Kate Holden receives a note from her cousin, Edward Garrett, to stay away from Lord Wesley. Only one problem, she does not know a Lord Wesley. Eventually, she does meet him. She is concerned not knowing exactly what is the danger. Lord Wesley took over the title after his father died. He inherited quite a few debts. His father had even gambled away their home.
An unusual story, so many things happen between the characters. The problems develop and you can see the growth thru out the story. I loved how the two main characters were so confused about what went on around them and their own emotions. It does keep you on edge. As you can tell the plot gets a little complicated, but it does keep your interest. I can't wait to see her next book.
I received this ARC free and voluntarily reviewed it

Tammy L Bailey’s enchanting and delightful tale, A Mistress for Penndrake, is a charming read that is sure to go down a treat with readers who like their historical romances sensuous, heartwarming and absolutely irresistible!

At the age of one and twenty, Miss Kate Holden has already got her future figured out. She has made a decision to keep her heart under lock and key, give emotions as wide a berth as possible and train to become a governess. Kate hopes to find fulfillment and contentment molding young minds and teaching young children to know right from wrong, but all her plans looks set to never come to fruition when she receives a letter from her cousin informing her of a certain Lord Wesley and his nefarious ways. Kate has got absolutely no idea who this mysterious aristocrat might be, but little does she realise that the man in question is a devilish marquess who always gets what he wants – by using his skills at seduction…

Lord Wesley’s profligate and dissolute father’s addiction to gambling has been a millstone around his neck and a burden that he has carried upon his shoulders for far too long. His father’s penchant for games of hazard, alcohol and loose women has ruined the estate and now he faces the ultimate humiliation: he is being blackmailed into marrying a woman he has never met before in order not to lose Penndrake, his ancestral home. Lord Wesley is absolutely incensed, but he will stop at nothing to get what he wants and he is determined to keep Penndrake at all costs – even if it means ruining and compromising the woman he is meant to marry.

Kate was meant to be settling into a life of duty and morality as a governess – she certainly never imagined that she would end up playing a high stakes game with a man who would awake sensuous feelings deep within her which she never thought she would experience. Kate refuses to give into temptation and submit to Wesley’s expert seduction and scintillating kisses – even though that proves to be easier said than done!

When seduction gives way to something neither one of them ever imagined, Kate and Wesley find themselves flabbergasted when they find themselves in danger of losing their hearts to one another. But are they courageous enough to admit the truth about the depth of their feelings for one another? Or will fear stop them from seizing this unexpected chance at happiness?

A Mistress from Penndrake is an enjoyable historical romance packed with warmth, humour, charm and plenty of sizzle. From the deliciously witty repartee between the hero and heroine to the intense emotion and searing sensuality between Kate and Wesley, A Mistress from Penndrake is a captivating historical page-turner from a writer with a very bright future ahead of her: Tammy L Bailey.

The very moment Kate receives a letter from her cousin warning her of Lord Wesley, who does she meet? Lord Wesley. His home was gambled away and in order to get it back he must marry Kate. But in an act of revenge against the blackmailer, Wesley decides to seduce and ruin Kate, win his home back and marry an heiress.

This story had a lot of push and pull from the main characters. I must say that I had a hard time with Wesley’s decision except each time he had the opportunity to ruin Kate, he did not. I did like him for that. However, there seemed to be a lot of holes in this story that kept me from enjoying it completely, although I’m sure there will be others who can and will enjoy it regardless of the inconsistencies that concerned me. I choose not to go into them in order to keep those things free from other readers locking onto them as I did.

While this was a very well written story, and the steam was appropriate for the story (if not the era, IMO but which I was ok with) the secondary characters were well developed but not very likable. With the exception of a few, most of them treated Kate as a servant. Despite her desire to become a governess, I didn’t understand why they would treat her so, as she was still family.

I loved the premise of this story and I tried to put the little things out of my mind, but in the end it did ruin my overall reading enjoyment of the book. However, I believe this could be an “it’s me not the book” situation so please read other reviews to determine if this one will work for you.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided by NetGalley and Entangled. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this story! I am not a big romance reader, and the story was so very easy to get in to. The characters where very well developed and the plot kept me reading well into the night.

The Marquess of Wesley refuses to give in to a blackmailer to reclaim his ancestral home. He intends to ruin the blackmailer’s cousin and have his revenge.

Miss Kate Holden, receives an ominous letter from her cousin, instructing her to avoid The Marquess of Wesley at all costs. Having her heart broken at fifteen Kate has caused her to close her heart and mind to the prospect of marriage.

