When Penny, a mischievous dreamer who strives to be Penelope the epitome of respectability & stability, finds herself in the clutches of the fearsome Mr Black she faces having to relinquish all her dreams. But can reality prove to be better than the creations of her childhood imagination? Brilliant book. Definitely recommend & I will be reading the other books by Christi Caldwell. If you enjoy Jo Beverley, Erica Ridley or reading Recency or Georgian romance you will enjoy this.

Very well written and interesting romance with a small amount of dramatic action. Set in a Hell club in London which I found very entertaining and different. There is excellent character development and I loved the hero and heroine. Part of a series, but can be read as a stand alone.

I loved Penelope and Ryker. This was a very good story. I love the class difference trope and I especially love it when the hero owns a gaming hell. I have 2 issues with this book. 1) the story takes place in a short period of time. I would like to have seen a longer, slow descent into Love. 2) no epilogue! That is so frustrating.

This series just keeps getting better. I loved Ryker and Penny's story.

LOVED Penelope and Ryker's story!! Talk about opposite attracting, that is definitely the case with these two. They married to avoid scandal and it was so wonderful to watch their love for each other blossom before my eyes. This is definitely another hit for Caldwell!! I'm so excited for the next book in the series!!

Penelope/Penny was almost nineteen. But since the season started they had only attended the theater and dinner parties but never anything more. No balls, no sorrels. Nothing the young ladies new to the London marriage mart longed to attend. She demonstrated her her resolve to rise above gossip, prove to Society that scandal need not follow her family. After all it was possible to have love and be be properly behaved and respected. In the world where a woman has very little control , her reputation was something to hang on to with no tarnish. Her mother warned Penelope “ The gossips were always watching waiting for someone to falter”. Penelope said she was entirely practical and logical. Penelope was then told they would be attending a ball on Friday. Which was being called The Event Of The Season. Ryder Buck was an illegitimate Duke’s son who refused to use his title and he owned the Hell and Sin Club, The world learned one did not cross Ryder, did not interrupt him or interfere with his dealings. Ryder had saved the Duke of Somerset from death and the King gave him a title he wouldn’t use. Digger was the late owner of their rival club The Devil’s Den. Ryder’s sister Helena was married to a Duke She came and managed to talk Ryder into into going to her and her husbands ball to show a united family. Penelope was in the garden and the horrible remarks being made about her family drove Penelope out to the garden at the ball for a breath of fresh air. There she sees Ryder meeting a man. Penelope hid as she had heard a lot of bad things about Ryder. But Ryder sees Penelope and pulls her out of her hiding place as he thinks she is a spy for a rival gaming hall. By being caught alone by people at the ball on the ground with Ryder on top of her. Penelope has brought the scandal to herself. Ryder doesn’t want to see Penelope ruined as he didn’t want her to experience what comes with the scandal. Ryder does the right and honorable thing and proposes even though Ryder doesn’t care what people think. One thing that intrigued Ryder about Penelope is she didn’t fear him.
I enjoyed this story and thought it was a great romance. I loved how Ryder stepped up to the plate and proposed to Penelope without even knowing her. I felt bad that Ryder and his siblings had such a bad childhood. I loved the plot and the pace of this story and it definitely kept my interest all the way through the book. I also loved the fact Penelope was determined to make sure Ryder had a better life. I really enjoyed the action, suspense, and intrigue in this story. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I loved the characters and the ins and outs of this book and I recommend.

This is book 2 in the Sinful Brides series. I did not think that Christi could top Book 1, but she dd! This book was so well-written with a very complex plot. The characters were very interesting and likable. I was drawn into the story from the first chapter right up until the end. The story had powerful emotion and I do admit that at one point I was so drawn into the story that I cried. It also had great humor that made me laugh. You will go through a range of emotions as you go along in the story. It had drama, suspense, snarky humor, love and romance that you will totally love. I highly recommend this book!

Thanks to her older siblings, Lady Penelope Tidemore is no stranger to scandal. In order for her to make a good match, her secret longings for intrigue and romance must be quelled. Yet it is through terrible mischance that Penelope is caught in a compromising position—however innocent—with the darkly enigmatic viscount Ryker Black.

Mr. Black is no gentleman. Raised from the streets and proprietor of the most notorious gaming hell in London, Black lives in a world filled with debauchery and danger. Taking a Society wife from the very ton he despises is not part of his plan, even if the innocent Penelope turns his blood hot with desire.

But Penelope isn’t afraid of Mr. Black, and she soon discovers that his reputation as a scoundrel may be designed to hide a surprising vulnerability. As this unlikely husband and wife grow closer, they learn that what started as chance could end up sealing their fates.

I enjoyed Penny and Ryker together. He was gruff and cold most of the time but I still loved him. Penny was very endearing as well, and I liked how she thawed the gruffness right out of Ryker. I only wished I got more banter between the two. Overall an enjoyable read. I would recommend this series

5 Stars

At the beginning I didn't think the book was up to much but wow by the end I'd changed my mind! Fab!

