Lay Me Down in Ivy

by Stefanie Simpson

Ben Ashby lost the thing he didn’t want, his ancestral seat and the burden of his late father’s debts. Selling it off to the mysterious Lady Wickstead seemed to solve all his problems. Now living in a small cottage with his sister and mother, Ben takes a job and tries to forge a new life.
When he meets the veiled woman, he’s bewitched by her ethereal appearance, and they forge a tentative friendship. The discovery of more debts and fraud lands Ben in further difficulties that spiral out of control, and Lady Wickstead makes him an offer, one that would test his self-control.

Lady Augusta Wickstead, tired of London, travels to her new estate hoping for clean air, space and peace. And though she finds it, she still feels caged. The scars of her past and those on her face cause rumours and gossip wherever she goes. Mr Ashby ignites the hidden parts of Augusta, making her want things she vowed to never have, but when she’s the only person who can save him and his family, Augusta risks everything and offers him a deal; marriage.
With his vow of never touching her lying between their burgeoning relationship, the binds and limits of Augusta’s new-found world are tested to the limit.


Content Notes:
REFERENCES TO: past spousal abuse and cruelty. Grievous injury. Attempted Murder. Murder. Alcohol abuse. Gambling. English colonial cruelty.
ON PAGE: PTSD. Near death experience. Fighting. Intrigue and peril. Graphic kink including: D/s Femdom. Obedience. Light humiliation. Restraints. Consensual face slapping. Masturbation. PIV. Pegging. Oral. Impact play with crop and biting. Edging. Ropework. Penis torture. Dildos. Chastity torture device. Studding.

Genres: Romance, Historical, Historical Romance, Steamy, Historical Fiction, BDSM, Adult

Unknown Binding

About the author

Coffee addled, twitter addicted, A disabled romance author based in the UK, Stefanie Simpson has written multiple contemporary romances as well as fantasy romance.

Most of her work contains angst, healing and conflict. Expect strong adult content and themes, language, explicit material, love and a HEA.

Reviews

[Sarah Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now THIS is the kind of Victorian romance that's I want to read more of! A femdom historical romance? Yes, please !A soft boi male lead who's hella good at physical labor, mild mannered, kind-hearted, and all about family duty. Lady Augusta is a measured and powerful female main character. She's survived something horrible and come out on top as an established woman wielding her own power and doing her best to help others.

This is an excellent take on the marriage of convenience trope. Loads of pining and angsty conversation lead to some seriously steamy moments (LOVE!). This is a beautiful story about two people who have been through the ringer finding love where they least expect it. Highly recommend!

[Leigh Kramer]

DNF at 20%

I was excited for the femdom premise but I can’t connect to the writing. It’s all tell, no show, and the characters are making these disconnected leaps with what they’re supposedly feeling. Ben and Augusta have both clearly dealt with hard circumstances but we don’t get to feel any of their emotions, unfortunately. As a result, I don’t think this will have the kind of character development or emotional arc I’m looking for right now. I’ve enjoyed this author before so maybe this is just a bad fit for my current reading mood.

Characters: Ben is a 26 year old white clerk, bookkeeper, and former baron. Augusta is a white widow with facial scars. She has mastiffs named Hyperion and Coeus and a parrot named Sky. This is set in 1861 Randle, England.

Content notes: anxiety, panic attack, MMC participates in night fight for money, FMC crossdresses to gain access to male spaces, past death of FMC’s husband, FMC’s husband was abusive, past death of MMC’s father (possibly suicide?), MMC’s father had massive gambling debts and forged his son’s signature to acquire more debts, FMC’s father married her off when she was 16 to a man twice her age, FMC has facial scars, past homophobia toward sapphic secondary characters, colonialism (FMC grew up in India), alcohol, morphine (past), FMC’s mother died when she was young, references to racism (FMC’s close friends are Indian)

[Kate W · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve read a few femdom romances, but I think this one had the most sadism. The consent was great, and so was the representation. A secondary character came out as trans in the book, and there were several secondary characters of colour. The found family was great. So much kindness even while there was peril and trauma.

[Wicked Fox ✨️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

FEMDOM 😩🤌

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spicy and sweet

What a wonderful read! This book had a perfect historical romance plot with all of my favourite tropes, and some very creative spicy scenes. I loved this book and wish I could have even more Ben and Augusta in my life.

