A new author to me and an absolutely delightful read !
The context of the story was different from what we, historical romances readers, are used to. After all, the heroin Mia is no bluestocking and lived for 17 years in a harem after having been abducted as a teenager. Of course, the ton knows nothing about that.
Adam is said to have disposed of his two wives rather brutally and is shun by the ton. He doesn't care what is said of him yet adopts a very cold and distant behaviour to protect himself.
I loved that first, they were willing to manipulate each other to get what they wanted, yet finally gave in to lust (believe me, this story is steamy - but not just) before giving in to love. No love at first sight, just people who just met and learn each other little by little.
I thought at first Mia was a bit devious in order to gain what she wanted from different people, but after all, that's how she managed to survive all these years. And she has a good heart. I enjoyed her character very much, her inner freedom.
I understood why Adam kept everybody at bay and I loved the way he reacted and relented progressively to Mia's charm and warmth, then to his surroundings, friends and family. I loved his apparent nonchalance and detachment while he's so passionate inside.
I'm really, really glad I requested this book from Netgalley (in exchange for an honest review, that goes without saying) and discovered this author.
This book is highly recommended, can't wait for the next in the series !

Dangerous by Minerva Spencer
The Outcasts #1

What fun this book was! I love reading new-to-me authors that create wonderful stories and make me want to read more books of theirs when I finish. This was just such a book :)

Euphemia “Mia” Marlington is a woman with a past…a past not many of us would have survived. I admired her not only for her ability to survive but also because she is a splendid person who is warm and generous and knows more about life and what she wants than most. I loved her openness and wisdom and her ability to be forthright without being forward…well…perhaps a bit forward.

Adam de Courtney, Marquess of Exley was complex and intriguing and a brilliant match for Mia. He was closed off in many ways due to his past and yet that past was, when revealed, not one that should have wreaked the havoc on his life that it did. I liked him and I liked him with Mia even more than I liked either of them alone.

This story has wonderful supporting characters that I would love to see in stories of their own. I found the hero and heroine to be people I would love to meet and get to know. I thoroughly enjoyed this book from the ballroom to the bedroom and whether on land or sea. What a delight this book was to read as it took me back in time to reading one of my father’s books, The Sea Hawk by Rafael Sabatini, even though that book had a male who became a slave instead of a female.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing – Zebra Press – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars

Just the kind of book I love to read. This new author had me at page one and never let go. There is so much adventure, intrigue, fun and of course romance. Sexy hero and bold heroine have so much in common. I felt a connection between Lady Mia Marlington and Adam de Courtney, Marquess of Exley. They are wonderful characters with thoughts and feeling of their own.
The story is about Mia who was captured by pirates at age 17 and lived in a harem at a Sultan's palace. Now she has escaped to return to England with the secrets she left behind. Her father is all for her marrying again, so he can get on with his so called life.
When Adam is introduced to Mia he can't believe she is so different from the rest of women he has looked over. His interest is sparked and makes a decision. They both marry and all Adam wants is an heir from her. But things turn out differently between them when love enters the picture.
You will just have to read and find out if Adam and Mia have their happy ever after.
I received this title from Net Galley to read and give an honest review.

First I will say I enjoyed everything about this book!! What a heroine, Lady Euphemia (Mia) is with all that she gone through that is a story in itself!) and being forced by her father to marry or live out her life alone. She is such a fun character with her outspoken manner and not your run of the mill debutante. The man her father has picked for her, Adam de Courtney has lost two wives and being under suspicion of their murder, he is almost shunned by the Ton. Given the moniker the Murderous Marquess, he would rather be anywhere but in society. When Adam and Mia meet, there is a spark between them, but they have so much to get through.
This story was so enjoyable. Full of humor, surprises, secrets and emotion that slowly come together and you will not believe the outcome! A wonderful cast of characters that hopefully have their own stories written, I cannot wait to read more by this author. Do miss miss this book!! Definitely on my keeper shelf!

