also provided great moments for Raven to showed he cared for Jane by his attention to them. To enjoy Jane and Raven together so much, you will have to let go of the idea that Jane should be chaperoned and for someone who is so aware of ruination, she plays it pretty fast and loose. It wasn't until around the 60% of the story that I think the narrowed focus on Raven and Jane started to lose some steam and I wanted some outside story to come in more.
The only way he could keep her, would be to claim his birthright.
The outside story to our couple's romance involves a mystery Jane is determined to solve about Raven's bird tattoo and how it could be tied into his identity. It gets a bit convoluted with involvement from Jane's uncle, traitors, and vengeful French spies but still held together. Raven is obviously scared to hope because of what answers they discover could mean to him so he gets a bit resistant and growly. All this had me rating the book a strong four stars until I got to the 70% mark and a couple things happened that made me wanting to drop the rating to two stars.
She quieted the restless sense of separation he’d felt all his life.
I mentioned how the narrowed focus on Jane and Raven started to lose steam in the second half but what really had me dropping the rating was a couple other things. When Raven discusses his past, he reveals that he was “rescued” by an older woman when he was a teen, who he slept with, and then when he got older she introduced him to other upper class women. Raven states this:
“By the time I’d reached my eighteenth year and my body had grown from nourishment and vigorous exercise”— he paused to wink—“ my features had lost their boyish softness. Her interest waned.
Raven laughs and smooths anything over by saying he was a young boy in puberty, so of course he enjoyed the attentions of a woman and Jane only thinks about how she is jealous that any other woman would have had her hands on Raven's body. I can not believe that line was said without a strong stating of how that woman was a pedophile and some form of condemnation and acknowledgment of what happened was wrong. I really think if it had been a teenage girl with an older man saying this, it would have been handled differently. This small scene, in the sense of the general overall story, really soured my stomach because of the gross perpetuating of such ideals when it comes to teenage boys and sex.
The second thing that dropped the rating was at around the 90% mark, we're in the midst of the last second angst moment before our couple eventually gets their HEA, Raven says some incredibly cruel things to Jane. I've just journey through 90% of this story with Raven and Jane learning each other and growing together to have Raven become “scared” and disregard all the work the author has done and say overly cruel things with only 10% for him to redeem himself? Needless to say, Jane forgave him too quickly and a lot of the caring previously displayed by Raven didn't hit as hard after his cruelty. Lastly, the ending was ridiculously abrupt, to the point I'm still questioning if my ARC was missing an epilogue. We get the reveal of events that led to Raven ending up at an orphanage and then boom, the ending. I don't need a five years down the road mini-novella but give me some time to not only enjoy the couple happily together but to also write a scene with them having it, I'm not sure they fully got that here.
“And to think,” he said, “all this happened because of a button.”
This started off so good with the delicious spine tingling teasing and chemistry between Jane and Raven only to lose some momentum in the second half and hit some major rough spots on its way to a very abrupt ending. I enjoyed Jane's open and honest admittance of love and Raven's growly but caring towards her. I also appreciated how the author must be a fan of the don't show a gun on the mantel if you're not going to use later school of thought, because when she shows a comfortable hidden chaise longue, she definitely ends up using it. The beginning of this felt so purposeful with the emotions and interactions between our couple but the ending had a very get it done and wrapped up feel. There's still two more friends out of the group to find their happily ever after and because this author can be so good with the chemistry between her leads, I still will be grabbing them up.
His mouth curved in a slow, mysterious grin. “You’re not the only one who knows things, Jane.”
My Kind of Earl is second in the Mating Habits of Scoundrels series where three friends are trying to write a primer on scoundrels for debutantes. Their friend Prudence was caught up in a scandal and banished to the countryside, they want to help fellow debutantes avoid such a fate. New readers could easily start here as the heroine from the first is off on her honeymoon and all you really need to know is this heroine's, Jane, motivation for why she wants to research scoundrels. The hero, Raven, first made an appearance in the Misadventures in Matchmaking series (The Rogue to Ruin).
Catching his breath, Raven stared at her. He felt strangely mystified and exhilarated as if he were a lad seeing fireworks light up the night sky over Vauxhall for the first time.
Raven is a gaming hell factotum who moonlights at an upper class brothel pretending to be a gentleman to bring in more upper class gentlemen, this is where he first sees Jane as she is trying to sneak in. Jane is our heroine bluestocking who has a perfect memory and wildly curious mind. She at first came off a bit annoyingly obliviously naive while Raven was trying to save her and her reputation at the brothel but as the story focused more on her and Raven, their chemistry covered up any rough edges.
She knew he was only flirting with her out of habit, wanting to distract her. There could be no other reason. And yet, that low gravelly drawl made her wonder what, precisely, those wicked ideas were.
I loved these two, instead of insta-lust the author wrote instant awareness and what a burning delicious tingle up the spine these two gave off. The first half is just about wholly devoted to the chemistry between the two and it definitely worked. Once the reveal of what the bird tattoo on Raven's shoulder could mean about his previously thought orphan identity, the beginning steam between the two settles into more of a comfortable heat as Jane gives Raven lessons on how to act in society and he's giving her material on how scoundrels seduce. In the second half, some of Jane's eleven brothers and sisters start to make bigger entrances into the story and we get more flushing out of her personality, how her class obsessed and ignoring parents make her feel easy to be unlovable and being a pseudo-parent to her siblings has made her want to have a plan for every contingency. The brothers and sisters also provided great moments for Raven to showed he cared for Jane by his attention to them. To enjoy Jane and Raven together so much, you will have to let go of the idea that Jane should be chaperoned and for someone who is so aware of ruination, she plays it pretty fast and loose. It wasn't until around the 60% of the story that I think the narrowed focus on Raven and Jane started to lose some steam and I wanted some outside story to come in more.
The only way he could keep her, would be to claim his birthright.
The outside story to our couple's romance involves a mystery Jane is determined to solve about Raven's bird tattoo and how it could be tied into his identity. It gets a bit convoluted with involvement from Jane's uncle, traitors, and vengeful French spies but still held together. Raven is obviously scared to hope because of what answers they discover could mean to him so he gets a bit resistant and growly. All this had me rating the book a strong four stars until I got to the 70% mark and a couple things happened that made me wanting to drop the rating to two stars.
She quieted the restless sense of separation he’d felt all his life.
