Lions and Lace

Van Alen Sisters #1

by Meagan McKinney

SHE PLAYED BY HIGH SOCIETY'S RULES

The gaslight's glow lit Alana Van Alen's golden hair. Born to luxury, she belonged with the Astors and the Vanderbilts at cotillions and soirees. But she shivered with fear and something more as she faced the handsome, ruthless Trevor Sheridan. He had bankrupted her fortune and would expose her family's scandalous secret unless she accepted his outrageous offer, his emotional blackmail ... his heart-stopping kiss.

HE BROKE THEM ALL

Born Irish, brought up in the streets, Trevor "the Predator" Sheridan learned early how to get the wealth and the women he wanted. An expert at games of power, he played one that would destroy every famous family who had snubbed him. Tricking the beautiful Alana was his trump card. But he never intended to want her ... until her beauty and her resolve stole his breath away.

NOW THEIR DESIRES SWEPT THEM TOWARD RAPTURE ... OR RUIN

Genres: Historical Romance, Historical, Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Historical Fiction, Slow Burn, Regency

417 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Ruth Leslie Goodman Roberson (1961), well-known as Meagan McKinney gave up a thriving career as a biologist to become a full-time romance writer. She is author of over 20 critically acclaimed novels. Divorced, she lives with her two children in in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Reviews

[Bubu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lions and Lace was one of the first HR's I read over 20 (!) years ago. This was long before Connie Brockway, Lisa Kleypas and Loretta Chase started setting a new tone in the romance genre, or at least long before they got the recognition they deserved. Although not literally a bodice ripper, I’d still label it as such, purely on the grounds that it shows very similar characteristics to bodice ripper characters. Mainly, a constantly scowling, frowning, huffing and puffing hero, a damsel in distress, and lots and lots and lots of miscommunication, or rather non-communication.

Reading it again was like meeting an old friend I hadn’t seen in years. Familiar, and yet strangely awkward as in ‘Did we really use to spend so much time together? We are so different’, only to realise that I’d simply changed a lot. However, I settled in quickly and just enjoyed the ride. A blast from the past. That being said, it’s funny how the change of perspective made for a completely different journey.

This book should be read from two different angles. One is the romance, the other the historical background. To simply call it historical background, however, would be unfair and belittle the love and care the author poured into the details she provided. The setting, the Gilded Age, acts almost like a secondary character here. The elaborate descriptions of ball rooms, gowns, houses that usually bore the hell out of me after a while (yep, I’m a skimmer!) create an atmosphere that is vital to the story. It’s difficult to explain but I’ll try. The main characters, Alana and Trevor, are very much products of their time, their biographies firmly created by the society they grew up and live in, and as such the details mirror their personalities. All these grand houses, gowns, the Knickerbockers etc. are part of who, or rather what they are. And, like the icing on the cake, we also get a glimpse into the lives of the Captains of Industry, those who marked the days of Industrial Revolution and Capitalism, and into the lives of those who were born on the wrong side of the track, here the Irish immigrants. All in all, the author created a vivid picture of a time that changed the social order forever and which, in comparison, I find much more interesting than the constantly re-occurring Regency period.

Now to the romance. This is as much a marriage-of-convenience story as it is a from-enemies-to-lovers story, and the conflict can be boiled down to non-communication and constant distrust. I’ll try to keep this as spoiler free as possible.

Oh the drama, the angst, the misunderstandings. It’s all in there. There’s a moment that illustrates them perfectly:

They both seemed to fear words. Words were always the villain between them. They said too much, then not enough.

Alana and Trevor have an incredibly antagonistic relationship with each other, and I must admit, I found myself annoyed enough to almost huff and puff like the H. Most of the resentment this couple nurtures, is created by Trevor’s inability to listen to Alana. On the other side, we have Alana who swings from being an Ice Princess to Crying Mess and back to Ice Princess with a speed that nearly gave me a whiplash. Funny thing is, when they first meet, she could have probably stopped everything by revealing her true motivation. Seeing how devoted Trevor is to his own sister, hearing her sister’s plight might have just melted his heart long enough to let her off the hook. But that’s only my assumption. It might or might not have happened. Obviously, it would have made for a whole different story. Looking at them, I know their romance could not be written like this today. And for a good reason, it’s simply too much.

On the other side though, if I go back to the brilliant setup of the Era and its restrictions, I can see where both Trevor and Alana are coming from. Trevor, an Irish immigrant, who had to watch his mother turn to prostitution to support her family and then die in child birth, has put all this rage into the single-minded pursuit of becoming rich - close to the concept of Pursuit of Happiness that is associated with the Immigration history of the U.S. – and succeeded. The only thing missing? The entrée into the highest echelons of society, the Knickerbockers, the Four Hundred. He isn’t too fussed about them, in fact, he despises them, but they are everything to his sixteen-year-old sister Mara, and for Mara he is willing to endure them. Alana, the crown jewel of the Knickerbockers, symbolises everything he hates about these people. That Alana doesn’t act like them, doesn’t want to be part of them, is something Trevor has to learn over the time. Problem is, I understand why he is so full of rage, but I don’t like the fact that he takes it out on Alana.

Alana…Ah, Alana. She’s a bit of a martyr and much harder to grasp in her personality. But then, how much wriggle room did a woman of her time in her situation really have. Nowadays, we would read about heroines who easily flaunt Society’s regulations and we would have a strong-willed, independent Alana. We would also have a more understanding H who would gradually accept her. But how accurate is it really? How much of these concepts cater towards our 21st Century delicate gender expectations? Could we nowadays accept the following situation where Trevor demands his marital rights and says:

“You’re my wife, Alana, my legal wife, wed in the Catholic Church. I’ve rights. Go into my room, or I’ll get a policeman off the avenue to drag you in there.”

That’s what a marriage was, in a nutshell. The wife was her husband’s property. See the dilemma? Whilst part of me appreciates the author’s attempts at historical accuracy, the feminist in me is howling in protest.

Now that I have expressed my conflicting feelings in regards to Alana and Trevor, I can also point out that they do have tender moments. Alas, it’s one step forward, two steps back with them. The ending, though, oh the ending! Full on drama with a letter that had me in tears when I was a teenager, and still made me smile 20 years later. This book is well worth reading, but don't expect anything fluffy, nor an understanding H or a pro-active heroine. What you will get is a book rich in atmosphere.