If I could give this new author and her PHENOMENAL story a ten star I definitely would!
This was one action packed emotional whirlwind of a story. I fell in love with Mia such an amazing heroine with so much spark and backbone no wilting debutante here!
Amazing fireworks just explode from the pages when she meets Adam de Courtney the famous Murderous Marquess. A man rumoured to have murdered his previous two wives, he’s a mystery with many secrets, but then so does she and her secret is waiting for her at the very same place she escaped from!
I strongly urge lovers of historical romance to pick this up, it will captivate you from the first page to the last. I CAN. NOT. WAIT. for the next one!!!!
Minerva Spencer is my new Auto buy author! I LOVED IT!!!

A romance with a bit of thrill, I enjoyed Dangerous by Minerva Spencer. The hero and heroine are both due for a really good turn. Despite the parameters they set for their marriage, it may prove to be their saving grace. While the chemistry between the main characters is good, the relationship never deepened as I’d hoped. Yet, it is still an entertaining read and I’m looking forward to reading Baron Ramsay’s story.

I received an ARC of this book, via Net Galley, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

There’s been a shortage of really good historical romance so far this year. I can count the number of DIKs I’ve given on the fingers of one hand, and sadly, the lists of upcoming releases for the second half of the year don’t look to be offering much to shout about either. But a shortage isn’t a complete absence; there have been a few gems, and début author Minerva Spencer’s Dangerous – the first book in her new series The Outcasts – is among them.

I am going to raise my hand and admit that when I first read the synopsis – our heroine was kidnapped by pirates, sold to a Sultan and lived in a harem for seventeen years – I had my doubts. Not just because of the old-skool connotations associated with the premise, but because so many of the historicals published at the moment are setting aside character and romantic development in favour of mystery and adventure plots – and I was leery of reading yet another poorly conceived story featuring a hero and heroine in the grips of insta-lust who gallivant around breaking all the rules that governed male/female interactions in the early nineteenth century and jumping into bed in chapter three. So I picked up Dangerous with a bit of trepidation, but was quickly engaged by the confident, lively writing and breathed a sigh of relief at the realisation that my preconceptions had been unjustified.

Lady Euphemia Marlington, daughter of the Duke of Carlisle, has recently returned to London following the aforementioned seventeen years spent in the harem of Baba Hassan, Sultan of Oran. Now aged thirty-two, she is well beyond marriageable age and is already an object of curiosity and gossip given her prolonged absence from society – and her father is desperate to find her a husband before she does something scandalous that will render her completely unmarriageable. Her vivacity, wit and forthright manner already set her apart from the other ladies of the ton, and she’s most definitely not the demure, biddable sort so many men want to take to wife – but Carlisle hopes that the enormous dowry he’s offering will outweigh the fact of Mia’s lack of societal polish (and her advanced age.) To Mia’s dismay, most of the men dangling after her (dowry) are either past their prime or young striplings; but ultimately, her plans don’t require her to like or spend much time with her husband. What she wants is a man who will marry her and then leave her alone so that she can pursue her scheme of returning to Oran in order to reunite with her son, Jabril.

Adam de Courtney, Marquess of Exley, is the father of three daughters, a widower twice over and doesn’t really want another wife. But what he wants is one thing, what he needs is another… and he needs an heir. He’s surprised at being sought out by the Duke of Carlisle when society at large generally gives him a wide berth, believing him to have been responsible for the deaths of both his wives …until he realises that the duke wants to recruit him to the ranks of possible suitors for his recently returned daughter. Adam is not inclined to be manipulated – until he sets eyes on Mia. Red-haired, green-eyed and simply oozing sensuality, she is not at all what he’d expected, and against his better judgement, he’s fascinated. He has no intention of offering for her… until he does, surprised to hear from the lady herself that the sort of marriage she proposes is one sought after by most men – one with no emotional entanglements. Feeling unaccountably lucky to have found a woman who seems to have no qualms about being wedded, bedded and left to her own devices, Adam proposes, even though he’s sure Mia is up to something. He just can’t work out what.

Mia is just as drawn to the handsome, coolly aloof marquess as he is to her, even though she realises that he isn’t going to be easy to manage and that she’s going to have to be careful around him if she’s to follow through with her plan to return to Oran. Fortunately however, the fact that his principal estate is near the south coast is perfect for her plans – and the fact that she wants him desperately, wants the pleasure she’s sure he will be able to give her, is an added bonus.

