Simply a marvelous story in the series. I really enjoyed the romance aspect and loved the characters. Excellent writing.

Juliana Shelley is the last of the Shelly triplets, she’s had quite the scar that has left her scarred for life by the madman everyone is searching for and another man she can’t seem to forget. She longs for adventure and to be recognized for her own self. She attends the wicked Donville Masquerade determined to lose her virginity, looking for trouble and finds a handsome, masked stranger, or so she thinks. Ellis Maitland is trouble, he kidnapped one of the Shelly sisters and has left another on scarred for life so when he realizes Julianna is need of rescuing he intercedes to stop her reckless actions. Ellis is out to right a wrong when he set in motion a devastating scheme that has turned a madman an loose on the Shelly sisters and their families. Ellis knows he’s the only one to end this reign of terror and he’s determined to keep Julianne safe. I love these two as they grow to accept their feeling for one another. Will Julianne the rich girl and Ellis the dangerous street kid from nowhere have a future, love knows know boundaries and the heart wants what it wants!!! An excellent story I loved and I voluntarily wrote a review.

Juliana comes into her own!

Oh my, the third Shelley sister, Juliana (the quiet fixer of the family) might just end up being the most scandalous of the lot. As they say "watch out for the quiet ones!"
And the Shelley cohort and Ellis 'Hansome" Maitland had reason to beware because when Juliana fixed her sights on something nothing would get in her way--all accomplished in a quietly determined manner.
Comprehending that she would never marry now that she was disfigured (a scar on her face), and with the realization that her father had decided to selfishly retain her into spinsterhood, as his secretary and hostess, at his beck and call for as long as he lived.
Feeling berefit, seperated from the closeness she and her triplet sisters once shared, lost even, Juliana decides to take the opportunity to experience life at an exclusive club renowned for being a meeting place for illicit relations.
Needless to say, whom does she run into, but Ellis. Provoking him almost beyond endurance Juliana sets them both on a path of passion and danger.
Danger because Winston Leonard is stalking her family to find the lost emerald and dangerous because Juliana's response to Eliot, was well and truly reciprocated, making the situation more volatile than they both imagined.
The bad boy with the true heart, the quiet woman with hidden depths, this was always destined to be a lethal combination!
The road to a HEA is strewn with boulders, making for a tantalizing and exciting read.

A Passionate Pen ARC via NetGalley

A Counterfeit Courtesan by Jess Michaels
The Shelley Sisters #3

Three women with the same face.
Nobody can tell them apart.
They are the same but also very different.
The series tells their stories one by one and
This one is Juliana’s
And the conclusion of the tale of the Shelley Sisters...

Unless...there is a spin-off that takes us to the “underground” other perhaps to the next generation.

In book one Juliana and Harcourt found one another
In book two we heard how Anne, who ran away, found her HEA with Rook
In book three we find out how Juliana found strength, purpose and her HEA with Ellis

What I liked:
* Juliana: dealing with changes but willing to at least find some happiness and pleasure before she settled down into spinsterhood. She went after what she wanted and didn’t take no for an answer.
* Ellis: dealing with guilt and wanting to protect those he cares about is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to keep them safe – and – he really really likes Juliana.
* The fact that the couples from the previous books made appearances
* The bad guy got his comeuppance
* The steamy scenes were HOT
* The introduction of characters I hope will show up in a new series (Marcus, Golden, Reginald, Gabriel and perhaps others?)

What I did not like:
* Winston Leonard: a truly evil character that deserved rabid dog justice
* The triplets father: a waste of space and very selfish
* Having to say goodbye to this set of characters

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more books by this author? Without a doubt!

Thank you to NetGalley and The Passionate Pen for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars

This is the third and final book in the Shelley Sisters Trilogy which centers around an oddity of the time: identical triplet sisters. Given that the mystery about the H and his motives in this story has been building since book 1, I would recommend reading the first two books in the series before reading this one. Please note that there are some spoilers in this review if you have not read books 1 and 2.

