I really enjoyed Georgette and Hugo's story! Stories where the H/H are of different classes tend to add another level to the story that isn't there when they are of the same class.

What an adventure Georgette and Hugo had! Searching for the stolen gold took them all over the countryside with many an adventure. The bantering between them had me laughing out loud!

This was a great conclusion to The Royal Rewards series! I can't wait to see what Romain has in store for us next!

In 1817 London, 20-year-old heroine Georgette Frost, “accustomed to flights of imagination” leaves the family business, Frost’s Bookshop, to seek her fortune, in pursuit of reward money for locating 50 000 Royal Mint stolen gold sovereigns. Hero Sir Hugo Starling, 32, Georgette-described “hawkish of feature, and stuffy of temperament … [r]epresentative of everything chill and sterile about the life of the mind: study, solitude, and sternness,” discovers boy-clad Georgette on her way to adventure and fortune. As a self-styled stodgy rescuer of females and taker-carers of everyone, doctor and younger son of a duke, Hugo cannot allow Georgette to proceed on her foolish errand without protection. He resolves to return her to his friend and her brother, Benedict, and she resolves to foil him. Theresa Romain’s witty pen is immediately evident in Passion Favors the Bold. Among histrom writers, Romain is gently humorous and deeply compassionate towards her characters and never more so than in her second Royal Rewards romance.

In Passion Favors the Bold, Romain rocks two of Miss Bates’s favorite tropes: opposites-attract and the road-romance. Romain’s novel about missing gold, a determined Bow Street runner, avarice, and self-interest is also about affection, shared laughter, redeeming the past, and finding purpose. At its center is a most sympathetic, likeable couple in Hugo and Georgette. They’re funny, witty, good-hearted, and sheer fun. The fun comes from all the ways they’re opposites: Georgette builds castles in the air while Hugo pours over his future hospital’s architectural plans. And yet, at core, Georgette’s castles and Hugo’s hospital plans are about finding a place in which to be anchored. Like the best of the romance genre, it’s about the journey to realizing that the only anchor to be had, the only grounding is in loving and being loved.

With two such eminently likeable protagonists, Romain’s romance runs a little slow and ends a tad too abruptly, but is sheer delight in Hugo and Georgette’s initial run-ins. What makes them “opposites” isn’t a 12-year age gap, but their temperaments. Georgette is fanciful where Hugo is practical; Georgette is adventure where Hugo is sobriety. Georgette is, as Hugo dubs her, a “romantic” where he is a pragmatist. When they set off together, at cross-purposes, their journey is to Georgette a “noble quest” whereas for Hugo, it’s an “errand.” Georgette is Don Quixote to Hugo’s Sancho Panza. One of Miss Bates’s favourite exchanges comes over a discussion of reading, when Georgette says to Hugo, “You read to learn. I read to experience.” Need we say that Hugo’s reading runs to the efficacy of “vegetable acids” and Georgette’s to novels?

Moments of connection and understanding are, therefore, all the more meaningful and precious when they arrive. Eventually, Hugo and Georgette find a shared purpose in seeking the gold reward. They both have a dream to fulfill, a personal, individual one: Hugo wants to build a hospital and Georgette wants a home, a little cottage with a garden. When their adventure runs aground, thanks to a persistent Bow Street runner, Georgette plots all manner of subterfuge. At this, Hugo quips, ” ‘Oh good. Intrigue. We’ve fallen into a gothic novel.’ ” Other than the charm of Romain’s rom-self-referentiality, it’s apparent that, while they tease and play at opposites, somewhere along the way Hugo and Georgette rubbed off on each other. Hugo recognizes the importance of imagination and Georgette, of idealistic purpose. They also individually, separately, realize they want the other, against everything practical and/or good. Hugo wants his “sweet-scented impertinence” and Georgette’s penchant for independence gives way to her deepest fears and desires, “she had long been in the habit of trying not to want anything,” the desire to be loved, to be chosen for herself.

Miss Bates has one caveat when it comes to the non-category-length romance such as Romain’s: with incredibly nice protagonists, it’s difficult to sustain the reasons why they shouldn’t be together. And Passion Favors the Bold suffers from this. What it doesn’t suffer from is the beauty of its sentiments, MissB’s favourite being Hugo’s definition of love as “putting down a book for one’s companion when one only wants to read.” To a bookworm and spinster, this is truly love’s sacrifice. With her reading companion, Miss Austen, Miss Bates says of Romain’s Passion Favors the Bold, “a mind lively and at ease,” Emma.