On a side note, this book is 417 pages long and is in comparison to the current HRs 100 pages longer. I’d love them to be a little longer and take their time building up an atmosphere according to the historical background used. What a difference it makes can be read in Lions and Lace.

[KatieV · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you like those Harlequin Presents novels with the fabulously wealthy, older hero who is out to avenge a wrong done to his sister and happens to blackmail the innocent heroine into marriage as part of his revenge plot? Well, you'll love this. This is all that and more. Plus it is set in an interesting historical setting (late 1800's New York) and with much more depth and emotion than can be achieved in a ~200 page Hqn.

The H's poor sister, Mara. I cried for her. I can imagine what it would be like to be 16 and crushed the way she was by snooty NY society. Her brother setup an elaborate coming out ball for her and she was so excited and adorable. But, NO ONE showed because they were Irish. I was feeling angry and vengeful too. If someone hurt one of my nieces in that way, I'd be out for blood. That scene was so sad.

Of course, the H picks the one woman who actually was going to attend the ball to take his vengeance out on. Actually he financially ruins all the families who didn't attend, but he forces Alana to marry him because he thinks she'll give him enough social acceptance to secure a good marriage for Mara. And he was right. This was one shallow society with nothing better to do than care about people's "pedigree". Alana tried to tell him she was going to attend the ball if it weren't for her evil uncle locking her up to keep her from causing a scandal. He didn't believe her, because in his own way he was as big a snob as the Knickerbockers. The guy had a HUGE chip on his shoulder and he was so frustrating at times always saying the worst thing at the worst possible moment. Part of me would like to remove 1/2 a star for his drawn out BS at the end. But,hey,nothing is perfect and this was a great angsty read with a great heroine who was strong, sensible, and not TSTL.

Very much recommended.

[Cheesecake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alana the persecuted and Trevor the persecutor.

I loved this book going into it, but after 50 pages or so I started to worry it wasn't going to be as romantic as I'd hoped. Well I guess it depends on your taste.

The writing is lovely and the author has researched the time period well. It's during the industrial revolution, when gas lamps lit the nicer neighbourhoods and robber barons became richer than Gods. Alana is the beautiful maiden of the Nickerbockers (Older money Dutch immigrants) who lives a life of privilege. But looks are deceiving and her life is far from happy. Trevor is the enormously wealthy Irish 'upstart' trying to enter the exclusive upper crust society of the Old Dutch twits. He is cruel to those who piss him off, but he mercilessly crushes those who upset his young sister. Alana's family is swept up in his latest retribution and the only escape is to marry him. Marriage by blackmail, never a good start for a couple.

The author does a lovely job creating the stage and you can see old NY from her eyes. But their marriage begins in deceit and prejudice, and the story doesn't pull itself out of that quagmire but gets darker. There are also the two younger sisters of 16, one is tortured by madness and the other is sweetly hopeful.
The POV is always from Alana, so Trevor remains a broodingly enigmatic mystery straight through to the end. Although the prejudices of the Nickerbockers are obvious, Trevor's prejudice is actually worse. Alana's marriage becomes more and more hopeless. Honestly I don't see why readers think Trevor is such hot stuff. I thought he was a self righteous ass at best. All he does is push her away. There's no glimmers of tenderness, and no hints of softer feelings. He shows these things for his family, but never treats Alana like family. Yet he constantly reminds her that she is his 'wife'(..do as I say not as I do). It was demoralizing reading this story.
Then the ending... Well.. It pissed me off.

BIG SPOILER if you want to know There's a big party with all the mucky mucks, and Trevor basically shuns his wife the entire evening while some rich blond bimbo sits on the arm of his chair caressing his arm. He smiles at the bimbo. He never smiles for Alana, but he smiles for the bimbo. Alana goes home alone and cries. She finds a letter addressed to her, declaring his love... I'm like WTF? Did I miss a few pages??? Anyways, this is the only time he suggests his feelings... in a LETTER. And I can't help wondering if he will behave just as awfully at the next party they go to. Is this how he treats the woman he loves???

Alana made all the overtures in their marriage. And she's the one wronged! SO Alana reads his stupid letter, and then on the last page of the the story he comes home, she asks him if he loves her and he says he's "..doomed to love her" (doomed??? WTF?). So she runs into his arms like a ninny and... That's it. The End. Romantic? NOT! So just like that, the end. There's a very brief epilogue that felt tacked on and he still doesn't smile for her. Why does the author made a point of his rarely smiling (and never for her), if she's not going to have him smile for her in the ending???
Tevor is such a monstrously inconsiderate hypocrite. The one good thing is that Alana wasn't a doormat. We never do get to see him treat her as a loving wife in front of others.

3 stars for the writing and setting and characters, but no more because it was NOT romantic imho. Although, I gotta say, every time someone 'likes' my review I'm reminded of the story, and tempted to take away another star.

[MBR · Rating 4 out of 5]

My search for romances that feature ruthless heroes is an endless one. A time consuming one at that too. Some might call these heroes the uber alpha heroes. Or some just call them anti-heroes; you love them and hate them in equal doses. And some call them gamma heroes too because they go beyond the boundaries that define who an alpha hero is.

Authors of today who write such heroes have become far and few in between. Anne Stuart is my go to author for such heroes. Sandra Brown and Linda Howard are authors who have pushed that boundary time and yet again in some of their novels. For the most part, these type of heroes aren’t well received by almost half of the romance reading population today. With the change of times, with the feminist movement rising above, readers no longer like the heroes who are tad on the wild side, those who don’t conform to their definition of what a hero should constitute of and if you ask me, its such a damn shame.

So a whole lot of boredom and a whole lot of internet searches later, I came across a website that had a list of books that features ruthless heroes. Now mind you, some readers define a hero as ruthless a tad differently to how I tend to define them. Luckily, this reader tended to veer towards my tastes and alas, I found myself with a couple of books I haven’t already read, that feature the heroes of the variety that I deem as ruthless but those with just that hint of redeemable quality that makes me fall like a ton of bricks for them every single time.

Lions and Lace features such a hero. Trevor Byrne Sheridan, the Wall Street wonder who rose to the top with basically nothing to his name, is Irish, and persona non grata where society is concerned. A chip on his shoulder a mountain wide, Trevor remembers the slights, the mockery and the laughter behind his back though he is equally revered by the men for the power and wealth he amasses day in and day out. The tipping point comes when society refuses to turn up at his younger sister Mara’s debut. People say that hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, well let me tell you, they haven’t had their dose of Trevor just yet.