I mentioned how the narrowed focus on Jane and Raven started to lose steam in the second half but what really had me dropping the rating was a couple other things. When Raven discusses his past, he reveals that he was “rescued” by an older woman when he was a teen, who he slept with, and then when he got older she introduced him to other upper class women. Raven states this:
“By the time I’d reached my eighteenth year and my body had grown from nourishment and vigorous exercise”— he paused to wink—“ my features had lost their boyish softness. Her interest waned.
Raven laughs and smooths anything over by saying he was a young boy in puberty, so of course he enjoyed the attentions of a woman and Jane only thinks about how she is jealous that any other woman would have had her hands on Raven's body. I can not believe that line was said without a strong stating of how that woman was a pedophile and some form of condemnation and acknowledgment of what happened was wrong. I really think if it had been a teenage girl with an older man saying this, it would have been handled differently. This small scene, in the sense of the general overall story, really soured my stomach because of the gross perpetuating of such ideals when it comes to teenage boys and sex.
The second thing that dropped the rating was at around the 90% mark, we're in the midst of the last second angst moment before our couple eventually gets their HEA, Raven says some incredibly cruel things to Jane. I've just journey through 90% of this story with Raven and Jane learning each other and growing together to have Raven become “scared” and disregard all the work the author has done and say overly cruel things with only 10% for him to redeem himself? Needless to say, Jane forgave him too quickly and a lot of the caring previously displayed by Raven didn't hit as hard after his cruelty. Lastly, the ending was ridiculously abrupt, to the point I'm still questioning if my ARC was missing an epilogue. We get the reveal of events that led to Raven ending up at an orphanage and then boom, the ending. I don't need a five years down the road mini-novella but give me some time to not only enjoy the couple happily together but to also write a scene with them having it, I'm not sure they fully got that here.
“And to think,” he said, “all this happened because of a button.”
This started off so good with the delicious spine tingling teasing and chemistry between Jane and Raven only to lose some momentum in the second half and hit some major rough spots on its way to a very abrupt ending. I enjoyed Jane's open and honest admittance of love and Raven's growly but caring towards her. I also appreciated how the author must be a fan of the don't show a gun on the mantel if you're not going to use later school of thought, because when she shows a comfortable hidden chaise longue, she definitely ends up using it. The beginning of this felt so purposeful with the emotions and interactions between our couple but the ending had a very get it done and wrapped up feel. There's still two more friends out of the group to find their happily ever after and because this author can be so good with the chemistry between her leads, I still will be grabbing them up.
October 4, 2021
it had some great moments but they weren't enough to outshine the overall just okay feel of the book
however, this is a gorgeous cover
however, this is a gorgeous cover
August 24, 2020
Title: My Kind of Earl
Series: Mating Habits of Scoundrels #2
Author: Vivienne Lorret
Release date: September 29, 2020
Cliffhanger: no
Genre: historical romance
In this second offering in the Mating Habits of Scoundrels series, we are given the story of studious Jane Pickerington and the darkly mysterious "Raven." While this author seems to be a little hit or miss for me so far, after being introduced to this delightful group of friends in Lord Holt Takes a Bride, there was no question that I just had to see these strong women find their HEAs. Jane's story was especially appealing to me because "bluestocking" heroines happen to be my greatest historical romance weakness. There's just something about a woman being cherished for her intelligence and wit during an era where it was seen as a defect that gets me every time. For a woman to be seen as an equal by her spouse rather than walking currency or solely a sexual object is something really valuable.
We met Raven in The Rogue to Ruin, and he immediately piqued my curiosity. He's an orphan with no knowledge of where he came from who has made his home among the criminals of the Dials. While he does make an honest living as a factotum at Sterling’s gaming hell, that doesn't mean that he always plays by the rules on the right side of the law. He follows his own set of societal standards. He isn't impressed by the circumstance of birth, wealth, or the entitled snobs who turn their nose up at him. His pride is easily bruised, so he likes to distance himself from those who would look down on what he's worked hard to achieve. He's become something of an enigma among his small group of friends-never letting anyone into his private thoughts or sanctuary. All of that's about to change when he meets a bookish noblewoman in the least likely of places.
Jane is an entertaining mix of naive and intellectual. She's brave to the point of foolhardy at times, but you can't help but admire her unbending loyalty to her friends. She has utter confidence in herself when she sneaks into a brothel to research her book on the mating habits of scoundrels. Rather than reaching for her smelling salts at the shocking scenes she witnesses there, she watches with a clinical, scientific eye and her notepad out. She has an analytical, scientific mind that won't let a topic go until she finds an answer. This is a case of opposites attract between these two characters. While she is like an open book (pun intended) he's reclusive in nature and her sunny personality has to pull him out of his shell. But like any opposites couple, they balanced each other's strengths wonderfully.
Raven had a burning need to know what that felt like. To be surrounded by family. To have traditions to look forward to, year after year.
What these two had in common was being an outsider, despite their polar differences in social status. Raven straddles both worlds but doesn't fit in either. Born into the nobility, he was stolen from his birthright and dropped at an orphanage to fend for himself. Now that his true history has been discovered, the Ton looks at him as a social climbing interloper. Jane is unaccepted for daring to reject what a proper lady should be. All she wants to do is learn about everything and everything, create inventions and be independent.
To the ton, she was merely a culmination of oddities and idiosyncrasies. To Raven, she was still all those things. But she was more, too. She was a woman, someone desirable despite her peculiarities. Perhaps even because of them.
There were some really funny moments that had me chuckling. For example, one of my favorite scenes was when Jane realized that she had fallen in love with Raven. She showed her goofy, nerdy side by creating a chart to try to discover the point in which it happened. Even with love, she tried to dissect it and compute its cause and effect. The way she blurted her feeling out matter-of-factly to him and his resulting passionate response had me laughing out loud. It was the little moments like these that made most of the story an entertaining ride.
The story was a pretty simple one. There was a bit of a mystery involved, but overall the plot was pretty straightforward. Quirky heroine teaches uncultured hero to enter society and reclaim his family. Clandestine meetings occur, hearts get tangled, and they must get approval to be together. There was a conflict that I saw coming early on and I wasn't a huge fan of how it played out. Jane kept some vital information from which he interpreted as a malicious secret. His reaction and retreat afterwards was very frustrating and in my opinion pretty cowardly. He left Jane to pick up the pieces and solve everything for him while he hid from his problems. I became frustrated with his inability to listen to her side of the story or fight for the things that meant so much for him. So I did lose some respect for him after that point. If Jane had held him more accountable more instead of accepting everything as her due I don't think it would have been as much of an issue for me personally.
