I received this ARC for my honest review.
Brazen and the Beast is the 2nd book in the Bareknuckle Bastards trilogy. While you do not have to read the first one, it definitely helps set up some background of our hero and his siblings.
I want to start this review by saying how much I truly loved that Hattie was curvier than your average heroine. Her description, characteristic, and inner thoughts were so beautifully and accurately done, as only someone personally familiar could really get while reading. I can't say how much I loved and appreciated this! There were things in this book that Hattie said or thought that I was like, YES, I have said that or thought that. A few times she started to say something and stopped and I was like, "I could finish that sentence, I know exactly what you are going to say!" This representation made me so happy. Hattie also made me chuckle a few times at some of her fears and inner thoughts. Hattie was also strong and fearless. She was not one of those heroines who would say 'I don't need protection, ' then end up in a fix that needed rescuing. She was willing and read to save herself. The 'year of Hattie' started with a handsome man tied up in her carriage and never let up! Whit, our Beast of a hero, was handsome, smart, caring, and loved his family, both those by blood and those not. And of course he thought Hattie was perfect and couldn't understand how anyone else couldn't see it. I thought they made a great pair.

I can't wait to read the third book! Will Grace find her happily every after, will Ewan be redeemed? In Sarah Maclean's capable hands, I think so!

Sarah MacLean is the queen of modern historical romances. Her ability to build and bring to life all that is regency England from the ballrooms to Covent Garden is amazing; I felt like I was there.

Her true talent, though, was showcased in Brazen and the Beast. She writes stories of brave, strong women and their empowerment...and about the men who encourage and love them for it. Hattie may be one of her strongest and bravest yet. She never wanted the ballrooms, she wants to inherit her father’s shipping business and has a plan to do just that...The Year of Hattie.

The first night she puts her plan into place, though, she meets Beast...king of Covent Garden. Unfortunately, he could easily ruin her plans. Even though he should be the enemy, Beast is drawn to her boldness. He helps build her confidence and in return she tames the beast. That’s when Hattie’s dreams change. She wants Beast to see they are an equal pair, they can rule side-by-side, while loving each other. She doesn’t want his protection, she wants partnership.

I loved this book and highly recommend it. Give it a read, bruv.

I love Sarah Maclean and this book 2 in the BB series is just as amazing as all the rest! Historical humor and swoonworthy romance. I really enjoyed the intrigue and methodology of written delivery in this adorable historical rom com! One not to be missed! You can read it after the first in the series or as a stand alone.

I worship the ground Sarah MacLean walks on.

Full review for Thats-Normal.com to come. I'll link it when it goes live.

Sarah has done it again! A well written romance. I liked how Hattie was bold and unwilling to be told she can't run a business. I loved Beast. And was so glad to see them both get more then they ever thought they could. All the characters and story line worked so well together. Just a wonderful read that would not let me put it down.

I've been holding off on this review because I wanted to think about "Brazen and the Beast" a little more, especially in conjunction with "Wicked and the Wallflower." MacLean's a great romance writer, and I enjoy many of her books. I liked this book, but I wanted to really like it because it has an interesting premise and entertaining characters.

I really liked Hattie's goals for herself, which were unconventional for the time and admirable for any time. She knew what she wanted and she worked hard to get it. However, I would have preferred if there wasn't so much of an insta-love on her part. She's seemed like a practical girl, and her pining for Whit was out of character, in my opinion.

As for the hero, Whit was a total sweetie, way more so than Devil in the other book. BUT sometimes I felt his sweet personality -- how he protects the people he loves -- didn't match up with his ruthless public image. The public image felt contradictory and undeserved and based solely on the fact that he can punch someone bigger than he is.

As a couple, Hattie and White were well-portrayed, especially considering Hattie was the alpha and Whit the beta. I loved that subversion! However, Whit's beta hero status is the real reason I couldn't find his public image particularly convincing. It would have been better if he would have been the behind-the-scenes compassionate guy, garnering goodwill, while Devil was the ruthless manipulator and Grace was the brains of the three. But the whole I-seek-my-revenge-and-get-it just didn't mesh with Whit's whole personality well.