Alice Diana Van Alen lives under the thumb of her uncle, her finances tied up under his name after the tragic death of her parents. Alice holds the secret of her younger sister close to her heart, a secret she is determined to carry to her grave. Alice lands under Trevor’s radar as one from the society who slighted his sister. His vengeance on her is swift, the revenge he takes on her forcing her hand into marrying him one that should have brought satisfaction to his heart. However, Trevor becomes a victim to his own plan, falling for a woman of the society, something he scorns with his very being.

Lions and Lace is a novel that provides a ton of angst. Trevor is ruthless in his revenge and seemingly doesn’t care much about the pain he causes along the way. I think the fact that the author didn’t provide much in the story from Trevor’s point of view seemed to double the angst factor which I absolutely loved. Instead, the reader has to look for clues of his torment from his actions, the way his facial expressions tended to change and of course the volatile desire that courses through Trevor whenever his wife comes into the picture. He hates the very thing that his wife represents, his bitterness about his past refusing to let him move beyond that and see his wife for who she really is, and yet he can’t help but want to possess her for himself in every single way.

Alice turned out to be a heroine who got on my nerves in the first half of the story and later on redeemed herself through her actions. From the firm grip Alice seemed to have on her emotions and what she wanted for her life, I thought that Alice would prove to be a worthy opponent where Trevor was concerned. But every time Trevor said something cruel, all Alice could seem to do was wring her hands in despair and run off crying. I wanted her to buck up and deal, to make Trevor realize the error of his ways and practically storm through his heart leaving nothing to chance. And eventually, Alice does get there and that is where I decided to forgive her and consider her worthy of the fall that Trevor would take from his pedestal.

There was a thread of a secondary romance inserted in the story, in the middle of nowhere I would have to say, and I didn’t overly care much for it. I wanted Trevor and Alice’s relationship to be the core aspect of the story. Trevor’s control was one I wanted to be shattered so badly that when it did come, it did deliver on the fronts that I wanted it to. And ladies, prepare yourselves for one of the best declarations of love by a hero of this type; it did make tears spring to my eyes and that rarely happens.

If you like your heroes ruthless and I mean really ruthless, Lions and Lace is a story worth digging into. I would recommend it if you can get past the first couple of chapters where the heroine could get on your nerves, but in the end gives in beautifully.

Rating = 4/5

For more reviews & quotes, visit www.maldivianbookreviewer.com

[Ivy H · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first foray into a Knickerbocker historical romance. It was fabulous ! I LOVE Trevor Sheridan. He is awesome ! He is so sexy that even his slight limp makes him more attractive in a weird way. His personality ( not his looks ! ) sort of reminds me of Victor Newman from The Young & The Restless but he is not a horn dog man whore. Trevor's the ultimate alpha male business tycoon romantic hero. I love how he is proud of his Irish heritage and doesn't care a F about the snobbish bitches like Mrs. Astor but understands that his little teenage sister Mara wants their acceptance. That's a hard pill for a proud man like Trevor to swallow but he loves his sister and will do whatever he can to make her happy. He decides to hold a coming out ball for Mara and invites all the members of the New York Knickerbocker society. The heroine Alana is the only one who was dressed and going to attend until her evil uncle locks her in her room. Nobody turns up to the ball and poor Mara is destroyed. It was so sad.

Trevor decides to use his financial acumen to destroy as many of the invitees who failed to attend. The heroine loses all her money because she's one of them. The story then moves to a marriage of convenience between Trevor and Alana, because it will be the one way to ensure Mara's acceptance into the society. Trevor was at first very cold and uncaring to Alana but as time went by he soon grew to care for her a lot. They had such great chemistry once they started getting to know each other. Alana was the perfect lady and the ideal counterpart for a man like Trevor. They're perfect for each other. The side story line about her sister was developed into the second novel in this series.

The best comeuppance that Mrs. Astor and the Knickerbocker's get for their treatment of Mara happens when a visiting English duke proposes marriage to Mara. That was great ! There was also the side story line between Trevor's rakish younger brother who saves a new migrant Irish maid that's pregnant. I enjoyed seeing all three Sheridan siblings find true love and from what I can remember in the next novel in the series, Trevor and Alana end up having 2 sons.

This novel was just as good the second time around. Definitely a perfect re-read !

[Summer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lions and Lace is a dark and emotional romance novel. Its has it all.. innocence, betrayal, love, confusion and lust. Trevor Sheridan, the Hero is a dark brooding and unforgivable character bent upon seeking revenge for his sister Mara. Nothing and no-one will stand in his way. When he meets the New York socialite Alana Van Alen, he blackmails her and uses her to take revenge on the Knickerbockers of the NY elite. Alana is a sweet and vunerable character and the way Trevor uses her is difficult and emotional to read. You find yourself rooting for Alana and wishing closure on the pain. However it is through their hurt and mutual pain that they grow closer together and Alana falls in love with Trevor. On the other hand Trevor is the last to admit his feeling for Alana which is really frustrating.
This book is an emotional roller coaster and not a light hearted sweet romance. For me the 'sizzle-factor' between the two was missing and that's mainly because Trevor is a really cold character. However Meagan McKinney is such an accomplished author that she did a great job portraying all.. innocence, betrayal, love, confusion and lust.

[Rainz ❤️rainnbooks❤️(on a break) · Rating 4 out of 5]

If there’s one thing that stands out in this historical romance, it is MISCOMMUNICATION, like a quote that I came across in Pinterest by Alan Greenspan,

I know
you think
you understand
what you think I said,
But I’m not sure
You realise
That what you heard
Is not what I really
Meant

Lions and Lace was an interesting romantic drama set in New York of the 1800s. It was fascinating to see the high society during those times and honestly, for a time I had forgotten that the era was the background for the love story. The prejudices against the outsiders, the Knickerbockers holding to the rigid rules that they set, the plight of the Irish immigrants' everything has been beautifully woven thru this story.

It is this background that captures the emotions of the protagonists. It is easy to understand the ‘chip in the shoulder’ that Trevor carries on his shoulders but his constant state of agitation against Alana wore me down a little. It is Alana who has a better understanding of how society is gonna change and is accepting of things while Trevor in his own way becomes the snob master. I loved the push and pull relationship between them and just coz it is a historical romance I knew that things are gonna work out, coz, of course, the moment they open their mouths and say things to each other, it was definitely the wrong thing.