I also wished we could have explored Raven's sexual exploitation as a young fifteen year old boy by Mrs. Devons and her friends with more sensitivity. Although Jane is horrified at his story, he brushes being sold off to her friends as if it was nothing. Saying he chose to stay and endure it. He even smirked and winked when saying that once he lost his childish features, they lost interest in him. The women groomed him to believe that he wanted it and chose to be there as they abused their power over him. I think this issue was handled indelicately. Victims should never believe their abusers' lies, so his character was done a disservice by not addressing things fully and allowing him to process it when Jane found issue with it.
While this wasn't one of my big hits from Lorret, I enjoyed the dynamic these two had together. There was plenty of humor and heart infused in the story to keep you quickly turning the pages. Even if you haven't read the first book, you can jump into the series from here with no issues. The next installment will be Ellie's story, and it's titled, The Wrong Marquess. However, I have my eye on Prudence's book! The friend who fell for a charming rake and was exiled to the country when it resulted in a shocking scandal. Her letters have given hints along the way as to what occurred, but even her friends aren't given the full scope of the events that unfolded. It's been delightfully teased since the very start, so my anticipation is growing by the minute. If you haven't tried this series yet, jump aboard now and meet these oddball group of friends who celebrate each other's differences rather than try to conform.
And she, who had begun her research in part to find evidence of love, had somehow stumbled upon it without having taken a single note.
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January 31, 2021
This is book 2 in the series but is perfectly fine as a stand alone, at least that's how I felt not having read book 1.
Jane is doing research on the behavior of scoundrels and needs notes to write her book. She ends up sneaking into a brothel where she meets our hero, Raven. After their encounter, she knows she recognizes his birthmark from somewhere and is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery. Jane can be a little interfering, but Raven never seemed to be out of his comfort zone with her direction so it didn't bother me. Jane has a very large family and very neglectful parents and she is just aching for someone to really see her, respect her, understand her longings in life. And I think Raven's playfully flirtatious personality was perfect for her.
Raven was orphaned as an infant and has lived a life of hard work and abuse. He has worked hard to get his own living place and even secured a few books to own. I usually find the heroine to be the bookworms in HR in general, and I loved seeing Raven's breath catch when he enters a well stocked library. I will always have a soft spot for the street heroes of HR. And Raven has a bit of that hardness to him, but he also has a fun personality. I found him humorous, playful and sexy.
I really absolutely loved this book right up until the end. THE END. We'll talk about that later. I thought this book had a great build over time of tension and touches and longing. I thought Jane and Raven were focused on each other for most of the book. Some parts were funny. Some were so heartwarming. Raven was really a great hero and I felt like he truly loved Jane and her family, who is obviously important to her.
I found this book to be filled with so many little scenes that built the tension. So many touches, almost touches, almost kisses, a stroke of a collarbone above a dress. I loved them. There is a scene where Jane is teaching Raven some of the social niceties of the ton and she's explaining how when making calls on women it's important to keep your hat and gloves with you so your hostess knows you won't be sharing intimacies with a guess. Raven informs her of at least 7 ways he could ravish her while keeping his hat and gloves intact. There's no kisses but it's so. Damn. Sexy. The wanting I felt during that scene was wonderful.
Give this book a try if you are in the mood for
A class differences feel – the hero is an orphan that grew up on the streets and the heroine is a daughter of a viscount
Secret/hidden identity – (maybe a bit of a stretch) the hero is an orphan trying to find out his origins
Enough mystery to move the story along but not overwhelmingly taking over
Moderate steam – it felt a bit on the lower end to me, but the scenes are detailed and explicit. They were just concentrated at the end (see end of review for amounts/percentage location in book)
So. The END. Was a disaster for me. It was such an amazing, wonderful book until the end. Then. Everything happened. It was way too much crammed into a short percentage. Some of it didn't really make sense as far as the characters went. I didn't approve at all of Raven's actions. I also dislike when another character has to come in and kind of “fix” the problem and that's what happened here. I want the characters to be able to mostly figure it out themselves. There was just so much...I didn't like anything at the end.
I also didn't like the way some of Raven's darker moments of his past were handled. It almost skimmed over it, like see, look I'm fine, wink wink and I guess I would have preferred some more gut wrenching conversation closure on it than a gloss over.
Locations/amounts of kisses and sexy scenes
I voluntarily read this arc through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions on the book are my own.
Jane is doing research on the behavior of scoundrels and needs notes to write her book. She ends up sneaking into a brothel where she meets our hero, Raven. After their encounter, she knows she recognizes his birthmark from somewhere and is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery. Jane can be a little interfering, but Raven never seemed to be out of his comfort zone with her direction so it didn't bother me. Jane has a very large family and very neglectful parents and she is just aching for someone to really see her, respect her, understand her longings in life. And I think Raven's playfully flirtatious personality was perfect for her.
Raven was orphaned as an infant and has lived a life of hard work and abuse. He has worked hard to get his own living place and even secured a few books to own. I usually find the heroine to be the bookworms in HR in general, and I loved seeing Raven's breath catch when he enters a well stocked library. I will always have a soft spot for the street heroes of HR. And Raven has a bit of that hardness to him, but he also has a fun personality. I found him humorous, playful and sexy.
I really absolutely loved this book right up until the end. THE END. We'll talk about that later. I thought this book had a great build over time of tension and touches and longing. I thought Jane and Raven were focused on each other for most of the book. Some parts were funny. Some were so heartwarming. Raven was really a great hero and I felt like he truly loved Jane and her family, who is obviously important to her.
I found this book to be filled with so many little scenes that built the tension. So many touches, almost touches, almost kisses, a stroke of a collarbone above a dress. I loved them. There is a scene where Jane is teaching Raven some of the social niceties of the ton and she's explaining how when making calls on women it's important to keep your hat and gloves with you so your hostess knows you won't be sharing intimacies with a guess. Raven informs her of at least 7 ways he could ravish her while keeping his hat and gloves intact. There's no kisses but it's so. Damn. Sexy. The wanting I felt during that scene was wonderful.
Give this book a try if you are in the mood for
A class differences feel – the hero is an orphan that grew up on the streets and the heroine is a daughter of a viscount
Secret/hidden identity – (maybe a bit of a stretch) the hero is an orphan trying to find out his origins
Enough mystery to move the story along but not overwhelmingly taking over
Moderate steam – it felt a bit on the lower end to me, but the scenes are detailed and explicit. They were just concentrated at the end (see end of review for amounts/percentage location in book)
So. The END. Was a disaster for me. It was such an amazing, wonderful book until the end. Then. Everything happened. It was way too much crammed into a short percentage. Some of it didn't really make sense as far as the characters went. I didn't approve at all of Raven's actions. I also dislike when another character has to come in and kind of “fix” the problem and that's what happened here. I want the characters to be able to mostly figure it out themselves. There was just so much...I didn't like anything at the end.