Theresa Romain’s Passion Favors the Bold is published by Zebra Books Kensington. It released on Feb. 28th and is available at your preferred vendors. Miss Bates received an e-ARC from Kensington Books, via Netgalley.

Georgette Frost had a plan, find her brother, find the stolen fifty thousand gold sovereigns, collect the Royal Reward of five thousand pounds and purchase herself a lovely little cottage. In order to carry out that plan, she leaves the bookstore now owned by her cousin, dresses like a street urchin, and buys a ticket for the mail coach to Derbyshire. Lord Hugo Starling has plans of his own, to build a new type of hospital that will provide care for those who need it most, being treated using the latest modern ideas. Those plans do not include rescuing his friend's sister from her foolish plan. He wants to relinquish her care over to his mother, but instead ends up accompanying her, in his mind to protect her and keep her safe. What kind of adventures will they have along the way? Will either of them attain their dream? I have read a couple of books by Theresa Romain and did enjoy them. However, I must say I liked this one more than the others I read. There is a prior book that features Georgette's brother that I have not read but plan on correcting that soon. Very enjoyable read with a storyline different from other Regency romances.

Another wonderful, romantic and swoony addition to Ms. Romaine's catalog. I enjoyed every moment of this - the search, the romance and the resolution. I plan to read every other book in this series & hope Ms. Romaine builds on it.

Stevie‘s review of Passion Favors the Bold (Royal Rewards, Book 2) by Theresa Romain
Historical Romance published by Zebra 28 Feb 17

I really enjoyed the first book in this duology about a brother and sister separately hunting for portions of the same hidden treasure, and finding romance, as well as a new sense of purpose, along the way. This time it’s younger sister Georgette Frost’s turn in the limelight, although she begins the story disguised as a scruffy urchin as part of her plan to get away from her old family home – now the residence of some not entirely agreeable cousins – and make enough of a fortune from her search that she can set up an establishment of her own and no longer depend on the kindness of others. Of course, none of her plans work out quite as expected.

Before she can board the stagecoach that she hopes will take her to Derbyshire, Georgette is recognised by none other than Lord Hugo Starling, a long-time friend of Georgette’s brother and a regular customer at their family’s bookshop. Being an upstanding, proper gentleman, Hugo takes it upon himself to protect Georgette from the perceived dangers she might encounter on the road and bundles her into his own private carriage. Georgette is not pleased, and proceeds to make fun of Hugo, softening towards him only as it becomes apparent that he harbours ambitions of which his family and society disapprove.

Hugo studied medicine at Edinburgh with Georgette’s brother, and has also received practical training in surgical techniques; now he wants to found a hospital where physicians and surgeons can combine their skills for the good of patients from all walks of life. For this Hugo will require sponsorship from the Royal Society or one of the great Royal Colleges, which seems not to be forthcoming at present. Having heard about the Royal Reward for the return of the missing treasure, Hugo determines to find it himself – more for the notoriety it will bring than for the financial benefits – and then use his new found fame to influence the founding of his hospital one way or another. Georgette, however, has no intention of letting Hugo leave London without her.

Following a series of misadventures – and several encounters with a very focussed Bow Street Runner – the pair find themselves in Derbyshire and are instantly embroiled in intrigues, not all of which seem to be connected with the treasure. Hugo’s medical and surgical skills are called on a number of times, and Georgette quickly learns to assist him. The discovery of the treasure does not immediately solve anyone’s problems, of course, and the pair have much to learn about self-reliance before achieving their proper happy ending.

I enjoyed this book, in spite of the Derbyshire countryside portrayed in it not feeling quite like my Derbyshire. I felt also that the ending felt a little rushed, though, almost as if the author needed a few more pages in which to show Georgette and Hugo finding themselves, and then finding each other again. I’m still sorry we aren’t going to see these characters in another story – it would be interesting to follow their further adventures, given the plans they make at the end of the book.

Grade: B

This book was a pleasant surprise. Really loved Georgette, she decided to take control of her life with great gusto and in doing so snagged herself one hot man and some gold.