Juliana is the middle triplet who has always been the "fixer." With Anne (the eldest) seemingly intent on creating drama and getting into trouble and Thomasina (youngest) doing all she can to please everyone around her, Juliana was always the one to clean up the messes and keep her sisters in check. While the role could be tiresome, she has since realized how much she misses it as both of her sisters are blissfully married to men that they love deeply. While Juliana does not begrudge them their happiness (and is, in truth, thrilled for both of them), she cannot help but feel a little jealous knowing that she will never be their go-to person in the future and that she will also likely never marry at all. Most of society (and even their own father) has never been able to tell them apart; each woman hoped that they would some day be recognized as distinctly separate individuals. As Juliana has recently learned... be careful what you wish for. Towards the end of book 2, her sister Anne returned with Rook (cousin to ladies' man and long-time street thief Ellis Maitland), Winston Leonard (4th son of a Duke and overall despicable man) sought to take her from him to coerce Rook into giving him back what his cousin Ellis had stolen: a precious gem. Believing that he had kidnapped Anne when he really had Juliana, he attempted to lure Rook to bring Winston what he wanted, and he planned to extract his revenge one way or another. When Ellis confronted Winston, Juliana was caught in the middle, and Winston carved a deep slash into her cheek. As she now has a prominent scar across her face, she is very easily discerned from her sisters, but not for the reasons she wanted to be. Believing that no man will have her, she has decided to take matters into her own hands and seek pleasure once in her life so that she will have experienced what she has only imagined and seen in the crude illustrations of a naughty book she once found in her father's library.

After being cast out of his home at a young age, Ellis "Handsome" Maitland has made his living off his good looks: specifically, he runs love games on women who get what they want (a skilled and handsome lover) as he collects his "fees" in the form of jewels and trinkets they'll never miss. Though he has never had any qualms about his unconventional way of living, he had never involved an innocent in his schemes until he felt he had no choice as the only people he loves lives were threatened if he did not return the jewel he stole from Winston Leonard (who reneged on paying him and his accomplice/friend what they were owed for doing "work" for him). The problem is that Ellis has no idea where the gem is as his friend hid it well, and when Winston murdered the man in retaliation, the location of the nearly priceless treasure died with him... Except Ellis is certain that his brother Jasper, Anne's intended, must have come across it when he inherited his brother's title of Earl and his belongings. In order to force Jasper's hand, he seduced and convinced a very unhappy Anne to run away with him so that he could leverage her to get Jasper to cough up the goods. As discovered in book 1, Jasper's heart truly belonged to Thomasina and vice versa, so when Ellis's plans failed, he became even more desperate to keep those he loves safe and is now trying to hunt down Winston, the bastard who killed his friend, threatens his loved ones, and scarred an innocent woman's face before going into hiding. He believes the only way to accomplish ridding the world of this villain is to kill Winston himself, which he knows is a suicide mission as he would surely be hanged for killing a duke's son. Ellis is resigned to this fate; he knew his lifestyle would never lead to a long existence, and if he can sacrifice himself to save his brother and cousin, he will do it.

As Ellis sips a whiskey while formulating his plans at a friend's scandalous sex club masquerade, he spots an anomaly: an innocent doing her best to blend in but too obviously startled by the activities taking place around her. When he looks more closely, he realizes it is Juliana behind the mask - the woman who has haunted his thoughts and dreams since he held her after she was attacked and scarred by his nemesis. When he waylays her plans to debauch herself, she is infuriated. But then she comes up with a thought... what if Ellis is the one who teaches her about pleasure? In return, she can feed him information about what her sisters' husbands are learning in their pursuit of Winston to help him succeed in ending that threat. But Ellis feels unworthy of such a pure and beautiful woman; thus, he attempts to thwart her efforts at seduction in as many ways as he can. How long will he be able to deny the feelings Juliana invokes in him that no other woman ever has? Can Juliana assist in tracking down Winston without putting herself in harm's way? Will Ellis give into his and her needs to keep her safe, at least until he reaches his secret end game?