There are so many ways the author could have got this story wrong; by turning it into a comedic fish-out-of-water tale as Mia continually outrages society with her lack of observance of the customs and societal norms; by telling a melodramatic story of her kidnap and rescue or focusing on Adam’s past and engaging in much angst and hand-wringing over his dead wives – but she skilfully avoids the potential pitfalls and instead concentrates on building the relationship between her principals and, even better, writes a couple who act their ages (thirty-two and thirty-seven) rather than like brainless teenagers. Mia hasn’t learned to dissemble and simper like an English miss; she is comfortable with her body and who she is, and the mental acuity necessary to maintain her existence amid the intrigue of the sultan’s court means she’s accustomed to thinking for herself. Mia’s lack of inhibition, her obvious enjoyment of sex and her fierce intellect all delight her new husband, while Mia is falling in love with the loving, generous man she is discovering beneath Adam’s façade of icy disdain.

There are things Adam and Mia keep from each other – fairly big things – but their relationship is, for the most part, an honest one; and when the Big Secret comes into play in the last part of the book, Ms. Spencer doesn’t drag it out. This couple actually communicates with each other and owns up when they do something wrong; the romance is well-developed and the sex scenes (of which there are several) do a great job of showing the couple’s growing intimacy and how it leads to trust, and eventually to love.

There’s a lot to enjoy about Dangerous, and although it’s not without its flaws, none of them were large enough to spoil my overall enjoyment. While the aforementioned sex scenes are well written and integral to the development of the relationship, there are perhaps a few too many of them; and Mia has a number of almost-TSTL moments in the last few chapters which feel somewhat out of character. Adam’s dead wives and his reasons for keeping his daughters away from London are plot-overkill; I get that there needs to be a reason for him to have been shunned by society, but the rest of it is largely unnecessary, especially as the concerns that lead him to keep his daughters sequestered in the country are dismissed by one sentence from Mia in a rather clumsy ‘why didn’t I think of that?’ moment.

But those really are minor criticisms, and I’d definitely recommend Dangerous to anyone looking for a new voice in historical romance. Ms. Spencer’s writing is sophisticated and witty, the two principals are fully-rounded and there’s an engaging secondary cast, too, one of whom is going to be the hero in the next book in the series, Barbarous, which is due out in October. You can be sure I’ll be picking it up.

Grade: B+, 4.5 stars

Lady Euphemia Marlington needs to marry. Her sudden return to England - after seventeen years "abroad" - has led newspapers and Londoners to speculate endlessly about where she's been... and if they only knew the truth - that she was captured by Corsairs as a young girl, and kept in the harem of the sultan of Oran for seventeen years - would destroy her reputation. Euphemia ("Mia") isn't interested in revealing the truth of her past or in marrying any of the potential grooms her father insists she consider. She has plans of her own - and simply needs the right man to help her accomplish them. After her father issues her an ultimatum: marry a man of his choosing, or live a life in seclusion, Mia decides to take matters in her own hands and make an offer of her own.

Adam de Courtney, known as"The Murderous Marquess"since the death of his first wife, largely eschews life in the public eye. He keeps his three daughters hidden away with his sister at his country estate, and spends his days in London out of the public eye. When the Duke of Carlisle invites him to a ball at his home, hinting that he might welcome an offer for his daughter Mia, Adam is intrigued. Although his first two marriages ended in disaster, he needs an heir. On a whim he decides to attend the ball and confirm his suspicion that Mia is an aging matron - or worse. Except she's nothing like her expected...and he can't control his lustful attraction to the tiny and clever beauty.

Honestly, I wasn't sure I could enjoy this novel after I got through the backstory and initial set-up between the principal characters:
Mia: Captured by Corsairs? Sold into slavery as a member of a sultan's harem? Freed by a fellow captive/pirate after years of sexual submission and life as a member of a large (and complicated) harem?
Adam: 2 dead wives? 3 daughters banished to the countryside? Nicknamed The Murderous Marquess?

