In My Wildest Fantasies

Pembroke Palace #1

by Julianne MacLean

From bestselling author Julianne MacLean comes a classic historical romance series set in the lavish palace of an English duke, where duty and desire collide.

Four years ago, a mesmerizing stranger pulled Lady Rebecca Newland from her runaway coach, galloping to her rescue in a fog-shrouded forest. Though she was just seventeen, Rebecca felt an irresistible desire for the mysterious man and dreamed that she would one day become his bride. But now she is betrothed to another man whom she detests - and Devon Sinclair, the future Duke of Pembroke and hero of her dreams, lies tantalizingly beyond her reach...

Haunted by an unspeakable past, Devon has no intention of taking a wife, not even the enticing Rebecca, who is no longer a girl, but a woman. Then his father rules that Devon must marry by Christmas or forfeit his rightful inheritance. Now, with his fortune at stake, Devon sets out to lure Rebecca to the marriage bed, but when dark secrets come to light, Rebecca begins to wonder if true love with the man of her dreams will remain a fantasy forever.

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Regency, Audiobook, Victorian, Adult

364 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 15, 2013

About the author

Julianne MacLean is a USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty novels, including the contemporary women’s fiction Color of Heaven Series. Readers have described her books as “breathtaking,” “soulful” and “uplifting.” MacLean is a four-time RITA finalist and has won numerous awards, including the Booksellers’ Best Award and a Reviewers’ Choice Award from Romantic Times. Her novels have sold millions of copies worldwide and have been published in over a dozen languages.

MacLean has a degree in English literature from the University of King’s College in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and a degree in business administration from Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. She loves to travel and has lived in New Zealand, Canada, and England. MacLean currently resides on the east coast of Canada in a lakeside home with her husband and daughter.

For more information about Julianne and her writing life, please visit her website at www.juliannemaclean.com. Be sure to follow her on Bookbub to be notified whenever her ebooks are offered for FREE or 99 cents. (www.bookbub.com/authors/julianne-maclean) and chat with her on Facebook (www.facebook.com/JulianneMacLeanRoman...), Twitter (@JulianneMacLean), and Instagram (@JulianneMaclean).

Reviews

[Stacey]

***DNF at 54% - No rating as I didn't finish the story.***

I'm going to cut my losses on this one. Unfortunately, this overly sexual historical romance was giving me eye-strain...of the eye-rolling variety. I'm all for a little sexy in my reads, but this was OTT and made me laugh (well, I thought it was funny).

Our heroine had previously found a diary explaining in explicit details, a sexual liaison. This knowledge aroused her and made her determined to find a man to assuage her deep desires. With a little maneuvering, she manages to put herself in the path of the man she had met when she was 17 and fell instantly in love with. He, of course, is overcome with lust for her and immediately wants her. Taking advantage of her "knowledge" the two get it on and decide to marry. Yadda... yadda... yadda...

My tipping point, he sneaks into her room for the second time and she knows immediately that he wants to have sex, so proceeds to put her hand down his pants...AND I'M OUT!!

Bloody hell, this is not at all what I expect in my historical romance reads. I prefer my heroines to be a little nieve and to have her sexual knowledge and experience blossom at the hands of the hero.

To be honest, I only chose In My Wildest Fantasies because the narrator was Rosalyn Landor but even her talent couldn't help this one.

Don't judge on my review alone. A lot of other readers enjoyed this historical romance so please take the time to check out other reviews. In My Wildest Fantasies might be perfect for you.