I also didn't like the way some of Raven's darker moments of his past were handled. It almost skimmed over it, like see, look I'm fine, wink wink and I guess I would have preferred some more gut wrenching conversation closure on it than a gloss over.
Locations/amounts of kisses and sexy scenes
I voluntarily read this arc through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions on the book are my own.
July 10, 2023
⭐⭐
2 stars.
➕ What I liked :
Somewhat interesting mystery about the heroes past.
Kind of interesting side characters.
(The heroines group of friends and heroes friend/boss.)
OK chemistry.
➖ What I disliked:
Repetitive character description ( in different ways it is harped on about the size difference between the main characters…. the heroine keeps being described as tiny/short and little/petite etc. by herself and but also by the hero…. And the hero being described as tall and muscular etc. )
In fact all the heroines and heroes in this series (“The Mating Habits of Scoundrels“) are very similar in appearance and to some degree also in personality.
With the exception of the heroine in the first book of the series (Winnifred is a curvy heroine) all the heroines are very similar in appearance (petite and slender.) and all the heroes are also very similar in appearance, they are all tall and muscular and handsome the only thing that really is different in their appearance is their eye color, hair color and some differences in personalities.
It becomes repetitive and formulaic/generic, it would be much more interesting and add depth if there was more variety in appearance/looks and personalities and ages.
The end of the story is kind of abrupt and the hero gets no real closure or vindication for how he was disgraced etc.
No real ending and no epilogue.
Annoying and unlikable heroine.
She was arrogant/rude and also selfish but at the same time annoyingly naive and sometimes TSTL.
What the hero endured as a young man/teenager was glossed over and never really dealt with.
The heroines indifferent/irresponsible and shallow/self involved parents.
Dragged/verbose.
Anachronistic.
Repetitive.
October 23, 2022
When her book research on the difference between gentlemen and scoundrels leads her to a brothel, Jane Pickerington doesn’t expect the excursion to end in an all-out brawl. She winds up coming to the aid of the man who attempted to rescue her and soon discovers he’s far more than a garden variety rake.
Raven has a strict set of rules he lives by, rules that helped him survive as an orphan abandoned on the steps of a foundling home. He’s never had any other names or known anything about his true origins, nor has he tried to find out, but that all changes when he meets the insatiably curious Jane. She recognizes a scar on his arm and the fact that he’s entitled to an aristocratic position based on the truth of his birth.
Raven has always despite the aristocracy. He manages a gaming hell and is comfortable in the slightly seedier parts of London. He has no preparation for high society and doesn’t know that he wishes to, but he agrees to allow Jane to teach him some social graces. In exchange, Raven teaches Jane all about the wicked topics which spur her curiosity, leaving them both wanting more at the end of each lesson.
I have so many mixed feelings about this one. [Potential spoilers ahead.] I loved the concept of Raven and his mysterious past and the revelation of his true identity, but I felt he deserved more of a true recognition than he got in the end. We’re left with him still in disgrace and I wanted him to be vindicated, perhaps an epilogue or another chapter would’ve left me feeling more satisfied. I wound up liking Jane in the end, but she really had to do a lot of growing on me. At first, I pretty much hated her because of her arrogance, entitlement, and naivete given her meddling in Raven’s life for what were originally purely selfish reasons to satisfy her own curiosity and with no thought to the effects that could have on him. Her know-it-all attitude and constant corrections of Raven, not to mention her judgmental attitudes and blatantly using him as research for her book, got on my nerves. Fortunately, her behavior improved as she came to love Raven and her condescension turned into more of a witty banter and became a bit charming. For his part, Raven took this mostly in stride and produced some of the best innuendo I’ve read. His complexity as a character and his fear of letting anyone close was rather moving, especially when the truth of his origins and background is revealed and considering the fact that he’s never been loved. In some ways I feel like Jane pushed Raven entirely too hard and in others not at all hard enough, which left me unsure of how to feel about this book. Another complaint I had is the fact that the sexual abuse Raven endured as a young man is totally glossed over; he rationalizes the behavior of his abused when Jane points out how wrong this was, despite the fact that his inner monologues have revealed that this experience was damaging to him. I would’ve liked to have seen even just an extra page or two of him coming to terms with what happened to him as he realizes that intimacy with Jane is totally different from anything he’s ever known. No, this wasn’t strictly vital to the plot, I just think it would’ve rounded out his character a bit more.
This book wasn’t exactly everything I’d hoped it would be, but I did enjoy the coming together of these two quirky, unconventional characters and I’ll continue with the series, but mostly I look forward to Prue’s story.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Raven has a strict set of rules he lives by, rules that helped him survive as an orphan abandoned on the steps of a foundling home. He’s never had any other names or known anything about his true origins, nor has he tried to find out, but that all changes when he meets the insatiably curious Jane. She recognizes a scar on his arm and the fact that he’s entitled to an aristocratic position based on the truth of his birth.
Raven has always despite the aristocracy. He manages a gaming hell and is comfortable in the slightly seedier parts of London. He has no preparation for high society and doesn’t know that he wishes to, but he agrees to allow Jane to teach him some social graces. In exchange, Raven teaches Jane all about the wicked topics which spur her curiosity, leaving them both wanting more at the end of each lesson.
I have so many mixed feelings about this one. [Potential spoilers ahead.] I loved the concept of Raven and his mysterious past and the revelation of his true identity, but I felt he deserved more of a true recognition than he got in the end. We’re left with him still in disgrace and I wanted him to be vindicated, perhaps an epilogue or another chapter would’ve left me feeling more satisfied. I wound up liking Jane in the end, but she really had to do a lot of growing on me. At first, I pretty much hated her because of her arrogance, entitlement, and naivete given her meddling in Raven’s life for what were originally purely selfish reasons to satisfy her own curiosity and with no thought to the effects that could have on him. Her know-it-all attitude and constant corrections of Raven, not to mention her judgmental attitudes and blatantly using him as research for her book, got on my nerves. Fortunately, her behavior improved as she came to love Raven and her condescension turned into more of a witty banter and became a bit charming. For his part, Raven took this mostly in stride and produced some of the best innuendo I’ve read. His complexity as a character and his fear of letting anyone close was rather moving, especially when the truth of his origins and background is revealed and considering the fact that he’s never been loved. In some ways I feel like Jane pushed Raven entirely too hard and in others not at all hard enough, which left me unsure of how to feel about this book. Another complaint I had is the fact that the sexual abuse Raven endured as a young man is totally glossed over; he rationalizes the behavior of his abused when Jane points out how wrong this was, despite the fact that his inner monologues have revealed that this experience was damaging to him. I would’ve liked to have seen even just an extra page or two of him coming to terms with what happened to him as he realizes that intimacy with Jane is totally different from anything he’s ever known. No, this wasn’t strictly vital to the plot, I just think it would’ve rounded out his character a bit more.
