To Bed the Baron

Girls Who Dare #9

by Emma V. Leech

Girls who dare – Inside every wallflower is the beating heart of a lioness, a passionate individual willing to risk all for their dream, if only they can find the courage to begin. When these overlooked girls make a pact to change their lives, anything can happen.

Eleven girls – eleven dares in a hat, twelve passionate stories. Who will dare to risk it all?

To Bed the Baron.

One desperate young woman…
Jemima Fernside is the epitome of a well-behaved lady, bred to marry a gentleman and play the part of the perfect wife. Until she finds herself alone in the world without a penny to her name. With few options available to her, Jemima has little choice but to accept a scandalous proposal to become the paid companion to a man she’s never even met.

One desperately lonely man…
Solomon ‘Solo’ Weston, the Baron Rothborn, is sick of society, and people in general who leave him irritable and impatient. As Lieutenant Colonel of the 15th King’s Dragoons, he was invalided out of the army after a bullet left him lame. Haunted by guilt, by dead comrades and a lost love, he is becoming ever more reclusive, finding escape through his beloved books.

And a passion neither of them expected to find…
When driven to seek comfort from his bleak existence, Solo believes he has little to offer but financial security in return for a lady’s virtue.

But Jemima is not the kind of woman who will leave sleeping ghosts lie, and soon the past and the future don’t look at all like Solo expected them to.

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Regency, Historical, Regency Romance, Historical Fiction, Victorian

263 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 24, 2020

About the author

Bestselling author hiding mostly in 19th-century England, venturing out only for chocolate and tea.

Emma V. Leech is the award-winning author of multiple bestselling series across Regency romance, Regency mystery and paranormal romance. Fall in love with swoon-worthy rogues, bold heroines, witty banter and deeply romantic happily-ever-afters. Follow Emma on BookBub for new releases and exclusive deals.

EMMA’S BOOKS

Rogues And Gentlemen
Regency romance – 17-book series (ongoing)
Sexy, tumultuous and irresistibly romantic. From pirates and smugglers to earls and dukes, these unforgettable rogues will sweep you away!

Winter Rogue
A Regency Christmas romance within the Rogues & Gentlemen world
A scandal-weary earl, a runaway heiress and a crumbling country estate snowed in for Christmas. A sensual, heart-tugging holiday novella about redemption, desire and a love neither of them expects.

A Rogues and Gentlemen Christmas
A standalone Regency Christmas romance
A collection of three romantic holiday stories featuring beloved Rogues & Gentlemen characters. Expect snowstorms, sizzling tension, unexpected proposals, mistletoe moments and heart-melting happily-ever-afters – a cosy festive escape for Regency romance lovers.

The Girl Is Not For Christmas
A standalone Regency Christmas romance
Miss Olivia Penrose is the only thing standing between her family and ruin when a brooding aristocrat crashes into her carefully laid plans. Sparks fly amid family secrets, snowy scandals and irresistible festive longing in this passionate, witty and deeply romantic winter read.

Girls Who Dare
Regency romance – 12-book series
Inside every wallflower is the heart of a lioness. When these overlooked young women make a pact to change their lives, rules are broken, reputations are risked and love becomes the most daring adventure of all.

Daring Daughters
Victorian romance – 19-book series and two compilations
The next generation of the Girls Who Dare. Their mothers risked everything for love – now their daughters are ready to be even bolder. An ongoing series of fiercely romantic stories set in a rapidly changing world.

Wicked Sons
Victorian romance – 12-book series
Their mothers dared all for love. Their sisters did the same. Now it’s the sons’ turn… dangerous, tempting and determined not to fall – until the right woman brings them to their knees.

The Venturesome Ladies Of Little Valentine
Regency romance – my current series
A quiet seaside village, a wave of scandalous newcomers and local ladies who refuse to be swept aside. A warm, witty Regency series full of secrets, second chances and delicious enemies-to-lovers romance.

The Regency Romance Mysteries
Regency romantic suspense – 3-book series
Dashing heroes, wicked villains, murder, mystery – and heroines who refuse to sit prettily and wait to be rescued. Perfect if you like your Regency romance served with danger and intrigue.