I wasn’t very keen about the length of the novel, it is almost 400+ pages and the story takes its time to get to the expected end, but probably coz of that length, the angsty emotions have been conveyed well. I loved the ease of sibling relationship but wasn’t convinced of the need for the additional love story.

I have read a lot of historical romances but Lions and Lace had a totally different feel to it even with a familiar trope. In all, a pleasing 4 star read. 💦 💦💦💦

This review is published in my blog Rain'n'Books, ##Goodreads, ##Amazon India, ##Facebook, ##Twitter.

[Christi (christireadsalot) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lions and Lace had been on my TBR for a couple years now and I’m so glad I finally got to it because I was absolutely obsessed with this historical romance!

This is a NYC Gilded Age historical romance with a revenge plot and a marriage of convenience! Alana is an heiress who seems to have everything but she is hiding a secret. Trevor Sheridan, dubbed the “Predator of Wall Street”, rose from poverty in Ireland to the pinnacle of power in Manhattan, but is still snubbed from the city’s elite (the Four Hundred)! When his sister becomes involved, he schemes up a revenge plan that has him ready to destroy the rich and powerful families one by one…including Alana’s! Alana kind of falls into his lap when her uncle (her guardian) tells her she has no more money and drops her off at Trevor’s doorstep. They both have something to gain through a marriage of convenience: Trevor, to be able to access the city’s elite, and Alana, to protect her sister.

This is an old school historical romance that was published in 1992, so I definitely go into those with a cautious/certain mindset, but omg I loved this one so much right from the start! I had heard this hero was an alphahole ahead of time and while I don’t mind that type of hero, I didn’t really feel like this one was that bad on the alphahole scale! 😅 Trevor is one of those type of heroes who comes off like he hates everyone, but then he’s super sweet with his sister and brother (worked himself to near-death to provide just pennies to them after the death of their mother), and even goes out of his way to be helpful with staff (he even helps a woman give birth in an elevator when they get stuck together and helps her out after the birth too)! It’s clear he has feelings for Alana but he will easily jump to the wrong conclusions with the slightest hesitation or any slight (real or accidental) coming from her and then turn cold and push her away. But I eat that up!

I read 90% of this story in one sitting and just couldn’t get enough! Alana is a strong heroine who just wants to protect her younger sister, who was wrongly put into an asylum. I loved how Trevor and Alana have allllll the argumentative banter and the tension that creates between them. It made the marriage of convenience something to work through and it wasn’t easy, which had me keep reading! This was my first time reading this author but I’m really wanting to read more!

[Becky (romantic_pursuing_feels) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall: 3.5 0rounded to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥
Humor: Not really. There was a part or two I smiled at but this is a heavy, angsty book and not very humorous. (The sassy butler is probably the funniest part)

We had a takeover by Joanna Shupe in our facebook group Upturned Petticoats and Undone Cravats and she mentioned this book as the one that really rocked her world and started her love affair with gilded age romance. It had me curious so I had to pick it up!

Basic plot: Trevor has clawed his way up New York society from having nothing. Now one of the richest men in town, he longs to give his siblings the life they deserve, if only he could belong to the elite knickerbocker society. When not a single person attends his sister’s debut, he exacts revenge on them all. When Alana’s uncle is ruined by Trevor, he ties her to his railing as a sacrifice.

Give this a try if you want:
- Low steam – there are 2 full scenes but neither are very long or explicit
- You can tolerate a jerk hero – cold, arrogant, and makes wrong assumptions about the heroine
- I put this under ‘captive-stolen-kidnapped’ but it’s a little different than that. She’s basically given to Trevor by her uncle – tied to his railing outside his house and then he manipulates her into marriage
- Class differences – yes the hero has money, but he is Irish and comes from poverty. Their relationship definitely faces trouble due to their different class ranks
- Gilded age New York time period
- You are okay with other woman and other man (OW/OM) drama – there’s jealousy and assumptions made from both characters.
- Enemies to lovers (enemies, lovers while enemies….they are enemies right up until 99%
- You’re all right with a handful of content warnings – definitely some dubcon kisses/embraces, lots of grabbing, physical abuse

My thoughts:

I started out adoring this book. There is something about McKinney’s writing that I really enjoyed and captivated me. I grew up on angsty old school romances like this, and there’s some aspects I miss about them that I don’t find as much in modern writing. I found myself really wanting to read it. I thought about it when I wasn’t read it. I brought it with me to the bathroom. I hid from my husband so I could finish it. That doesn’t happen to me too often anymore.

I loved the Gilded Age New York setting. I have a read a few with this sitting and it’s always a nice change to me from the London/Highlanders that tend to dominate my reading choices. After reading, I can see Joanna Shupe’s love of the book in some of her work. Devil of Downtown comes to mind (I really loved that book!)

Trevor is cold and ruthless. Revenge is nothing to him. He hurts Alana, wrongly, judges her harshly and holds her accountable for crimes that are not her own. I could have used a better grovel in this book for sure. There was one passage after he finds out the truth from a maid about the night of his sister’s debut that grabbed my heart. But he needed to do more. Because there was so little time in his head, you didn’t really get the strongest feelings of remorse from him. I loved that he was Irish and his brogue would slip under stress. I loved his Gaelic whispered phrases.

Alana is very strong, and she suffers from multiple things that weigh on her. But she’s very, very private and has no one she can rely on to share her burden. I admired so much about her, and did overall enjoy her. But she cries….a lot. Like…..a LOT. I’m tempted to download the kindle version just so I can search ‘sob’, ‘tears’, and ‘cry’ and see if it’s above 100 words. It felt like it was every 5 pages. So that did get really annoying to me after awhile, but she still had a strength I admired. In some cases she made things worse with the relationship because she refused to open up, but Trevor holds the blame really as he always judged her harshly when she did open up and it was misconstrued.

There was a lot I loved about this book, but ultimately I got frustrated with the repeated miscommunications and arguments that just kept going right up until the end. There wasn't enough romance in it for me, and the seeds were there for romance to happen. The mistress, we as a reader know what happens, but it wasn’t discussed between Alana and Trevor so it felt like a loose end. Also leaving them enemies right up until the very end, you just weren’t really as convinced that their love would survive anything, you know? So, I am really happy to have read it, but I wouldn’t reread this. I think I would try her again, because I do love that angsty, dark writing and I’m curious what else she has out there.