With both caught in a battle of wills and a Cinderella-esque family to deal with, who will win?

The premise of the book sounded promising but sadly the execution was lacking for me. Here is another insta-lust that the author wishes the reader to believe can turn in to love without any major interactions. I did not like Wesley’s motivation. He wants to ruin an innocent woman because her cousin offered him a reasonable deal. Edward won Penndrake honestly, he did not cheat the former Marquis out of it. There are a lot of unanswered questions, like why would Wesley give Penndrake to Kate’s father? Why was her cousin Claire desperate to marry Wesley and then found in someone else’s bed?

This book will appeal to many fans of historical romance; however, I have read better offerings to the genre.

First time in reading this author. Stepping back in time when things might have been simplier they could often lead to more perilous times. this one centers around Wesley and Kate with each having their own story then they cross paths. I often get my hide up when the women are not given the choices they should and like reading the ways they deal with them as in this one. The magnetism keeps also pulling them together even though she tries not to go there. The brand of drama in this one also has you crossing your fingers that things will turn and give a smile.

As always when I request an ARC, I promised to give a fair and honest review. I am sorry that I cannot say I enjoyed it. I thought it was somewhat lifeless. I did find ish it but for me it was a struggle. I want palpable passion, intrigue, fire and really dominate characters. I thought these were just too flat for my taste.

First time reading this authors books and it was good, it is well written and the characters are good, I was entertained throughout

I received a copy from Netgalley and I am voluntarily leaving my own honest opinion

4.5 Stars!

What would you do if you got a letter stating your father had lost your home in a game of cards and instead of taking the property out from under you, the victor demands you wed his cousin instead? That is the predicament The Marquess of Wesley finds himself in at the beginning of this enchanting novel.

Wesley soon decides he won’t let anyone dictate whom he shall marry and sets out to ruin a young women he’s never set eyes on. Once he and the lady in question are formally introduced, he finds he’s sinfully attracted to Miss Kate Holden.

Kate received a letter from her cousin as well, but it contained a very different message. One that stated to stay far away from The Marquess of Wesley. She finds her own feelings confused when she’s insanely attracted to the man she’s supposed to have nothing to do with.

Bailey put the couple in several compromising positions that could ruin Kate at any second. The push and pull of both Kate and Wesley’s actions can be nerve wracking at times. I remember several times wanting to tell them to hurry up and get themselves together already, but Bailey knew how to get us to the happily ever after we all crave.

A Mistress for Penndrake is a sexy, thrilling, edge of your seat read that you’ll want to savor over and over again. I can see a fantastic future for Bailey and the world she’s created in this novel. Hopefully, we will hear more about Wesley and Kate if Bailey decides to make a series from of this novel. *Fingers Crossed*

I received this book for free. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

so, sadly, a mistress for penndrake was not my favorite. there was a lot of circular plot here, and i just did not love the heroine or the hero. and the whole conflict, where the hero is being blackmailed by the heroine's cousin to marry her, but she gets a letter from her cousin telling her to avoid the hero makes no sense at all. by the time it gets explained, it's still nonsensical and also creates more drama that felt so unnecessary to me. in the meantime, the hero decides he's going to be a total jerk and ruin the innocent heroine as revenge for her cousin winning his ancestral home fair and square in a game of cards from his father. and so the heroine and hero basically find themselves at odds and cross-purposes and behave horribly to one another most of the novel and then are kissing the other part of it. and pretty much every other character in this book was horrible. i don't know, this mess did not work for me.

i'm having a harder time with historicals lately.

**a mistress for penndrake will publish on may 28, 2018. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/entangled publishing (amara) in exchange for my honest review.

I was captivated from the start of this book. The tension and actions between the main characters had me turning the pages quickly to find out what was going to happen next. Ms. Bailey's writing style was very smooth and flowing. I loved the emotional rush at the end.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

When I started to read this story, I liked our heroine Kate right off the bat. I enjoyed the way she met Wesley, though I didn't care for him as a hero right away. As a matter of fact, the more I read the more l disliked him! He was the hero of the book....How could I possibly like this story if I couldn't abide the hero?

Well, considering I couldn't put this book down, it was apparent I could like it very much! It did take me a while to warm up to Wesley, but I eventually did once more of his background was revealed. You could tell he was quickly falling for Kate, but didn't want to be. And then, in his own unique way, he was attempting to be honorable. But our Kate was strong and knew what she wanted, and what he needed.

So I started out not liking the hero and worrying there would be too much of a Cinderella vibe going on with her aunt and three cousins, and ended up not being able to tear myself away from the story. I will definitely be seeking out more books by Ms. Bailey.