This book wasn’t exactly everything I’d hoped it would be, but I did enjoy the coming together of these two quirky, unconventional characters and I’ll continue with the series, but mostly I look forward to Prue’s story.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
October 14, 2020
What a wonderful, emotional, humorous and sexy romance! I loved, loved, loved Raven, even though he broke my heart several times with the tragedy of his past and how hard he worked to overcome and make himself a better life. He was so witty and FUN with his reactions to Jane.
And Jane... oh my, Jane. Such a delightful character who was genuinely quirky, adorably sincere, so intelligent and admirably dedicated to her siblings. Together she and Raven were perfect and it was wonderful to see their story unfold.
I've already ordered 4 other books by the author, and I looking forward to reading them all. Highly recommend if you enjoy historical romance!
And Jane... oh my, Jane. Such a delightful character who was genuinely quirky, adorably sincere, so intelligent and admirably dedicated to her siblings. Together she and Raven were perfect and it was wonderful to see their story unfold.
I've already ordered 4 other books by the author, and I looking forward to reading them all. Highly recommend if you enjoy historical romance!
August 4, 2021
Ah yes once again the ending is rushed. However, I liked our characters because they never once stopped supporting each other.
September 24, 2020
I had read and loved the previous book, so I was absolutely going to read this one. Added bonus for the hero having a cameo in a previous series that I loved.
I loved Jane. She’s inquisitive and logical and deadpan. Raven is a scoundrel filed with marshmallow goo, but doesn’t quite know it. Together they have the most delicious slow burn relationship with loads of chemistry, sly smiles, and cheeky winks.
Plot wise, it was good. I did enjoy the plot thread about Raven’s background and Jane’s siblings were adorable. My main complaint is that the inevitable and angsty push away doesn’t happen until almost 90%. With the last 10%, it’s a charming (yet very small) grand gesture, the bare minimum of groveling, and a swift reconciliation. The rest is filled with a thread being explained and then a very abrupt ending. It was so surprising that I actually set down the e-arc and looked at the finished copy to see if there was more added.
Overall, I loved these two characters, but I feel so cheated out of their HEA.
**Huge thanks to Avon for providing the arc free of charge**
I loved Jane. She’s inquisitive and logical and deadpan. Raven is a scoundrel filed with marshmallow goo, but doesn’t quite know it. Together they have the most delicious slow burn relationship with loads of chemistry, sly smiles, and cheeky winks.
Plot wise, it was good. I did enjoy the plot thread about Raven’s background and Jane’s siblings were adorable. My main complaint is that the inevitable and angsty push away doesn’t happen until almost 90%. With the last 10%, it’s a charming (yet very small) grand gesture, the bare minimum of groveling, and a swift reconciliation. The rest is filled with a thread being explained and then a very abrupt ending. It was so surprising that I actually set down the e-arc and looked at the finished copy to see if there was more added.
Overall, I loved these two characters, but I feel so cheated out of their HEA.
**Huge thanks to Avon for providing the arc free of charge**
July 3, 2020
This saddens me. This book was so well written, the heroine is a spinster-ish bluestocking who is writing a book with her friends about scoundrels and how to avoid them. They are doing this because one of their dear friends was ruined by a scoundrel. The hero is an orphan from a foundling home who has worked his way into what he has. They meet when be is at a brotherly, he for pleasure and she for research. And what follows is such a comedic, touching, believable story about missing babies and scandal and trying to keep from becoming ruined. This is such a well written story, with appropriate grammar and spelling. I liked this story so much and the good feelings that it left me.
And then it happened. I ask myself, how can an author go through so much agony and angst to write such a lovely book and then kill it.
There was no ending. The hero is with his heroine as they are about to go to Gretna Green and elope. They are in shame because he was presented to society as a missing aristocrat. His grandfather has visited people in prison, done his research with letters written and talked to people alive at the time and the hero is the true Earl. And he can raise his head in pride and marry the heroine who had been mired is shame because it was reported that they both were in a brothel. But the hero had taken care of the rumors. The story was ending so nicely. It needed a couple more chapters about how they were living together and how they were in society and with her family like she wanted. And that she was finishing up her book.
But nothing. All of a sudden there was a wonderful story and then it ended WITHOUT AN END!!! How can you write a story and not give it an ending. It just stops abruptly as if the author doesn't care or doesn't care about the reader. This type of ending is so gut'wrenching, it makes me feel like I wasted my time reading the book. I do not recommend this book in any shape or form. ZERO stars. Do not but or waste your time reading.
And then it happened. I ask myself, how can an author go through so much agony and angst to write such a lovely book and then kill it.
There was no ending. The hero is with his heroine as they are about to go to Gretna Green and elope. They are in shame because he was presented to society as a missing aristocrat. His grandfather has visited people in prison, done his research with letters written and talked to people alive at the time and the hero is the true Earl. And he can raise his head in pride and marry the heroine who had been mired is shame because it was reported that they both were in a brothel. But the hero had taken care of the rumors. The story was ending so nicely. It needed a couple more chapters about how they were living together and how they were in society and with her family like she wanted. And that she was finishing up her book.
But nothing. All of a sudden there was a wonderful story and then it ended WITHOUT AN END!!! How can you write a story and not give it an ending. It just stops abruptly as if the author doesn't care or doesn't care about the reader. This type of ending is so gut'wrenching, it makes me feel like I wasted my time reading the book. I do not recommend this book in any shape or form. ZERO stars. Do not but or waste your time reading.
June 26, 2021
Raven
3.5 stars
This was pretty good. I really liked Raven. I think he needed to beg forgiveness a bit more there at the end LOL speaking of the end, it was a little abrupt. It wrapped up quickly with questions answered and people forgiven and accepted all within a few pages.
