Member Reviews
He was left standing at the altar. She loved a man who looked at her as a sister. Both disappointed in love. Both gave up on love.
But now they have a second chance to see if they can find love again.
I enjoyed this story. I found their developing relationship enjoying to read. They both were able to put their past behind them and concentrate on their future
4.5 stars rounded up.
I want to thank netgalley for the chance to review this book.
This was a delightful and swoon worthy read and the author did not disappoint with Jon and Emma's story.
This story is a bit different in that both main characters are in love with someone else but have had their hearts broken and when circumstances forces them to get married, they both must learn to let go of the past and try to make their marriage work. I loved how they interacted with each other and didn't fight the heated passion that built up between them. The caring and respect went a long way in making this story such a delight.
Both are such strong characters and you can't help but feel so happy for them when they finally reach their HEA. Loved the epilogue as well, made me finish reading the book with a huge grin on my face:)
I was given an ARC of this book and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
Emma Ellingham knows heartbreak and unrequited love, years ago she confessed her love to Sebastian Dodd, the Earl of Tinsdale, who told her he loved her too, as a sister. When Sebastian fell in love and married another, Emma was devastated, she closed off her heart and concentrated on her art, but even that seems to have deserted her. So when Jon Burwell, Viscount Kendall is jilted at the altar, Emma knows his pain and feels empathetic but she doesn’t really give him another thought for almost a year, when their paths cross again.
While exploring her brother in laws property, Emma finds a path she has not taken before, one that leads to an unfamiliar building, her curiosity gets the best of her and she approaches, she knocks and enters, she finds two men working on a machine, one of them is Jon, but it is not Jon that captures her attention – it is his machine, for the first time in years Emma feels the overwhelming desire to draw, she is overjoyed, but her joy is short lived when Jon asks her to leave. She returns home and sketches from memory, but really wants to see the machine again. She returns to the workshop and lets herself in and begins to draw, Jon finds her and sends her away, refusing to let her draw his machine. She leaves, promising not to return until she is invited. But, she hasn’t given up, she will find a way!
Jon is finally beginning to get over Dianna, the woman he loved, the one who left him at the altar and ran off with another man. He has poured all the passion he felt for her into his invention – a threshing machine. His experience with Dianna left him hurt and unable to really trust anyone, which is why he denied Emma. He is in the village when he runs into Dianna, literally. He is shocked to see her and tries to be polite, she is married and her husband inherited a barony with a nearby estate. Jon is not happy to learn she will be living close by and even more upset when Dianna’s husband joins them and is nasty to her. Despite everything she did to him, he still feels outraged on her behalf and has to stop himself from defending her. He is returning home when it begins to rain and he finds Emma lost in the woods. The rain intensifies and they take shelter in his workshop, they share a drink and he tells her of seeing Dianna in the village, she moves to comfort him and trips, he catches her and they share a kiss. She is surprised by the feelings it invokes – but they agree it was a mistake. They fall asleep and Emma wakes at dawn – she bolts, hoping to return home before anyone knows she is gone.
Jon is home getting ready to go see Emma when her brother in law arrives – he thinks it is about Emma, but is stunned to learn that Dianna’s husband had been killed the night before and servants at the house named him as the murderer!! To save Jon, Emma confesses to being with him all night. Her confession saves him, but to save their reputations, they must wed. Can they find happiness or will their past experiences with love keep them from trying to find love again?
This was a well written, well-paced story with likable characters, cameos from previous couples in the series, a murder, steamy love scenes and a HEA complete with an epilogue. I was loving this book right up to about the 85% mark and then it tanked for me. I didn’t care for Emma’s deception, I wasn’t thrilled with resolution of the murder and I was really not happy with the “punishment” the villain got. This is the fourth book in the series, but it can easily be read as a stand-alone title. I enjoyed the book even though the ending was not what I was hoping for and I would be happy to recommend it.
*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher.*
I enjoyed this regency romance. The main characters are easy to like. Both have loved before, aren't looking for love again, but circumstances change.
I didn't care for the other woman and other man drama, plus the awkward admirer.
This really should be named Every Bit a Gentleman; the hero is kind, honorable, and prefers country over town.
There is behind the bedroom door intimacy that happens after marriage and it tastefully described.
I voluntarily read an ARC from Netgalley.