What I liked:
--- I was concerned that I wouldn't find Ellis a sympathetic H after what he had done in the first 2 books, but Ms. Michaels did an outstanding job of giving him a voice in this story that helped explain the level of desperation that led to his actions
--- The H/h combos from the first two books were pretty heavily involved in this one (another reason I would recommend reading books 1 & 2 before reading this book), which was nice to see everyone together and revisit them
--- There was even an appearance by a H from another of Ms. Michaels' series: Marcus Rivers (Notorious Flynns, book 2: The Scoundrel's Lover) - seems like this one may have taken place before Marcus' story bc there was no allusion or mention of his wife in it (and he was in this story quite a few times), but I would have to go back for a re-read to be sure bc it has been awhile
--- Suspense/Mystery kept me glued to the pages, especially since this was the final book where it would all come together
--- Steamy goodness galore!

What I didn't like as much:
--- A little too much on the will they/won't they - I get that Ellis was trying to keep Juliana safe from both him and Winston Leonard, but he went a little too far and stretched it out a little too long, imo which added unnecessary angst (a pet peeve of mine)
--- The title doesn't seem to fit this book, imo - just doesn't jive with the content

Overall, a very satisfying and steamy conclusion to the Shelley Sisters trilogy with the resolution of the mystery that began in book 1, carried through book 2, and finally ended with Juliana's HEA!

Please note that I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Plot --- 4/5
Main Characters --- 4/5
Supporting Cast --- 4.5/5
Steam Level* --- 4/5
Violence --- nothing graphic
Language --- not egregious
POV --- 3rd

*Note that steam level is not a rating so much as a how hot was it: 0/5 - clean; 1/5 - mild; 2/5 - sensual but nothing descriptive; 3/5 - now we're getting somewhere; 4/5 - yes please! ; 5/5 - they did EVERYTHING in this one, y'all

Juliana Shelley has never felt like she’s recognized as her own person. But now, scarred by a terrible attack, she’s never felt so alone. One desperate night, she goes to the wicked Donville Masquerade, looking for trouble and finds a handsome, masked stranger more than willing to provide it.
Ellis Maitland’s dangerous desperation caused the injuries Juliana suffered and he has felt guilty about it since. When he realizes she’s masquerading as a courtesan his best impulses, rusty as they are, cause him to try to stop her from making a mistake.
Only Juliana isn’t as easily deterred as Ellis believes she will be. Ellis knows he has no future because he has a plan to take care of the villain behind all the trouble plaguing his family and it’s one he knows he won’t survive.
This is the final part of the trilogy & it could be read on its own but to fully appreciate it I’d highly recommend reading the three books in order. I’ve loved Juliana since the first book, she's the 'fixer' sister but now finds her sisters now look to their husbands & she feels left out. Ellis is a charmer, rogue & has earned his nickname Handsome but he’s never been captivated by a woman before & strives to be a better man for Juliana. The attraction between the pair sizzles from the start but they also start to see the real person behind their facades. I didn’t think Ellis could be redeemed & it was tough & go. A well written story that flowed well, strong characters & a villain to defeat had me glued to my kindle for hours – I read the book in two sittings & it was an engrossing series finale
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Juliana Shelley is the “fixer” in her family, one of the Shelley Triplets, but even she couldn’t fix the upheaval caused when Ellis “Handsome” Maitland convinced her sister Anne to run away with him. The ensuing events left Juliana scarred and her reputation in ruins, any hope of a happy marriage is put to rest by her father, he says she will never marry and will live with him as his secretary and hostess – not the life she hoped for. In an attempt to be the master of her destiny, Juliana secretly escapes to the scandalous club The Donville Masquerade, with the hope that she can at least know pleasure on her own terms. Never once did she expect to encounter Ellis there or to want him beyond reason, but that is exactly what happens.

