When I saw the Sylvia Day was headlining a historical romance anthology, I knew it would be steamy and I was not disappointed!

The Arrangement also features Minerva Spencer and Kristin Vayden and unlike many anthologies out there, I found each other equally strong. I found Day’s and Spencer’s novellas more on the erotic romance spectrum with Vayden’s at a slightly lower heat level.

The common thread in the three novellas is with their heroines, who find themselves at a disadvantage due their station in life and/or circumstances. However, what I l enjoyed about these stories was that none of them were waiting to be rescued and they were to the best of their ability making the most of their situations. The authors also didn’t fall into the trap of making their heroes overbearing and alphaholes, and I appreciated how the authors dealt with the uneven power dynamics in a historical setting.

This was a fun and easy read and I look forward to searching out books from Spencer and Vayden who were new to me.

Arc provided by publisher through Netgalley.

Supply and demand--marriage by chance or choice?

Three stories joined together by the 'marriage of convenience' trope. Each story is very different from the normal take in most instances. Of course some racey scenes present, as do those of friendship, acceptance and understanding. After all when passion takes a hand a viewpoint can skew.
I really enjoyed how each author tackled the joining thread.
Well written novellas that come together to produce a heartily appreciated read!

Mischief and the Marquess by Sylvia Day
“Who knew such mischief could hide beneath the exterior of an angel?”
Justin, the Marquess of Fontaine, and Lady Sophie Milton-Riley are subjected to attempts by their mothers to reunite them. Misunderstandings and a checkered past are amongst the things these two must overcome if they so choose. Humor plays a part, as does re-examining the past to move forward into the future.
 
The Duke's Treasure by Minerva Spencer
Well this was rather more a raunchy read than racey. When Beaumont Halliwell, the impoverished Fifth Duke of Wroxton, needs an heiress, Josephine Loman becomes his bride. Jo has always been attracted to Beau but he had eyes only for her friend. A history exists between Beau, his new Duchess and his brother's widow, now the Dowager Duchess. And then there's his mother! As Beau so aptly ponders, "What man deserved to be stuck with three ... duchesses?" But stuck Beau is and its up to him and Jo to overcome any hurdles to their marriage of convenience. And Jo? She has her own reasons for choosing marriage.

The Inconvenient Countess by Kristin Vayden
Charles Brook, Earl of Barrington, "realized a sobering truth. He was in danger. Danger of actually liking his wife", Diana Katherine Lambson, the eldest daughter of a poverty stricken family who chose this marriage of convenience. But what are the chances for something more?

A Kensington Books ARC via NetGalley

Mischief and the Marquess by Sylvia Day
Justin, the Marquis of Fontaine, and Lady Sophie Milton-Riley, are completely ill-suited to one another. But they will have to prove it in order to end to their mothers' insistence that they should marry. A hot short story that I read in a sitting
The Duke's Treasure by Minerva Spencer
Plain, prickly Josephine Loman has loved Beaumont Halliwell, the Fifth Duke of Wroxton, since the first time she saw him five years ago. But the most beautiful man she's ever met had eyes only for Jo's erstwhile friend Victoria, who betrayed Beau's trust by marrying his brother. Beau hasn't been home in years, but when his brother dies in an accident, he must marry to save the impoverished dukedom. And Jo is the overlooked heiress who will turn his world upside down. Oh my this novella packs a punch, very well written, strong characters, I found it to be a page turner & read it in a sitting. My Only quibble was that I wished it had been longer
The Inconvenient Countess by Kristin Vayden
As the eldest in a poverty-stricken family of daughters, Miss Diana Katherine Lambson's only option is a marriage of convenience. Her only prospect is a rogue with a miserable reputation. Her only true desire: freedom. And that is exactly what Charles Brook, Earl of Barrington, is willing to offer, in return for the respectability their union will give him. He will even provide Diana with a contract. Different from the other two novellas but still a well written engaging read with strong characters & it flowed effortlessly.
Three well written novellas from authors who I love & these short stories didn’t disappoint.
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

