Julian Wade had always been her confident and had been there when she needed him the most. Just when she is ready to take the next step and accepts a proposal he all but disappears. What has caused this change of heart? Heather Boyd has done a magnificent job of tying in other aspects of the series into this book and the characters chemistry flows seamlessly as they finally realize they were always meant to be together.

I enjoy a good friends to lovers trope, although in this case, I think I would have preferred to see more of the friend element of the relationship (although I am told this happened in previous books). So, with that in mind, I would recommend that you read the entirety of the series as opposed to attempting this novel as a standalone like I did, I felt a bit like I was on the back foot having not read the previous novels in the series (of which there are 9). As such that brings down my overall rating of the novel, as does the heroine's arrogance, and her parent's repellant desires to use their children for the betterment of their own social status- although I suppose this could be an argument for the quality of the writing given how much I grew to dislike them.

Great historical romance with twists and turns. The mail leads have a good chemistry. Storyline has kept me reading till end. Good character development. Nicely written.

I'm afraid I could not finish this: DNF at 38% due to promotion of rape culture.

There are a few glaring errors here - I try to ignore spelling errors in ARCs, which I am happy to do here, but I cannot ignore the idea of banns being read over 'four or five weeks' to draw out a courtship. That's not how they work. They are read over three consecutive Sundays, so a period of two weeks total from the first Sunday.

More egregious than this, however, is the sulky and petulant attitude of a hero who feels hard-done-by that a woman he has flirted with - but never expressed any interest in courting - should accept a marriage proposal from someone else. He believes he is in love with her, but will not express this to her as he thinks women never choose the first man who asks them. He spends the first chapter pining across a ballroom for her as she flirts with other men, and then gropes her in the middle of the ball, feeling her thighs - she acts like a deer caught in the headlights, as many women do in the face of assault, and he takes this as signs that she doesn't mind. He has previously 'warned off' her other suitors. He is, in short, the worst kind of entitled guy, the kind who in modern times might talk about being 'friend-zoned'. He seems to think he is entitled to the heroine just because he fancies her. In the scene I gave up on, he makes a lot of crude innuendos while she is trying to talk to him, and ignores her when she tells him to stop and uses physical force to push him away. He continues to touch her and speak inappropriately to her while she struggles (though the author is quick to specify that she doesn't struggle "enough") and ultimately he wins her over as he sees lust in her eyes - so his coercive, forceful behaviour is rewarded because she liked it really. It's disgusting to read and is extremely problematic, reinforcing the idea that "no" means "yes" and that women's opinions should not be respected.

I have no interest in reading about this hero, and at this point I'm actively rooting for him not to win the heroine's affections, so I'm afraid I cannot finish this book. I do not want to see this depiction of rape culture in romance, and I will not be picking up anything by this author again.

Since becoming a fan of Heather Boyd's, I have tried reading more regency romance and am still not a fan of the genre. But Heather Boyd consistently entertains me with her great storytelling.

I believe readers new to historical romance will find her novels an easy introduction into this subgenre as well as delight even hardcore fans. An easy read, this story brings the reader all the feels.

Friends to Lovers trope. Overall, I liked it but this was the first I read in the series and I felt like I was missing some pieces. I plan to read from the beginning and see how I feel.

Great book by a great author . Heather Boyd always keeps you on the edge of your seat and coming back for more

Lord Julian is a well connected but impoverished peer, who has loved beautiful Portia, eldest daughter of a wealthy industrialist from afar for years. He is something of a stealth matchmaker, ensuring that his friends are steered towards their ideal matches. He and his aunt have used their connections to introduce Portia and her parents into high society, and Portia has enjoyed the flattering attentions of many gentlemen. Julian has waited for Portia to realise they are perfectly matched, but Portia thinks they are just good friends. Portia knows she has to marry to advance her family, and she becomes betrothed to the Duke of Montrose. Julian is devastated at this, and worried for Portia because he knows of Montrose’s coldness and rakish habits.

Portia has been almost oblivious of the help that Julian and his aunt have given her family to be accepted in the ton, she enjoys her time in society and happily flirts her way through her life. When she is betrothed she believes it will be a high status match to benefit her family, and is happy enough, if not emotionally engaged, to consent to the match. However montrose’s reputation precedes him, and invitations begin to dry up. Slowly Portia comes to realise how selflessly Julian has always supported her, and she also starts to realise her betrothed is cold, secretive and domineering, as well as possessive.

Will Portia finally realise where her happiness lies, and extricate herself from her engagement, and when will she realise that Julian is her perfect match. Can Julian relay on his friends to evade the machinations of Montrose, and win Portia for himself.