Fortunately, I put aside my doubts and decided to just go with it, and I'm so glad I did. Once Mia and Adam meet and fall in lust with each other, nothing goes according to plan - for either one of them. Mia is captivated and curious about her guarded husband; Adam is overwhelmed by his attraction and affection for his beautiful wife. They spend the early days of their marriage trying to stick to their hidden agendas and then, after a passionate first night together, they fall hard and fast for each other.

The passion between Adam and Mia - and Mia's confidence in the bedroom - is a strength of the novel. Her past, though horrific, has left her comfortable with her body and it's ability to give and receive pleasure. I liked that Ms. Spencer doesn't pretend otherwise or insist Mia apologize for it. There's absolutely nothing missish about her approach to lovemaking or her attraction to her husband and his physical prowess in bed - and it's a refreshing change from traditional historical romance. Adam is attracted to his beautiful and seductive wife, and after some initial surprise at her openness to lovemaking and nudity, he embraces his wife's sensual nature and finds himself falling passionately in love with her. Their passionate physical relationship paves the way towards an emotional intimacy neither expected or knew they wanted, and I absolutely believed these two were falling in love despite their awkward start.

The pair travel to meet Adam's daughters and spend a delightful time with the trio - although Mia isn't quite sure why he's hidden them away - solidifying the bond between the pair and the girls. It's a nice departure from the usual stepmother role (evil and greedy); Mia finds much to love in the girls (and vice versa) and Adam finds himself yearning to confess the truth behind their banishment to the country.

Unfortunately, Mia has a plan to return to Oran for the son she failed to tell Adam about - and that secondary plot is the focus of the second half of the book. (view spoiler) I had a difficult time understanding why a woman so in love with her husband would be so quick to assume he wouldn't help her - and this part of the novel simply didn't work for me. Adam proves himself to her over and over again, but she still fails to trust him with her most significant secret. The story digresses into a suspense plot that feels rushed and underdeveloped, and ultimately detracts from the success of the novel. I did enjoy getting to know the secondary characters (one of whom is featured in the next book in the series), but the Jabril story line didn't work for me.

Debut novels are tricky to review, and this one is a mixed bad of great and not-so-good. I liked it enough that I'll be back for the next book in the series and I'm hopeful Ms. Spencer's best is yet to come.
*********************

While Mia's story is unusual in the books I read - it turns out it actually wasn't that unusual at all! In a recent interview with All About Romance, Introducing...Minerva Spencer, the author details the research that went into Dangerous. I was SHOCKED to learn how many men and women were captured by Corsairs...and I wish Ms. Spencer had included much of this information in an end note - the information is fascinating and horrifying in equal parts, and provides valuable context to the novel.

This is a really good story with a rather unique plot that involves an English woman , Mia, who spent seventeen years as a captive in a harem, but is rescued and returned to London society. As the daughter of a duke she would normally be a highly sought after bride, but her father cannot wait to get her off his hands for fear her experience will become public knowledge and shame his good name. So Mia is introduced to pretty much the worst marital candidates ever, and picks Adam. Adam has a nickname that insinuates the worst of them all.
But as the days go on Mia and Adam become enthralled with each other as they are drawn into a web of intrigue and danger that takes them to another part of the world. They journey with a group of interesting characters and work together for a worthy cause. All the while the relationship between the two is deeper and hotter then either could have ever expected.
This is a terrific book and I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a story that is different from the usual plotlines. I am really looking forward to the next in this series as well.

What a fantastic debut! I am very impressed! It honestly didn't feel like I was reading a debut romance novel. Dangerous was really well-written and well-researched. I was hooked from the very beginning and had a hard time putting the book down. Dangerous had it all: steamy romance, well-rounded characters, engaging plot, and a dash of action and adventure right towards the end of the book.

I enjoyed both Adam and Mia, but the hero won me in many ways that the heroine did not. Not to say that I did not like Mia -- in fact, I thoroughly enjoyed her character for the most part of the story. But Mia started acting too recklessly, throwing caution to the wind in the last third of the book. She also kind of lost points in my book when she kept going on and on about Brouchard's looks and advances. Speaking of the latter, I did not like him in the beginning, but I warmed up to him in the end. I also loved the other secondary characters.