A few random parts I loved


Sheridan took a moment to stare at the gold lion’s head of his walking stick, then quietly, in a soft brogue, he answered, “I saw bruises on your niece last night. After me father died and we came here to New York, I saw bruises like that on me mother. It makes me crazy to see that on a woman. Do you understand? It makes me crazy.”

And when he pays her uncle for her

“The joke’s on you, Sheridan! I must tell you, I would have taken a lot less for her!” He hugged the portfolio to him and laughed.
Sheridan only turned and smiled. Before he disappeared into the landau, he said, “On the contrary, Didier. You see...I would’ve paid a lot more.”


Content warning:

-Physical assault of heroine (by her uncle – he leaves multiple bruises)
-Anti-Irish sentiment including slurs
-Death of parents
-Physical abuse of hero by heroine (heroine slaps him multiple times in the book)
-Possible unfaithfulness? The hero's brother kisses the heroine on the lips once and she does it to him once, but they aren't romantic kisses (I wasn't really sure how to take them? It was almost like a family kiss but not really? They were strange)
-Forced prostitution due to poverty talked about


Locations of kisses/intimate scenes

Pg 113 - wedding kiss (brief)
Pg 130 - kiss
Pg 180 - kiss
Pg 214 - kiss
Pg 233 - First sex scene - missionary, quite brief and euphemistic
Pg 286 - Second sex scene (in the shower, he pulls her down and puts her on top), again brief and lots of euphemisms. Followed by some very brief remembered sex.

[Lyuda · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Anger Management to the rescue!"roars the lion.
After reading some fluffy and gentle stories I was in a mood for some angst. And let me tell you: There is an angst and there is an Angst. The book setting is New York Knickerbockers society of the late 19 century when people like Astors and Vanderbilt ruled and outsiders were frown upon, specially if they were Irish. Trevor Sheridan, self-made rich man was both feared for his ruthless dealings on the Wall street and despised by being Irish. The extend of the scorn was revealed when no one from the Knickerbockers society attended a debutante ball that Trevor through for his sister. And now he wanted a revenge. He would bankrupt the lot of them. One of the innocent victims of the fall out was Alana Van Alan. She was a blue blood of the society and actually planned to attend the ball but was prevented from doing so by her uncle. Seeing Alana, Trevor designed a plan. She would become his temporary wife, a ticket to the society which would be forced to accept his sister. Due to certain circumstances, Alana didn't have a choice but to accept Trevor's plan. The story was full of drama. The hero could really benefit from anger management. He marches in constant anger with perpetual scold on his face. The heroine seems to be either on the verge of tears or crying. 90% of the story depicted them either shouting at each other, being in some kind of disagreement or giving each other a cold shoulder. The secondary characters (Trevor's brother and sister) were very appealing and had their own love stories and HEAs. But these storylines were pretty superficial, underdeveloped and overshadowed by the main one. Well, I've got the angst alright!

[Melluvsbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a solid compelling read. A bit of a slow burn. The heroine got on my nerves and the H was too cold and detached for too long. But I enjoyed the book quite a bit overall. It would have been a 5-star read if the h had been a little softer and less secretive and the H had been more jealous. I did love it when he finally loses his sh*t and consummates the marriage… I do love a torn bodice 😍🤡😍🤡😍🤡




⚠️SAFETY SQUAD SPOILERS⚠️

- no cheating or sharing

- OW drama - the H has a mistress but he sends her away after he forces the h to marry him… but not before the h find out about her and gets super jealous… he sends the OW a parting gift and maybe goes to see her to say goodbye? It’s not clear that part ever happened, but he had that intention. She does send a note that the h sees…. It’s mostly clear tho that the hero has not been with the mistress sexually since meeting the h - also, at the end of the book, the H flirts with a woman at a party in front of the h after the h told him she loved him and he rejected her

- OM drama - h has an old boyfriend hanging around that H is jealous of. Also, the H’s brother kisses the h twice (as friends?? 🥴), and one time the H finds them together in her bedroom with the h half dressed (nothing happened) and he freaks

- dubcon - their first time skated the line of forced seduction. He angrily consummates their marriage after finding her with the brother

- h is a virgin ( maybe mid twenties? I’m not sure it was ever stated)

- H is as an experienced man (maybe mid 30s?? ) with a mistress

- no condoms

- extensive talk of prejudice (toward the Irish) and use of slurs

[Joanna Loves Reading · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the setting and the story was interesting. Frustrating romance, though.

[*CJ* · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Lions and Lace" is the story of Alana and Trevor.

Prepare your tissues, this will be a ride.

A beautiful story about loyalty, family and commitments, we have a couple from different walks of life being tied up in marriage of convenience.
H marries the h when she is sold to him by her controlling and abusive uncle. He wants her as her name provides respectability to the sister the haughty society had scorned; she weds him to provide financial aid to a beloved relative. However, their journey is tumultuous. Misunderstandings, jealousy, passion, anger and heartbreak all accompany them, mixed with interfering relatives, sneering ton and leering exes.

The couple, honestly, goes through a lot. There is so much hurt between them- I sobbed many at times, especially for the heroine. One of the saddest scenes is when the H sails away while she is waiting with dreams in her eyes, and the second has to be her discovering her sister missing. That being said, she is a champion. She never gives up, and tries to fight for her marriage till the very end. The hero is tall, dark and brooding- he has been hurt enough by the society, and does not let anything touch his heart, certainly not his wife.

I was stuck trying to review this, but what I did enjoy was that EVERYONE got their happy ending- Eagan, Mara, and ultimately Trevor. I wanted to punch the hero because he hurt the heroine throughout the book with his carelessness and cynicism, but the ending with the music box...*le sigh*

Definitely worth your time! I'm excited to read about Christal!

Safe
4/5

[Dorothy Downey · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the most boring books I had the misfortune of reading. Hero and heroine are put on this earth to frustrate each other for the minutest and most trivial of reasons, again and again and again. Final two pages they declare their everlasting love for each other. Devoid of romantic love, devoid of sensuality this book pelts you with disagreements and misunderstandings and misinterpretations every other paragraph. When I finally finished it, and it took me two weeks to do so, I took an aspirin.
What little there is of love and sex was not worth the torture of reading about these two. The angst bit, for which this book is famous for, did not do it for me. It felt more like writer's manipulation of the plot rather than an organic part of it.
This is the second 'famous romance' I read that has failed big time to live up to its reputation.