Also, let's talk for a minute about the tension created with Ewan. It's one of those instances where I feel like if all the characters sat down and had a frank conversation that they would realize that they were ALL kids being manipulated by a conniving man and cut Ewan some slack. But dang, all of these people, including Grace and the wives, can hold onto a grudge for a looooong time.

Overall, this book was just okay for me, but I'm hoping for better for the third book about Ewan and Grace. Their passion sizzles in these books, so I'm hoping MacLean can turn this series around with their romance.

The second in the Bareknuckle Bastards series (trilogy? maybe?), this book struggles at times with feeling like a bridge between the introduction and the thrilling conclusion. It has a lot of work to do in this sense, but it does it well and I am ALL EXCITED FOR BOOK THREE. To the point where, like, I cannot fathom how this character is gonna redeem himself, but I can't wait to see how MacLean does it.

This series is quickly becoming one of my favorites in the genre. It's a lovely balance of delightful fun, class struggle, and romaaaaaance and believe me, I know that combination does not typically go well together. But it does? It really does here.

Huh. I wonder what kind of plans she has.

Why is he so interested in her? How does she know her brother is involved?

I would have stabbed Augie on principle.

Attagirl.

Damn, I like her. She didn't even need his rescue, did she.

Looks can be deceiving.

Ewan ruins everything.

Ooh, nice revenge girl!

He has a desk on the roof?

Grace definitely needs to be the one to deal with Ewan.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love Brazen and the Beast. I never thought any book, even the second in the series, could have beaten the burst Bareknuckle Bastards book but this one did. Whit had my heart from the moment I saw him in the first book. He's smart, capable, but hardeaded as a mule when it comes to Hattie. Hattie is an amazing woman that has struggled in life but she comes out being one of the strongest people I've ever seen (fiction or not). They both have pasta and issues they have to overcome. Which leads to me laughing and crying along with the characters. The book is an emotional adventure that is well worth reading.

I received an advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

The trope of the Lord incognito is over done and I don’t need anymore of it. However, the troop of the brothel for Ladies is under done and I am very here for it. PERIODT. So moving forward, I will give every book with that trope five stars in order to encourage further authors to take this on. And no, that is not the primary plot of this book, but it got me in a good mood as I dove in and I want to reinforce

It made me smile. It made me cry. What a wonderful, wonderful book. I just adored Hattie for her strength and personality. Whit is a perfect match for her. I just adore the world of the Bareknuckle Bastards.

I’m so grateful to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the ARC. Thank you!

This was another exceptionally well-written book by Sarah! I am OBSESSED with the heroine, the hero, and everything about this book. I will definitely be purchasing it for my library and recommending it to ANY and ALL historical romance lovers.

Having read Book One of the Bareknuckle Bastards series I was excited to have the opportunity to review this second book of the series. Beast was such a mysterious character in the first book that I eagerly awaited his story. It was an excellent plot full of action. I loved the heroine Hattie and her plan to have a year to set her life th way she wants so she can control her own destiny. Like most things that plan doesn't go as expected. Hattie and Beast were a perfect match. There chemistry was evident even at their first meeting. Both characters grew throughout the book to overcome emotional obstacles that held them back. It was an amazing read. I await for the third book.

This is my first read by Sarah and I really enjoyed this one. Some of the plots that happened in here were different from a historical romance I have read before. So it was a nice surprise. I loved the main characters conversations, had a slight banter to them. I just think it was a tiny bit too long for me. Overall, I did like it and look forward to reading more of Sarah's work.

I received this book at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

4 stars

From the moment I read the first page, I was hooked. This is my first read by Sarah MacLean and I can't believe that it has taken me this long to discover her wonderful historical romances. Henrietta, is determined that this is the year that she gets her heart's desire - the inheritance of her father's shipping company. At 29-years-old, she's firmly on the shelf, but her father still insists on giving the business to her less than competent brother. When said brother runs afoul of the notorious Bareknuckle Bastards, it's up to Hattie to clean up his mess once again.

The first meeting between Henrietta and Whit (aka Beast) is phenomenal. I love the entire carriage scene and the way that Hattie just pushes him out after kissing him. It's wonderful to read about strong heroines in historical romance instead of the insipid misses who are incredibly naive and woefully unprepared for the wider world. Henrietta seemed like the perfect heroine - that is, until the second half of the book.