Finally, there was an unresolved question that the epilogue did not address:
--- SPOILERS --
Are we to assume that London society has readily embraced Jibril as one of their own? It's implied that Mia's father accepted him, which kind of feels out of character because he came across as a strict person who stays away from scandals. Plus, Jibril is to escort his stepsister during the season, which also implies that the ton has accepted a "half caste bastard."

Despite these two complaints, I still enjoyed the story and eagerly await Ramsay's book! Hopefully Brouchard gets his own story -- it would be so much fun to have someone like him fall in love lol

What a wonderful first book! It starts out slowly as you get introduced to the hero, Adam, and heroine Euphemia (aka Mia). As you get to know them you won’t want to put it down. As a young teen, Mia was sent to a school near the Mediterranean Sea. Her ship was taken by pirates and she was sold into a mid-eastern harem. Seventeen years later, she escaped and was returned to England. She finds her homeland cold and confusing. Her father wants her married and off his hands. At her age (32), she doesn’t expect much.

Adam Exley is called the Murderous Marquess as he has been married twice and both women died. He is handsome, wealthy and would like to remarry as he has three daughters to raise. Mia accepts his proposal, but things do not go smoothly. Mia has secrets that she won’t share even though she is falling in love with him. In his anger, he pushes her away. When he discovers she is gone and in danger, he goes after her with help from some very interesting friends.

There is so much more going on I’ve left a lot out of this review so I don’t spoil the secrets. I couldn’t put it down and can’t wait for the next one in this series! Minerva Spencer may be a new author, but she’s an automatic buy for me now.

Lady Euphemia Marlington the Duke of Carlisle’s daughter hasn’t been free in seventeen years—since she was captured by Corsairs and sold into a harem. Now the sultan is dead and Mia now thirty three is back in London facing relentless newspapermen, an insatiably curious public, and her first Season. Worst of all is her ashamed father’s ultimatum: marry a man of his choosing or live out her life in seclusion. No doubt her potential groom is a demented octogenarian. Fortunately, Mia is no longer a girl, but a clever woman with a secret—and a plan of her own
Adam de Courtney’s first two wives died under mysterious circumstances or so the ton says. Now there isn’t a peer in England willing to let his daughter marry the dangerously handsome man the ton calls The Murderous Marquis. Nobody except Mia’s father. Clearly Mia must resemble an aging matron, or worse. However, in need of an heir, Adam will use the arrangement to his advantage.
A marriage of convenience is a well used trope but the author has added an altogether different slant on it. This is a debut novel that packs a punch, it’s well written, has very good characters with plenty of depth & the pace of the story is breathtaking at times, I devoured the book & it kept me awake well into the night as I couldn’t put it down, I just had to find out what happened. The chemistry between Adam & Mia sizzles but they also quickly come to like each other too, the secondary characters are also well portrayed & there are quite a few I’d like to see have their own stories, Ramsay, Gabriel, Bouchard & of course the three girls especially Eva

My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

First story I've read by Ms. Spencer and I am glad I did. An excellent written historical romance. Totally enjoyed!

When i am given an ARC, I promise a fair and honest review. Honestly, I ADORED this story. Awesome writing and the characters....Magnificent! I can see that this tale will have more to come and I can't wait. Buy this book!! I will keep you glued!

Dangerous has the most entertaining heroine in Mia to come along in quite a while. She is refreshing in her role as a former concubine now tossed upon London society. She has spunk and energy and is not bound by the typical mores of the era. Then, you add in widower Adam and his seemingly cold heart.

Between the difficulty of Adam’s previous marriages and the loss of both wives to his daughters and their needs, Adam seems to not know what to do with his new wife. He has agreed to a marriage in name only just to get an heir. Then, he will leave his new wife alone.

Mia thaws him quickly. They get along so well that it is a bit alarming. You know something is about to happen to cause angst between them. Mia really wants her son from her years as a concubine to come to England where he will be safe. His half-brother wants him dead.

This book has so many great things about it, from the characters to the rescue that keep you in suspense turning the pages to see what will happen next. The sensual scenes are really hot, yet also, caring.

I wanted to add this one caveat - The only scene that did not seem to fit into Adam’s character is the scene in which he pushes Mia against the wall and appears to take her in anger. Realizing he is upset and apologizes later does not change that fact that he seemed really cold and unfeeling of her at that moment. No excuse for bad behavior.