*Arc received from NetGalley for an honest review*

*Review posted on GoodReads*

THE SCOUNDREL'S HONOR is amazing! Ryker and Penelope equal the perfect couple in my eyes. I love the push and pull between these two. Their story is wildly entertaining!

Absolutely love everything by this author. And this was no exception. Caught in a compromising position our couple are forced into a marriage that neither wants. Can they make it work when both of them seem poles apart. Loved it.

I received an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley.

3.5 Stars or to be honest almost a 4

When I had picked up this book, I was in a reading slump. I hadn't read any book for a while and wasn't planning to either. I have this affinity to romance as it manages to brighten up my day and make me laugh. It's an escape that I keep going back to especially when I'm stressed. At these times, I am happy with a halfway decent storyline and a strong heroine.

All this was just to give you a background. This story is much more though. I was pleasantly surprised by how engaging the storyline was. It reminded me a bit of Sarah McLean's 'A Rogue by Any Other Name' (A book that I adore!).

The main characters are well thought out and more than just caricatures. The author manages to get you invested in their lives to such an extent that you wish that the background characters were as well sketched out as the protagonists. At some points the lack of development in this regard really frustrated me. It was almost as if both the protagonists were in a bubble and nothing except what they thought mattered. There was this one scene which in my opinion would have had more impact if the side character had been built up well. (view spoiler).

The reason why I'm still giving the book a recommendation is because I just enjoyed the characters so much. The female character had a voice and a pretty strong voice indeed. She is aware that she can be selfish and not marry someone she considers to be a devil but she throws caution to the wind to save her sister's reputation. She doesn't just take shit that is handed to her but fights back.

The male protagonist is a 'devil' but not really and I love this trope. If you're not a fan of this trope,you won't like him. It's simple.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and would explore the series further.

What I liked about this book was Penelope sort of examining her role in society. It's a pretty standard Regency book, with manners and politeness.

This novel is the amazing story of Penelope and Ryker. She is a young Lady with an aventurous heart that marries the owner of a gaming hell. Two strong characters that learn to work in unison.
I enjoyed reading their story. Each chapter begins with a piece of Penelope's diary. This way, the reader has an inside view of her mind. Some are very cute thoughts! On the other hand, Ryker is a mistery. He is so dark and closed...the book ends and the picture is not finished!
This is my first book in this serie and I'm looking forward the next one. There are several threads to follow with Ryker's brothers.
I got an ARC review copy from Netgalley, courtesy from the autor.

I totally loved this book. I highly recommend this book. ♡♡♡♡♡ rating.

When it comes to historical romances Christi Caldwell never disappoints to provide me with heartfelt romance and sizzling physical connections of her featured couple. When the writing muse leads Caldwell to darker London I see her writing shine even brighter. The heroes who are dark are the ones that have the most to gain from opening up their hearts to love, and Caldwell writes these with deep inner turmoil. Her latest dark character Ryker Black, and I was surprised that Caldwell wrote about the leader of the Sin and Hell club in book two of the series. As a reader of series I did expect the other brothers to be featured and a build up to Ryker. In saying this I am thrilled to have Ryker's story. He is paired with Penny Tidemore younger sister of an Earl. Penny is young, naive and brilliant; I absolutely adored this character. I adored the book, but the ending left me wanting Ryker to grow a true connection with his brothers, other than wealth and trust. I know they are close from their past, but their present seemed lacking in connections. I loved the end of the romance but I need to see Ryker grow in his love of his siblings which I hope I see in future books, as I know Caldwell is not done and there is more to come.

This is part of a series. I read the previous book and enjoyed seeing the characters from that book participating again in this one. Light and enjoyable reading.

The author is one of my favorites and her books are fun to read. The relationship in thi book is a stretch because of who the people are and their roles for that time period. A marriage like that would would have been extremely rare. I like Penny's spunk and many of the H/h interactions but how they got caught in a compromising position was hard to picture. Thanks Christi for such enjoyable books.

Adorable indeed.

I loved the novel, first of all because this type of storyline is probably my favourite (or anyway very high on the list), I have a weird fascination for historical gaming hells and especially the owners of them. It's Kleypas' "fault" I believe.
Honestly there's not much to say, except that it is a great reading; Caldwell is a masterful author, with perfect timings and able to shape passionate and complete characters.
I don't know her works that much but I'm sure that our friendship is going to be a solid one from now on. Next on the list is the first in the series, The Rogue's Wager.

I can only find three "issues" with this novel, two of them of a very personal preference, therefore discardable.
1. I'm not a fan, at all, of forced marriage, especially if in the middle of the plot.
2. The ending, although extremely sweet, (view spoiler).
3. At eighteen years old I certainly was not that mature, and I find that a bit unrealistic, especially if grown up in a situation quite free from hardship.

Anyways, this is lovely. You should really read it.