To be honest, this felt like a proofread draft. Grammatically correct, but undeveloped in so many ways.
First of all, from beginning to nearly the very end, the plot was stuck in one point, there was no sequence. It was a repetitive string of the FMC being disappointed at him for his Robinhood tendencies, feeling out of place in his new circle, and overall, curbing her feelings for him. And the MMC, he thrived on his trauma and inferior complexity. I understand that what he went through was awful and emotionally scarring, but man, he wasn't making it easy to love him.
Their relationship went beyond being described as miscommunication. No. They were simply stupid, truly stupid. Whenever they looked at each other, instead of talking like two adults, they just focus on their desire, it made their story kind of cheap.
The author's writing was great, I have no comment about it, but good writing doesn't make a good novel.
The ending was lacking, we didn't get any final point or closure, but at that point, it was already past any hope of being salvaged.
*I received an ARC of this book through netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

Undressed with the Marquess Lost Lords of London by Christi Caldwell

Not the best rags to riches story by this author, it was a bit of a difficult read and the main characters not particularly likeable. Although that was explained a bit at the end it still need an epilogue to draw it all together a bit too lacking for my liking 2.5/5

I really like this series and I was excited for Undressed with the Marquess. I did like this book, but I also did not expect it to be this dark and depressing.

While I loved the writing and the way the author developed her words on the page, the story itself didn't really hit it with me. There were so many shadowy bits - about Dare's past, society accepting him and Temperance, Temperance's own behaviour - that just kept tanking this storyline for me throughout despite me loving the way the words moved on the pages. Unfortunately, it never clicked for me with this one

Not my favourite books by the author although I really enjoyed some of her older stories in the past
But that won’t stop me trying her books in the future.
Very grateful to the publisher for my review copy

If your following the Lost Lord's series this story is Dare's (Darius Grey) He meets Temperance. They have a ton to work through and Temperance has secrets. The back and forth is kind of annoying but they get there in the end.

Excellent writing but the angst was real.

Another win for Christi Caldwell! Undressed with the Marquess isn't the normal rags to riches tale and is unique in it's own right. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Dare and Temperance and challenge every lover of the historical romance genre to dislike this story...it'll be very hard not to like the characters and feel everything they felt. Amazingly told story and can't wait to read more from Caldwell.

A cosy romance. With all the ups and downs of life being thrown at them, our hero and heroine try to navigate their life together and apart. But all is well, that ends well.

Will his negative view of life impede his future with the woman who could redeem his soul ...

I have to say I quite dreaded this read because of reviews from people I follow and I was not really in the mood for a dark depressing read, why I pushed it forward, but I have to fulfill the promise I made.
Sure it is no stroll in a park but it is not the hardship I expected, the author’s style makes the story flows smoothly.
It is just the heroes are not easy to care for as they do not want to be loved. They believe they do not deserve it.

I can’t say I was found of the main characters when they were introduced.
Dare, while his reasons for rejecting his title are kept in the dark, is not easy to appreciate, so judgmental about the people he has decided to loath. And while I thought I understood what he wanted to do, why being a marquess would impede it.
Temperance is presented firstly as more stupidly stubborn than clever, so determined to prove she is smarter about something as trivial as the right color of a gown (let the woman appear as a walking pinkish nightmare if it is what she wants) when she works to put a roof on her head and food in her belly. Why jeopardize everything for such frivolities as it might endanger her living.

It is certain they are no prince nor princess charming, so very damaged by the rough existence they have lived.
So flawed and broken they leave nobody in. And I struggled to feel for them. She hold ont he tragedy of her past for too long, when he is blind to everything around so set on his way, he does not see that if he destroys his legacy, he will throw people in the streets when from his place in the society’s ladder, he has the means to fight for his oldest battle and new ones.
I disliked how he painted everything in black and white, the poor as the good and the rich, the bad. And while the child he was might have believed it, two decades later, he should have acknowledged there are more shades of grey than only black and white and from any side of the fence.