Ellis is in the club trying to track down Lord Winston Leonard – the youngest son of the Duke of Coningburgh – the source of all his current troubles. Ellis is an accomplished thief and scammer, raised on the streets, he knows the underworld and has been running his “games” for years – but when he and his friend Solomon, the Earl of Harcourt ran afoul of Lord Winston and Solomon is killed, Ellis knows this game won’t end until they are both dead. To protect those he loves, he convinced the Anne, the fiancée of the new Earl of Harcourt to run away with him, hoping to learn what happened to the gem that Solomon stole from Winston. He never expected Winston to kidnap Juliana, thinking she was Anne or to hurt her and then disappearing but still leaving the threat to his loved ones. Nor does he expect to fall in love with the very stubborn Juliana. Ellis knows he is not good enough for her and that being with her places her in danger, so he tries to push her away – but when he learns Juliana has information he needs to find the gem – he will have to play by her rules and can only hope they both survive!

I thought this was a well written, fast paced story that neatly tied up the series with a surprising twist. The book has a little of everything, intrigue, mystery, steamy love scenes, surprises, danger, drama, a great cast of characters and an unexpected, yet delightful tie in to both the Notorious Flynns and the Wicked Woodleys series!! This is the third book in the series and I would really recommend reading the books in order for maximum enjoyment.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher.*

"I love you. I love you with my whole heart. I love you in all your forms and expressions. I love you with all that I am. All that I wish to be. I love you for now and forever."

Sigh...

Juliana, the only unmarried sister of a set of triplets, decides to take her future into her own hands. Her father dominates her life and she is resigned to a life of spinsterhood and unhappiness. After her both her sister marry in a fashion that greatly displeased their father, He has declared she will not be put on the marriage mart. On top of that, a fresh scar on her face -an ever-present reminder of her sister's escape to happiness- has left her beauty married, She will never find love now. Doesn't she deserve to find one night of unbridled happiness?

Ellis has only ever worried about himself. His survival on the streets has left him with no other option. He can not open himself up to feeling anything about anyone, most of all a headstrong, attractive woman. The only option is to set right all the wrongs he has done, even if it costs him his life. But, as his feeling becomes more complicated, will he be able to make the choice to lay down his life when the time comes?

I will be the first admit, I thought there was no chance that I was going to be able to be drawn to Ellis as a main character. Jess Michael's did it again and wrote a most imperfectly perfect hero. Each book in this series dealt with characters that had their own unique ideas of how they wanted to create the perfect life. And I loved them all! This was the third and final book in the Shelley Sisters series. I was extremely happy with the wrap-up at the end. It left me feeling quite satisfied as a reader.

I give A Counterfeit Courtesan a solid four stars. An extra note, this series is quite steamy. I would like to say a big thank you to NetGalley and Jess Michaels for the ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book was everything I wanted!! A perfect end to a fantastic series!
******
Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Kindle Unlimited: no
******
“ “To the Shelley Sisters. And to the very happy lives we somehow managed to build against all odds.”

I have been anxiously waiting for this final book about the final Shelley triplet. Based on the first two books I was skeptical that Ellis’ character could be redeemed and how Juliana would be involved.

I was amazed, and overjoyed that Ms. Michaels was able to pull it all together!!! The clock is ticking down and Leonard is becoming impatient. Ellis sees only one way out of this mess and Juliana has resigned to being a spinster. But what will happen next?

Will Ellis get the issue resolved? Will Leonard get what’s coming to him? Will Juliana find love? I am not going to tell. I want you to enjoy this book as much as I did! Actually, I want you to enjoy this series as much as I have!

I have loved every book of this series and this one was amazing just like the others. The Shelley sisters are one of my fave series now and I will reread again and again! Definitely recommend this book and this series!!!

❤️❤️❤️❤️
💋💋💋

Steamy Regency that will have your heart pounding .

The third sister Julianna is about to find her destiny in Ellis, he’s the one who originally kidnapped her sister Ann in the first book, and he tried to protect her in the second book.

Together they are hot stuff, she’s determined to loose her virginity, thinking she’s now ruined anyway,so goes to a Masquerade club, their she re-meets Ellis and sparks fly.