[Kelli Glazebrook · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved most things about this book: the angst, the moors, the mist, the veiled lady, the himbo, the power plays, the femdom OBVIOUSLY. This book is definitely worth your time and LOOK AT THAT COVER! I will warn people that this is heavy on the sadism/masochism part of the femdom dynamic. If that isn't your cup of tea, this may not be for you.

I do wish this book had a better flow. There were parts that felt entirely disjointed or as if a scene had been written initially for one part of the plot and then swapped out. Sometimes it can be jarring as you read.

But otherwise I really enjoyed the characters, including the side characters which were diverse and interesting. I hope we see more of them in the future!

[Pearl O'Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moody, storm tossed, queer heavy and here to deliver the whump. This is an indulgence, bittersweet like dark chocolate. It's a historical fantasy, not the swords and magic kind, but one that blends a rawness of the texture of history with the expected conceits of the genre of romance. There is thus the usual: debts of a dead father, marriage by special license, a heroine with a convient inheritance to get her way. Plus there's the modern inclusion of what looks like the tail bits of other parts of a connected universe, and an emphasis on LGBTQ2 side characters who probably have their own books. Likewise there's a liberalism in sexual and social politics- not unrealistic in the scope of possible in setting, but a welcome choice of *where* to put the spotlight.

[Sarah Skye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh we are allllll about a historical femdom romance YES!!

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this historical femdom novel! As a new lover to angst and pining, I was overjoyed that this book had it in abundance 🥵

[Kara Jorgensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The erotica aspect of this book was good, but I found the characters overall needed more characterization or for the plot to slow down long enough to give us more detail, especially early on when characters seemed to come out of nowhere, where it was obvious the authors knows who they are but the reader doesn't.

[Lucy Hudson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The PINING.
The PINING.
Pining is one of my favorite tropes and Lay Me Down in Ivy has it in spades! So much wonderful yearning. The push and pull... perfection.
Very creative Victorian Era kink going on... wink wink.

[Scooby2]

DNF 68% too long

[Olivia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know where to really begin with this review...I liked the overall vibe and setting of the book. The misty, grey coastal town in the middle of nowhere. A couple of societal outcasts finding refuge. I loved how the vibe got lighter and more cheerful as the story went on, showing how the characters heal and their problems start to solve.

The main characters August and Ben were rather interesting. August is trying to overcome her past, still healing from the abuse by the hands of her late husband, carrying the scars of her pain not only on her heart but also her face. And then Ben who was put into an unfortunate situation, having no other option but to rebuild his and his family's existence from scratch. They weren't an unlikely pairing but their dynamic was definitely something unique. I like how Augusta's dominant side influenced their relationship outside the bedroom as well. And I also liked how Ben, even though he is submissive, still took the role of her protector and gave her strength and encouragement when she needed it. He truly was a golden retriever kind of guy obsessed with his black cat engere wife.

The portrayal of their femdom dynamic was pretty good. The best I have read so far. There was so much consent in all the scenes. Ben wasn't pushed into this kink of Augusta and Augusta would have never pushed her desires onto him, instead both of them just enjoyed this type of BDSM dynamic. I also liked the variety in the erotic scenes. There were hardcore sex scenes with lots of sadism and then more wholesome/vanilla ones which I think was a pretty realistic portrayal of such a relationship. (It's not always leather and whips.) It's rather rare for this genre to depict sexually dominant women which is kinda sad. I often get tired of all the dominant men with their virginal submissive wives. It's refreshing to have a different dynamic where the woman is not only far more experienced but also dominant.

The things that kind of bothered me were for one the whole "a woman has to be damaged to like this kind of sex"-thing which was going on here. Even though there was a convo between Ben and Augusta where she explained that she always had these desires, it is still heavily implied which bothered me. Why can't women like to be dominant without having some form of sexual trauma to "justify" it?

There were also many parts where Augusta was just a bit too melodramatic for me. I get it, she is traumatised and probably has PTSD, but this constant push and pull between her and Ben was a bit annoying sometimes.

And even though I liked all the outcast characters, it did feel a bit much. Obviously there were Augusta and Ben, and there were a bunch of Indians and mixed Brits, a lesbian couple, a trans character...all of these had their moment and even though I live for the representation, it just felt a bit much.

On top of that I did not like the choice to have so many women wear pants and hate on women's clothing of that time. Like almost every woman in this novel wears pants or a man's suit at one point and they just walk around town...There are so many different ways a woman could dress if she wasn't all too comfortable in upper class women's fashion, but why do they always want to/have to wear men's wear? (I exclude the sex scenes between Ben and Augusta from this criticism.)