This is an engaging collection of three stories.
Mischief and the Marquess by Sylvia Day 5*
Lady Sarah is at the home of The Marquess is Fontaine (Justin). They had known each other as children. Sarah has always had a sense of mischief and liked being able to shock Justin, as she felt he was too serious. Justin’s mother and Sarah’s grandmother are attempting to play matchmaker. There was some amusing chat between Justin and his mother, the latter not being shy to discuss sexual matters. However, as much as they are attracted to each other, there is a scandal that will prevent their marriage. A very entertaining tale with hot passionate scenes.
The Duke’s Treasure 5*
I think this was my favourite. This was a marriage of convenience for money. Beau, the Duke of Wroxton needs the money that Josephine Loman would bring to their marriage. Jo had always liked Beau but he had never noticed her. This was such a good read, I liked the honesty that Jo and Beau brought to their marriage. A vindictive ex comes to stir up trouble between the newly weds.
The Inconvenient Countess by Kristen Vayden 4*
Charles Brook, Earl of Barrington needs to marry for business reasons. Miss Diana Lambson also has financial problems, due to her father’s death and she is left to care for her mother and sisters. They enter a marriage of convenience to help each other. They become friends but could it develop into more? An entertaining read.
I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Arrangement by Sylvia Day, Minerva Spencer & Kristin Vayden

Thoroughly enjoyed this collection of steamy historical romances!

MISCHIEF AND THE MARQUESS BY SYLVIA DAY
Fun romp that sees two people that were probably meant to be together earlier finally get together in spite of the choices they made earlier in life. My take on this was that the two assumed many things about one another that were not true and once those “things” were dismissed they ended up having much in common allowing themselves the HEA they so richly deserved.

THE DUKE’S TREASURE BY MINERVA SPENCER
Marrying for money is what Beau must do to fix his recently inherited dukedom. He knows he wants more from marriage than his parents and others of his class have managed so sets out on the path to a happier relationship with Jo than she was expecting. She is feisty and he has a heart of gold. Enjoyed this one.

AN INCONVENIENT COUNTESS BY KRISTIN VAYDEN
This is probably my favorite. I loved the way this couple found more than they bargained on when their marriage of convenience was arranged. The first laugh in the carriage after the nuptials was so much fun and it only got better from there. I truly enjoyed meeting Brock and Diana and felt they were well matched and would have a happy life together forever.

Did I enjoy these stories? Yes
Would I read more by these authors? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

I love Sylvia Day, so I was really for this collection. However, Sylvia Day's story was actually the one I was least impressed with. It took me a long time to get into it because I wasn't particularly interested in any of the characters. I liked Minerva Spencer's the best. I think her story was the most interesting and had the best chemistry between the main characters.

The Arrangement is a wonderful anthology of sweet, heartfelt historical romance novellas. It includes Mischief and the Marquess by Sylvia Day, The Duke's Treasure by Minerva Spencer and The Inconvenient Countess by Kristin Vayden. While each story may be short, they certainly pack a punch and I absolutely loved each one.

The Mischief and the Marquess is a story of second chances and choices. Justin, the Marquess of Fontaine, has been in love with Lady Sophie since they were young children but things didn't work out. Now all grown up, fate (and meddling family members) have other plans for the recently widowed Lady Sophie and Justin as they attempt to prove how ill-suited they are for each other. I loved Sylvia's writing style in this story and enjoyed Justin's pursuit of Sophie immensely. It was a novella that didn't feel like a novella because it contained quite a lot in so few words. A solid 4 stars!

The Duke's Treasure was incredibly delightful! Josephine Loman may consider herself plain but the lovely woman is anything but. She has been in love with Beaumont Halliwell, Duke of Wroxton, for years but he has unfortunately been smitten with her "friend" and therefore never paid her any attention. Now circumstances have changed and the two become wed for their own personal reasons, thus beginning the process of starting over. I think this story was my favourite of the three. I found Josephine to be so sweet and down to earth despite her hardships growing up and loved the way she and Beau really talked things out to ensure they made the best of the marriage. Communication is one of those things that can be lost in many books these days but Minerva really tackled this so well! 4 stars!

I adore the marriage of convenience trope and The Inconvenient Countess delivers in spades. Miss Diana Lambson is the eldest in a poverty-stricken family and needs to marry to help her loved ones. Despite his scoundrel reputation, Miss Diana enlists the help of Charles Brook, Earl of Barrington, and a sweet relationship blossoms. This story was by far the shortest and I wished there was more but I thoroughly enjoyed what I read. I adored Diana and Charles so much and loved their relationship's development. There was no insta-love and it didn't feel rushed at all which can often happen in short stories. Another 4 stars!

If you enjoy regency romances and want some fun, fast-paced stories, I highly recommend The Arrangement!

The Arrangement is a captivating set of three short stories that sweep you away from the beginning. A friends to lovers romance and an arranged marriage will keep you turning pages to see what happens next. The characters are engaging with intriguing backstories. The Arrangement is full of steamy feel-good romance perfect for anyone who loves a steamy romantic read!