Jon Burwell, Viscount Kendall, deeply in love was left at the alter in the beginning of the book. He’s aware of what the gossips say about him after he was left altar. He’s become a mad recluse working on his mechanical inventions. His quite existence is completely shattered by his encounter with Miss Emma Ellingham, his neighbor's intriguing sister-in-law. Emma has spent the last few years dealing with the consequences of her unrequited love for Sebastian and she feels love is lost to her forever. I love this story of two people who have sworn off love, but desperately needing to be loved finding true love with each other when they least expect it! An excellent story I loved and I voluntarily wrote a review.
I really enjoyed myself while reading this book. I haven't read too many historical romance novels yet but so far so good. I'll admit there was a time or two where the book got kinda slow. There also isn't a massive plot and the characters were just alright. However, it was still a good time to read and I enjoyed the romance enough to finish the book in a 24 hour period.
Jon Burwell was jilted at the altar. Emma Ellingham was rejected by a man who saw her as his sister. When chance sees them spend the night alone together, which must be revealed to prove Jon's innocence, they have to quickly wed. Naturally, romance ensues.
I am a sucker for "married to escape scandal" storylines and this was no exception. I really enjoyed reading about Emma and Jon's deepening relationship and I liked seeing them overcome the pain in their respective pasts, which allowed them to move forward together. You don't usually see depth like that in these romances.
This is my fair and honest review, in my own words, for this ARC. Well told story about two seemingly unusual people. Both having been through some painfully awkward episodes in their pasts. This is not a salacious read, really. Definitely worth your time and money.
4.5 stars
Since he was jilted at the alter nearly a year ago, Jon Burwell, Viscount Kendall has all but retired from society, channeling all of his unspent passion into innovative mechanical inventions. Because of his absence, society has deemed him a half-mad recluse, but he has no care for London gossips.
Emma Ellingham has found solace in her art since her own love did not reciprocate her feelings, but now she has lost her creative spark. Her ideas begin to flow again when she inadvertently finds Lord Kendall's workshop and sees his new machine. She finds the man who invented it to be even more interesting and their repeated encounters shake up his quiet life.
When Jon finds himself accused of murder, Emma sacrifices her reputation to prove the truth of his innocence, obliging them to marry in hopes of mitigating further scandal. There's plenty of desire between them but they've both been hurt before and are afraid of opening their hearts again and their happiness is far from assured.
This was a lovely, well-written story. There was a slight lag in the second half as compared to the first, but the writing was so lovely that I really didn't mind. Both Jon and Emma had past hurts to overcome and I almost lost patience with Emma, but she eventually redeemed herself and Jon was really lovely. I was pleased to see these two work out their issues in a mature way without a lot of unnecessary or over-the-top angst, which I had feared would happen given Emma's unrequited love storyline. These two wound up being great together and I loved the writing so much I now want to go back and read the rest of the series.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
4.5 stars
I enjoyed this book. I haven't read the previous ones. Jon is jilted on his wedding day. Emma is staying with her sister who is married and lives next door to Jon. About a year later Emma, who has lost her artistic muse, is walking through the woods and comes upon Jon's workshop and is fascinated artistically with his mechanical project. The romance starts quite quietly. Emma's sister wants her to have a season so she will have the chance of meeting a husband. Emma has suffered unrequited love and is not keen. She has this in common with Jon, though they don't discuss it. There's more than kissing and the passionate scenes are well written but this is in a context of marraige for those squeamish about such things! There's a murder and the ex fiancee returns and Emma also has to face her demons. Adrienne is a new author to me and I might look out for other of her stories.
I recommend this story and hope you enjoy it as well.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I thought that this was a really good story!
It was a very well written, the characters were strong and Adrienne has really captured the feelings with their interaction - it was very well developed and I thought that the plot was very good too.
The descriptive nature and attention to detail was great and I could picture the surroundings as I was reading.
It is 5 stars from me for this one - it is definitely one I will be very highly recommending!
This is my first book by Adrienne Basso, and man did I feel lost. I am used to not having to read every book in a series to know whats going on. Most books will have a short summary but this one did not, it was also hard to read as large pieces of the story were told out of order; at least that's how it felt reading it. I just couldn't get into the book for the first half.
I stuck with it and it was a decent love story, nothing too crazy, and was believable. It has dual pov, which is something I like, as it gives you insight into both characters mind sets. I loved the playful banter between the hero and heroine.
overall it was an okay story, but I know it would have been so much better if I had read the previous two stories.