This was an unusual premise, and the self effecting Julian is not your usual alpha hero, which was refreshing and interesting to read. Portia was a little naive and seemed to have little self awareness at the beginning.

A pleasant read.

I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book and all opinions are my own.

This is my first time reading a Heather Boyd book. As this is the tenth book in the series I was worried that I would be lost. However, I found that I quickly knew what was going on and any thing from the previous books was explained. The story has a "friends to lovers" plot. I really enjoyed the book overall. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ARC.

Portia has been friends and confidants with Julian, Lord Wade since she made her debut. She never thinks of him as a suitor, but he has loved her since he first saw her. He has no money but swears he will not be a fortune hunter. Julian is a good man and accepted into all the ton's events. When Portia becomes betrothed to Lord Montrose, Julian is heartbroken but remains her friend. Lord Montrose is a scoundrel who is not above using blackmail to get his way. As Julian stands beside her, Portia realizes that Lord Montrose is not the husband for her. What can she do? Her family will be embarrassed if she calls the marriage off. I enjoyed this book. Some steamy scenes, but funny moments as well. Very romantic. I received this book from Net Galley and the publisher for a honest review.

Julian has been in love with Portia since they met. He was just biding his time until she was ready to marry. But suddenly she announces that she is to marry someone else! But Julian knows that the man she is to marry is not the right one for her and he is determined prove it!

When Portia first meets Julian, she doesn't like him. He spends too much time staring at her. But as time goes on and she gets to know him, she considers him a friend. It wasn't until after she becomes engaged that she learns that he wants more than that from her. As time goes on, she starts to have doubts about marrying her betrothed. But can she risk it all for love?

I really enjoyed Julian and Portia's story. So often it is the female lead that fall in love first, so it was a refreshing treat to have the tables turned this time. This was a great addition to the Distinguished Lords series!

London 1815 Julian, Lord Wade, had relegated himself to the sidelines when it came to Portia Hayes. He had been biding his time, hoping that soon his love would realize he was her best choice for a happy future. They had become friends of a sort and it seemed lately she was feeling an attraction for him. Oh yes, I loved Julian because he really cared about Portia, but he knew with him not having a grand title or small fortune, her parents would push him away as a suitor. He was doing his best to survive with his aunt and a few servants after his father had left them broke.
Portia had many suitors and of course was expected to wed a titled gentleman since her family was not of the peerage, but she did have a handsome dowry. She wants to marry for love but when a Duke out of the blue asked for her hand, she knows she needs to accept because that is what her parents want and it will help her younger sister.
Wait, can you image marrying for a title, someone you do not even know? I have to say, the Duke's proposal left a lot to be desired and it seemed something was up.. Plus when Julian heard about her engagement it was a hard blow.
Well, people are not always as they appear and the Duke was certainly that. It really got interesting as truths became known. A journey for two people to come together that were meant for each other. This story was very well written and I truly enjoyed it.. Although part of a series, it can be read as a standalone..

I really liked this historical read. Portia is expected to marry well by her wealthy yet untitled family. She is proposed to by the Duke of Montrose and she accepts. As she begins to spend more time with him, she realized neither she nor does their peers like him. Julian has become Portia’s friend over the years but her family doesn’t find him acceptable for marriage as he has a title but is broke. Will she choose to go through with a marriage that will make her unhappy? Will Julian tell Portia how he feels about her? Fast-paced read with entertaining characters and a story with plenty of drama. I really liked it.

First and foremost, I received this book from Netgalley. Heather Boyd has done a fabulous job creating this beautiful scenario where the heroine learns slowly but surely that not everything is about titles, but rather about love and happiness. There is a wonderful courtship that slowly develops into a loving relationship. This book is a continuation of her other books but can be read as a stand alone as well.

Lord of Sin is the tenth book in the Distinguished Rogues series. I haven’t ready any of the other books and this did reference some of the earlier books. It was a little confusing because the book referenced events of a murderous and how Lord Julian Wade had kept Portia Hayes safe and how they had stayed in the house that she had inherited. Julian and Portia knew each other for a while, but Portia thought of Julian was just a friend. When the Duke of Montrose proposed she accepted without knowing the duke. She knew she was supposed to make a good match to satisfy her parents. As she came to know the duke, she realized he was not liked by society and had no wish to be in London after they married. Portia loved society and didn’t realize his plans. Julian and his aunt helped Portia to become as popular as she was, but Portia didn’t realize how much they had helped her until people stopped visiting her. Julian loved Portia and was waiting for her to notice him as something besides a friend. He was devastated when he heard of Portia’s engagement. Portia seemed a little spoiled and seemed to not think things through. Julian seemed to be happy to let her keep thinking of him as a friend. He wasn’t assertive at all and came to regret it after Portia’s engagement. Overall it was a good story, but with all the references to the previous book I don’t think it was a good stand-alone book. I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I always enjoy a friends to lovers story:) Julian is such a wonderful friend to Portia but what she doesn't know is that he's in love with her. I felt so bad for him when he had to watch her with other men and yet he did everything he could to make sure she was safe.