I received a copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

This is a voluntary review of an advanced copy.

If you can overlook the very big part of the story where Wesley wants to get Penndrake back by ruining Kate, then the story is not too bad. I just really had a hard time finding any redeeming character to Wesley if he could ruin an innocent young woman just to get an estate back.

Parts of the story did not make sense to me as usually estates are entailed and cannot be sold or gambled away. And not sure the purpose of then giving away Penndrake to Kate's father. Also, after the majority of the book, Claire has chased after Wesley, then all of a sudden she is caught in bed with Arthur!

Maybe some readers enjoy the back and forth - hot then cold - type of romance but I didn't care for it. And after most the book worrying about money and needing an heiress, Wesley is going to live in a cottage with Kate. If he no longer has the estate, how is he going to support a family?

I guess I was left with too many unanswered questions and parts that did not make sense to me.

I really, really wanted to LOVE this book, but I just couldn’t get there. I am sure it would appeal to the majority of historical romance readers, it just didn’t appeal to me and left me puzzled and with many unanswered questions – so many things that just didn’t make sense to me.

I read the premise, it sounded wonderful and I couldn’t wait to get started on it. Then, I learned that the hero, The Marquess of Wesley, is going to take revenge on Garrett, the man who won – fair and square, no cheating – Wesley’s estate from his gambling father. Wesley’s father is now deceased and Garrett will either claim the property from Wesley or Wesley can marry Garret’s cousin, Kate Holden. So, what is our hero’s first thought? He’ll ruin Kate and somehow that is going to be revenge on Garrett and it will get his property back. Right – that is both honorable and intelligent and surely Garrett is unintelligent enough to give Wesley his property back after he ruins Garrett’s favorite cousin.

Wesley’s problem never really made sense to me. Was he totally broke with nothing at all left? His father lost tens of thousands of pounds and Penndrake. Was Penndrake the only estate of the Marquessate? His mother lives in London – do they own a house there? If Penndrake was the only estate, then why in the world wasn’t it entailed? I know it is just barely possible for that to happen, but it seems highly unlikely. I understand that the father was a dastardly old jacka**, but – well, I just had a hard time with that whole entailment thing. For someone whose whole future, including his home and income, is at stake, Wesley never seems desperate to me. Not like someone who had lost everything and had no other means to live and support himself.

Miss Kate Holden fell in love at fifteen and the object of her affections was a shallow, selfish, self-centered young man named Rourke – who is Wesley’s distant cousin. Rourke married someone else and she decided to never lose her heart again. That is the set-up of the yin-yang between Wesley and Kate – she doesn’t want to marry, but she’s attracted to him – he wants to ruin her, but he’s attracted to her. That whole ‘I’m going to ruin her’ from Wesley and ‘I’ll never give my heart away’ thing from Kate went on way, way, way too long.

The characters – well – there wasn’t a worthwhile one in the lot – except the Vicar and his family. None of them would be someone you’d want to sit down to dinner with. I couldn’t really identify with either of the main characters. You have what is basically the equivalent of Cinderella’s wicked stepmother and step-sisters – but it was Kate’s distant aunt and cousins. Then there is Wesley’s stupid cousin and Kate’s cousin who is blackmailing Wesley. . . . Not a keeper in the bunch as far as I can see.

Here are a few of the things that seemed a bit odd to me. Not a whole list – just a few and I’m trying not to give too much of the plot away.

The Marquess delivers babies?
Wesley says he’s going to entail Penndrake to Kate’s father. . . Say what
When Wesley took his house guests to the village to shop, they gave him the receipts/bills for their purchases and he complained about the cost of the fabric Kate’s sister purchased. Why would he be responsible for paying? It didn’t say he offered to pay – it was just written as if that were the normal way of doing things. These were well-to-do folks and could certainly afford their own.
As I said in the beginning, I REALLY wanted to love this book, but just couldn’t get there. I could buy that there was insta-lust between them, but I didn’t see the love growing because they never actually spoke. They spoke in riddles and circles, but nothing in the way of actually getting to know each other. Don’t let my experience keep you from trying it — you might love it — it has a number of 4 and 5-star reviews.

Please check out my reviews at:
Blog: https://flippinpages.blog/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/flippinpages…
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FlippinPagesRev
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BarbBookReview

“I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.”

I really enjoyed A Mistress for Pendrake, this was my first time reading Tammy L. Bailey. Her writing is full of emotional dilemmas for our characters. Wesley has been coerced into an engagement he doesn’t really want and has conceived a plan to ruin the young lady he’s forced to marry....if he wants his estate back which he lost playing cards. Until he meets the young woman and everything just goes out the window.
This was an endearing emotional read full of humour and delightful bantering and some very unexpected situations that had me reading way into the night. I will be looking forward to the next story from Tammy L. Bailey.
I recieved a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This is my unbiased opinion.