[Monique Takens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ik heb de Nederlands talige uitgave gelezen : Als in een fantasie - Candlelight Historische roman 751
Verhaallijn overgenomen van achterkant boek :
Helaas had Rebecca Newland nog niet de huwbare leeftijd bereikt toen Devon Sinclair , de toekomstige hertog van Pembroke , haar redde uit een moeras . Omdat hun wegen zich meteen na die memorabele avond scheidden , rest Rebecca alleen de herinnering aan de intensiteit van zijn aanrakingen . In de jaren die volgen fantaseert ze steeds over haar prins op het witte paard , daarbij geinspireerd door een erotisch getint dagboek dat ze heeft gevonden .
Als Rebecca's redder na vier jaren terugkeert in haar leven , blijkt hij echter allerminst zo romantisch en sensueel te zijn als in haar dagdromen . Kennelijk is hij maar in één ding geinteresseerd : zo snel en zakelijk mogelijk een bruid aan de haak slaan om zijn erfopvolging veilig te stellen . Hoewel Rebecca inmiddels zelf ook haar redenen heeft om te vluchten in een huwelijk , neemt ze hier niet zomaar genoegen mee .

Ik heb nu 3 boeken van deze schrijfster gelezen en wat ik bovenal waardeer is dat de hoofdpersonen in haar boeken op een volwassen manier omgaan met moeilijkheden die op hun pad komen en er samen over praten om een oplossing te zoeken . Wat voor mij niet hoeft zijn de erg veel erotisch bedoelde scenes , die tekst ruimte had beter besteed kunnen worden aan dat de hoofdpersonen elkaar beter leren kennen en verliefd worden .

[Lady Wesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not even Rosalyn Landor's five-star performance could keep me interested in this book. It's got some good parts, but I don't expect to pursue reading the entire series (although I would like to know what has caused the old Duke's apparent insanity).

[Vikki Vaught · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vikki's Musings

I recently discovered Julianne MacLean’s marvelous books. I actually read/listened to Married by Midnight first, not realizing it was part of this incredible series. Needless to say, once I finished Book 4, I had to go back and read the rest. In my Wildest Fantasies is absolutely a fabulous book!

Ms. MacLean writes emotionally-charged romances that will wring your heart dry. Her characters are unforgettable and her story line is intriguing with plenty of plot twists. The development of the romance had me doing a happy dance!

Lady Rebecca Newland is a wonderful heroine, and I fell in love with her front the first page. She exhibits all the characteristics I most love. The anguish she feels brought tears to my eyes on more than one occasion. What I loved the most was her compassionate, giving heart. The patience she shows is astonishing. She is the perfect match for Devon.

Devon Sinclair, Lord Hawthorne is my favorite kind of hero. He is brave, fearless and determined to accomplish his father’s wishes, even though marriage is the last thing he wants. Of course as the heir to a dukedom, he always knew he would have to marry, but he did not want an emotional entanglement. He wanted a business arrangement where his future duchess would fulfill the role in a circumspect manner and not expect professions of love. He gets the exact opposite with Rebecca. She manages to tear down the brick wall surrounding his heart.

The sexual tension between Rebecca and Devon oozes off the page and the love scenes are concentrated more on the emotions behind the sex than where part A and part B go. I thoroughly enjoyed them and could live vicariously through the characters, and is that not what we readers want?

The Victorian age is not my first love, but Ms. MacLean was able to paint such a vivid picture of the dress and environment, she quite transported me back in time. Her startling descriptions of the palace gave me a fantastic visual of the magnificent home.

Oh, and I must mention the incredible narrator. Rosalind Landor is absolutely fantastic. She reads with deep emotion and truly brings the characters to life. Her ability to give each character their own distinctive voice is amazing. I know whenever she is the narrator I am in for a treat!

If you enjoy romance in a historical setting with a moving plot and amazing characters, then you will love In My wildest Fantasies as much as I did. I can’t wait to read/listen to the other books in this series. Happy reading!

[Jo Reads Romance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow paced start to a new series
3 stars

This was my first book by Julianne MacLean and I have to admit I was quite disappointed in it and there are a few things that really stopped me from more than just mildly enjoying the story.

Both Devon and Rebecca were likeable characters but they seemed too nice and I felt their chemistry and interaction lacked any real sparkle. As this is the first book in a new series - there were plenty of secondary characters however they weren't so well developed that you could really enjoy or wish for more of them.