Why, it is sure they gave me a hard time, I did not read their story in one sitting. Otherwise, I would have thrown objets to their heads. I needed pauses to quiet my temper.
Yet once the past was shared, I reconciled with them, both were led on wrong paths, mostly Dare, so determined to reject his past and origins.

The author did not choose quiet personalities for her new heroes, these were so very destructive, especially Dare. Each sets on its own path, why my heart sided with Temperance because despite her flaws and the unsaid, she never strayed from her ideals when Dare lied to himself to justify his deeds.
4.5 stars

On a last note, I feel this book needed an epilogue as until the very last words, nothing was assured for Dare and Temperance.

This is the third and final book of the Lost Lords of London series, which means I missed out on books 1 and 2. I plan on definitely going back to see what I missed out on! Temperance and Dare's love story was quite an intriguing one. They had known each since childhood, Dare left his heritage behind to help the less fortunate and risked the gallows everytime he did so. He later married Temperance and saved her from a brutal life, but she could not stand by and watch him risk death or imprisonment everytime he helped the less fortunate, so she left and started a life of her own. Dare eventually goes back to claim his heritage, however, inorder to be eligible for his fortune, he must marry and produce an heir. Well he's already halfway there since he is already married to Temperance and he finds her and brings her back. Their love is certainly put to the test as they try to rekindle what they once shared. Secrets and past mistakes could tear them apart. This book was filled with drama and suspense and kept my interest till the end. The storyline flowed smoothly and the plot twists kept me turning the pages, anxious to see what happens next. I look forward to Ms. Caldwell's next book!

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy. The opinions posted here are my honest and voluntary review.

Having read the first two books in the series and giving them both 4 stars, I can't believe that I am only giving this book 2 stars. The plot was so convoluted and preposterous that I had a hard time following it. It was also very dark. I read historical romance for the romance and that was lacking in this book.

I really enjoyed this story. While I have not read the previous books in this series (yet), it was very easy to follow. This is a quick, cute read.

While it is a quick romance, the characters were delightfully complex. I do wish that I could read a story about their initial relationship (Dare and his wife). Dare is a complicated character who goes through a fair amount of emotional growth. However, his growth is quite thoroughly motivated by his love interest. This novel definitely has the “her love changed him” trope. Which I love, so that’s just fine by me! Temperance is a fantastic character, and she experiences so much hardship. Reading this, we recognize signs of PTSD, and the ways she has changed always seem to confound Dare. I loved the other characters as well. I would love to see what happens to Lionel, and Kinsley, and Spencer. Also, I hope a certain someone gets what’s coming to him!

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for providing a copy of this eARC for review.

I am a big fan of Romance books and I found this one to be a very enjoyable read. I would highly recommend this author. I will be looking for more books from this author.

This book was so entertaining. I was drawn into the story from the beginning and was involved until the end. The characters were complex and interesting. I found the story to be well paced and engrossing throughout the whole book. I was invested in the couple throughout the book and felt all the emotions through both the highs and lows of the story. If you want an entertaining and well written book this is it for you.

Dare was an absolute idiot, who had a chip on his shoulders but with Temperance’s gentle prodding, and nudging, it came off. Their love for each other was absolutely beautiful, but it was fraught with obstacles like the hangman’s noose, betrayal, and hatred. Their love gave each other the inner strength they needed to survive. A delightful, sweet, and touching story that spotlighted true love’s triumphant victory.

Thank you to Montlake publishers, Netgalley and the author for an Advance Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I've long been a fan of this author who always seems to write strong female characters and interesting plots and this book is just as good as her others.
Temperance and Raven get a second chance at their love which circumstances cut short in their youth. With both characters on a healing journey the challenges seem overwhelming and forgiveness seems out of reach. But it all works out in the end thank goodness! Love this series and can't wait to read more.