Lastly, I kinda got tired of the endless sex scenes. I get that this is an erotica, but in the last 100+ pages or so, all they did was having sex. Every conflict gets solved within one chapter before they tumble back into bed. All the outer conflicts felt very fleeting and that made for my taste the story plot wise a bit lacking. The overall tone of the story is dark, mysterious and twisty, but when the actual plot points for this darkness come up, they are basically solved with a finger snap and I did not like it.

Altogether, great vibes and a great representation of a femdom relationship, but plot wise and a few icks of mine landed that book at solid 3 stars.

[A.E. Bross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hands down one of the best works of romance, erotic or otherwise, that I have read. With a grace that only Simpson possesses, she weaves a tale of two people finding each other, fulfilling their deepest desires, while also trying to navigate the depths of past trauma, societal expectation, and very real threats to their safety and security as both a married couple and as individuals.

Simpson is also no stranger to diversity, including characters and couples of differing races, genders, sexual orientations, and socioeconomic standing. Make it a mistake, this isn't some sort of utopian, unrealistic writing of the time period. Instead, it feels like a retelling of realities that better capture an error where propriety and appearances were often all that mattered. It's just done in an extremely artful manner.

As always, Simpson's writing of the erotic and kink is thoughtful, deep, and sensual. Her Femdom MC is wonderful, soft and sharp. Simpson is the master at writing consent and safety in ways that are both clear and thoughtful. There are boundaries and they are respected.

I highly recommend this book to fans of historical romance that also enjoy kink and erotica. It's a beautiful blend of storytelling, a wonderful relationship, and the absolute joys that found family can bring.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strong start! Augusta escapes London as she feels trapped and rumours about about how her husband died in India. She wears a veil as she has facial scars and moves into an estate at the sea. Ben's family used to own said estate but his father's debts have led them to be living in a cottage and him working. He is more troubled because of more debts arising and he tries to fight to earn money. Secretly, he likes pain.

They meet and are attracted to the other, Augusta offers him a marriage of convenience and to take care of his family but she has rules. After awhile, these rules become hard for Ben to abide as he is falling in love with Augusta.

I liked the two of them and though they were suited for the other, their found family is super cute too. But the angst at the middle annoyed me. I liked how Ben is a submissive but that does not take away from his masculinity. Augusta gets anxiety and panic attacks because of her past and one of the main conflict of their relationship is letting Ben touch her.

Tropes: Found family, marriage of convenience, age gap (Older heroine-younger hero)

[Mephala · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had difficulties with rating this book.

On one hand it has so much great stuff that’s sorely lacking in romance genre (especially historical romances): diverse cast of characters, queer representation, trauma depiction, and femdom.
On the other, the characters, albeit interesting, seem to be underdeveloped, and the story suffers from pacing issues and unpolished prose.

To begin with, I liked a lot about this book.

Mostly how Augusta and Ben’s relationship developed. Their romance was very unique and the way it was portrayed matched their personalities and the general feel of the story very well. It was moody, dark, almost volatile, but also gentle and soothing.
The ‘marriage of convenience’ trope fit perfectly in how they went from strangers to loving partners.

I loved how accepting and caring Ben was, even before he cared or even understood Augusta’s trauma. He was a solid support for her, even when they were mere acquaintances.

It’s worth to note, the story doesn’t delve into any gratuitous depictions of said trauma and abuse, but is respectful without taking away its importance and impact on Augusta’s life.

But the mentioned support wasn’t one sided – Augusta definitely helped Ben understood himself (sexually or otherwise and) helped him found his purpose. Like I mentioned before, they balanced each other very well.

Apart from likable main couple, the book had a pretty impressive diverse cast of background characters: BIPOC and queer. From mysterious Mr. Strange, Augusta’s found family – Rook, Geeta and her son Sahil, to Ben’s sort of friend, Jo – all of them were interesting. Maybe a little underdeveloped, but certainly crucial for the story.

The kink rep was good as well. There’s so few femdom stories out there, so it’s always great to find one. As one other review mentioned, this particular portrayal seems to strongly favor more s/m dynamics, but it’s definitely not the most graphic or violent femdom stories in HR genre. There’s certainly a lot of care in depiction the power balance between sub and Dom here, and I really liked how sweet and comforting aftercare moments were. Any sex scene between August and Ben was hot and sensual, very intimate and romantic.