[Dee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finished this book in about a day. It was a good read but I had to give it 3 stars because...

1) Trevor and Alana didn't get along for pretty much the entire book which was frustrating.
2) I wanted Didier to suffer (maybe in the next book about Christal, he will?)
3) After the hero and heroine argued for pretty much the entire book, the payoff just wasn't big enough at the end. I didn't consider the note and the little declaration Trevor made to Alana to be sufficient.

I did like this book, but it could have been better.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this story. What an insecure and vulnerable hero. Τrevor is a true alpha male. He loves his wife but he feels inferior to her. I liked how he was both physically and emotionally crippled. Alana on the other hand belongs to the high society. She can't help falling in love with her brooding husband. I love a good marriage of convenience story. The angst broke my heart. Great characters and great plot. What a romance! Cute epilogue with pregnant heroine. Wish it was more steamy.

[RachelReadsandSings]

I have no clue what I want to rate this. I really enjoyed the writing, the gilded age setting, and most of the characters. However, Trevor may be the worst hero I’ve ever read about in a romance. Holy shit, he was so mean and cruel to Alana for 98% of this book. And despite that, Alana ended up falling in love with him only for him to reject her again and again. Then at the end he had a very sudden change of heart and they lived happily ever after. Like...WHAT?!?! I hate it here. Alana deserved better.

P.S. I can totally understand why Trevor hated Alana at first, but she tried so freaking hard the entire book to make him see reason and he just wasn’t having it. I can’t deal with a hero who refuses to change/grow.

[Océano de libros · Rating 5 out of 5]

Desde hace tiempo tengo este título en mi lista y he sacado el momento perfecto para leerlo.
“Encaje y pecados” pertenece a la serie (de momento son dos libros no sé si habrán más) Van Alen Sisters.

Alana Van Alen pertenece a la flor y nata de Nueva York y es el objetivo de Trevor Sheridan, un hombre de origen irlandés ahora con una gran fortuna que busca vengarse de esa sociedad que lo despreció, quiere formar parte de ella y la joven será el medio para lograrlo.

El argumento de la novela me atraía sin duda aunque al principio me costase habituarme a la forma de escribir de la autora, pero al terminar la novela tengo que decir que me ha encantado. Y es que Meagan McKinney dota a la historia no solo de personajes con una gran personalidad, sino también de rodear esta historia de amor en un ambiente que describe bastante bien. Me sentí absorbida en la lectura, viviendo esa parte de la historia junto a los protagonistas, en una Nueva York que estaba comenzando a gestarse, a crecer y observar las diferencias entre clases que aquí está bastante presente y forma parte del inicio de la venganza de Trevor.

Me han fascinado la ambientación, las descripciones que hace la autora, es algo que he notado en falta en muchas novelas de este género (sobre todo en las más actuales) y que aquí son una delicia que te hace meterte a fondo en esa época y “ver” con perfecta claridad cada una de las escenas que detalla y todo ello sin excederse en representaciones eternas.

La historia no desmerece para nada teniendo a dos protagonistas como Trevor y Alana. Alana es una joven que no tiene prejuicios (o por lo menos no tantos de los que cabría esperar), de mente abierta pero está sometida por su tío. La lealtad hacia su hermana es innegable y pese a que tenemos pocas apariciones de ellas juntas me pareció que entre ellas había mucha hermandad. Alana va madurando a marchas forzadas ya que tiene que lidiar con un hombre bastante complicado.
Trevor es un personaje que tiene mucho juego, él fue un niño pobre que creció en las calles, un irlandés con mucha inteligencia para lograr una fortuna. Si pudiese describirlo es un poco de Rhett Butler (LQEVSL) en lo que a lengua afilada se refiere, con el carácter fuerte de un irlandés, con un problema físico que sabe disimular muy bien, muchos prejuicios y resentimiento, capaz, controlador… https://oceanodelibros.blogspot.com/2...

[AvidReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

High drama, high angst romance.
It had all that attractive qualities like a jealous arrogant self made hero, a sweet but strong heroine, passion, hero forcing heroine’s hand and happy ending.
I quite enjoyed the way story unfolded.
Recommended.

[Regan Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb Victorian Era American Romance with a Strong Irish Hero and a worthy heroine!

I suppose I should say at the outset that I am a HUGE fan of McKinney’s historical romances. All her stories I have read are wonderful. This was the first in the Van Alen sisters’ duology that tells the love stories of two sisters from a prominent New York family in the late 1800s. Both are superbly told tales with strong alpha male heroes and worthy heroines. I highly recommend them!

I always know when the hero starts out as an arrogant cad that he’ll be groveling before the end. And don’t we love it when he grovels at the heroine’s feet? Ah, yes. Well, handsome Trevor Sheridan, self-made Irish millionaire, is just such a man. They call him The Predator for his ways on Wall Street; his ways with women weren’t any different. (McKinney cleverly withholds his inner thoughts from us in the first part of the story so we think, except when it comes to his sister, he has no heart.)

Trevor wants an entree into proper society for his sister, Mara, and can only get it through marriage to one of Society’s own, so he blackmails Knickerbocker Alana Van Alen to marry him, threatening to disclose the secret he knows she hides if she doesn’t. There’s no love involved in the relationship and he assures her there will be an annulment once his sister has a few successful seasons. Alana hates being forced to give up her dream of a simple love between two people, but since Sheridan destroyed her family’s wealth and she must care for her younger sister who is confined to a private mental asylum, she has no choice but to wed the horrible man.

McKinney expertly captures the dialog of the upper crust as they show disdain for what they view as the lowly Irish. (Prejudice wasn’t limited to that among races in early America.) McKinney weaves the parts of her intricate story the way a master weaver does threads. The result is a rich tapestry, a keeper. You won’t regret getting this one!

Book 2 is FAIR IS THE ROSE set in Wyoming. I read it first and can say that either is fine as a stand-alone.