The storyline itself had a lot of promise and was the reason I picked up the book in the first place but it didn't really seem to get out of first gear. The villain wasn't scary, the horrible brother wasn't that horrid and the mean rival for Devon's affection wasn't good competition for Rebecca. And all these plot points really did slow the story down.

The inclusion of an erotic diary was an interesting addition to the story but I really don't believe that simply by reading this journal, virginal, isolated Rebecca would become so bold and knowledgeable about sex. And even with the diary - the sex scenes were decidedly tepid.

My other gripe about the book was the geography. The ducal seat is at Pembroke Palace near the town of Pembroke which is apparently one hour to the north of Oxfordshire! It is possible that the author did not realise she was using the name of a real town in her story but it got me really confused and kept pulling me away from the story as I read it and tried to understand where the story was set.

Overall, I just didn't really feel that I could connect with this story or the characters. The writing and plot aren't terrible but just perhaps lacking a certain something that would make the book a keeper. I will try other books by Julianne MacLean as I'm sure this was just a one off, but it's maybe not a book for those who have never read Ms McLean before.

[Laura V. · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5

Que.. libro.. más... soso.
En la primera mitad, todo transcurre de un modo tan simple, superficial, rozando lo absurdo (a mí parecer) con el flechazo de amor a primera a vista de Rebecca y el complejo No-soy-ningún-héroe de Devon que resultó una lectura bastante estúpida por decirlo de algún modo. Sentí que volaba cuando leí, sí, no tiene romance, es tan increíble la idea de que estos dos terminaran juntos y se lo creyeran que me encontré frunciendo el ceño hacia el final.
Lo único que lo salvó un poco fue lo que sucede luego de la boda, cuando ambos se vuelven un poco conscientes de lo poco que se conocen y lo rápido que han llegado hasta esa situación. Pero luego ese final sin una pizca de emoción, tan monótona, no me supo transmitir nada de nada. Fue malo, realmente malo. Y la actitud de Devon y la de ella. Siempre sabré que en su cabeza ella lo amará más y él... estará contento con eso. Argh, fue absurdo.
Con respecto a Vincent y Lady Letitia, no entiendo la idea de pintarla como una "mala" mujer, o resaltar todos sus defectos, para luego ir y hacerla protagonista del próximo libro, esa no es una buena forma de vender las cosas. Aunque lo del bebé es un buen giro, pero no me va a tentar lo suficiente. Al menos no muy pronto.
Yei! Me corrijo, acabo de leer la sinopsis del siguiente libro y al parecer Letitia no es la protagonista. Eso le suma más posibilidades a que sea leído pronto ^_^

En fin, el libro se lee, muy rápido, porque tiene la suerte de ser corto, es un poco ridículo, pero si no tienes nada que perder, y realmente no esperas algo en serio, este libro es para ti.

[Bj · Rating 4 out of 5]

In My Wildest Fantasies is a British, historical romance with elements of suspense. The first book in the Pembroke Palace six-book series, it sets the background for the Sinclair family story. While there is a teaser at the end, which describes the main conflict for the second book, it could nonetheless be listened to as a stand-alone book, as the love life of the primary hero and heroine is resolved.

When I first read the description of this book, I was expecting the cliche romance where the hero and heroine experience love at first sight after the hero rescues the heroine. To my delight, In My Wildest Fantasies contained much more, including intrigue, passion, scandal, and even unexpected plot twists. While at times I felt like these underlying themes just scratched the surface of what could have been an A+ read, their introduction nonetheless proves entertaining as the reader will be left guessing and imagining the countless provocative possibilities. Add in Rosalyn Landor’s experienced narration, and you have a solid audiobook.

We first meet Lady Rebecca Newland and Devon Sinclair, the future Duke of Pembroke, when Devon rescues Rebecca from a near drowning after a coach accident. Rebecca, being an innocent, sheltered girl of seventeen, instantly romanticizes Devon as her hero after this spark filled rescue. Devon, however, while also feeling this attraction, chooses to ignore Rebecca when he discovers that she is still underage.