He’s far from convinced and tries to protect her again , all the time knowing that he’s fallen for her.
But he feels it’s his duty to end the plans of Winston Leonard the man who is determined to make them all pay it seems. The man who scared Julianna.so send Julianna away from him.

This is a really well written and told story that although a stand alone, is better read as a series or you’ll miss so much that I think is important to this tale.

I received an Arc copy of this book and chose to post this review

Juliana, the fixer, is uniquely qualified to save Ellis from the mess he's in.

The story that started in Book 1 with Harcourt's brother and his friendship with the evasive conman, Ellis, concludes in this final book that reveals all the heartbreaking history and fierce determination necessary to redeem a truly irredeemable man.

Both of Juliana's sisters have had their lives upended by Ellis and his quest to protect what family he has left. Juliana's story starts with a chance encounter with Ellis that leads to them both helping the other with their particular problems. Along the way, these two find strength in each other, even as Ellis is convinced he won't survive the necessary confrontation he's orchestrating.

Juliana really comes into her own in this story, stepping out of her expected family role to grab what she wants out of life. Meanwhile, Ellis is becoming a better man as he faces the consequences of his earlier libertine lifestyle and finds the courage to move beyond his checkered past.

Like the first two books, our focus couple gets their HEA by the end. Despite being standalone romances, however, the story arc connecting the three books is so intricately woven throughout each of the books that I would not recommend starting anywhere but with the first story, A Reluctant Bride.

That said, this is a story that is well worth investing in all three books. It's one of the best series I've read, full of heroes and rogues, triumph and joy, passion and suspense. The final epilogue in this book gives us an extended HEA for the entire family. I loved every bit, and I can't recommend it enough. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

I liked it. i need to read the other two to get a better understanding the other sisters and the husbands. overall it was easy to follow and cute read.

Jess Michaels at the top of her game! Empathetic, swoony, and heartwarmingly romantic! Recommended for the historical romance reader who likes a little bit of flair in their HR. 4.5 stars!

The mystery of the missing 💎 is finally solved. What a great story. In the first and second book Ellis was the proper villain and to be honest, I didn't care that much for him. On this one, he won me over. Him and julianna were amazing together. I've enjoyed their interactions. The author did an amazing job to turn him around into a loveable character. No spoiler, but the epilogue was great, with all the people mentioned.
ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley. The opinions expressed here are all mine.

So the mystery of the missing gem is finally solved. Ellis and Julianna’s journey to a happily ever after is a hard fought battle with Ellis feeling that he is not good enough. Sometimes when the hero/heroine feel like this it gets on my nerves but not in this story. I love how Julianna would not let go and let Ellis’ feelings take over. Their interactions were wonderful and their love story was beautiful. And oh yeah, we get lots of Marcus Rivers and some Paul Abbott!

Juliana has spent her whole life being a part of a trio. So when her two sisters marry for love, she feels a bit lost. Always the one to clean up after everyone else, she is looking for something that is just for her. Looking for some of the desire that her sisters have found with their husbands, she ventures to the Donville Masquerade. She finds a masked man but soon learns that it is the man that she has been trying to forget...

Ellis hates that his actions caused Juliana to be injured. When he sees her at the Donville Masquerade, he knows that he needs to protect her. But his attraction that started when they first met, is still just as strong and his resolve weakens. He knows that he isn't any good for her, but he can't seem to keep away.

When Ellis and Juliana decide to help each other catch the person responsible for their families problems, their feelings for one another become undeniable. But will Ellis live long enough to stand a chance at getting his HEA?

I loved Ellis and Juliana's story! In the first book in the series, I felt like Ellis really was a bad guy. But during the second book in the series you start to see that he has a softer side to him and that he might not be all bad. I really liked how Michaels redeemed him with his own story. I also loved how Juliana really came into her own and how she went after what she wanted. While she might not have come across as strong as her sisters in their stories, she definitely came out swinging in this one!!

This was a great trilogy and I definitely recommend it to all fans of historical romance!!