WOW - This book was amazing and the blurb does not do it justice.

Lady Euphemia "Mia" Marlington spent 17 years as a concubine in Sultan Baba Hassan's palace. She was captured as a young girl by barbary pirates while enroute to a convent school. But with the death of the sultan, she was able to escape and has returned to England. At the age of 32, she is no simpering debutante, but her father is determined to marry her off. Mia goes along with his plan, because she has secrets and plans of her own, which necessitate a husband.


Adam de Courtney, Marquess of Exley, is not in the market for another wife. After the mysterious death of his first two wives, he has been labeled the Murderous Marquess by the ton and is basically a pariah. He has 3 young daughters and does need an heir, but what family would marry their daughter off to a man who may have killed his first two wives? The Duke of Carlisle! Mia's father invites Adam to a dinner to meet his daughter. Adam is at first not interested, but his curiosity is peaked. When he meets Mia, he is shocked, she is definitely not the ugly crone he was expecting and the brief conversation he shared with her has only increased his interest.


He calls on her two days later and proposes, she accepts. They marry and Adam totally botches their wedding night. Mia needs to get things going between them, she promised him an heir and she intends to keep that promise, but she also plans to leave him. When Adam asks her to attend the theater, she gladly accepts and is delighted by his friends. She also has a confrontation with his former mistress and I loved not only Mia's reaction, but Adam's as well. Too often, authors have the hero treat the heroine badly and defend the "other woman" even if he is no longer with her and that annoys the heck out of me but thankfully that is not the case in this book! As they ride home, he is expecting her to confront him about the mistress, but she doesn't say a word. He is relieved and asks her to join him for a drink. They play cards and eventually make their way to the bedroom.


They spend the next few days getting to know one another and delight in each other's company. It is clear that they are falling in love, but they are both keeping secrets and Mia still plans to leave. They finally retire to his estate and she meets his daughters. Adam is happy for the first time in years, Mia is everything he could ever want. When they discover that she is pregnant, he is over the moon. Mia realizes she cannot leave, she is in love with Adam, but she can't desert her son. She decides that she will send him money and recruits a handsome footman to help her. But Adam walks in and misunderstands the scene. He is heartbroken and angry, he has been duped again. Mia tries to bluff her way out of the awkward scene, but only makes things worse. Adam shuts her out completely. She doesn't know how to make things right and then learns distressing news about her son. She believes she has no choice and leaves Adam.

When Adam learns she left, he immediately follows and when he learns the truth is hurt all over again that she didn't trust him. With so many secrets and so much distrust is there anyway these two can find their way back to each other?

This was an incredible story, with likable leads, steamy love scenes, secrets, lies, wonderful secondary characters, some action and adventure and finally an emotional and beautiful ending AND an epilogue set years later. There are a couple of little title/address errors, but I assume those will be corrected before publication and really didn't distract me from the story. I loved this story and cannot wait for the next book featuring Hugh! Highly Recommended!


*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher*

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley to read in exchange for a fair review. Dangerous by Minerva Spencer is the first book in her series The Outcasts. Dangerous is not your typical regency romance Minerva Spencer has written an epic adventure, marriage of convenience that is seriously hot complete with pirates, danger, secrets, mystery and is dare I say it again very seriously hot. Lady Euphemia (Mia) Marlington daughter of the Duke of Carlisle was kidnaped by Corsairs while on her way to a convent school and spent the previous 17 years as a concubine in the harem of Baba Hassan. Her father is rather anxious to marry her off before the truth about where she has been is revealed. Adam de Courtney, Marquess of Exley, currently known as the Murdering Marquess because his first two wives died in mysterious circumstances is looking for a wife to give him an heir and he is however the best of the men Mia is given to chose a husband from and on the surface appears to be exactly what Mia is looking for in a husband ... absent. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and can’t wait for the next one. Publishing Date June 26, 2018 #Dangerous #NetGalley

Wow! A beautiful story! Plot: amazing. Characters: believable and loveable. What more could you ask for in a book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher (Zebra) for the ARC.