The French Vampire Legend
Paranormal romance – 4-book series
A dark, dramatic and heart-wrenching tale of courage, sacrifice and a love that not even time, war or monsters can destroy. Gothic atmosphere, high stakes and a romance that refuses to die.

The French Fae Legend
Fantasy romance – 4-book series
An award-winning saga with close to sixteen million online reads. Moving between modern-day France and the Fae Lands, these books weave powerful magic, danger and an all-consuming love that proves stronger than any enchantment.

The Book Lover
A standalone paranormal romance novella
A book-obsessed young woman, an infuriatingly charming stranger and the unnerving sense that stories might be bleeding into real life. A short, intensely romantic tale for anyone who has ever fallen in love with books… and perhaps with something not entirely of this world.

Reviews

[Elodie’s Reading Corner · Rating 5 out of 5]

To Bed the Baron
Girls Who Dare Series #9
Emma V Leech
https://www.facebook.com/EmmaVLeech/
Release date 04/24/2020

Blurb :

To Bed the Baron.

One desperate young woman…
Jemima Fernside is the epitome of a well-behaved lady, bred to marry a gentleman and play the part of the perfect wife. Until she finds herself alone in the world without a penny to her name. With few options available to her, Jemima has little choice but to accept a scandalous proposal to become the paid companion to a man she’s never even met.

One desperately lonely man…
Solomon ‘Solo’ Weston, the Baron Rothborn, is sick of society, and people in general who leave him irritable and impatient. As Lieutenant Colonel of the 15th King’s Dragoons, he was invalided out of the army after a bullet left him lame. Haunted by guilt, by dead comrades and a lost love, he is becoming ever more reclusive, finding escape through his beloved books.

And a passion neither of them expected to find…
When driven to seek comfort from his bleak existence, Solo believes he has little to offer but financial security in return for a lady’s virtue.

But Jemima is not the kind of woman who will leave sleeping ghosts lie, and soon the past and the future don’t look at all like Solo expected them to.

My review :

Will love release him from his oath ...

Wow, nine already read, two to go.
Mrs Emma V Leech has built this series with tension, slowly adding a bit to the structure to bring her many protagonists to life.
I just love the opening ms of each chapter enlightening a part of the background plot, of things to come or parallel events, moving her pieces from this to there like a player on his chessboard. And as we near the end, she adds new pawns to her game, to add fuel to the upcoming stories.
And worse, she is an dreadful awful wonderful teaser, breaking the main romance in parts with shards of the nexts to come. Her other talent is how, when at the beginning of this series, many of the girls appeared as insignificant, they each came to count as friends, ones I wanted to know and cheer when things went awry.

Jemima was such a mouse in the previous books until her circumstances were slowly revealed and her dire situation took a turn until this one book. During her own tale, she did a lot of growing up, finding her inner strength to go for what she wanted.
Solo too was a side characters for some times, and his honorable personality is enhanced here, as despite his offer, he is still a drowning man in his own guilt, a guilt played by a selfish woman. With Jemima, he discovers the meaning of loyalty and confidence. But the righteous man won’t break an oath, even if made to himself.

I love that Mrs Leech leads me on a way to thwart it right before me for a better path. She knows her characters well and lets them set the pace and do the show, with often some surprises at some point.
One more 5 stars as I now anticipate Helena and of course Mathilda’ stories.

https://www.facebook.com/429830134272...

[Cristina · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

The premise drew me in but this was no mistress/protector story. The H barely kisses her in the beginning, even when they finally spend the night together is to talk and then sleep. Silly dramatic plot.

[Annelinde · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Lotten · Rating 4 out of 5]

To Bed the Baron är en mysig och charmig romance. Precis vad jag behövde! Jag gillar Emma V Leechs framställningar av känslor och händelser. Det här är en romance som innehåller det som jag vill ha – attraktion, förälskelse, omtanke och respekt. Starten på Solos och Jemimas förhållande som började i en tidigare bok var jag inte så förtjust i, men så snart man får karaktärernas egna röster så är jag fast. Jag sträckläste To Bed the Baron!