MISCHIEF AND THE MARQUESS by Sylvia Day
Justin, the Marquess of Fontaine, and Lady Sophie Milton-Riley are being brought together by their matchmaking mothers. Justin needs to get married and Sophie is eligible... well, not really. She's had a child out of wedlock. But Justin doesn't seem to mind; it's just Sophie. She would prefer to prove that they are incompatible. Except that they aren't...

I couldn't connect to either of these characters and it was even harder than the usual novella issues. Two and a half stars.

THE DUKE’S TREASURE by Minerva Spencer
Beaumont Halliwell, the Fifth Duke of Wroxton, needs a wealthy wife and fast. Josephine Loman's father is dying but he wants her to improve her station in life so he marries her off to Beau, telling Beau not to let her come back. Beau obeys but as he starts to get to know his wife, he realizes that he may have been hasty in assuming that a low-born woman would not be his perfect match and that he wants her to be happy in all things.

Better than the first story, this one still has a lot going on with back stories and current stories and it feels like the ending was a bit forced. Three stars.

THE INCONVENIENT COUNTESS by Kristin Vayden
Miss Diana Katherine Lambson is out of options. After her father's death, he left only debts. Her only choice is to marry Charles Brook, Earl of Barrington, who wants her family's land. While her father had strictly forbade it, Diana wants to take that chance in order to save her mother and sisters.

My favorite, this could have been a longer novel and I would have been perfectly content because it would have filled in the cracks. Three and a half stars.

Three stars
This book comes out January 28th
ARC kindly provided by Kensington Books and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

I think I expected a bit more plot. This had sex scene after sex scene and no character development whatsoever. Very dissapointed.

Mischief and the Marquess by Sylvia Day
Deet's review: Sizzling, smoking, on fire, this is very explicit and if you don't like that much sex than it is not for you. I don't know if it is for me either. I have no objections to sex scenes but when they comprise most of the book then it becomes overload. Sylvia Day can write a good story and the side characters are certainly entertaining, so for that it gets 4-stars.
 
THE DUKE’S TREASURE by Minerva Spencer
Deet's review: Minerva Spencer blew me away last year with her THE OUTCASTS series, so I was expecting a good read here. She never disappoints! This is a marriage of convenience story. Beau needs Jo's money and Jo has been infatuated with Beau for years yet he has no recollection of her. The reader longs for Beau to fall for Josephine, but we wonder if Beau's former love Victoria will get in the way. This one gets 5-stars.
 
THE INCONVENIENT COUNTESS by Kristin Vayden
Deet's review: This was a unique take on the marriage of convenience trope. Charles and Diana are together for their mutual benefit. Diana to see that her mother and sisters are taken care of and Charles to devise the appearance of respectability so that he can complete a business deal. They quickly discover that they have a love match and of course there are problems. This story was well developed and written well. I give it 4-stars.

Thanks go to the publisher and Net-Galley for the chance to read and review The Arrangement by Sylvia Day, Minerva Spencer and Kritin Vayden prior to publication. My opinions are my own and are not influenced in any way.

Mischief and the Marquess by Sylvia Day

This novella offers aspects of a Sylvia Day romance. Hot love scenes, sure to sizzle are definitely a part of this story. For me though, I would have preferred a bit more emphasis on the emotions of the developing romance. This is a short novella, so there isn’t much character development. Nonetheless, this is an enjoyable read and is a strong4/5 Gold Crowns.

The Duke’s Treasure by Minerva Spencer

I thoroughly enjoyed the romance between Josephine and Beau. The Duke’s Treasure has an excellent plot and good character development. The writing flows well and the pacing is perfect. The romance, while clearly sexually, the emotional connection between the couple is easily apparent. I will definitely be looking for more from Ms. Spencer. This is a wonder novella and easily earns 5/5 God Crowns!

An Inconvenient Countess by Kristin Vayden

I loved this great story between Diana and Brook. They are perfect for each other, and I wanted the love to grow between them. It does beautifully with plenty of emotions between them the hero’s character arch is amazing for a short novella. I’m glad I had an opportunity to read the love story between Diana and Brook. I will be looking for other books by Ms. Vayden. This heartwarming novella earns 4.5/5 Gold Crowns.

If you enjoy Regency romances with strong characters with interest plots, then you will enjoy this charming collection of stories. I recommend this lovely anthology. Each story is unique in its own way. Happy reading!