DANGEROUS by Minerva Spencer is the first in The Outcasts Series. It is a historical (Regency Era) romance novel due out June 26, 2018.

Lady Euphemia Marlington is not your typical leading lady for a Regency Romance novel. Mia, who is thirty-two years old, has just recently returned to England after having spent the past seventeen years living in a sultan's harem in Northern Africa. Her very proper, very English family wants to know nothing about how she spent the past seventeen years or how she escape the sultan's place to return to England. All her family wants to do is immediately marry her off to an English peer. Unfortunately, the only men really interested in taking Mia as a wife are either senile or the dregs of English society. Mia's only wish is to return to Oran and find her son. Jabril is in the middle of a power struggle against his half-brother to take over their late father's kingdom. Mia knows the only way she can return to her son is to escape her overbearing family. Hence why she agrees to marry social outcast Lord Exley. It would be easier for her to escape from an inattentive husband instead of her family. Adam de Courtney is the best of the worst of Mia's suitors - not that he's a bad guy or anything. It’s just that his first two wives died under mysterious circumstances, and the majority of his peers believe that he murdered both of them. Adam is not looking for a third wife, but he needs a male heir to inherit his title and estate. Mia claims she is willing and able to provide him with an heir.

DANGEROUS is full of danger, intrigue, deception, and steamy love scenes. The novel is fast-paced, and it is packed with a fair number of action scenes. The two main characters are memorable, likable, and sympathetic. There is also a lot of depth to both of them, and that is slowly revealed throughout the novel. Mia is older than the usual romantic female lead - she's thirty-two instead of in her late teens or early twenties. She knows her own mind, and she's not afraid to stand up for herself or to take matters into her own hands. Mia also has far more life experience than the usual leading lady - instead of living a spoiled, idyllic life, Mia has spent the past seventeen years living as a slave in a sultan's palace. Mia's past definitely makes her stand out, as does Adam's. Plenty of male leads are social outcasts, but not many of them are believed to have murdered their first two wives. For the most part, Mia and Adam are open with each other about their pasts. These two main characters act like real people - they discuss their pasts and their marital troubles. Sure, there are misunderstandings, but Mia and Adam work together to get past those problems. These two are a team from the start, entering into a marriage of convenience that will mutually benefit both of them. Their sexual attraction soon turns into love and respect. DANGEROUS is a very exiciting novel, and Spencer's writing and descriptions bring the characters, the setting, and the time period to life. I'm looking forward to the next novel in the series - BARBAROUS, due out October 30, 2018.

There’s been a shortage of really good historical romance so far this year.  I can count the number of DIKs I’ve given  on the fingers of one hand, and sadly, the lists of upcoming releases for the second half of the year don’t look to be offering much to shout about either.  But a shortage isn’t a complete absence; there have been a few gems amid the mediocrity, and début author Minerva Spencer’s Dangerous - the first book in her new series The Outcasts - is among them.

I am going to raise my hand and admit that when I first read the synopsis – our heroine was kidnapped by pirates, sold to a Sultan and lived in a harem for seventeen years – I had my doubts.  Not just because of the old-skool connotations associated with the premise, but because so many of the historicals published at the moment are setting aside character and romantic development in favour of mystery and adventure plots – and I was leery of reading yet another poorly conceived  story featuring a hero and heroine in the grips of insta-lust who gallivant around breaking all the rules that governed male/female interactions in the early nineteenth century and jumping into bed in chapter three.   So I picked up Dangerous with a bit of trepidation, but was quickly engaged by the confident, lively writing and breathed a sigh of relief at the realisation that my preconceptions had been unjustified.

Lady Euphemia Marlington, daughter of the Duke of Carlisle, has recently returned to London following the aforementioned seventeen years spent in the harem of Baba Hassan, Sultan of Oran.  Now aged thirty-two, she is well beyond marriageable age  and is already an object of curiosity and gossip given her prolonged absence from society – and her father is desperate to find her a husband before she does something scandalous that will render her completely unmarriageable. Her vivacity, wit and forthright manner already set her apart from the other ladies of the ton, and she’s most definitely not the demure, biddable sort so many men want to take to wife - but Carlisle hopes that the enormous dowry he’s offering will outweigh the fact of Mia’s lack of societal polish (and her advanced age.)  To Mia’s dismay, most of the men dangling after her (dowry) are either past their prime or young striplings; but ultimately, her plans don’t require her to like or spend much time with her husband.  What she wants is a man who will marry her and then leave her alone so that she can pursue her scheme of returning to Oran in order to reunite with her son, Jabril.