Jag tycker om karaktärerna i serien Girls who Dare, och så även i den här boken. Vänskapen mellan kvinnorna är så bra tecknad, och männen som de fastnar för är fina personer (visar det sig till slut) som har respekt för kvinnorna. I To Bed the Baron så blir jag berörd av Solos livsöde, och det som Jemima gör för honom. Det kom t.o.m. lite tårar i ögonvrån ibland. Det här är en serie, och utöver det par som står i fokus får vi veta mer om de andra kvinnorna, vilket jag också gillar. Vid det här laget kommer jag också ihåg vad som hänt i tidigare böcker…

Det kommer nog inte att dröja så väldigt länge innan jag ger mig på del tio i Girls Who Dare.

PS Det enda jag har lite svårt för är titlarna på de här böckerna.

Betyg: 4+

https://lottensbokblogg.wordpress.com...

[Dharini · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was not what I expected. I'd been looking forward to it ever since I read To Experiment With Desire because I enjoyed the premise, and was very excited when I realised it had been released.

I thought there was ample opportunity to explore Solo's grief from the events that transpired in the war, and Jemima's moral quandary. However, both of these things were dealt with superficially and resolved too easily, and the MCs didn't spend nearly enough time with each other for me to believe, or be moved by their (often public) proclamations of love.

My quibbles aside, this was a fun, light read. Good fluff for when you aren't in the mood to read something heavy.
As always, points for Matilda and Montagu.

[Olivia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Now that I've read almost all of the stories in this series I think I may finally say what I find lacking in them: I feel like the characters always acknowledge their feelings way too quickly, if that makes sense. Sure, there's some difficulties to get them together but never because they struggle with what they feel and that makes the development too short and not enough desperate? Idk. I would like to see more angst so that the reward is more satisfaying. They are good stories (this one didn't work for me for some reasons: the morality battle seems forced and I don't like the way it resolves by leaving the other woman involved as a bitch), but I don't get to love them because of this. Do not misunderstand me: I'm all in for stories where the external elements conspired against the lovers but these are not that kind of epic books, these are intimate stories about feelings and as such, they fall short. I can only hope that all the good anticipation built for Matilda and Montagu throughout the entire series finally delivers, but I fear I will find the same fault because it's not even their book and I feel like they already love each other and not only do I know, they know it too.

[Kiley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 9 in the Girls Who Dare series is about Jemima Fernside, a lady who had fallen on hard times and was now penniless, and Solomon "Solo" Weston, the Baron Rothborn, who had been a Lieutenant Colonel in the 15th King's Dragoons. He was injured in a battle that left him lame, which forced him to leave his military career behind. Baron Rothborn agonized over the death of his fellow soldiers as well as losing the woman he had loved, was a retiring man who shunned society and found escape through the books he loved so much.
Baron Rothborn wanted someone to help him escape his empty life but thought he didn't have anything to offer a lady except financial security in exchange for her virtue. So he set out to find someone who would agree to be his companion, someone who could be discrete and not expect any sentiments such as love, marriage, or emotions in return. After the death of her beloved aunt, Jemima was in dire straits and had little recourse but to accept the Baron's offer. However, she was not the type of person to let someone wallow in self-pity, doubt, or shame. She was determined to prove to the baron that he had more to offer than he realized.
To say Jemima was an innocent lady and quite nervous about becoming Solo's mistress would be putting it mildly. However, Solo did his best to put her at ease. What he had not been prepared for, though, was for many of the single men of the town to start paying calls on her as soon as her presence was made known to the local residents.
Although both Solo and Jemima were a bit nervous as their relationship began, the chemistry between them was quite apparent and the hint of the passion to come titillated the reader's imagination. It slowly continued to build throughout the book.
The humor the author sprinkled within the more intense moments was often a welcome relief. There were times that the drama became so thick that, without the humor, the reader might have been overwhelmed without the humor to alleviate the heaviness. The more Jemima and Solo interacted, the greater the chemistry between them grew.
The continued use of bringing other characters' stories into the middle of the main story became a bit vexing. Reading multiple stories at the same time has become quite a bore and was so distracting, again at the wrong time.
I found the constant back and forth of Solo's temper to be a bit overdone after it droned on for several chapters. It quickly became too much. One would think that the author might have him yielding a bit more and making at least some changes, but that didn't happen for quite some time. Jemima had to placate him too often, which made her less appealing too. She should have snapped his head off once or twice...or a dozen times for that matter since he continued to waffle with his anger so much.
The drama and intrigue were both pretty high as the book continued. There were moments that would cause the reader to want to jump and shout at the characters in anger, and then there were other times that the reader would want to lay their head down and weep for either sadness or joy. Sometimes the angst outweighed the drama, to the detriment of the story.
There were many aspects of the story that won't be mentioned in this review so as to not reveal too much. Suffice it to say that there is more to this story than meets the eye, and it all keeps the reader on their toes. Intrigue, angst, romance, passion, humor, this book has it all.
The ending was absolutely marvelous, to say the least. Totally wicked, hot, and hilarious all at the same time. It was a perfect ending to one of the better books in the series. Book 9 definitely gets the Keeper for the Shelves award.

