Lady Notorious is an unusual book for the Regency period in that it seemed the characters were of a more contemporary period. This is not a bad thing, just unusual. The idea of the main character being a twin and very close to her twin adds to the intriguing aspect of how much Cass cares for and loves her brother Charles. They are Bow Street Runners who take on a case in which a group of elderly gentlemen are being targeted by murder. The son of one of them hires Cass and Charles to assist in protecting his fatherly duke while, also, determining who is trying to kill off these elderly guys.

Our hero, the one who hired them, is George, Lord Northbrook, who knows he will inherit the duchy one day and does not want it to be soon. His goal is to protect his father first. But, he also, wants to know if the deaths and attempted deaths are connected to a sort of ‘club’ the old cronies set up in their youth. The club revolves around a huge amount of money, with the last of the group inherited the whole.

George seems solemn, kind and somewhat serious. Knowing he will someday inherit and having nothing particular to do with his life, leaves him with out a lot of direction, except for his interest in cameras. The kind part of his character is somewhat hidden, but comes out in this romantic tale. Cass and George develop their friendship slowly and well. You will find the physical descriptions of Cass and the scenery in and around this book add to the beauty and vision.

One of the things I enjoyed most about this romance is of it not being the typical ball and opera attending book. There is a lot to endear yourself to the working class of the time period. There is an added bonus as you get to know Cass’s brother and enjoy his situation and romance.

I was bored and that upsets me because I could have been reading another book that I could actually like and enjoy. I felt this was too slow paced for me, and I stopped would start again, and stopped again, I just couldn't get into it and could not finish..I didn't care for our heroine Cass and I didnt' care for George, I didn't feel any chemistry with them, so my friends I gave up..

The subtle humor was just to my taste. Lots of good dialog, no repeated "thoughts" to put me to sleep. I have not yet read a book by Theresa Romain I did not like.
I felt this had a good pace with characters who are - for the most part - decent people. In his dealings with the pragmatic and capable Cass, George has a mild epiphany and changes his own outlook on his life.

Cass and her twin brother are Bow Street runners and have taken a private investigation case. George, who has hired the twins, is the son of a Duke who might be the next murder victim in a series of murders. The romance between Cass and George was wonderfully written. And believable. Their characters were complicated; their self awareness and confidence slowly unfolded as they helped each other with the investigation. The story at times was slow paced but so worth it.

Some passages that I enjoyed:

“On this particular morning, barely past dawn, he couldn’t be alone. His thoughts were too persistent. Intrusive, really. Obstinate. Unexpected. Much like Cassandra Benton.”

“It wasn’t a burst like a firework. It was more like a candle flame. It was warm and steady and lasting, so that she hadn’t even realized how much she had come to rely on it. Without it, the world around her wouldn’t be the same anymore. Nothing would be as bright. Soon, she would not be able to do without it. Already she was unable to stay away, a moth to that little candlelight. Unwinking and irresistible.”

I am so torn. I really liked the first book in this series, but the last two were disappointments for me. I was hoping this one would be more like the first one, but I just couldn't connect with this book. And I loved Romain's earlier books!

This book has a lot going for it: slow-burn romance with two great characters, friends-to-lovers, independent heroine who works for a living, decent hero who worries about his family, is kind to strangers, and has a scientific mind.

But... The thing is, I loathe this new trend in historical romance where we dress people up in period costumes and otherwise throw all pretense out the window. I don't understand why these books can't just be published as contemporary romances, because if I want a female investigator (whose only claim to gentility, if I paid attention correctly, was a grandfather who was a "gentleman") marrying the son of a Duke, that's where I'd go look for it. I know these days you can't expect much accuracy from these "historical" romances, but really. The first son of a duke hiring a female Bow Street Runner (who is accepted and tolerated by the magistrate and everyone else she works with - granted, she's not officially a Runner, but her brother is, and she always works with him and receives payment for it) to investigate a crime that involves ten high-ranking members of the aristocracy who started a fund ten years ago which would go to the last surviving member and who are now dying one by one? I should never have requested this based on this premise. And don't even get me started on the hero's magic penis (I'm not kidding: She could have lasted forever, falling under the spell of his cock.). I was rooting for those two to get together, because I really liked them, but honestly. That was just too much for me.

This might work for fans of similar authors (Tessa Dare and Valerie Bowman come to mind), but sadly, I did not enjoy this very much. There's nothing wrong with this book - it's just not my thing. SORRY!

