I think this might be my favourite in the series.

Juliana and Ellis’s love story is more complicated than the romances of her sisters. Both these characters have major baggage and a complicated history that means things were never going to run smoothly. I enjoyed their banter, his gentleness with her and the conclusion to overall story from the triplets.

This author has cemented herself as a favourite for me.

This is my fair and honest review, in my own words, in return for this ARC. Third book in the Shelley sisters saga. All centred around one sister's reluctance to be married. What a great tale in three parts. Great characters, great tale and so well written. Loved it!!

Such a perfect ending to this series. This third and final book of The Shelley Sisters is Juliana and Ellis' story. I also enjoyed seeing the characters from the previous books as well.

I wasn't sure how Ellis could ever be redeemed but the author managed to make it work and he ended up being quite the hero in my eyes:) When Ellis tells of his growing up years, I had tears in my eyes and my heart ached for him, plus it also answered a lot of questions of why he'd ended up the way he had. He's now on a mission to kill the man who dared hurt his family, even if it means sacrificing his life.

Juliana, having been scarred by the villain of the story, thinks that being a spinster will be the only future she has. Then she meets up with Ellis again and passions run high and even though he says he's not good enough for her, she can be very stubborn and determined:) He's trying to keep her safe but she'll have none of it, she wants to help him all she can. Lots of action and a few twists and turns to keep you on your toes!!

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

This is the Jess Michaels I know and love. I’m going to be honest and say I wasn’t a huge fan of the first book in her new series. Second book was better but not quite there. I knew the third one I would love the most because I really felt an understanding for Juliana’s character. Also Ellis as the love interest was surprising since he wasn’t the noblest or what we would consider the typical hero character. Yet, I loved that about his character. He is both hero and villain in this series and Juliana brings out the better parts of his character. He isn’t all good nor all bad and I love his complexity. The plot was wrapped up in a bow and I’m happy to see all of the characters have their own happy endings even if they didn’t start off the way they expected.

One of my favorite things about this book in particular was Juliana’s struggle to find her place and herself since both of her sisters are married and she is the last of the trio to find her own happy ending. She isn’t just a triplet anymore but becomes the fifth wheel in the family. On top of that, she has to deal with the aftermath of the events in the last book pretty much on her own until she starts to open up to Ellis and her family. It is a struggle but she learns to balance who she thinks she should be versus who she really is. I really understood her inner struggles to take something for herself. To give herself a chance to experience something just for her and not for the sake of her family. I’m so happy to see her grow and become her own individual heroine.

I can’t wait to see what Jess Michaels writes next!

There are a number of kinds of villains in this world and we have several of them in this book and series. We have the really, really nasty, unredeemable villain, the villain who is a villain simply because of his lack of care and concern for anyone other than himself – a real user, and the villain who isn’t of sterling character but is in his current situation because someone else put him in a corner and he’s behaving desperately and rashly. One gets his just punishment, one just goes on with his life without suffering any consequences, and the other finds his salvation in the love of a good woman.

Two of the stunningly beautiful, identical, Shelley triplets are married. Thomasina (A Reluctant Bride), and Anne (A Reckless Runaway), have found their HEA’s and now it is Juliana’s turn. They have shared a face and form all of their lives, they’ve been inseparable and nobody could tell them apart until they met their husbands – who inexplicably always knew which one was their love. That inseparability is at an end and so is the three sharing the same face. With Thomasina and Anne married, they have formed that strong bond with their husbands and Juliana feels as if she is on the outside looking in – and she also now has a scarred face thanks to the knife of the vile Winston Leonard.

Things are tense for the Shelley sisters and their mates because Winston Leonard has gone to ground. They know he is waiting and planning his next attack on them – but when? Ellis Maitland knows he’s put everyone he cares about in danger and he intends to put that to rights – even though he knows he won’t survive. It is better a worthless, black-hearted man like him pay the price than his loved ones. All he needs to do is find the hidden diamond and flush Winston out from hiding.

This is the story of Ellis’ redemption and it is lovely. Ellis had a horrid childhood and survived on the streets as best he could. He is known as “Handsome” on the streets and it is for good reason – he looks like a Greek god. He is accustomed to playing “love games” to make his way in the world – until he got tangled up with Winston Leonard. Ellis isn’t nearly as bad as he thinks he is – but nobody can convince him of that. Well, almost nobody. As he was holding the beautiful Juliana after Winston Leonard had sliced her face, he knew he’d do anything to keep her from more harm.

Juliana needs a bit of redemption of sorts herself. Well, maybe not redemption – but she is restless and unhappy with her new status and she has to do something about it. Since she is now destined to be a spinster and live with her father for the rest of her life, she wants to have one exciting thing to remember. The Donville Masquerade is just what she needs – it is totally anonymous – nobody will know who she is. But the handsome stranger she encounters isn’t anonymous at all.

Juliana and Ellis are at odds. Each is attracted to the other, but he wants her to stay away from the Donville Masquerade and stay home where she’ll be safe. They are thrown together and get to know each other better – and they come to love each other. That just makes Ellis more and more convinced that he has to follow through with his plan to defeat Winston Leonard.

I enjoyed this lovely, steamy tale of love and redemption. There is a nice epilogue that shows them all five years in the future and it was sweet to know how Ellis was coming along.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The last of the Shelley triplets series. Super fun and steamy - I loved the angst. Read it in one sitting.