The Arrangement by
Sylvia Day
Minerva Spencer
Kristin Vayden

#review #preorder #outJan28th #historicalromance

⭐⭐⭐

I am a massive fan of Sylvia Day’s writing, she manages to bring about such intensity within her characters, passion, rage, heartbreak, whatever emotion it is, the feeling practically emanates off the page and into the reader’s heart. But, in Mischief and the Marquess, I feel like we missed out on something big, something that could have turned a good love story into a great one. I really liked the second chance romance aspect of it, or rather the first time around missed opportunity love story, it added angst and longing and connection. It certainly still had Sylvia Day’s signature heat when it came to the more intimate scenes but for me there was just something missing. I did absolutely adore getting to see Remington again, whom you might remember from one of Sylvia Day’s other fantastic full-length historical romance novels.

‘“You overwhelm me. I cannot think or breathe.”

“And I am undone.” His mouth was moving over her bared skin. Nipping, licking, biting. “This is passion, Sophie. Need and hunger.”

Minerva Spencer’s story was a fun and quirky romance. I do love a good marriage of convenience plot and this one did it very well indeed. It managed to be humorous, deeply romantic, well-paced, with a dose of sadness and heartbreak and scenes just full of heat and heart, which is precisely how a romance should be. However, author Minerva Spencer also added in a little kink and jealousy to spice up the already stellar storyline.

‘His nostrils flared. “Did you like what you saw, Josephine?”

She gasped, her face blazing. “Of course not.”

“We really must cure you of this disturbing propensity to lie,” he said, his eyes narrowed as he easily pulled her onto his hard, hot body. “I’m going to check and see if you really are as repulsed as you say.”’

Finally we come to Kristin Vayden’s marriage of convenience story. This one was probably my least favourite of the three and that was mainly due to the hero. I just could not connect to him at all and his “Devil’s bachelor” moniker. Even though he redeems himself and falls irrevocably in love with our wonderful and truly selfless heroine, Diana, I felt that Brooks just fell short on being an admirable hero. It was a nice read and I detest using the word nice, it sounds so tepid, but unfortunately for me, it was only an okay love story.

‘Sex didn’t require love. It didn’t even require like. But she was indeed afraid for the first time since they started their lovemaking. Because while sex didn’t require those things...she had the sinking sensation that it led to them. And falling for her husband was out of the question. Wasn’t it?’

Now, I’m going to tell you that this collection was a fun way to pass the time, but it in no way is worth the Pre-order of £9.11 on ebook, this is just way too steep in price for three historical romances that aren’t even full length books. Especially when you might come out like myself, enjoying one out of the three stories.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The Arrangement features three historical fiction novellas by three different authors. Sylvia Day is the only author I’ve read before. I enjoyed each of the stories and they were just the right length for some before-bed reading.

Mischief and the Marquess by Sylvia Day

Lady Sophie has known the Marquess of Fontaine, Justin, since she was a kid. She mistook his sincere protectiveness as aloofness and superiority. So much that when it came time to marry she chose another, never knowing Justin had been in love for years. After her betrothed passes, leaving her with a tattered reputation, she leaves the ton, only to return to visit Justin's family with her grandmother. Knowing its a scheme to get them together, she enlisted Justin's help to show how unsuitable they really are. Problem is the more she tries to show they aren't a match the more she thinks they might be. It is a friends to lovers story and worth the read.

The Duke's Treasure by Minerva Spencer

The story of Beaumont Halliwell, Duke of Wroxton, and Josephine Loman is a very quick novella. It starts out at their wedding, Joesphine is elated as she has loved the duke for years, secretly of course. The marriage is one of convenience and happens because the Duke needs the money her dowry will provide. It was nice to see them fall in love gradually and was a good cute novella.

The Inconvenient Countess by Kristin Vayden

Diana Lambson's family is destitute after her father's passing. Willing to do whatever is necessary to take care of her four siblings she agrees to marry Charles Brook, Earl of Barrington. The Earl has led a hard life that has naturally led to a bad reputation, this reputation is what is keeping him from a lucrative business deal. Thus the marriage of convenience is required to bring him respectability. Their love is quickly found, which is a little off-putting as i would like to have seen more hints of it before we were told it was there. But it is a good little novella.

Overall I enjoyed the three novellas and look forward to reading more from these authors.

Mischief and the Marquess by Sylvia Day: Childhood friends Justin and Lady Sophie have always been opposites and are surely ill-suited. Their mothers think differently and Justin, now the Marquess of Fontaine, is coming to agree with them. He's always loved Sophie, but with her scandalous reputation, convincing her they can have a future together won't be easy.