Portia is trying to please her family by getting betrothed to a Duke but she soon discovers that he is not a very nice man!! She also realizes that she always feels safe with Julian and even though he has no money, it's him she really wants to marry!!

It's a good thing Julian has patience! It warmed my heart when his dreams finally all come true:) Oh, and I also wanted to feed him, he was much too thin! lol A truly delightful story by Ms. Boyd!!

I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

This was my first book by Heather Boyd and I really enjoyed it! I loved the easiness between Portia and Julian and how they’re friendship slowly became something more. This is definitely a slow burn and I think it worked perfectly for this story. I’ll definitely be checking out this author some more.

3.75*
Review originally published at Romancing Romances.
I received an eARC at no cost from the author, and I am leaving a voluntary and honest review. Thank you.

This was the first book I’ve read by Heather Boyd. And it was a great surprise, especially since this book has a “friends to lovers”, which is one of my favourites.

But I feel like I must point out that we don’t actually have a lot of moments when we can actually see Portia Hayes and Julian Wade as friends, because that seemed to mostly happen in the previous books – which I have not read.

Portia is a bit arrogant and is used to getting everything her way. She’s flirty, a good friend, and independent. And she wants to fulfil her family’s wish, which is for her to marry a high ranking gentleman, so that her family – especially her younger sister – have a better position in the ton. But she wishes to marry for love – or at least to have a happy marriage. And then the duke of Montrose proposes. And she can’t say no.

At first, she thinks it might be a dream, that even though they don’t know each other, he can’t be as bad as everyone else says. And then the invitations start to thin up, and she realizes that the dream life her family wanted wasn’t real. And she decides things have to change.

Julian Wade has been in love with Portia for several years. He thinks that after so long, she will realize that he’s in love with her, and she will fall in love with him as well. Things didn’t work out as he had initially planned but, of course, this is a historical romance, so the HEA is guaranteed.

There are several funny moments during the book, and the romance heats up a bit towards the end. And Portia finally takes control of her life, and she sets everything so that the mean, controlling Montrose gets what he deserves, and she gets her happy ending with Julian.

A great start with this author.

Lord Julian Wade has become a dear confidant to Portia Hayes. He’s proven attentive, honourable, clever, and would make many a lady a fine catch. Julian is almost penniless and Portia is expected to make an advantageous match. Her recent betrothal to the Duke of Montrose thrills her parents, but as she learns of his unfavourable reputation—and equally untenable behaviour—Portia’s happiness is less assured.
This book is the tenth in the series & it could easily be read on its own. We met Julian & Portia in the previous book & they were meant to be together. I’d really liked Julian & Portia in ‘Married by Moonlight' but at the start of this book I didn't warm to either of them, she came across as a spoilt, self-centred debutante & he as a fortune hunter but the more I read the more I warmed to them again & by the time I was half way through I was routing for Julian to win his lady.A well written well paced entertaining book that I read in under a day
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

3.5 stars rounded up.

Miss Portia Hayes is the eldest daughter of a wealthy but untitled family. To satisfy her parents' desire for social climbing and the best possible match for her younger sister, she is expected to marry well. When the Duke of Montrose suddenly proposes, she accepts, knowing this will please her family beyond measure. But the more she comes to know her new fiance in the weeks leading up to the wedding, the more she is repulsed by him, especially as she sees how unpopular he is with the rest of the ton.

Lord Julian, Viscount Wade, has become friend and confidant to Portia over the past couple of years as he eased her way into polite society. Unfortunately, with pockets to let he was labeled a fortune hunter by her family and never considered a suitor, despite his love for her. Nonetheless, with the help of his many friends, he'll do his best to protect Portia from his old enemy's machinations, and make one last ditch effort to win her heart once and for all.

I rounded my rating up for this one because the writing was good and because I have been rather too lenient lately and wanted to be fair. However, Portia and her naivete were tolerable at first, but the more I read the more unbelievable it was and the less I could deal with her. Julian deserved so much better than someone who was really only concerned with titles and her own feelings and totally oblivious to those around her. That said, I really did enjoy the final few chapters once Portia finally got her head on straight and started trying to be herself instead of the perfect debutante.

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