[Andrea AKA Catsos Person · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the premise of the book, wealthy, self-made hero seeks revenge and forces the elite heroin to marry him. I like class-difference with the heroine of a higher status. The typical Cinderella trop is problematic for me, but I love the reverse of Cinderella, with the man of a lower class, but it needs careful and skillful handling to pull it off to my satisfaction and the author was on the right track. However, she fell-down making a poor connection between the h/H. The hero was grouchy, surly and had a major attitude throughout the book and failed to make a believable connection between the h/H. All of a sudden, the h wants to function as a “real” married couple and make a sincere effort to have real marriage—for no good reason—out of the blue.

The hero and his two siblings have a very touchingly lovely, close sibling relationship but the brother does something bizarre that a close brother would never do! For no apparent reason that I could see and it was jarring. The heroes brother makes a pass at his sister in law—his brother’s wife!

This book was a lazy effort. The author needed to put in some more work rather than relying on illogical behavior of the characters.

I ended up reading the second book of the duology and enjoyed it more.

[Alex ✴︎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a banger.

If you love reading enemies to lovers with tons of angst, where the two main characters have animosity towards each other until practically the very end, then boy do I have a book for you. Now I will say: if you are looking for fluff and domestic romantic shenanigans, this book is probably not for you.

Anyway, enter Alana Van Alen stage right. Alice Diana Van Alen is a member of New York’s high society. Of the illustrious Nickerbocker dynasty, Alana is privileged and has exclusive access to the highest echelons of the New York social scene. However not everything is rainbows and roses. Alana’s parents died in a fire a few years ago, and her trust is controlled by her manipulative and abusive uncle.

Enter Trevor Sheridan, stage left. Growing up in Ireland in extreme poverty, Trevor took part in many an unsavory act to get by. That is until he moved to New York and invested in #business and the #newyorkstockexchange where he made a fortune. He’s richer than God, but that doesn’t stop New York High Society from turning their noses. First, he’s Irish, and second he grew up destitute with no good pedigree backing his name. To be honest, Sheridan doesn’t care and hates them all, but he does care when their attitudes affect the prospects of his 16 year old sister, Mara.

The Sheridans were hosting Mara's debut party, and absolutely none of the people invited went to it, a blatant snub by the elites. Mara is traumatized and mortified and that’s when Trevor decides to go postal. He meticulously financially ruins everyone who was invited to that party, including Alana.

But Alana is desperate for her money back and desperate times call for desperate measures. Trevor hates what Alana stands for, but realizes that he can’t buy Mara’s way into New York society. He can only marry into it. With a desperate, eligible woman in front of him, he proposes a marriage of convenience which has some devastating consequences.

This book had TONS of tropes I loved, and they were all executed exceptionally. Enemies to lovers, marriage of convenience, different backgrounds, making others jealous, fun meddling siblings, fake relationship, etc. etc. Despite all the angst, it really is a fun book I just couldn’t put down. There were also some tropes I don’t usually like that were executed well so that I actually didn't mind them here.

A central pillar to the conflict of this book is both lead characters distrust of the other. You’d think at some point they’d kind of get over it, but this distrust lasts until almost the very end. Often they think + see the worst in each other, and let their preconceived notions get the best of them. This may be frustrating to some readers, however to me it made a lot of sense. Both Alana and Trevor are products of their time and I’m glad there was no 21st century feminist transplant taking place.

Trevor is a badass, intense and cold mofo. He's a great MMC. But for being as powerful as he is, he's deeply insecure which clouds his judgement when it comes to Alana. So while their miscommunications or willful distrust of each other could come off as a bit frustrating, there was enough character development for it to make sense.

Alana is a bit of a damsel in distress; she never intended to snub Mara at her debut and she’s more concerned about how Trevor treats her, and doesn’t care that he’s Irish. She’s a good person, but her characterization is solid because it felt real. She’s really put through the emotional ringer but is capable of doing her best with the hand she was dealt. She cries a lot, but also tries to be cold and calculating, which to some may give whiplash, but to me sort of felt more real as she tried to hold herself together and put forth a strong facade.

Lions and Lace is angsty, but it isn’t dark at all, in fact it has a lot of the fun tropes and amusing plotlines that historical romance is known for. You know how in a lot of enemies to lovers books the hero and heroine dislike each other for 25, maybe 50% of the book but then warm up to each other? Yeah, that’s not what happens here. You can definitely start to see how they care about and are attracted to each other, but their distrust of one another takes center stage.

This was a super fun book if you want the enemies-to-lovers banter, arguments and drama to last practically the whole book. It’s definitely a slower burn, which I appreciate, and the characters were a lot of fun.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 "For the Love of Irish" stars!!!

I enjoyed this for the most part. BUT. I didn't love it. I wanted more development of the relationship between the two MC's. I needed more sweet, compelling moments shared between the two of them. The h, Alana, eventually claims that she loves the H, Trevor, (obviously, this is a romance so of course love is certainly supposed to be a part of the equation) but there's very little evidence of this in the material that would lead you to believe it. The H had very little development as far as making it past being a jerk. It seemed that any time his behavior could have even remotely been considered kind, he'd do 3 hurtful things to negate it. I just wasn't convinced that it was love and not lust shared between the two of them. And since we only got 2 steamy scenes (I think-- aside from a few passionate kisses and one grope between the thighs thrown in for good measure) between the h and H, so it was difficult to carry through a "romance" that appeared to be so heavily centered around lust without that lust being converted into subsequent passion.

Don't get me wrong. I LOVE an intensely brooding, moody, jealous, and possessive hero and Trevor definitely delivered on those accounts. He just lacked a few of the more subtle qualities that I enjoy as well. There were moments that we'd get a glimpse of his sweet, caring side, but he'd obliterate those moments within seconds by doing something incredibly stupid and unwarranted towards Alana.

Also, even though I absolutely adored Trevor's siblings, we did not need their little side romances happening in the story simultaneously. I would have much rather the author just focus on developing the romance between the MC's. And even though I'm now aware that the author did do a spinoff book for Alana's sister, it seemed like lazy writing within this one to have the sister runaway and the uncle disappear into oblivion. It was such a major focal point of this book too, so readers deserved closure on those matters, otherwise I feel like they shouldn't have been included so heavily throughout the text as they were.

I enjoyed this story, but I think the relationship should have been fleshed out more, as well as it should have been more streamlined to only focus on Alana and Trevor. There were also a lot of plot points that seemed to have gone nowhere. I'd recommend to others that enjoy a good historical romance, but I'd warn them that they're most certainly going to have to do some skimming to get through it.