I received an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley.

This is an engrossing story full of mystery and intrigue. The relationship between Hugo and Georgette is amusing and highly entertaining. Hugo is somewhat stuffy, charmingly sweet and has tunnel vision. Georgette is independent, insecure and full of energy. The the missing gold and the investigation into make a great storyline. It's a fun read.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. This is my honest opinion of it.

I absolutely loved this book. It took the reader out of the usual Regency balls and parlors and takes us on a road trip. Georgette Frost has never felt loved either from her academic parents who didn't have time for her or to her cousin with a brood of children to care for. Once Georgette hears about the stolen gold from the Royal Treasury, she's off on a treasure hunt. Only she's interrupted by Lord Hugo Starling who recognizes Georgette dressed in boy's clothing at the beginning of her adventure. Hugo reluctantly agrees to escort Georgette north to her brother who happens to live in the same village as the latest clue.

Ms. Romain is a masterful writer and the banter between Georgette and Hugo is priceless--she with her fairy-tale-starred eyes and Hugo with his academic and science mind. Both of them exasperate each other throughout their meandering ever northward toward clues of the stolen gold. Along the way each of them begin to change and see the value in each other's point of view. Can Hugo let go of his master plans to build a new hospital and see what's right in front of him? Can Georgette love someone who's extremely logical and a planner for every situation? Fans of regency romance who's looking for something a little different will thoroughly enjoy this story.

What a good story! I had my fingers crossed that I'd love this book and I really, really did.

Georgette Frost decides to set out and hunt for some golden sovereigns, in order to save herself from destitution. Her plan is put awry, however, when her brother's friend Lord Hugo Starling finds her. Determined to save Georgette from ruin, he decides to join her on her wild goose chase. A sweet regency romance with some adventure.

Romain's novels are a joy to read, one and all. Her characters are crafted with such care, and their love stories are delightful and precious. I treasure her stories, and recommend them often.

Passion Favors the Bold is the second part of Theresa Romain's Royal Rewards Duo. It runs partially parallel with the first book, Fortune Favors the Wicked. It centers around Georgette and Hugo, Georgette is the younger sister to Benedict Frost from the first book, she has spent her life in the bookstore and with her twenty-first birthday looming she knows she needs to do something with herself before her birthday and she is forced to move from the only home she has known. Hugo is the youngest son of a Duke and instead of joining the clergy like his father wanted him to he became a doctor. Hugo and Benedict met in Edinburgh and Benedict, knowing Hugo resided in London, asked if Hugo could stop by and check on his sister ever so often. Hugo and Georgette get acquainted over the years and when he finds out that she has moved out and is going on her own search for the Royal Reward he goes with her, not without trying to talk her out of it but in turn she talks him into helping because the notoriety of finding the lost gold will surely help him get funding for the hospital he wants to build.

The entire time it almost seems like they argue for the sake of argueing. Hugo's common sense is constantly at war with his own need and Georgette's desire to do something with her life. As much as Hugo tried to talk her out of it and is grumbling because of what's happening he is having a good time on this adventure. The adventure also helps Georgette and Hugo come to some conclusions about their lives and the path they need to take. Unfortunately I didn't quite get the chemistry between them. Yes it there but they spend so much time arguing and both so stubborn it gets in the way of the sexual chemistry, but when they finally do give in it's good.

Hugo and Georgette and a pesky Bow Street Runner are all after the same thing for reasons of their own. The rumors have lead them up north where the missing gold isn't the only problem and when more people end up dead the three of them join forces to uncover the truth and find the gold. Overall, it was a good story not as good as the first one but on the plus side I don't think it matter what order you read these two books in the only commonality between them beside the fact that Benedict and Georgette are related is the gold; so they can be stand alone.

I really enjoyed this book it was charming and witty and full of adventure. The relationship building was front and center of this book, and the banter. Oh the banter between the hero and heroine was just lovely and made the book worth while!

I liked the previous novel in the Royal Rewards duology, but this one doesn’t quite measure up to the first.