3.5 stars
This was pretty good. I really liked Raven. I think he needed to beg forgiveness a bit more there at the end LOL speaking of the end, it was a little abrupt. It wrapped up quickly with questions answered and people forgiven and accepted all within a few pages.
May 18, 2022
Audiobook Review
Overall 4 stars
Performance 5 stars
Story 4 stars
I started this series out of order with book 3 and have slowly been making my way through it. Each book has been a lot of fun and Jane's book was no exception. I saved this one for last and didn't realize that this was a Tarzan in London inspired romance until the end, but it definitely fits. The audiobook was wonderful and Justine Eyre's performance was fabulous as always. She's truly made this series such a delight to listen to.
Jane has always been such an intriguing character and I really enjoyed this opposites attract, tutor/tutee, friends to lovers romance. Vivienne Lorret has a gift for crafting some of the most memorable meet disasters. I was laughing and feeling second hand embarrassment for Jane (the statue and glove! LOL) as she conducted her "research". Sparks fly between her and Raven from the start and I loved that they both were so unapologetically themselves. It was so beautiful that the things that they each personally viewed as faults or deficiencies were actually the things that the other person appreciated and/or came to admire the most. I loved their chemistry and I may have burst into flames when the growly, grunting Raven said the word "mine". *fans self*
Things were flowing really well for most of the book, but towards the end I did feel that things became a bit too rushed. The drama was expected, but the resolution and ending felt very abrupt. I needed a lot more grovel after the things that were said. It's bittersweet to finish this book because now I have a very long wait until the next is released!
CW:
Overall 4 stars
Performance 5 stars
Story 4 stars
I started this series out of order with book 3 and have slowly been making my way through it. Each book has been a lot of fun and Jane's book was no exception. I saved this one for last and didn't realize that this was a Tarzan in London inspired romance until the end, but it definitely fits. The audiobook was wonderful and Justine Eyre's performance was fabulous as always. She's truly made this series such a delight to listen to.
Jane has always been such an intriguing character and I really enjoyed this opposites attract, tutor/tutee, friends to lovers romance. Vivienne Lorret has a gift for crafting some of the most memorable meet disasters. I was laughing and feeling second hand embarrassment for Jane (the statue and glove! LOL) as she conducted her "research". Sparks fly between her and Raven from the start and I loved that they both were so unapologetically themselves. It was so beautiful that the things that they each personally viewed as faults or deficiencies were actually the things that the other person appreciated and/or came to admire the most. I loved their chemistry and I may have burst into flames when the growly, grunting Raven said the word "mine". *fans self*
Things were flowing really well for most of the book, but towards the end I did feel that things became a bit too rushed. The drama was expected, but the resolution and ending felt very abrupt. I needed a lot more grovel after the things that were said. It's bittersweet to finish this book because now I have a very long wait until the next is released!
CW:
February 13, 2025
Summary:
I just finished My Kind of Earl by Vivienne Lorret, and it's a 2-star disaster from me. We started off with a promising 4-star vibe (I normally drop a star if things get too dark for me, since I prefer lighter historical rom-coms), but by chapter 33, everything went downhill. The story was ticking along nicely until—bam—a third act breakup that completely ruined the mood. Seriously, I hate hate hate third act breakups, and this one was so clumsily executed that it left me gritting my teeth for the rest of the book.
Characters:
Jane: Jane had potential. She could be charming and endearing, but her endless, know-it-all attitude made her seem annoying at times. It felt like her character was written to make me roll my eyes rather than cheer her on.
Raven: Raven started off as a decent leading man, but that moment when he unloaded all of Jane's vulnerabilities on her—and then got forgiven like it was nothing—was unforgivable for me. His behaviour turned what could have been a complex dynamic into a total letdown.
Overall Thoughts:
Lorret’s writing has its merits, and the plot initially showed real promise with plenty of wit and charm. But the book dragged on far too long, and that cringe-worthy third act breakup derailed everything. I'm officially starting a campaign: no more third act breakups! Even though I plan to stick with the series, this installment left a seriously sour taste in my mouth.
Rating:
★★☆☆☆ (2/5 stars)
I just finished My Kind of Earl by Vivienne Lorret, and it's a 2-star disaster from me. We started off with a promising 4-star vibe (I normally drop a star if things get too dark for me, since I prefer lighter historical rom-coms), but by chapter 33, everything went downhill. The story was ticking along nicely until—bam—a third act breakup that completely ruined the mood. Seriously, I hate hate hate third act breakups, and this one was so clumsily executed that it left me gritting my teeth for the rest of the book.
Characters:
Jane: Jane had potential. She could be charming and endearing, but her endless, know-it-all attitude made her seem annoying at times. It felt like her character was written to make me roll my eyes rather than cheer her on.
Raven: Raven started off as a decent leading man, but that moment when he unloaded all of Jane's vulnerabilities on her—and then got forgiven like it was nothing—was unforgivable for me. His behaviour turned what could have been a complex dynamic into a total letdown.
Overall Thoughts:
Lorret’s writing has its merits, and the plot initially showed real promise with plenty of wit and charm. But the book dragged on far too long, and that cringe-worthy third act breakup derailed everything. I'm officially starting a campaign: no more third act breakups! Even though I plan to stick with the series, this installment left a seriously sour taste in my mouth.
Rating:
★★☆☆☆ (2/5 stars)
October 4, 2020
You probably heard me praise Vivienne Lorret's books before, but I'm going to have to do it again😛. One of my favorite cover this year and one of my favorite read as well ! It's like VL knows the magic combination for the natural progression of the MC falling for each other each and every time !
Raven is an orphan that been left on a doorstep. He learned to survived foundling homes and work houses and for the last couple years he's been working at Sterling's gaming hell. The day he find a high-society young lady trying to enter inside a brothel's in climbing a window, he have no idea that his life is about to change forever.
It was supposed to be a study on scoundrels for a book she's writing but for Jane (and Raven), it became a hunt for answers about his birthright and a journey to love that started with flirting and lessons in seduction.
It's so sweet how the hero is charmed by Jane's curious nature and inquisitive mind. He was my kind of Earl indeed and it's totally my kind of romance. Add to that her ten rambunctious younger siblings and the search for his origin and it was my kind of story and mystery too😛❤.
Bonus for me: Even if it's in passing, I got to see again my book boyfriend from a previous series, Reed Sterling!!!😍💖💞
Raven is an orphan that been left on a doorstep. He learned to survived foundling homes and work houses and for the last couple years he's been working at Sterling's gaming hell. The day he find a high-society young lady trying to enter inside a brothel's in climbing a window, he have no idea that his life is about to change forever.