[AℳY♔Queen of Fat cats♔Ain't no lie Baby Byebyebye]

When you are part of the KU elite find classic romance free on KU





*kisses kindle unlimited app*

[Jennifer Leighton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I struggled with how to rate this book, but I've finally settled between 3 1/2 and 4 stars.

It's very well written, it kept my interest, and it made me FEEL, but oh the pain and hurt and misunderstandings just didn't let up. My heart was twisted into knots the entire time.

I love angst, but I'm discovering I love it most when balanced with a bit of happiness. In Lions and Lace there were no happy moments for the H/h until the VERY end of the book, followed by the short epilogue. I didn't like how the hero revealed his true feelings for the heroine in a letter. After all the hell he put her through he should have had the courage to say it to her face. As a reader I needed more, more of a satisfyingly happy ending after all the heartache.

I did enjoy the secondary romance story very much...so sweet, and a breath of fresh air after the constant turmoil. And I did love the unique setting and time period as well.

[Susan (the other Susan) · Rating 2 out of 5]

In Angstville, somebody's got a case of the Mondays... I went through a phase where I'd read any bodice ripper I could get my hands on. Discovering an author with real talent and an evident devotion to her craft became something to celebrate. But this lady specializes in the kind of unalieviated angst that I just can't enjoy in a sustainable way. If you're into heroes whose bitterness and anger shadow every moment but the final HEA; heroes who don't even deserve an HEA after all the abuse, humiliation and betrayal they've inflicted on some powerless woman, then by all means, buy a stack of this author's vintage novels and plunge on in. She's good at what she does, but she is the Queen of Anguish.

[Olga · Rating 3 out of 5]

No había leído nada de eta autora y gracias a mi sis, me anime y la verdad es que me ha gustado tanto la historia como los personajes ( aunque la historia de eagan me ha parecido demasiado forzada y rápida )...
La historia es muy bonita , llena de inseguridades y malos entendidos por parte de los dos pero he sentido la angustia de ella y la inseguridad y las ganas de proteger a su familia de el...

Lo mejor es que nos deja con los dientes largos por saber de cristabel en el segundo libro .

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn't like this book. Trevor was such an ass through the entire book, except for the last 10 pgs. Alena was proud and let her temper get the better of her. The love/hate relationship got old, especially since it was all hate. Then out of the blue she loves him. Why??? A truly miserable read! The author is better than this.

[Consuelo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pues me la he bebido en 2 días me ha enganchado mucho y es que creo que era lo que necesitaba cambiar de género ,me ha gustado la ambientación no sabía ni de lo que iba, pero Nueva York del siglo XIX me ha conquistado.
Que el protagonista sea como es hasta el final y que no haya un cambio brusco y pase de ser un león a un cordero enamorado en mitad del libro es algo que valoro, los clichés en histórica cansan, que no es que no haya ojo, pero aquí no sobran.
Hay partes algo repetitivas y quizás esa estrella que falte para joya se deba a eso, pero es que la historia no decae y estás continuamente queriendo saber cuál va a ser el siguiente paso, sobre todo de Trevor.
Un Trevor al que me ha dado ganas de zarandear y de ahogar del pescuezo de variadas formas, porque qué persona más cabezona

[AtenRa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't think anyone has been more disappointed in this book than me 😢
I wanted so much to love it, but it didn't let me.

I am going to focus more on the two main characters of L&L, because the story, no matter how far fetched, was quintessential historical romance and I quite liked it.
It takes place in New York around the late 1800s (I don't think a specific date was given) where blue blood all-American high society shunned the nouveau riche, despising their vulgarity and their tasteless display of wealth. That included the Dutch, like the Vanderbilts, and the Irish, like Trevor Sheridan. He holds such a grudge against the Manhattan upper class, that he will do everything in his power to bring them down by making them accept him and all his family as one of their own. So, the premise is pretty interesting eh? Now you see why I am so frustrated at this book with its great plot and its awful characters?!

Alana: She was a weak, malleable sheep. It may not look like that at first, with her trying to be a rebel by defying her peerage, but she is. There is not an instant where she is not crying. I don't know how many times I read the word "tears" (I do. It was 82.) or a sentence with "unshed" or "frozen" in it.
She was very indecisive - she hates him, maybe she loves him, yes, she does love him, but no, she hates him - just to create excessive, unnecessary drama. Of course, it didn't help that the whole book was told from her POV😒 so there was no reprieve from her idiotic thoughts. At one point, Trevor bought her a diamond necklace, which she rejected as a very ill conceived gift, claiming that she cannot be bought. Good on her, right? After a couple of chapters, she sees his sister wearing a new bracelet Trevor bought for her and she was pitiful asking herself why Trevor didn't get her anything...See what I mean?
Also, I hated how she made excuses for and defended all the terrible, awful men in her life like her uncle and that slimy boyfriend Anson, yet she could not make herself justify Trevor's actions even a little.
However, if I am being completely honest, I felt sorry for her after the first time she and Trevor had sex. It was one of the most unpleasant sexual experiences I have read in a HR, especially for a virginal, chaste girl like Alana. I found it awful and cringe worthy.
I did not see how Alana could come to love Trevor in the end. God knows he was awful to her throughout the book. Probably because he was so handsome. And let's not forget rich, because, sure, she values her dignity most of all, but she also values mansions, balls, gowns and diamonds.
It's a hard balance.
...

Trevor: He was a strong and tough as nails male, who refused to just sit down and take it, so he decided to stick it to the snobbish elite instead. I understood and accepted all that, and I really admired his loyalty to his family.
At first.
As his anger raged on uncontrollably, he was not that likable anymore. He remained insufferably bitter until the very end, even after finding out the truth about Alana. He was really nasty to her and the way he spoke to her, not only would I never love him if I was in her shoes, but I would take all his money and beat the shit out of him with that miserable cane of his. He never displayed any genuine emotion towards Alana, only vindictiveness and possessiveness. I am all for a moody and grumpy MC, but Trevor took it to a whole other level! Maybe he loved her in his own way, I just didn't like that way at all.

Overall, Lions&Lace was about two deeply flawed people who begrudgingly ended up being with each other because they simply didn't have any other choice.
Sorry, that's not how I like my historical romances 😞