As in the first book, the story revolves around the theft of gold coins from the Royal Mint and the protagonists’ attempt to find them to gain a reward. The heroine this time around is Georgette, the sister of the hero from the previous book. Georgette wants the reward to secure her own future, so she doesn’t have to rely on others to take care of her. As a duke’s son, Lord Hugo Starling isn’t really interested in the reward, but he takes a protective interest in Georgette because of his friendship with her brother. So when Georgette wants to hare off to the north of England chasing a rumor of gold, Hugo feels he has to accompany her. Thrown into close proximity by the trip and their attempts to avoid the suspicions of a Bow Street runner, the two of them find themselves fighting an attraction that grows in spite of differences between them in station and personality.

One of the things that I particularly liked about the first book was that both the hero and heroine came from the middle class, with her being a parson’s daughter and him the son of the owners of a bookshop. This book follows common romance novel tropes more closely, in that Hugo is part of the aristocracy. The author does give him a profession—Hugo is a physician—but the book still seems conventional in comparison to the first.

For me, the other weakness in this second book was Georgette herself. I liked Hugo, but Georgette was just a little too immature for my tastes. After all, the book opens with her dressed as a boy, ready to set off across England all by herself in pursuit of treasure—never mind whether or not that’s a realistic plan, since she has little in the way of resources. Thankfully, she does mature as the book progresses, but I never quite got past the unfavorable impression created by her earlier actions in the book.

Theresa Romain is a good writer, and this is a decent book, even if, in my opinion, it suffers in comparison to the previous novel. If you’re a fan of the author, you should definitely give it a read.

An eARC of this novel was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The treasure hunt continues, with Georgette off to find treasure -- she is turning 21 and needs to secure her future, since the protections under her parents' will are expiring on her birthday. Caught as she goes off on adventure (dressed as a boy, of course) by her brother's best friend, she gets an escort on the search for missing gold sovereigns. Her delightful search with Lord Hugo Starling, her older brother's best friend, turns into much more than either expected.
Theresa Romain writes an excellent road trip story -- with adventure, mishaps and plenty of romance. Like the first in the series, the couple has time to actually fall in love, with great dialogue to draw the reader in. There is a sense for both characters that they want more from their lives than society expects -- together, they find that future. That, after all, is what we want from romance. (I received an ARC from NetGalley; opinions are mine.)

Passion Favors the Bold is the sequel to Theresa Romain’s thoroughly enjoyable romance-cum-treasure hunt, Fortune Favors the Wicked, wherein a blind former naval officer teams up with a former courtesan to locate the six missing crates of gold sovereigns that have been stolen from the Royal Mint in order to claim the hefty finder’s fee. The events of this book run more or less concurrently with this one, so it’s not really necessary to have read that first – and in fact, the books can be read in any order.

Georgette Frost will, on her twenty-first birthday, likely become homeless. After her parents died in an accident, the conditions of their will stipulated that the relatives who took over the family bookshop would house her until she was of age. Her birthday is approaching, and while her aunt and uncle have never been unkind to her, Georgette knows that they need space for their own, growing family, and having to keep her fed and housed has been a drain on their resources. Knowing that her brother, Benedict, has travelled to Derbyshire in search of the missing coins, Georgette decides to join him there and help if she can. She doesn’t know him well as he has been at sea for most of her life, but he’s her only family, and Georgette yearns to be part of something and to find a purpose in life.

Sir Hugo Starling, younger son of the Duke of Willingham is a friend of Benedict’s, having studied medicine with him in Edinburgh. Medicine is not a typical profession for a man in Hugo’s position – in fact, his family intended him to go into the Church – but the loss of his twin brother more than a decade earlier led Hugo to take a different path, no matter that it put a strain on his relationship with his family. Firmly believing that his brother’s life could have been saved had the duke employed a physician selected because of his knowledge and skill rather than his reputation in society, Hugo became determined to prevent others from suffering such devastation and loss and trained as a doctor. He continues to practice, but his driving passion now is the creation of a brand new hospital in London, but he is having trouble getting the needed financial backing. When he encounters his friend’s sister – dressed in ragged, boy’s clothes and insisting on travelling to meet up with her brother in Derbyshire – Hugo wants to take her to stay with his mother until he can contact Benedict, but Georgette is adamant, telling Hugo that “being in [Benedict’s] company would be better than being alone”. When she learns of Hugo’s difficulty in persuading anyone to invest in his hospital plan, she tells him that if he were to be instrumental in finding the gold, the publicity that will attach to his name can only help him in his cause – and realising that she’ll go with or without him, Hugo begrudgingly agrees to accompany her.