[Lana Birky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story so much - there were some bumpy places Solo & Jemima had to get through, but it was very romantic, tender & with a wonderful HEA!

Jemima Fernside has been such a sweet, quiet, polite lady that was raised to wed a fine gentleman & be the ideal wife, but unforeseen circumstances (money) put her in a terrible situation. A lady did not have many options & when a man, she didn't even know, offered her a position as his paid companion (mistress), with a house, maid & companion for herself - she didn't know what else to do, other than to accept his offer & hope for the best.

Solomon "Solo" Weston, the Baron Rothborn, had been a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army & was a brilliant strategist until he was released from duty after a bullet hit his leg & he had a limp & needed a cane to walk. He hates society & all the irritating people that goes with it & he is also brought down with guilt by a horrible woman (his fiancée) who blamed Solo for her brother's death & she wouldn't marry him - Solo vowed to himself he would never marry. He is also honorable, to a fault, won't break the vow but has found himself lonely.

Two strangers coming together under these circumstances was so touching & Solo was so honorable & Jemima was so perfect & I couldn't wait for them to experience their HEA. I can't wait to read Helena's story & then Matilda's story!

[Dee Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a fan of Emma V. Leech. Her characters are unique, and their circumstances are out of the ordinary for Regency Romance. Though they do sometimes get away with behavior that is out of the norm for the times, the author manages to make their actions plausible. To Bed the Baron is the ninth book in the Girls who Dare series.

The storyline is fairly uncommon as it follows one of the group of friends, Jemima. She is a young woman who appears mysteriously in the previous books, and the reader can tell her life is fraught with anxiety and difficult choices. Jemima makes the unthinkable decision to become a kind and decent man’s mistress rather than face poverty and, ultimately, prostitution. In choosing the lesser of two evils, she took a proactive approach to a hopeless situation. I Loved that.

Solo, the wounded war hero, is in need of a mistress because he had made a foolish promise never to wed. He falls head over heels in love with Jemima and is tortured by the fact that he will ruin a decent woman’s reputation without being able to offer her marriage.

The story moved along quickly, and many of the characters from the previous books made an appearance. The happily ever after was very satisfying.

This series should be read in sequence to have a little of the backstory. It is not really standalone.

[Kamilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Depois de abandonar o livro anterior pela metade, li esse livro apenas porque contava a última história das senhoritas peculiares a me despertar o interesse. a história de Solo e Jemima conseguiu me entreter mas confesso que perdi o interesse na série.

O livro levanta algumas questões interessantes sobre a falta de oportunidades para mulheres, sobre a importância que conceitos como honra e reputação tinham na época da história, mas já reparei que o padrão de Emma Leech é levantar questões interessantes e não se aprofundar muito em nada, nem mesmo nos seus personagens principais, já que ela gasta em média de 30 a 40% do livro focando em casais que irão protagonizar os próximos livros.

Tendo perdido o interesse no futuro dos demais personagens e tendo me cansado da fórmula da autora, vou ficando por aqui com os livros dela.

Solo e Jemima foram bons protagonistas e tinham bastante potencial, mas creio que esse é o tipo de história que teria brilhando com uma autora mais ousada e que investisse mais em desenvolvimento.