Lady Notorious is an outstanding historical romance by Theresa Romain that had this reader glued to the Kindle from start to finish. This! This is my six star book of the week, it's just that good. Ms. Romain has given readers a well-written book loaded with out-of-this-world characters. Usually, characters are my favorite part of the book, but with this book, my favorite part was the snappy dialog and character interaction. Kudos to Ms. Romain, it's perfect for this story. Cassandra and her brother are Bow Street Runners hired by George when he suspects people are being murdered over an old wager. Cass and George's story is loaded with drama, action, humor, sizzle and suspense. Lady Notorious captured me on page one and didn't turn set me free until the end and I can't wait for my next book by Theresa Romain. Lady Notorious is book 4 of the Royal Rewards Series but can be read as a standalone. This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Cassandra Benton has honed her investigative skills working as a Bow Street Runner alongside her brother, Charles. The twins are hired by George Godwin, Marquess of Northbrook to investigate what he believes to be a plot to kill his father, the Duke of Ardmore, and his godfather, Lord Deverell, both members a 40 year old tontine, of which one member apparently doesn't want to wait for his fellows to die of natural causes. When Cass' brother is injured, Northbrook asks her to stay on the investigation, delighted that she also believes something sinister is at work. They decide the best way for her to gain information is to listen to gossip in disguise as Northbrook's scandalous cousin. This entails Cass moving into Ardmore house with George to pretend to be a lady of the ton, leading to lots of close-quarters time with George.

George has pretty much steered clear of any serious relationships with women since the death of his fiance several years prior and though Cassandra has taken several lovers, she has never become serious with any of them. But in this situation it's unclear who can be trusted, lives are at stake, and Cass and George begin relying on each other more and more. The two struggle to ignore their mutual attraction, knowing that nothing can come of it, yet each opens the other's eyes to another world and mindset they find hard to give up.

George was delightfully charming with his simultaneously arrogant, yet self-deprecating humor. Cass was that rare strong heroine who isn't annoying. She still showed human weakness and an inner struggle with her feelings for George and her own place in the world that I found endearing and relatable. The female investigator concept was original and made believable due to Cass' working at Bow Street with her twin brother. I found myself rooting for these two, George who realizes he's never really been loved and Cass who has always taken on responsibility for others and is beginning to notice the crushing weight of it. There was good mystery here and those elements of uncertainty helped drive our hero and heroine together as both learned what it is to be able to rely on another person. I enjoyed the changes these two wrought on each other and this was a good read. Just when it was in danger of dragging or becoming tedious, the author added in something to move the plot along and kept the pacing up.

I received a complimentary ARC via NetGalley. Thank you! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this. Romain is doing interesting things with class and power in these novels and it’s a welcome change from the endless Dukes that are all the rage (I mean, George is going to be a Duke one day, but you know...). I found Cass to be an especially satisfying heroine—resourceful, practical, and wry with more than a little bit of Lizzie Bennett about her personality.

The mystery elements were especially well done and the final resolution was so satisfying, with many reveals tied to very specific points of character, which made things more interesting. I mean, I wanted to throttle Cass’ twin brother more than once, but that’s more a compliment to the author than the reverse.

The novel is part of a series (The Royal Rewards), but can be read as a standalone.

I was given an Advance Reader’s Copy in exchange for an honest review.

Cassandra "Cass" Benton is working a case along with her twin brother, a Bow Street runner when it goes awry. Not only does the man they are closely watching almost get killed, but her brother also sustains an injury. With her brother out of commission, Cass is left doing all his work and continuing their current case. An old wager is costing men their very lives and she's determined to find the guilty culprit before it's too late.

When George, Lord Northbrook asks Cass to go undercover as his notorious married cousin, she doesn't hesitate. She welcomes whatever disguise she must assume to find the killer. Cass is in no way prepared to deal with the growing attraction between her and George. She's in very real danger of losing her heart if she doesn't keep her guard up.

LADY NOTORIOUS by author Theresa Romain has a great plot, but it just falls a little short for me. With women working for Bow Street, this story could have been a lot more interesting. It was a little drawn out in a few places, but I did enjoy it. There is definitely chemistry between George and Cass. They are both complex characters, especially Cass. I would have liked to see a little more into their pasts. I could easily picture the people and their surroundings due to Ms. Romain's vivid detailing. Overall, LADY NOTORIOUS is a good way to pass an afternoon. I give it a 3.5 star rating.

It's been a while since I have read a historical romance and the synopsis of this one sounded intriguing. The plot line was interesting but I found it too slow with characters that I really couldn't relate to. I received an e-book from NetGalley in return for an unbiased review.

Thank you Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Our heroine, Cass along with her twin brother are asked to spy on our hero's father whom his son suspects might be killed due to a wager set years ago. She infiltrates first as a maid then as a scandalous cousin. The son George, develops feelings for her and admires her tenacious spirit. The romance is a very slow burn and I honestly did not feel any real connection between Cass and George. He calls her plain at one point and she's wary of him. It's when she's forced to role play that you see a small spark between them. This was bit too slow and a bit boring to read for me but as a whole it a decent novel.