It was supposed to be a study on scoundrels for a book she's writing but for Jane (and Raven), it became a hunt for answers about his birthright and a journey to love that started with flirting and lessons in seduction.
It's so sweet how the hero is charmed by Jane's curious nature and inquisitive mind. He was my kind of Earl indeed and it's totally my kind of romance. Add to that her ten rambunctious younger siblings and the search for his origin and it was my kind of story and mystery too😛❤.
Bonus for me: Even if it's in passing, I got to see again my book boyfriend from a previous series, Reed Sterling!!!😍💖💞
November 2, 2021
This second entry in the Mating Habits of Scoundrels series is also our favorite. It starts out with our bluestocking heroine, Jane, breaking into a brothel so that she can do research on scoundrels. Because what kind of man would frequent a brothel other than a scoundrel? Then, of course, she meets Raven in the brothel, and all of her preconceived notions fly out the window (along with Jane and Raven as they escape a brothel riot...).
A very fun book featuring research into Raven's obscure parentage, some super hot library makeout (and more) scenes, and a really great hero who lives up to all of our expectations.
Laine's 7-Word Summary: Gender-swapped Anastasia: Dmitri is aristocratic, no Russians.
Meg's 7-Word Summary: Nerdy aristocrat falls for sexy working-class brute.
A very fun book featuring research into Raven's obscure parentage, some super hot library makeout (and more) scenes, and a really great hero who lives up to all of our expectations.
Laine's 7-Word Summary: Gender-swapped Anastasia: Dmitri is aristocratic, no Russians.
Meg's 7-Word Summary: Nerdy aristocrat falls for sexy working-class brute.
September 5, 2022
I thought the book was longer than necessary, the mystery drawn out for too long. I had to stop listening to the audiobook for a few days because I was getting bored with it. The romance was cute; they suited each other.
August 14, 2023
Tropes:
~slow burn
~class difference
~nerdy bluestocking heroine
~rakish self-made hero
~lessons in seduction
I was on the fence with the first book in the series, but I ADORED this one! It starts off with the heroine sneaking into a brothel for research purposes (her and her friends are writing a book on how to deal with scoundrels). She runs into the hero and proceeds to out him as not being as titled as he pretends, all because of the way his buttons are sewn on 😂 I loved how bookish and nerdy Jane was, as well as how Raven absolutely adored all of her quirks and research fixations.
It almost gave me Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas vibes, and I’m excited to continue on with book 3!
~slow burn
~class difference
~nerdy bluestocking heroine
~rakish self-made hero
~lessons in seduction
I was on the fence with the first book in the series, but I ADORED this one! It starts off with the heroine sneaking into a brothel for research purposes (her and her friends are writing a book on how to deal with scoundrels). She runs into the hero and proceeds to out him as not being as titled as he pretends, all because of the way his buttons are sewn on 😂 I loved how bookish and nerdy Jane was, as well as how Raven absolutely adored all of her quirks and research fixations.
It almost gave me Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas vibes, and I’m excited to continue on with book 3!
no-way-jose
January 4, 2023Wow, I definitely feel the odd ball here in DNFing this book. I can not complain about there being a lack of a proper ending as many others have, because I didn't make it out of the brothel scene.
It starts off with the hero seeing the heroine breaking into a brothel thru a window (for research purposes to try to determine the difference between gentlemen and brutes). As soon as she crawls thru the window, she promptly gets her purse strings caught up on a naked male statue's penis. Of course she does. So there is a scene (that is supposed to be funny) of her trying to get unattached from the statue's penis... Just completely dumb. Maybe I'm too old for this type of storyline, but it was along the lines of "trying too hard to write a sexy edgy scene" or something.
From there, she pulls out a glass jar of glow worms that she has in her purse to use as a source of light, to find her way thru the brothel in the dark areas. Yes, glow worms....
Somehow she manages to get herself into a darkened alcove to be able to monitor the guys and their behaviour. The hero determines where she is hiding in the alcove by following the scent of her (lavenders?) and he then decides to cause a distraction so no one would notice him approach her (I think that was his reasoning?) So he has two of the whores pleasure each other behind a thin curtain with light behind it/silhouette type of thing. Again, I was not impressed and found it to be a lame attempt at being edgy and sexy.
I think I am just tired of these newer books that keep coming out, trying way too hard to be sexy, but coming off as porno-pathetic. Enough with the orgies in a brothel theme, especially for the starting scene. It's just not romantic, I want romance.
It starts off with the hero seeing the heroine breaking into a brothel thru a window (for research purposes to try to determine the difference between gentlemen and brutes). As soon as she crawls thru the window, she promptly gets her purse strings caught up on a naked male statue's penis. Of course she does. So there is a scene (that is supposed to be funny) of her trying to get unattached from the statue's penis... Just completely dumb. Maybe I'm too old for this type of storyline, but it was along the lines of "trying too hard to write a sexy edgy scene" or something.
From there, she pulls out a glass jar of glow worms that she has in her purse to use as a source of light, to find her way thru the brothel in the dark areas. Yes, glow worms....
Somehow she manages to get herself into a darkened alcove to be able to monitor the guys and their behaviour. The hero determines where she is hiding in the alcove by following the scent of her (lavenders?) and he then decides to cause a distraction so no one would notice him approach her (I think that was his reasoning?) So he has two of the whores pleasure each other behind a thin curtain with light behind it/silhouette type of thing. Again, I was not impressed and found it to be a lame attempt at being edgy and sexy.
I think I am just tired of these newer books that keep coming out, trying way too hard to be sexy, but coming off as porno-pathetic. Enough with the orgies in a brothel theme, especially for the starting scene. It's just not romantic, I want romance.
September 13, 2020
While I enjoyed the first book in the series more, this book was also a great read. Jane and Raven were a great couple and I especially loved Jane. I’m a sucker for a bluestocking and she was written so well. I found the mystery surrounding Raven’s past to be fascinating and it kept me reading in the few parts that lagged a bit. I know a lot of other readers were disappointed at the lack of an epilogue, but I thought the last chapter summed everything up nicely, even if it felt a bit rushed. Can’t wait for Ellie’s story next!!
*I received an eARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
*I received an eARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
March 8, 2021
Have read this type of story before, where the main character has been brought up in an orphanage and turns out to be a Lord - and there is usually a relative that wants him dead.