Along the way, they encounter a Bow Street Runner by the name of Jenks, who is following up on rumours that blobby bits of gold have been used to pay for things as far north as Northumberland. They eventually make their way to the estate of Sir Frederic Chapple, a congenial, somewhat eccentric baronet who welcomes them warmly, in spite of having absolutely no idea who they are or why they are there. Sir Frederic has newly come into this title and is not best pleased at having to spend so much of his time on his far-flung estate dealing with tenants, drainage and disputes over sheep. So the appearance of the young couple is a pleasant diversion, and a useful one, as he puts Hugo to work treating his tenants and estate workers. But when a grateful patient slips Hugo a gold “blob” the stakes are raised – as it seems the thieves will stop at nothing to prevent the discovery of the gold’s hiding place.

While the treasure hunt is an important part of the story, lying at the heart of Passion Favors the Bold is the gently-paced story of two people searching for that missing ‘something’ and struggling to break free from what their pasts have made of them to find the futures they deserve. Georgette’s parents were so wrapped up in each other and their love of books and literature that she was little more than an afterthought, and with her brother away at sea, she was lonely and lacked any real affection. She would like to find love, but what she really wants is to matter to someone; while Hugo, who has known both love and affection also knows what it feels like to lose them and is wary of opening himself up to either. Since the death of his twin, he has sought refuge in the certainty to be found in planning and organisation, and the need to honour his brother’s memory by doing something to prevent others from suffering the same loss and grief as he did. In this way they’re the perfect complement to each other; Georgette is impulsive and open to all sorts of new experiences while Hugo is cautious and reserved, and I enjoyed watching him gradually falling under the spell of Georgette’s warmth and optimism to become a man prepared to open himself up to the possibility of loving someone again

The romance in the story is very well-developed and proceeds at a realistic pace. There’s an undercurrent of attraction between the pair right from the start and their long journey together affords them plenty of time to get to know each other better. Their conversations are laced with gentle, affectionate teasing, and their growing longing for each other is nicely-judged; there’s no over-the-top mental-lusting over shapely curves or rippling muscles, just a simmering awareness and a growing mutual understanding that gradually turns into –

… a sturdy feeling, built brick by brick from fondness and laughter and annoyance and lust and mischief and admiration.
That quote illustrates another of the story’s great strengths – the writing. The book is full of beautiful, poignant turns of phrase –

“Love is… laughter after a joke that isn’t all that funny,” he said. “Asking how a day was, and listening earnestly to the answer. Splitting the last tart instead of eating it all oneself… it is,” he added, “putting down a book for one’s companion when one only wants to read.”
And of course, Hugo has done all those things for Georgette – he just hasn’t realised it yet.

Passion Favors the Bold is what one might call a ‘quiet’ book. It’s not flashy or flamboyant; it’s just a beautifully written story about two people falling in love. I will admit, however, that it’s sometimes just a little too low-key which caused me to knock my final grade down a little; but it’s the sort of book that pays dividends in the long run, and one I’m certainly happy to recommend.

Grade: B+

'Passion Favors the Bold' by Theresa Romain is book Two in "The Royal Rewards Duo" series. This is the story of Georgette Frost and Lord Hugo Starling. Georgette's brother was in the First book "Fortune Favors the Wicked" is the story about Benedict (Georgette's brother) who is looking for what the Royal Mint is offering a reward for finding a cache of stolen gold coins. Georgette is being a Spinster and per her parents will that if she is unmarried at 21 she will be put out on her own. So with her birthday coming up she decided to take a trip to find her brother an help him find the treasure. But Hugo who is best friends with her brother interrupts her when she tries to sneak away to find her brother. Hugo tells her that he is going to take her to his mother's and she tries to talk him out of it. Hugo is trying to raise money to set up a hospital in his brother's memory. So they money from the treasure who help him too. So Hugh and Georgette go off on a adventure. But do they find more than what they set off to find? Another great book by Ms. Romain. "My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read."
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Georgette Frost lost her parents several years ago and her brother left her in the care of cousins. Her brother sold the family bookstore to some cousins with the stipulation that they provide a home for Georgette until she reached her majority and her time is running out she’ll soon be twenty-one. She has decided to find her brother and search for the newly minted gold sovereigns have been stolen from the London mint and get the huge reward offered. Lord Hugo Starling is the son of a duke who has defied his family by studying to be a physician. He’s a friend of Georgette’s brother’s and he feels it is his responsible to keep an eye on Georgette to assure that she was safe. Hugo discovers her dressed in ragged boy’s clothes about to board a coach for parts unknown so he feels duty bound to join her search. They embark on an adventure of a lifetime, each envisioning the reward money changing their lives for the better, but first they have to find the gold by pretending to be a married couple in order to travel together without ruining Georgette’s reputation. As Georgette and Hugo dig deeper into the sovereign mystery as well as the depths of their mutual attraction. This is a fun read from beginning to finish filled with humor, mystery and an awakening of love as Georgette and Hugo realize what their hearts desire the most.
I received an ARC copy from Net Galley and this is my honest opinion and review.