It bothered me that once Henrietta and Whit started to fall for each other, her self-confidence dissolved to the point where she became the "I'm not beautiful heroine" that fished for compliments from the hero. Of course, Henrietta would never be considered a beauty with the standards of the ton, but she seemed to forget all of her brash take-charge nature once she was around Whit.

Instead of Henrietta carving her own destiny, winning the company on her own merit, finding a way to buy the house she dreamed of...it was Whit in the end that did all of those things. I'm not above having the hero lend a helping hand to the heroine - it just didn't sit right that Henrietta suddenly became incompetent and sort of whiny. And though I didn't read the first book in this series, there seems to be a pattern of life-or-death closing sequences which in which the h or H finally realizes how much they love the other. Just a little contrived, but not the end of the world.

Overall, I enjoyed MacLean's writing style and the whole operation that Whit, his brothers, and sisters created in the seedier side of London. I'm curious to see how Ewan could possibly be redeemed in the future.

This was a wonderful, sexy, dark and emotional romance - and I loved it! Loved seeing Devil and Felicity was great, too!

4.5 stars for another swoonworthy, steamy, terrific Sarah MacLean book. I loved it. As with most of her books, you have to suspend a certain level of disbelief and just accept that you are living in a universe where people fall in love instantly and super intensely, where heroines are strong/beautiful/respected/outspoken, and where heroes are honorable and tender under their tough exteriors. This is what makes it so good, people! Hattie was an awesome protagonist - spunky and vulnerable, strong and ambitious, curvy and attractive, invisible to everyone except Beast. Beast was fun - I loved the interplay b/t her chatter and his taciturnity, their chemistry, his stupid nobility. I'm a sucker for deathbed/confession of true love type scenes. I know the ending will be happy but I still cry my way through them, haha.

A few minor nits: Beast surely is a dumb name (as is Devil). His watch obsession and its explanation at the end felt too... much. The middle part of the book felt a little laggy. Hattie seemed to fairly easily divorce her feelings of betrayal from her feelings of attraction in a way I'm certain I wouldn't, though maybe that's just me? I also thought the resolution of the villain line felt a little easy after all the back-and-forthing throughout the book. That being said - these did not detract from my enjoyment of the story, which I truly enjoyed.

I cannot WAIT for the next installment!!! :)

My thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC via netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Ok, I'm ready to go through the pile of MacLean books I've been hoarding for years to re-read the whole bunch. Is it just me or is Sarah MacLean becoming even more sizzling in her writing? Brazen and The Beast is a character driven, hotter than hot historical romance featuring the Lady Henrietta Sedley and Whit, known as the Beast of Covent Garden. Lady Henrietta has decreed this, her 29th year, the Year of Hattie. Its the year she is planning on taking control of her life, her future and her body. Finding the Beast tied up and unconscious in her carriage is not helping her plans go smoothly but Hattie is nothing if not resourceful. Beast is drawn to her and awed by her intelligence and Amazonian beauty and its not long before the sparks start flying.

Sarah MacLean is one of the few historical romance writers who consistently manages to produce strong, interesting, fresh historical romances time after time, This one is no exception. The characters are compelling, both because of and in spite of their flaws. We all know there's going to be a happy ending - it's how she manages to get us there which really makes MacLean's novels a success. They are sharp, witty, complete and, so very much fun to read.

I am a big Sarah MacLean fan, so I was really looking forward to this, but it ultimately didn't appeal to me as much as the first Bareknuckle Bastards book, and I'm having a hard time putting my finger on why. Maybe because it seemed more plot- than character-driven? Or that I'm tired of stories hinging on the hero pushing the heroine away and keeping secrets from her in order to protect her? I don't know. I did enjoy MacLean's usual wit and nods to characters from previous books. I am also looking forward to what I assume is going to be the next installment in the series devoted to Ewan and Grace. That seems like a very interesting relationship dynamic to work with.

I was a bit disappointed in this book. It seemed rushed and the characters seemed too whiney. Likewise, the small plot lines added to the story where not really fleshed out. For instance, Hattie's gay friend seemed to be added for a marketability aspect and not truly add interest to the story.