I did enjoy reading it, but there were parts where it lagged just a bit. Saying that, I did like both the main characters, especially Jane. Overall, a good read. 4☆
I did enjoy reading it, but there were parts where it lagged just a bit. Saying that, I did like both the main characters, especially Jane. Overall, a good read. 4☆
July 19, 2022
Catching up with this series. Wallflower Jane (Raven’s professor) is wonderful. Raven, who works in a gentleman’s club and has a chequered past. They come together under absurdly wonderful circumstances. Loved the beginning and although an HEA was achieved through convoluted means, I found the ending a tad thin.
May 16, 2021
A bizarre and unlikely meeting in a brothel brings bluestocking Jane Pickerington and blue-collar Raven into the same orbit. When Jane sees an unusual mark on Raven’s arm, she’s positive she’s seen it before and just can’t let it go. Raven grudgingly follows Jane down the rabbit hole, searching for clues to his past. Neither Raven nor Jane is quite prepared for where the truth, and their attraction, takes them.
This is the second book in the Mating Habits of Scoundrels series. While I think this works as a stand alone, some of the details in the conclusion seemed like an “info dump” and I had to read it twice. I haven’t read the first book, so I’m not sure if there might have been a reference I missed or if the author was trying to wrap the story up quickly. This brought the rating down for me…otherwise I might have given it five stars.
I really enjoyed the main characters. Jane and Raven were fun and flirtatious, and I loved how he liked to whisper naughty things in her ear. I thought there was a good balance between their building relationship and chemistry, and the mystery of Raven’s mark and family history. The background characters were great, too! Jane has a large, odd family and there were some extremely funny scenes with her siblings, parents, and the staff.
Tropes: Class Difference, Bluestocking, Forced Proximity
* I received an ARC and this is my honest review. #MyKindOfEarl #NetGalley
This is the second book in the Mating Habits of Scoundrels series. While I think this works as a stand alone, some of the details in the conclusion seemed like an “info dump” and I had to read it twice. I haven’t read the first book, so I’m not sure if there might have been a reference I missed or if the author was trying to wrap the story up quickly. This brought the rating down for me…otherwise I might have given it five stars.
I really enjoyed the main characters. Jane and Raven were fun and flirtatious, and I loved how he liked to whisper naughty things in her ear. I thought there was a good balance between their building relationship and chemistry, and the mystery of Raven’s mark and family history. The background characters were great, too! Jane has a large, odd family and there were some extremely funny scenes with her siblings, parents, and the staff.
Tropes: Class Difference, Bluestocking, Forced Proximity
* I received an ARC and this is my honest review. #MyKindOfEarl #NetGalley
June 28, 2020
This novel was a great read by Ms. Lorret, weaving romance with mystery. Jane is a bluestocking and is ignored by her parents. She helps to raise her younger siblings with no plans to marry. One day she decides to do "research" on book she is working on with her friends and due to her curious and observant nature, gives Raven away. Raven grew up an orphan and has made himself successful. He pushes everyone away from him and have survived more than a few scrapes. He is intrigued by Jane, even though her observant nature causes him a bit of trouble. Upon seeing Raven's birthmark, Jane goes on the hunt to discover what it means and hopefully get answers about Raven's family. Jane and Raven learn from each other, Raven's family history and passion. Neither expected feelings to develop and Jane's parents would never let her marry someone with no title. Jane wants to give Raven something he has always wanted without realizing it, a family.
I received this novel as an ARC from net galley and the publisher. Thank you! All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I received this novel as an ARC from net galley and the publisher. Thank you! All thoughts and opinions are my own.
August 1, 2020
I am not going to sit here and right a book report, I am not happy with this book. I started to like it I liked the heroine she wasn't weak and she was smart, I liked the hero he wasn't a lazy good for nothing scoundral I liked the story, until I didn't See I feel like I gave my time and energy, to be swimming at the end, I got no ending and I wish the author would have given a couple more pages, another chapter or two to give me a happily ever after book. See I read romance books to get an HEA and when I dont feel I got that, it kills the book for me.
rcvd an ARC at no cost to author..(netgalley) voluntarily reviewed with my own thoughts and opinions
rcvd an ARC at no cost to author..(netgalley) voluntarily reviewed with my own thoughts and opinions
dnf
September 22, 2020I didn't even make it through chapter 2 before DNFing. The chapter from Jane's POV is just... cringe-worthy. The premise is that she's this super smart science-minded woman, but the text just reads like the author got carried away with using her thesaurus to shove as much esoteric language into the text as possible. It was painful to read. Also, she broke into a brothel to try to determine the difference between gentlemen and brutes, or something? And is forming a theory that it has to do with how long they can hold their breath while being smothered by "Cyprians"? I have zero patience for the akward, painful wording AND a too stupid to live smart heroine. This one's a no for me, Simon.
September 16, 2020
I was a touch slumpy when I picked this book up, but it helped so much. The conflict between Jane and Raven was minimal, but their comfort with each other and how they worked together to figure out his past was exactly the low angst love that I needed. There was enough of a personal struggle that I wanted to know more, but not so much that it overtook the story. This is my second book by V. Lorret and I am pretty sure I am all in now.
February 6, 2021
4 stars - Historical Romance
I really enjoyed this one. The heroine was adorably scientific and quirky, and she was the perfect match for the tortured, gruff, cynical, lonely hero. The ending felt a bit too rushed and abrupt, and I would've loved an epilogue. Still, this was a fun, heartwarming historical romance!
I really enjoyed this one. The heroine was adorably scientific and quirky, and she was the perfect match for the tortured, gruff, cynical, lonely hero. The ending felt a bit too rushed and abrupt, and I would've loved an epilogue. Still, this was a fun, heartwarming historical romance!
July 14, 2023
I feel like I’m still reeling from this books out of the 4 I’ve read this one felt like the most dramatic. There was a point I was afraid I was going to have to put it in the freezer it was so emotional. So so so good though!
I loved Jane, when’s so smart and loving and head strong! I loved how she saw so much wonder in the world and people around her.
I’m not going to lie I’m still a little mad at Raven. He had my heart for a really long time and then he threw it away. I’m going to forgive him because of his tragic backstory. I’m not one for nicknames but “little professor” for Jane was really adorable.
I loved Jane, when’s so smart and loving and head strong! I loved how she saw so much wonder in the world and people around her.
I’m not going to lie I’m still a little mad at Raven. He had my heart for a really long time and then he threw it away. I’m going to forgive him because of his tragic backstory. I’m not one for nicknames but “little professor” for Jane was really adorable.
November 26, 2021
*4.5 stars ✨
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