I've been hearing lots of good things about Theresa Romain, and I'm always down for a good treasure hunt, so I decided to make her Royal Rewards duology my introduction to her work. While I can find no fault with her writing, and she created some very intriguing characters in Benedict and Charlotte in Fortune Favors the Wicked, I thought their backstories needed more fleshing out to make them fully plausible, and the plot didn't turn out quite as I expected, though it had a wonderful ending that made me cry. I'm happy to say that I enjoyed the sequel, Passion Favors the Bold, much more.

All of England is talking about the crime of the century, the theft of fifty thousand newly minted gold coins from the royal treasury, and those that aren't simply talking about it are trying to find it to claim the five thousand-pound reward. Suddenly, the English countryside is swarming with fortune hunters, and the merest hint of a gold sighting attracts them in droves. When Georgette Frost pieces a few clues together from newspaper reports and realizes her brother, Benedict, is right in the middle of the action, she determines to join him. But she doesn't count on Lord Hugo, her brother's best friend, thwarting her plans when he discovers her in a coaching yard, dressed as a boy and preparing to traverse the countryside unescorted. Unwilling to give up on her dream of leaving her sheltered existence in her family's bookstore behind, she convinces Hugo to escort her to her brother, and thus begins her hopeful adventure.

Lord Hugo Starling is an unapologetic scholar, preferring the company of books and blueprints to that of people. On the outs with his father ever since a medical error led to the untimely death of his twin brother, he has devoted his life to the study of medicine and dreams of opening a state-of-the-art hospital. But he can't do so without funds, and without his father's support or that of the royal societies, finding the stolen money and claiming the reward could be his only chance to see his dreams realized. But what starts out as a plan to drop Georgette off with her brother and strike out on his own quickly becomes something else. Drawn to Georgette's unfettered joy at being out of the city and befuddled by the feelings she elicits from him, and thinking they have stumbled onto the right track when they cross paths with a Bow Street Runner, Hugo decides to keep Georgette by his side and search for the gold together. They are each determined to go their separate ways once the gold has been found, but as they travel from village to village in search of clues, learning more about each other in the process, their partnership of convenience turns into much more. And as they close in on the stolen gold, he finds himself not only fighting his feelings for Georgette, but fighting for their very lives.

This was a really fun read. Georgette is my kind of heroine. After years spent as little more than a house maid, although a well-loved one, helping in the bookstore formerly owned by her parents and caring for her cousin's children, with little prospects for anything else, she decides to take her future into her own hands, to step out of her comfort zone and into adventure, and I admire that. I loved her cheeky wit and the banter between her and Hugo. And I loved how she brought out another side to him, though often very much against his will. Watching her run circles around him as he tried to remain in control was great fun. But her joy was often tempered by the reminder of the future she faced if they were unsuccessful in finding the gold, and her insecurities and self-doubt are things all women can relate to.

My only real complaint is that, as in the first book, I was expecting much more of a treasure hunt, but, as in the first book, they spend a lot of time doing other things and getting sidetracked and sort of accidentally stumble onto it. So that aspect of the plot was a bit disappointing for me. And of course it takes Hugo too long to realize what he's got going with Georgette, that what he thinks he wants is not necessarily what he needs. But I did not figure out who the villain behind the theft was before the reveal, which was a pleasant surprise, and I really liked how everything came together in the end. Overall, this is a fun Regency romp with engaging characters, and something a bit different in historical romance.