Four years later, Rebecca is faced with a terrible mandate. Her father insists that she marry her neighbor, Maximilian Rushton, an arrogant, cruel man who has already behaved dishonorably towards her through no invitation of her own. Given the fact that he is also a man of a lower rank than Rebecca, she is convinced that Mr. Rushton must have some sinister leverage over her father.

With the aid of her Aunt, Rebecca runs away in search of her hero. As one can surmise from the title, Rebecca has passionately fantasized about Devon since their first meeting. Now she is determined to make her dreams come true and convince Devon to marry and love her.

As fate would have it, Devon has just returned home from a three-year trip abroad to America, and his father is insisting that he marry before the end of the year or lose his inheritance. In fact, this is an ultimatum that must be fulfilled by all four of the Sinclair brothers, thus forming the basis for most of the books to come in the Pembroke Palace series. Convincing Devon to marry her, however, will not be as easy as it would at first appear. For Rebecca’s father and Mr. Rushton are only a couple of the many obstacles. Further complications include: Devon’s father’s handpicked future duchess who he invites to visit the family; Devon’s brother, Vincent, who holds a deep-seated grudge, and is determined to thwart any effort by Devon to find true love; and Devon’s own fear of loving a woman or, even more terrifying, serving as a woman’s hero. Perhaps Ms. MacLean’s most ingenious obstacle comes in the form of a double-edged sword which arises from the most unlikely of places – an erotic diary that Rebecca discovers and whose education provides an appearance that both serves to attract Devon’s interest and arouse his suspicions as to her true character and motives.

Further rounding out the story, is Rosalyn Landor’s narration. Ms. Landor is a prolific narrator with well over a hundred audiobooks under her belt, many of which are romances. As should be expected from such an experienced performer, she delivers a solid reading of In My Wildest Fantasies. Her pacing of the story, accents, and acting of emotions are beyond reproach. Additionally, from Rebecca’s higher, softer more youthful voice to her Aunt’s slightly deeper more mature one, I really enjoyed her highly differentiated intonations for the female characters which, not only made the story easier to follow, but also played in perfectly, bringing to life the particular person being impersonated. Ms. Landor’s male characterizations are also relatively good. While leaving no doubt as to which are male, and clearly differentiating between the younger and older men, I found it a little harder to differentiate amongst the younger ones (primarily when Devon and his brothers were speaking).

One potential narration issue that I did note, however, relates to the quality of the production. I have listened to dozens of audiobooks, and I have never experienced this before, so I played the audiobook on numerous devices to confirm that I did indeed hear what I thought I was hearing. Namely, when played out loud, “s” sounds (and to a much lesser extent “t” sounds) had a slight whistling effect. It was not extremely distracting, but it was noticeable causing me to lower the volume a number of times in order to minimize the effect. Interestingly, this was not a problem when I listened to the audiobook with my earphones.

Therefore, while the performance merits a B grade, unfortunately production matters must also be considered in the narration grade. As a result of the sharp “s” effect noted in the preceding paragraph, I lowered the overall narration grade to a B-.

All in all, In My Wildest Fantasies exceeded my expectations, and I found it to be an enjoyable listen that left me wanting to learn more about the Sinclair family. This is a book that lovers of European historical romance novels will not want to miss!

BJ

——————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Narration: B-

Book Content: B+

Steam Factor: For your burning ears only

Violence: Minimal

Genre: European Historical Romance

Publisher: Julianne MacLean



In My Wildest Fantasies was provided to AudioGals for review by the author.

See full review at Audio Gals: http://www.audiogals.net/2014/04/in-m...