4.5 Stars
A Mistress for Penndrake by Tammy L. Bailey is the story of Kate Holden and Nathaniel,The Marquess of Wesley.
Kate fell in love when she was around 15 years old with Rourke but he ended up breaking her heart. So from then on she planned to never marry even though her parents want her to marry the man they chosen for her. Kate has been helping her family and plans to work toward being a governess maybe.
Wesley is upset with how his father has handled the family lands and title but now after his death her learns he lost most of gambling it away. Now he is being told that if he marries a women he has never met he can get back what he feels is his. Thinking to ruin the lady and get back everything is his plan.
But then Kate and Wesley meet and sparks fly....can these two stick to what they had planned or will love when out?
Enjoyed this book!

Chelmsford, England - 1814

Miss Kate Holden has received a letter from her cousin, Edward Garrett, who resides in India, asking her to avoid a man named Lord Wesley. Puzzled, she cannot remember ever meeting a titled man as she is a tradesman’s daughter.

Kate has been living at Camden Hall for some months as her mother hopes she will meet a wealthy man while living with her wealthy relations. While there, she will be helping her cousin, Miss Claire Garrett, prepare to be introduced to society and seek a husband. Kate will also do the same thing for Claire’s younger sisters, Deidre and Lilly. Kate herself is beyond all of that because the man she had loved rebuffed her. Now, she is content to find a way to support herself in the future. However, her parents are trying to marry her off to her father’s apprentice, Mr. David Leisure, yet she is determined that she will not have him.

While Kate is outside one day, a man introduces himself as the Marquess of Wesley, son of the Earl of Chelmsford, and the very man her cousin, Edward, has warned her about. Wesley is very intrigued by Kate but doesn’t know her name.

Edward has written to Wesley informing him that some time ago, his father, the Earl, had lost his home, Penndrake, to Edward in a card game. However, Edward is willing to allow Wesley to keep his home if he marries Kate. Wesley thinks it might be a good idea to compromise Kate and then leave her. Privately, Wesley tells Kate that he knows she is attracted to him as he is to her.

When Wesley invites Marlena’s aunt and three cousins to a house party at Penndrake, he insists that Kate come too. While the cousins throw themselves at Wesley, Kate tries to avoid him. But he is determined to “teach her a lesson” for trying to retrieve some things he had taken from her.

Oh my. This is what one calls a hot mess. Wesley is an smug, arrogant, ass and Kate is a true airhead. Trying to keep up with the plot here was difficult and I just did not enjoy this book. I have read only one other book by this author and remember having a problem with the characters. Perhaps other readers will enjoy the book.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I did enjoy this book, although it did seem to lack pace at times. Kate is determined not to marry and has been hiding herself away from attention by dressing in older, drab clothes. Nathaniel, Lord Wesley is striving to regain his heritage. Wesley was used to women throwing themselves at him, not only was he handsome but he held the title of Marquess. Kate wants nothing to do with Wesley, having been warned by her cousin, Edward. Wesley has a dastardly plan for Kate but as they grow to know each other opinions change but others come between them. Kate and Wesley are two strong characters and many engaging interactions take place between them. An entertaining read from an author who is new to me but I will look at more of her books. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A well written historical romance that is true to its timeperiod. It has a nice storyline and plot. The characters are well described and very likeable. They develop nicely through the story. The mix of humor, trust, passion and emotions makes it a great read. Some of the subcharacters where really a plus to the story.
The banter and relationship between the two main characters was fun and it made this story captivating from first to last chapter. I enjoyed it very much and can only recommend it to others that like their historical romances to have a twists.

Miss Kate Holden is trying to train herself to be a governess. She is a gently bred woman who's family is struggling financially. She is staying with her cousins and helping them through the season. Her father is trying to persuade her to marry his apprentice, who she dislikes immensely. When our heroine gets a letter from a cousin warning her away from a man she has never heard of things get confusing.
Marquess of Wesley, Earl of Chelmsford has spent the year since his father's death trying to put the estate back together , only to find it had been gambled away. The man who won it is trying to blackmail him into marriage, but he has his own way to get it back.
Our hero tries his best to stick with his plan, but problems with all the females he is surrounded by will make sure that's not possible.
This is a very romantic and amusing story, with great characters. Our innocent and soft hearted heroine is in way over her head with this determined hero.
I loved it.