[Jacqueline's Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

To Bed the Baron is the ninth book in the Girls Who Dare series. It's Solo and Jemima's book. I was really interested in Jemima's story because it just seems the most scandalous. She's a paid mistress. She is penniless and basically takes matters into her own hands. If you can't land a husband, might as well try to be a paid mistress right?

The idea of this mistress thing is just so fascinating. Solo pays for the house, furnishings, her clothing, everything. She's to have dinner with him and be with him. But they don't have the typical Master / Mistress storyline. It's actually quite proper. I kind of liked it?

Solo never treats Jemima as a whore, if anything it seems like he courts her, except for taking her out in public. The book is steamy in the sense there is a lot of tension. They slowly get to know each other before things happen.

Solo has his issues and reasons why he never wants to marry. Jemima is VERY understanding, sometimes a little too much, but you can't help but love her.

Overall, it was an entertaining read.

[Clarie Giselle Speights · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solo and Jemima

I must say this one is more anticlimactic than the last but intriguing as I found Debuvoir terribly boring. But Solo’s mood swings left a lot to be desired. Jemima’s constantly running back rubbed me wrong at first. But then again as I read I understood more. And Jemima quite frankly was her own heroine and she only needed Solo to get it together for five minutes for him to realize that their love was all that they needed. I am quite honestly am in awe of Jemima’s bravery. Solo fought brother and country and finally someone has gone to battle for him while still maintaining their pride dignity. This book however did need editing. Mrs. Attwood was confused for Mrs. Norwell and some words were repeated in sentences.

[ECReads · Rating 2 out of 5]

This One Is A Miss For Me

The arrangement sounded plausible enough, especially given Jemima's situation, but not so much for Solo's. Susceptibility to feelings of guilt and self-pity is part of life, and I get how Solo's experiences contributed to his irritability, reclusiveness, and loneliness. Understandably, he wanted a companion. However, he believed financial security was all he could offer, but his reasoning was a flimsy excuse to ruin a lady in a desperate situation. It curbed my enjoyment of this book. It rankled how Solo kept telling Jemima she was a lady as if society would agree to the notion just because he said so. Thankfully Jemima was smart enough to realize her standing in society would diminish and loved Solo enough to go through with the arrangement. However, too much of the book was focused on Solo coming to realize his faulty logic, making it tedious.

[Avidreadersbc · Rating 5 out of 5]

A romance to swoon over

Another surly, broken hunk of a man for us to moon over.
The Baron Rothborn has a military past which has left him scarred both physically and mentally. Drowned by guilt by tragedies in war which was piled upon by the actions of malicious, disloyal woman, Solo has been a recluse for the past number of years. Jemima, forced by circumstances, agrees to be the mistress of Rothborn. However, both fall head over heels in love for each other. But vows and past declarations lead to heartbreak on both sides. This is a tale of trial, hardships and a romance to swoon over. Jemima did not give up her love and fought valiantly for her happily ever after and emerged victorious. ❤️

[Pau · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an okay read..
Didn't really realise that Jemimah has that optimistic/bubbly character? I would have thought she would be this stoic or hard outside but soft inside person, but she's just a ray of sunshine here. Nothing wrong with that, I was just expecting someone who acts more calm.. if that makes sense..but she still made the best of her current position, even she knows the reality of it.
Anyhow, the plot's okay, I just wasn't reaelly liking the part of Solo where it kept going on and on about his war days and how he keep trying to deny because he wants to treat Jemimah as a lady. It kind of got tiring for me. Like why would you even go through with this if you're not mentally ready.
This was still a good book to read anyhow.

[AprilGirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read.

This novel is well written and has an interesting storyline though I had trouble with the major theme of the story both from the male point of view and the female point of view. Their initial situation resolution did not sit well with me, from the female point of view she had a large number of friends who would have helped her and from the male point of view I could not align his honourable ideals with wanting a virgin lady as his “companion”
I loved the interactions with the other novels’ characters, I found this very novel and helped me get through this book that I found slow going because of my reservations regarding the storyline.
Overall to maintain the series storyline this novel needs to be read in the order of publication.

[Melba Hard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written book.