Adam de Courtney, Marquess of Exley, is the father of three daughters, a widower twice over and doesn’t really want another wife.  But what he wants is one thing, what he needs is another… and he needs an heir.  He’s surprised at being sought out by the Duke of Carlisle when society at large generally gives him a wide berth, believing him to have been responsible for the deaths of both his wives …until he realises that the duke wants to recruit him to the ranks of possible suitors for his recently returned daughter.  Adam is not inclined to be manipulated – until he sets eyes on Mia.  Red-haired, green-eyed and simply oozing sensuality, she is not at all what he’d expected, and against his better judgement, he’s fascinated.  He has no intention of offering for her… until he does, surprised to hear from the lady herself that the sort of marriage she proposes is one sought after by most men – one with no emotional entanglements. Feeling unaccountably lucky to have found a woman who seems to have no qualms about being wedded, bedded and left to her own devices, Adam proposes, even though he’s sure Mia is up to something.  He just can’t work out what.

Mia is just as drawn to the handsome, coolly aloof marquess as he is to her, even though she realises that he isn’t going to be easy to manage and that she’s going to have to be careful around him if she’s to follow through with her plan to return to Oran.  Fortunately however, the fact that his principal estate is near the south coast is perfect for her plans – and the fact that she wants him desperately, wants the pleasure she’s sure he will be able to give her, is an added bonus.

There are so many ways the author could have got this story wrong; by turning it into a comedic fish-out-of-water tale as Mia continually outrages society with her lack of observance of the customs and societal norms; by telling a melodramatic story of her kidnap and rescue or focusing on Adam’s past and engaging in much angst and hand-wringing over his dead wives - but she skilfully avoids the potential pitfalls and instead concentrates on building the relationship between her principals and, even better, writes a couple who act their ages (thirty-two and thirty-seven) rather than like brainless teenagers.  Mia hasn’t learned  to dissemble and simper like an English miss; she is comfortable with her body and who she is, and the mental acuity necessary to maintain her existence amid the intrigue of the sultan’s court means she’s accustomed to thinking for herself.  Mia’s lack of inhibition, her obvious enjoyment of sex and her fierce intellect all delight her new husband, while Mia is falling in love with the loving, generous man she is discovering beneath Adam’s façade of icy disdain.

There are things Adam and Mia keep from each other – fairly big things – but their relationship is, for the most part, an honest one; and when the Big Secret comes into play in the last part of the book, Ms. Spencer doesn’t drag it out.  This couple actually communicates with each other and owns up when they do something wrong; the romance is well-developed and the sex scenes (of which there are several) do a great job of showing the couple’s growing intimacy and how it leads to trust, and eventually to love.

There’s a lot to enjoy about Dangerous, and although it’s not without its flaws, none of them were large enough to spoil my overall enjoyment.  While the aforementioned sex scenes are well written and integral to the development of the relationship, there are perhaps a few too many of them; and Mia has a number of almost-TSTL moments in the last few chapters which feel somewhat out of character.  Adam’s dead wives and his reasons for keeping his daughters away from London are plot-overkill; I get that there needs to be a reason for him to have been shunned by society, but the rest of it is largely unnecessary, especially as the concerns that lead him to keep his daughters sequestered in the country are dismissed by one sentence from Mia in a rather clumsy ‘why didn’t I think of that?’ moment.

But those really are minor criticisms, and I’d definitely recommend Dangerous to anyone looking for a new voice in historical romance.  Ms. Spencer’s writing is sophisticated and witty, the two principals are fully-rounded and there’s an engaging secondary cast, too, one of whom is going to be the hero in the next book in the series, Barbarous, which is due out in October.  You can be sure I'll be picking it up.

Buy it at: Amazon/Barnes & Noble/iBooks/Kobo