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Four years ago Lady Rebecca and her father were saved by the future Duke of Pembroke on the road to their home. She has not been able to get Devon out of her mind since then. Now her father is trying to marry her off to a man who is not very nice. Her aunt takes to a ball at Pembroke Palace. Devon has just returned from America to find his father says he has to marry right away or he will disown him. They each have a reason to marry right away and are deeply attracted to each other so by the end of the week they are married. Read this book to find out how that happened and what happened next. As with all of her books, it is a fun read.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars.

I can see how In My Wildest Fantasies may not be the most highly rated or popular of HR's as it doesn't really follow the norm. I think though that this was the reason that I actually liked it as much as I did. Yes there's a hero and a heroine and most run-of-the-mill historical romance-y formula, but the dialogue and character interactions had a distinctly modernized feel to them. At times I felt like the characters were almost imposters: speaking and behaving like current day people while dressed in 1800's attire and following historical etiquette. It was a little bizarre but I found myself captivated by it and invested in the storyline so much more because of it.

Another thing I really liked about this story was the fact that Devon (our delicious hero) and Rebecca (our passionate heroine) had met early on in the story and there was a good two or three chapters spending time on this first meeting. This allowed us to feel the chemistry between them and anticipate their paths crossing again.

It wasn't perfect; for something that was so chock full of action and story it felt like it constantly just skimmed the surface. A couple of times I felt the need to roll my eyes a little. The villain and his motivations didn't make much sense to me. But whatever, it was good for what it was - an entertaining HR read that didn't take itself too seriously.

[Tracy T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story. I really liked the hero and the heroine in this book. I thought the chemistry was good and the sex scenes were nicely written. The story flowed well throughout the book, and was not full of filler moments. I would have liked a bit more dialogue, (I like a lot of dialogue) but there was still enough and the story was pretty fast paced.

I liked that this book was NOT filled with a lot of misunderstanding's, via thoughts.

I do plan on reading the rest of the series, it captured my attention and I liked it to want to know what happens to the other characters.

I read along on my kindle to audible: as to the narrator, Rosalyn Landor. She was fine. Not my favorite, but not my least favorite either.

[Danae · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. JM has transplanted 21st century sensibilities and language to the 18th century. As clearly indicated by the title, the story is in essence a telling of Rebecca Newland’s erotic fantasies enacted with her hero Devon, Lord Hawthorne. I found the context set by Pembroke Palace and Devon’s large family far more interesting than the romance between the hero and heroine. As my first book by JM, have to say I’m not impressed.

[Katrina Passick Lumsden · Rating 2 out of 5]

So I don't know how many stars to give this book. Some parts were three or four star worthy, some aspects didn't even deserve a single star... It's all over the place in my head. The biggest issue is probably all the goddamn mistrust. Seriously, nobody trusts anybody, it's like watching a really cynical soap opera. The obstacles are also weak and/or over-the-top.

Just. Meh. I don't regret reading it, but I wouldn't do so again.

[Betty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again 3.5 bumped up to 4 because of fab narrating by Rosalyn Landor.

[Noelia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me gustó. Tenemos el típico recurso del diario antiguo encontrado, pero es muy entretenido. La historia de fondo es curiosa y acaba con un cliffhanger interesante.

[SassyLeg · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Enjoyable read although a bit too "modern" in depicting the heroine's sexual drive....

[Carole Rae · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had picked this up because I randomly read/listened to the short story. I wanted to check out more by the author in hopes maybe one of her full novels would be better.



The story follows Lady Rebecca and the future Duke Devon. The two had met years previous when Devon saved Rebecca from a getaway carriage. Years have passed and she still loved him. When her father picks out a terrible man to be her husband she decides she is going to throw a Hail Mary and try and marry her hero. Lucky for her Devon is needs of a wife to save his and his brothers' inheritance. Fancy that, eh ;) Bonus points it is insta-lust for both of them.



This a unique way to tell a common HR story. It was refreshing and I was curious how it was all going to end especially when Devon has zero interest in love because of something terrible that happened. Poor guy. I felt so bad.