I enjoyed Every Bit a Rogue. It’s the story of a viscount who is abandoned at the alter and an artist Miss who has been the victim of unrequited love. Their marriage is the result of circumstance, but their union is rich with the inevitability of love. It’s an undemanding read and an easy one to recommend.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Jon and Emma's story was absolutely wonderful. Never having read a book by Ms. Basso, I didn't know what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised. I couldn't put this book down once I started it. A great read.
Every Bit a Rogue is the fourth book in The Ellinghams series.
Rating: 4 stars
I really liked it. The main characters were very likable and I liked how their romance took a nice pace to grow. They are at first very attracted to each other and are compatible during sexy times. Though they feel this connection to each other they are both hesitant to take it one step further, which is to open up their hearts to one another. I liked how they felt overwhelmed with their feelings and did not know what to do with them. This is because they had had their hearts broken when they believed themselves in love with someone before.
I have not read the previous three books in the series but I feel this one could be read as a stand alone. Previous characters do appear but the author did a good job of giving us little tidbits of how they connected to Emma and Jon.
Thank you to Kensington Books (Zebra) for the ARC provided through NetGalley for review.
This is a fantastic read!!
Jon the jilted groom and Emma the heartbroken & somewhat scandalised single woman. Match made in heaven - if only they can give love a chance.
Loved the dual POV & the witty banter between the characters. Great supporting characters. It’s an emotional slow burn with a good dose of heat for a HR Story. Even though it’s book 4 it can easily be read as a stand-alone. Definitely recommend.
Jon Burwell, Viscount Kendall, never expected to be trapped into marriage by Miss Emma Ellingham. It was an innocent encounter that had them sheltering in his workshop during a torrential rain storm. Unfortunately, both of them fell asleep and unless Jon steps up to propose, Emma's reputation will be ruined. Emma reluctantly agrees to marry the handsome viscount, but how can she love him when her heart belongs to another.
This was a nice read, but without a lot of drama. Jon and Emma get married and eventually fall in love, end of story. I thought Jon would race to London and confront Emma about her secret, but that didn't happen either. The mystery wasn't much of a mystery for me. So if you want an easy read with some hot sex scenes, this is the book for you.
The only trouble I had with Adrienne Basso's "Every Bit a Rogue" is that her hero is NOT a rogue. He is a good, hard-working man, jilted at the altar but not the cold-hearted survivor so common in heroes of other books or any sort of rogue.
Jon Burwell, Viscount Kendall, abandoned at the altar, throws himself into science, attempting an invention that will save time threshing. His neighbor's sister-in-law, Emma Ellingham, is intriguing but he's too busy to pay much attention, even when she shows up at his workshed and his fascinated by his machinery. She has her own problems, which cause her to lose her passion for painting. The machine revives her and she is drawn again and again to the workshed, despite the Viscount wishing her far away — he wants no distractions.
When she sacrifices her reputation — they are stuck at the shed overnight because of weather, an old trope — to save him from being arrested for murder, they marry. How they move from friends to lovers and then to two people deeply in love is a satisfying story, one that thankfully lacks silly misunderstandings.
Kendall's ex-fiance is in the picture, but Emma doesn't believe he is going to be unfaithful just because the other woman is beautiful. Emma has her own past, an unrequited love from her youth, and when Kendall finds out, he doesn't immediately become overwrought. He trusts her to put things to right. That they both have somewhat broken hearts but heal together and move toward a bright future is simply lovely. (I received a NetGalley advance copy of this book; opinions are my own.)
For me this was a solid 3 star read. It is an easy story of the burgeoning love between two people who are experienced with heartbreak. The viscount inventor is a solid charming man and the almost spinster next door makes for a lovely romantic interest. The story is sweet and meandering.
Unfortunately there are just too many elements in this story for anything to be truly gripping. A good editing might have helped the author weed out the excesses and focus in on the more compelling dramas. The mystery component was a great start but it needed more. The burgeoning love between two characters married suddenly could’ve had stronger focus.
In the end I think this would be a lovely beach read. Nothing straining, nothing desperate, easy fun.
*I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. *
This was a nice read, but it wasn't a particular stand-out for me. The romance developed nicely, but I thought both hero and heroine were a little bit bland and I struggled to connect with them - life seemed too straightforward for them, despite the twists and turns of the plot (including, even, the murder of one of their peers and the hero being framed for it). Perfectly sweet to spend an afternoon reading, but not a favourite.
Also, the title made absolutely no sense to me. Jon wasn't a rogue in any sense of the word.