I'm a sucker for the 'I've loved you for years' premise and this was a sweet second chance story. It's a novella, so of course everything came together rapidly but Justin was a lovely hero and he and Sophie made a great couple.

The Duke's Treasure by Minerva Spencer: Former solider Beaumont Halliwell has finally returned home after his older brother's death and must assume responsibility for the impoverished dukedom. As the new Duke of Wroxton, Beau is drowning in debt and must marry for money. Shrewish, plain-looking Josephine Loman has been fixated by Beau since she first saw him, but he doesn't even remember her. Beau is filled with rage at his entire situation and, especially since his former fiance betrayed him to marry his brother, Beau has no use for marriage. Though their situation is forced, Jo finally has the man of her dreams and Beau just might find himself happy as well, if he can see the benefits of his unwanted circumstances.

I love this author and her writing is great, but this one was not for me at all. I couldn't stand Beau as a hero, he had to many other woman issues for me, and shrewish Jo wasn't much better. I did appreciate their maturity in communicating with each other, but that was about it, not to mention her father's death hanging over the whole thing along with an abrupt ending, although even fleshed out into a full length book, I'm still not sure I'd have liked the main characters.

The Inconvenient Countess by Kristin Vayden: Diana Lambson is the eldest of five sisters and with the death of their father and the despondency of their mother, it falls to her to save the family. Charles Brook, the Earl of Barrington, needs to repair his reputation to ensure the completion of a business deal. When he proposes a marriage of convenience to solve both of their problems, Diana is hard-pressed to refuse and even more surprised to find she actually likes her new husband.

I enjoyed this short story; it's always nice to see a reformed rake and the friendship that developed between Diana and Brook was endearing.

This was a solid set and I especially enjoyed the first and last stories.

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

Three historical romance novellas in one set is a good way to become familiar with the work of the authors. I was already familiar with Silvia Day, but not her historical writing, and Minerva Spencer and Kristin Vayden were knew to me. I realize now that I prefer Day's modern stories, I had a hard time getting into this one, but I think this is just a personal preference.

Mischief and the Marquess by Sylvia Day
It has been a wile since I have read a book by Sylvia Day. I missed this story in her historical catalog so it was fresh and new to me. Wow, for a short story I thought this one packed a huge punch and I love how Justin did not let other people’s small-mindedness keep him from declaring and pursuing his love. Justin and Sophie are destined to be together. The ending was so lovely with their growing family. My problem is I wanted more of their story.

The Duke's Treasure by Minerva Spencer
At the start of this story I thought “oh no, a misunderstanding that goes on way too long”. How wrong I was. Beau is very upfront with his thoughts and ideas and satisfyingly enough so is Josephine. Their discussions were always on-point and very refreshing. Thank you Ms. Spencer. This is a wonderful story of love blossoming on Beau’s part and coming to fruition on Josephine’s part. I loved this story. Once again, I wish it were longer.

The Inconvenient Countess by Kristin Vayden
Unbelievably good! WOW! Ms. Vayden really brings out all of the stops in this story. It has a marriage of convenience, a naughty hero and heroine and a wonderful story to pull it all together. Brook and Diana are perfect and their story is such a delight to read. I have read a few of Ms. Vayden’s books and this one, even short as it is, is right at the top.

Loved reading all three of the historical romances. Mischief & the Marquess by Sylvia Day, The Duke's Treasure by Minerva Spencer, and The Inconvenient Countess by Kristin Vayden by three outstanding authors, beautifully written, full of passion, and romance.
I reviewed a copy of the book through NetGalley.

Three historical romance novellas from such talented authors make up ‘The Arrangement’, make for a fascinating read. I was captivated from start to finish.
‘Mischief and the Marquess’ by Sylvia Day, tells the story of two childhood friends, Lady Sophie Milton-Riley and Justin, the Marquess of Fontaine who reunite several years later, with a little help from family matchmakers. Two great characters with such amazing chemistry, supported by interesting secondary characters.
‘The Duke's Treasure’ by Minerva Spencer, tells of a marriage of convenience between Beaumont Halliwell, the Fifth Duke of Wroxton, and Josephine Loman. However, the interesting feature of this story is that Jo been captivated by him for several years. The gradual development of their relationship after marriage was well told, with frank dialogue between the couple.
‘The Inconvenient Countess’ by Kristin Vayden also explores the marriage of convenience angle. Diana Lambson agrees to marry Charles Brook, the Earl of Barrington to save her family’s estate and Brook agrees, to gain himself some respectability. What starts as a business arrangement, quickly develops into a beautiful romance.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.