Now...I didn't really the whole diary thing. It was different for sure to have Lady Rebecca have some knowledge on love and smexy stuff because of this random diary she found. It was nice to not have the heroine be super naive. But it felt like a young lady of the time wouldn't put THAT much descriptive detail in it and if someone did a proper young lady wouldn't keep reading. Maybe I'm looking too much into it.



Devon annoyed me. I wanted to like him a lot but he annoyed me. I felt bad for him yes. That terrible thing was indeed terrible, but I wanted to kick him especially when he gave Rebecca crap for having a motive to wanting to marry him. UMMMM jerkface...so did you. >_> Ugh.



There was insta-lust. Rebecca loved the idea of him but didn't love HIM. And I liked that. It worked and made sense. It took forever and day and I am happy.



Should I even say anything about the narration???? SHE IS ALWAYS AMAZING!!! Love her.



Overall, I did like this. Some issues, but still enjoyable. I am curious for book 2, but I'm not at the same time mainly because I'm not a fan of the next brother. He's even more of a jerkface then Devon. Anyways....I'll give this 3 stars.

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

Imaginary hero

Devon did something brave and rescued Rebecca and her father in a chance meeting!? I believe destiny because shortly after Devon made a foolish mistake that costs someone their life and fled to America! Rebecca's aunt had enough and rescues her and takes her to a masquerade ball on the day that Devon returns from a 3 year exile in America! Fated to meet their reunion is magical and suits Rebecca who is a little more practical although its hard for her to keep her hands off Devon and vice versa! Secrets are exposed and lies told! Rushton does not give up and is willing to blackmail Rebecca and her father still! Some secrets people die for? Is this one?? This author is new to me but this story is riveting and has soo many nuggets you must read carefully to decipher them all! Outstanding!!!!

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

First time with this author as I try to make my way through Avon Romantic Treasures since I only recently realized that so many of the books that I actually enjoy seem to be a part of this line.

This author writes well. It's giving Julia London. She's a little clunky at times, I will admit. Not the best, but boy do I love me a marriage of convenience. It's just chef's kiss to me. In fact, it was enough for me to overlook the awkwardness and the lack of propriety and ridiculousness of some parts (like reading some lady's sexy time diaries) but whatever. If most of it is well written and it's still a little sexy then who am I to complain? There are worst inaccuracies in our dreaded age of the 2020- age HR romances. May we regress to the 80s-2010 when HR romances actually made my heart beat a little quicker.

[MooseGirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I quite liked this and it was a pleasant read.

I didn't entirely love Devon. In the beginning, when we first met him, I did like him. Once we'd skipped two years, everything I'd liked had disappeared and he was a little, well... wimpy and sulky.

It's one of these books that hovers between being clean and less so, which is a little awkward. I don't mind clean romance, and I don't mind erotic romance, but the hovering in between is less attractive. It's not entirely clean, but the sex scenes are written in an embarrassed, rushed, "let's get this over with" sort of style. It's a little strange when we're meant to see a great passion between the characters but this isn't reflected.

I did mostly enjoy it, but I don't plan to buy the next book. There are too many books I'd like more.

[Barbara "Cookie" Serfaty Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

In My Wildest Fantasies (Love at Pembroke Palace Book 1)

The love story of Rebecca and Devon. When Rebecca was seventeen she and her father was rescue by Devon and he became her hero. She dream of someday marrying him. Now she is 21 and her father want her to marry a man she does not love. She fun away with her aunt to Pembroke Palace. Will she win the heart of Devon?
Devon return him from the American and his father the duke say he and his brother must marry before Christmas or a cure will be fall the family. If they don't they will lost their inherent. Will Devon, who say he will never marry find a bride before Christmas , or a he prove his father mad? Great story.

[Bron · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an enjoyable romantic read. It had a great opening and a great whirlwind romance. It could probably have been balanced better, several plot elements feel like they were not well justified within rest of the story. However, I enjoyed the read and immediately started book 2 of the series.