Having read the previous two books in this series i've been especially excited to see how the final book would play out, being already aware of most of the characters in this book, from the three sisters and their husbands to the villains including Ellis 'Handsome' Maitland, i've been wondering about him for a while and of just how he was going to redeem himself of his part he played and to become a hero you could fall in love with. Make no mistake that in the beginning I thought that I would never grow to like Ellis, but the more you get to see of him, he starts to reveal the kind of man he is underneath the surface, and all is not what he at first seems.
Ellis and Juliana's story was a good ending to the series as it tied up all the loose ends but I felt it lacked a little of the drama and sense of adventure of the previous two sisters stories. This is my only reason for only giving this story 4 stars.
I have really enjoyed reading about the Shelly Sisters and the paths that their lives took them on. Jess Michaels is a great storyteller and really gets a feel for the time period that she writes about. It's always a pleasure to read her stories and i'm looking forward to see what she will write about next.

I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Jess Michaels is yet another new-to-me author, and even though I didn’t know much about what to expect except relatively high heat going into A Counterfeit Courtesan, I ended up really loving this one. While this is the third in the series, and there is some discussion about events prior to this book, this book functions almost perfectly well as a standalone, although I do suspect there are some elements about both characters’ respective growth and some of the over-arching plot elements that would be fleshed out if you read all of them.

With her lead characters, Michaels creates two complex, layered characters who deal with issues, some of which I might find off-putting, and make them sympathetic and work well together. This is definitely the case for “Handsome” Ellis Maitland. He has a rough past, and in a lot of ways, it does shape who he is and some of the bad things he’s done. But there was something about him that I almost immediately liked, and even rooted for, in spite of these things. I could empathize with his regret for his past actions, and his growth feels authentic, even though I didn’t see him as he was in the prior books, just got mentions of it. I especially love there being one moment where he reflects on his past need to use others to survive, and how he doesn’t want to do that with Juliana.

Juliana also really resonated with me, in the sense that she’s essentially become an outsider due to a number of reasons, among them being that she’s the last unwed Shelley sister, with no expectations of finding out about the pleasures of marriage, or at least, carnal pleasure. I admired her for taking initiative and stepping out to find this for herself.

I absolutely adored this book, and hope to try more Jess Michaels books in the future. I recommend this to lovers a steamy historical romance.

This was by far my favorite book of the trilogy. Obviously after the cliffhanger book 2 ended on, I could not wait to get my hands on this story. Jess Michaels (as always) did not disappoint!

I love a villain. Villain's stories are almost always deeper, and more interesting. Ellis was no exception. I sort of understood his motivations based on the previous two books, but not as clearly as I do now. The best part of his character's evolution for me, is that it was not rushed. It was a gradual struggle. This struggling transition seems ever so much more realistic than when characters just fall in love and all of a sudden, as if by magic, they're good guys now.

It was also amazing to see Juliet come into her own. She has been largely silent in previous stories. Her journey of self realization is something we all struggle with.

As always, the plot is dynamic and engaging. The characters fully realized and believable. The romance is exquisitely balanced between sweet and steamy. I will definitely be revisiting this story in the future, but first, I need to go reread Marcus Rivers' story!!!

A quick survey of my reviews will show my overall excitement with Jess Michaels’ Shelly Triplets series. I was waiting (impatiently) for the third book to wrap up the series and you can imagine my thrill when I got my hands on this ARC. For everyone else waiting to see how this trilogy wraps up, you will not be disappointed!

This book, benefitting from all our previous knowledge of the Shelly Triplets, starts off exciting and the action just grows from there. While readers can probably guess that this novel focuses on Juliana, the last sister looking for love, the story is so much more! Hot romance weaves into actions and intrigue, this was another one I read in one sitting...putting it down was not an option. Michael’s presents, I think, the most interesting match if the bunch, a love match between two people who are looking to escape the roles they were previously filling- each using the love of the other to make that transformation.

I won’t ruin any of the plot twists and high excitement, but put this series on your list!