I wanted to hold off reading the last in the series with the Shelley trip!ets because I didn't want to see such a great series come to an end but I couldn't wait for Ju!iana's story (especially as she was paired with Ellis Maitland( so I dive right in.

There was no disappointment in this matchup and not only did I love every moment watching Ellis and Juliana come into their own but an added bonus was the with a reunion of the sisters along with the men they loved. The epilogue was beautiful and the perfect cap on the series.


Another winner from Jess Michaels!

While this book can be read as a standalone, to better appreciate the background plot, I would recommend to read the two previous books in this trilogy.

From the beginning, I have been intrigued by Ellis, while there is no doubt he is no angel, some of his actions and thoughts show a different man, one hiding behind his hardened mask.
And now he is reaching his goal, seing no escape from the course he has set in motion, he rethinks some of his past deeds and wishes he could have done things an other way.
He bears the weight of his choices and mistakes, which leaded to Juliana being hurt and his friend killed. Now, that those he tried to hide he cares about are threatened, he sees only one outcome.
So when Juliana comes crashing in his life, refusing to take no as an answer, he finds himself unbalanced and his goal compromised.
He appears to everyone as a devilish seducer, extracting with his charms and wits informations and coins. Yet it is a facade thoroughly practiced to protect the little boy who had to run away to save himself. So much it became a second nature and he rarely drops the mask.
And Juliana with her demand of trust and faith endangers everything he has come to expect, even his own demise.

Juliana is sure like a fish out of water when she puts feet in Ellis’ universe , it might be the shining facade, it is still a very different world of the one she was brought up.
But now she is left on the edge of society, she wants to explore what has always been marked as forbidden.
She needs to find a way for herself to still exist as her life has been forever altered and she has lost her own purpose. By looking for her new self, she steps in Ellis’ place and while he is behind the whole scheme that changed her life for good, he also showed commiseration when she was abducted and wounded.
She is attracted to him like Eve to the forbidden fruit, and feels there is more to Handsome Ellis than he is willing to show but drawn to another they are and both can’t fight permanently their chemistry. When she wants to surrender, he pushes her away but like a magnet, they road cross again and again.

Both are moved by one another and when she pursues him, as he stirs new sensations from her; he wants to avoid her, afraid to cause her more pain than she has already endured.
Even when they agree to collaborate to find the true culprit and villain, both has a different view of the result.
By deciding to sacrifice himself to free those he cares for from the threat posed by the evil man whose aim is only to hurt more and more, Ellis redeems himself and shows he is not the bad guy he was portrayed at first.

4.5 stars for this lovely conclusion to this trilogy, now I do wonder if we will see again some of the side characters like Marcus, the owner of the Sex club.

I was granted an advance copy by the author and preordered my own. Here is my true and unbiased opinion.

As a triplet, Juliana Shelley has never quite felt like her own person and that's become even more true with her sisters now happily, though scandalously, married and her face scarred by a vicious attack. Her prospects are few and her father is determined she'll remain with him working as his secretary. Juliana is sick of solving the problems of others and wants for herself just a taste of the desire her sisters so obviously enjoy with their husbands. This goal leads a desperate Juliana to the Donneville Masquerade in search of a man to fulfill those desires.

It was Ellis Maitland's money making scheme gone wrong which ultimately led to Juliana's attack and he continues to feel responsible. He's also drawn to her like he's never been to any other woman. When he recognizes her at the Masquerade, he steps in to try to stop her doing something she'll later regret. But Juliana won't be cast off so easily and the fire between herself and Ellis is not so easily ignored. Ellis knows he's not worthy of her and nothing between them could ever last, especially since he knows he won't survive his plans to take down the villain threatening the lives of everyone he cares about. Juliana's belief in him makes the sacrifice even harder, but his deepening feelings make Ellis even more determined to protect her at all costs. Juliana is the only one who can save Ellis from himself, but only if she can learn of his plans in time to put a stop to his noble sacrifice.

I loved Juliana and Ellis together. Despite is lies, fears, and past mistakes, she saw right through him to the good man he actually was. This wound up being a lovely story of redemption for both Juliana and Ellis with two lost souls finding solace and acceptance in each other. This was a great wrap up to a very charming series and I'm rather sad to see it end.

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

4 stars

The final Shelley triplet gets her story. At the end of the second book the 'baddy' had saved Juliana from the villain but not before she'd been facially scared. This story is about how Juliana and Ellis get their happy ending and bring the villain to justice. There's lots of passionate and erotic writing so ensure that you are OK with this type of narrative. I enjoyed the book and hoped that Ellis would be able to come good. There's characters from other book series that have a part and this is lovely, encouraging me to return to those series.

I'd suggest you read the whole series in order, but you can enjoy this one as a standalone. I think you will like the story, characters and plot.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Jess Michaels has done it again. She has written a beautiful,seductive, mysterious historical romance. I fell in love with the book from the very beginning, and fell in love with both flawed main characters instantly. Ellis and Julianna’s relationship was unconventional, yet it worked well. They were both strong, stubborn, passionate people. I love steamy historical romances, and this one is at the top of my favorites list! If you love hot, steamy, heart wrenching unconventional historical romances, this book is perfect for you!

Juliana and her sisters might be identical triplets. But they are as different as night and day.
Ellis has been the villain in this series. In, A Counterfeit Courtesan, he is showing us his hero side. I love a reformed bad boy story.