Very good read! Characters were well-developed, story was very well-written. It's a strong emotional read that will touch you to your core. The heroine is strong and intelligent and the hero is handsome and caring. There is drama and lovely romance all wrapped up into a great romance story.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

Just as Dare Grey is about to meet the hangman's noose - with no possible way of escape this time - he is handed a reprieve. He left home when he was only a child, and was never allowed back by his controlling father, but now that his father, and brother, are dead, he's the rightful Marquess of Milford. Unfortunately, the marquisate is destitute, and he has a younger sister he never met in his care too. His grandfather gives him an ultimatum - find your sister a husband, or marry yourself and have an heir, and you can have £20,000. For Dare, that seems an easy choice. He's known as the Robin Hood of the East End, helping those less fortunate than himself by stealing from the rich, and he also happens to already be married - even if his wife left five years ago when he was arrested. Temperance Grey knew her marriage to her best friend, Dare, wasn't a normal one, but it allowed her the freedom to escape from her controlling father. However, she had enough with Dare's schemes and arrests, and after a vicious attack by her father 5 years ago, she left and never looked back. Working as a seamstress in Cumbria, she's shocked when Dare arrives, with the news he's now a marquess, and he needs her help. Back in London, can Temperance trust Dare enough to look after her, and not break her heart again?

This was a book that just drew me in straight away, and I needed to see if Dare and Temperance managed to get a happy ending or not. Dare always knew he was a 'lost lord', being 10 when he first ran away, and then was denied the chance to come home. He saw how people lived in the East End, and wanted to help them in anyway he could, even if that meant stealing from other lords to pay for food, etc. This has landed him in Newgate more than a few times, but each time he manages to bribe his way out, and return to the streets to help. He met Temperance when she was only 10, and her dad was already trying to pimp her out for cash, and Dare took her under his wing. They became fast friends, and it turned into something more when they decided to marry. Temperance had an abusive, alcoholic father, who beat her, her mother, and her brother regularly, and she needed all her wits about her to survive. She's fallen for Dare, against her better judgement, and trusts he'll return after one of his visits to the country to steal, but instead she's attacked by her father, and loses the child she was carrying. This left her even more heartbroken, and she tell's Dare never to return. I honestly felt so sorry for her at this point, and when she was recounting her tale to Dare later on in the book. They were perfect for each other, and though they had a number of obstacles to overcome, like caring for an orphaned child, and dealing with Dare's sister's attitude, but they did so together, and I loved the conclusion. Like with the previous book, the only thing I wished for was more of a conclusion, or an epilogue to see how they were doing following the events in the final pages.

Undressed with the Marquess (Lost Lords of London). By Christi Caldwell. 2020. Montlake (ARC eBook).

As a boy, Darius Grey was lost to the Rookeries. First as a wealthy boy on an adventure, then as a pawn in the street gangs; only to emerge as a beloved and rivaled thief, Dare Grey, who helped the most fragile and innocent in the dark, brutal part of London. Now his luck has run out and he’s to swing. Only for strangers, an elderly couple, to stop the proceedings and inform Dare that it is time for him to come home.

As a young woman, Temperance Swift fell in love with the Robin Hood of the Rookeries, Dare Grey. But painful events has seen them separated for the last five years. In a Cotswold dress shop is the last place she expected to see him. But Dare Grey has come to her with a proposition: Return with him to London as his Marchioness, help wed the sister he has never known off, and share in the fortune his grandfather, a Duke, will turn over upon their success. Such money that would see Temperance’s brother wed and financially stable, and the poor families under Dare’s protection taken care of. So they must not become distracted by estranged family, estates, servants, high society, or the attraction between them that has never waned.

A while back, this author quickly became an auto-read for me. And I haven’t been disappointed. I love, love, love Caldwell’s Lost Lords of London series. Each lost lord and his lady have such compelling personal stories and there are a lot of emotions, love and growth to get their well-deserved happily ever afters. Dare and Temperance are great together, the secondary characters well-developed and for young Lionel and little Rose, scene stealers. A definite recommend.

At the start it was very dull and i suspected it would be boring and lame. But i was wrong. I really ended up liking Dare and Temperance and watching the both grow as a characters and falling in love with each other.