This series gets better and better. Solo is such a good man and an injured war hero but has cut himself off from society due to his injury and dislike of crowds and noise plus his guilt at failing his men especially his best friend, the brother of his fiance. After living alone for several years he decides he is lonely and would like a lady for companionship! Jemma has just lost her Aunt and is left with bills and nowhere to live. Her survival depends on what support Solo can provide her with. They both go into this arrangement with doubts and this book follows their relationship and is very beautifully written.

[Bridget Love to read Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A promise not kept

Lord Rothborn aka Solomon made a promise when he returned from war to a faithless worthless creature! Jemima is poor and destitute, determined not to burden her friends to take care of her! A man of business Mr . Briggs gave her the terms and conditions of her venture in a mistress so off she went! At first never divulging no riches left by a deceased aunt! When her secret is exposed and so are her feelings will Solomon guilt and living in the past keep them from the future?

[Wendy Tavenner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another awesome book by Emma V. Leech. When Jemima’s aunt died she lost everything. She has no way of paying rent or for food. Her peculiar friends knows something is wrong but she won’t yank to them. When she is offered a lifesaver of being a Lords companion she agrees.
Solo, Lord Rothborn has been lonely since the war. He came home wounded in body and spirit. He is looking for a female companion and once he met Jemima he knew she was perfect.
Jemima wanted to heal his wounded heart and he wanted to keep her. What extremes will Jemima go to help heal his heart. A beautifully written story.

[Jeanie Womack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two make each bother whole

Jemima has been left penniless on the death of her aunt, the two of them barely having had the wherewithal to make ends meet. But Jemima had taken the dare to pursue her desire and not give up, and that was just what she planned to do.
The fact that the object of her fascination is a handsome war hero certainly doesn't lessen her drive to do whatever it takes to bring him back to a life filled with love and dreams!

[Maria Cruz · Rating 5 out of 5]

love this series

Must be read in order- multiple storylines.

I loved this next book in this series. And I can’t wait to read the next book! Will be so sad when it’s over!

HEA: Yes
Cliffhanger: No, one story completed, support characters continue on to receive their stories.
Steam: yes, 1/5* heat, this book was more of a tease, compared to the previous two books. Only one love scene.

[Claudia Schaffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Discovery

It's not often that I find a new author I must put on my lists of must read. But starting with book 9 in a series and realizing the writing and story is so good you must read not only the series but everything by the author, is good for my reading habit but bad for my budget

[Stephen Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another brilliantly written story that continues a great series

This is another brilliantly written story that continues an amazing series. The plot is full of emotional passages, along with some wonderfully crafted characters. This book would suit all those that love steamy historical romances, that have plenty of intrigue.

[Bookosaurous · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorable

Another adorable story in the series...each of the characters are such that you cannot help falling in love with them. There's the intense attraction between the lead pair and the warmth of friendship all over. And as in all other books in the series, this too slowly and beautifully gives glimpses of the upcoming stories! Beautifully written!

[Nicole LaBoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it

It was well written and hard to put down. Its a page turner. I could not turn the pages fast enough. Jemima is one of ladies you dont hear touch about throughout the series. She is quiet and she faded to the background and this book lets you see what happen and the path her life has taken.

[Cathy Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book!

This series gets better and better. Jemina and Solo's story was so sweet. It was well written and a real page turner. Looking forward to the next book. I highly recommend this book and the series.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good heavens, someone get this girl a dang editor! The typos and grammar issues make me crazy. That said, she writes wonderful characters and lovely stories that I very much enjoy!

*Checks review for spelling and grammar issues

[LizardQueen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked this poem

If I could write the beauty of your eyes
and in fresh numbers number all your graces,
The age to come would say, "This poet lies;
Such heavenly touches ne'er touch'd earthly faces.

[Linda Burris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic!!

I highly recommend this book and actually the whole series. Loved the characters Jemimia and Solomon and how they interacted together. I wished she had included an extended epilogue because you always want to know what happened. I loved the book.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

***not a standalone, all books must be read in order***

What a disappointment. After the last 4 books, this book is sort of a letdown. Leech returns to her formulaic storytelling from books 1-4. I loved the h/H but didn't love the whole I don't want to dishonor you before marriage storyline.