Like I said, I liked a lot about this book, but I feel it suffers greatly from awkward prose and pacing issues. Stefanie Simpson mentioned herself that some parts of the story were cut out, most likely during editing, and there are places where it really shows. Characters mention some seemingly important plot point, to never really explore it further. Some parts of the book feel rushed, others dragged out. Most of the dialogs sounds like characters speaking in bullet points. I don’t know if it’s a stylistic choice, but after a while it ruins the flow of the narration.

Lay Me Down in Ivy… is defiantly worth a read; it introduces a lot of new and unique elements to classic historical romance. The atmosphere and characters are really good, the representations handled with care and respect, and the romance is sexy and sweet. The book just needed a little more polish.

3+/5 stars

[Meg Mardell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gosh this is just the most gorgeous, gothic romance I’ve read in a while. From the setting in a coastal castle, to the difficult personal histories of both protagonists, to the arranged quality of their union, to how they won't reveal themselves to the other – her with her veil and he with his secret pugilism – this novel is such a wonderful treat to unwrap layer by layer. And memorable. It’s very rare to find opposite-gender romance where the women is the more damaged person. Definitely one to read if you enjoy pugilist heroes who aren’t alphas, heroines with plenty of past tragedy, and some incredible sexual exploration that leads to greater self-acceptance and a growing connexion between the leads.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 - This was unlike any historical romance I've ever read, and pretty much is unique in every aspect.

The FMC in particular was traumatized, though the MMC was not without his share of abuse. They have a slow progression into intimacy, navigating her comfort levels. She is frank, blunt, and assured of herself in everything but love. He is noble and devoted to her.

The villainy plot lacked some dimension, and some of the side characters maybe could have used smoother introductions.

No matter how many books I read, I just cannot get into BDSM. I don't want to say it makes me uncomfortable, but it's akin to that. I am more used to it now but I don't think it will ever "do it" for me.

Read as part of Ali Williams's lecture series, Troping the Romance.

[Aman Reading · Rating 1 out of 5]

Stefanie Simpson has written a novel with a strong premise, a premise that hooked for me the first-third of the novel. As the story progressed, however, the flaws of the whole work became evident. The characters were not fully developed, the secondary characters were underestablished, the plot moved unevenly, and the pornographic content (as it was neither romantic nor erotic) simply bursts onto the scene without proper pacing or establishment in the novel.

Generally, I am disappointed by the book, because the first third promised something rich and developed, but, in the end, it proved to be unsatisfactory literature and merely a series of sexually obsessed vignettes.

[Rixxyreadsss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Geez, this was such a quick, hot, delicious read🥵 . I loved the power play, the pining and the crazy hot sex between the MC's. And the best thing? This has a plot, not just pure smut and I also liked that this was heavy on consent.

However, there are quite many trigger warnings. Just a heads up, this book leans more on sadistic/masochism and the FMC also uses crops and toys to torment/edge the MMC.

Surprisingly read this in one sitting. This book was so hot and just so...dirty🤭 I also loved the HEA. 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶

[E Ironsides · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!!

I was sent to get a facial massage with instructions from a PTSD therapist: understand that everything that invades your immediate space isn't unpleasant. Lay Me Down in Ivy was like that, all over again. If I knew what lay ahead of me in that book, I would have avoided it. I didn't, and I'm glad - an ultimately fulfilling read.

[Brigid Finn · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my new favorite romance books. And I almost never read historical romance. The characters are so beautifully written, and the erotic scenes are just divine. As perfect as a book can be in my opinion.

[justinejustreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of my femdom reads so far have been on the sweet and nurturing side. This was not. There is very little physical affection between the two MCs until the end of the book, but I loved the emotional pining between them and the way the dynamics of control helped the fmc begin to trust the mmc. Several content warnings to look out for, but if you want a historical where the man is whipped, literally and figuratively, this is your book.

[Frida · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice.

[Victoria Weyland · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first time I've really seen a the FMC be the dominant in a Victorian romance and once again, Stefanie has knocked it out of the park.

[Karen Darling · Rating 1 out of 5]

The heroine is sinister.

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the idea of this book more than the book itself--wonderful premise, but the writing and pacing leaves much to be desired.

[Oana-Maria Uliu · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got bored. Dragging at times, rushed at other times.

[J.L. Peridot · Rating 5 out of 5]

A "marriage of convenience" femdom romance set in Victorian England, masterfully told with elegant, sparing prose to draw you in and stoke your imagination. I adored this novel.