This book does contain fairly consistent sexual content throughout, not for people who want either clean romance or adherence to strict society conventions sometimes present in historical romance. The female character is virgin but aided by several years reading an erotic diary she found. The diary is a bit shoehorned into the story which is a shame because I enjoyed depth it provided to the steamy elements of the book.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it, and I didn't

Potent sexual attraction leads to the hasty marriage of two shallow people. There's a mysterious racy diary that feeds the heroine's fantasies. There's an arranged betrothal from which she flees. There's a demented Duke plus an unmarked grave and lots and lots of rain, and strange dialogue around a bawdy wedding gift. How could H/h ever trust one another? Why was the villain so very slow with the timeline for his ultimatums (go back and buy the hat with the yellow feather and wear it tomorrow?? What & why???) Eventually the story fizzles out in the drizzle, with a cliffhanger, of course!

[Stephanie Bolen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why do we love these cliches

She's a naive virgin in love with the idealized hero she's made him. He's a horn dog. He takes every opportunity to take liberties upon their first meeting only to back off when he learns she's underage. And as soon as they are alone after she's grown up he's pressing his luck groping her in a hallway. He's in lust and she has no clue and it's a complete and utter recipe for disaster. Yet, HEA for everyone. People who like these types of stories ignored the red flags in their first marriage and are shocked they got cheated on.

[Blueglass · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did like the opening with the dashing noble saving the young miss from a runaway carriage.
I did not like Rebecca's sexual awakening. Somehow she just knows everything about sex from reading someone else's diary. I certainly was kinda weirded out when she exclaimed "I am going to have an orgasm!". I am glad Devon gave her a look of disbelief as well.
Overall, there was not really any tension in the story and any conflict just deflated. This is my first book by this author and I was disappointed, though I would be willing to give her another shot.

[MELISSA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rosalyn Landor narrates exquisitely this challenging HEA about a young romantic lady rescued by a handsome marquess. Of course, the rescue was years before they met again and the current meeting is fraught with anguish, anger, passion and tension. A bit of suspense, a "mad" duke, a family curse and a conniving and thwarted want-to-be duchess adds immeasurably to the historical romance. All the right ingredients for an entertaining listen.

[Elena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, but nothing to write home about.
It was easily forgettable and not very interesting.
Despite the fact that the characters are supposed to be having extremely sexy sex (especially for the time period) - i honestly didn't find it that sexy! The journal that they read was also not sexy - it was weird that someone would write so explicitly during that time period... especially a young lady...

The romance between the characters was OK - but nothing amazing.

[Carilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Young woman looking for a hero

Devon,Lord Hawthorne meets Rebecca,Lady Creighton when she is 17. Four years later, she goes to Pembroke Palace and meets Devon again who has been out of the country for 3 years. Then, he conspire must marry to get an installed fortune, and Rebecca is running away from her Dad due to her Dad wanting to arrange a marriage with her and the villian, Mr. Rushton.

[ECReads · Rating 2 out of 5]

It Was Ok, Couldn't Quite Say I Liked It

I liked the writing and the premise of this story was interesting. However, the execution was disappointing. There was little sense of suspense or romance. The main characters were superficial, although both Devon and Rebecca introspected throughout the book. Still, the internal dialogue didn't add depth to their character, and their connection didn't grow much beyond fantasy and physical attraction.

[AmazingJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Misunderstandings, Deception, Jealousy & Romance.

I truly enjoyed reading this Book. This is the first book I have read from this Author. I look forward to reading more books from her. There were a few errors, but not enough to interrupt the Story. A well written Story with Wonderful characters. A plot You didn't see coming or should I say confessions we are surprised to hear.
A really Delightful Story/Book.

[Barbara Rosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a wonderful and captivating story

I was drawn in from the start! I love the setting in the Victorian era, the ridiculous rules, and the strength of the women to love in spite of the challenges.
I had started reading reviews before getting this novel, but found too much of the story being revealed. I’m happy I was able to discover each barrier that kept love at bay for myself. You will too!