Evan Prescott, Earl of Clarendon, has mourned the death of his wife in childbirth for a year. His method of mourning is drinking, gambling, and leaving the care of his son to his sister. Lady Charlotte Grisham is mourning the death of her father and her older brother. They meet due an accident, when Charlotte shows up at Evan’s town house to scold him for not stopping after nearly hitting over her young brother and her with his carriage. A drunken bet by Evan and the manipulations of Charlotte’s greedy malicious uncle result in a summons from Mrs. Dove-Lyon, the Widow. Now everyone, or almost everyone, knows what that means.

This is a quick exciting story. Evan and Charlotte need each other and are wonderful together. There is no lack of friends and family to help the couple. I especially liked Evan’s friend Christopher Angelsey, Earl of Banbury, and Lady Romney, Charlotte’s mother. Baron Langdale, Charlotte’s uncle, is unfortunately the villain in the story. The story has a lot of drama and action. There are nefarious schemes, kidnappings and rescues, and a search for a missing brother. There are also some very tender moments. I found this story an enjoyable addition to the Lyon’s Den Connected World and a good introduction to the Rakes of Mayhem series.

I received and ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

Evan Prescott, the fifth Earl of Clarendon lost his wife Amelia during the birth of their child Edward. Broken, Evan seeks solace in the Lyon’s Den, a world of drink & cards, overconfident and in his cups, he makes a bet that will change his life. Lady Charlotte Grisham saves her young brother Jason from the path of a speeding carriage. In a fit of pique, she throws propriety to the wind and storms up the steps of the owner’s London townhouse—and meets the man that upends her world.
The stars align when his high stakes bet and her lapse in judgement give the Black Widow of Whitehall the perfect opportunity to spin her web of hearts, while untold danger lurks a step behind.
A well written story that started on a very sad note that drew me in & I was routing for Evan to find happiness again. Whilst only a short read, which I read in a sitting it was very well paced & the characters were well fleshed. It also whetted my appetite for the series to follow. I loved Evan who had wallowed for a year but was now able to move forward & Charlotte who whilst dealing with her own grief was prepared to fight for her brother. A lovely read

Will their initial meeting lead to an unexpected relationship...

This had been an hectic week, more than 10 books to read in 7 days. And then this one popped up in the releases to come this week, plus as a prequel to a series, impossible to miss it.
So this morning before going to work I read half of it, and the second half in between my visits.
It is a cute addition to this world, the prologue was dramatic, the hero has every right to drown his sorrows in imbibing and gambling, until he goes too far.
The heroine, Charlotte would have dreamed to a different outcome but circumstances coerce her hand. If she can’t marry for love, she will have a modicum if a say and at last be intrigued by her future spouse.
Their instant chemistry is sweet, together they are good people, and their attraction will move to something more in no time.
On their journey, there is cheating, betrayal but also friendship and family love.
A sweet with a bit of steam tale of finding love in the least expected context.
Now what this new series will reserve us.
4 stars

I was granted an advance copy by the publisher Dragonblade Publishing, here is my true and unbiased opinion.

Unlooked for partner!

Must say I'm really enjoying this series. This time a Lord and Lady find themselves at the mercy of the matchmaker, the Black Widow of the Lyon's Den, abetted by the
Lady's mother, the Lady's propensity to impulsiveness, and the Lord's inclination to drink himself into a stupor.
Evan Prescott, the fifth Earl of Clarendon, lost his wife in child birth and hasn't recovered. For the past twelve months he's been intent on drowning his sorrows, sans son. So it comes as a shock when his sister returns the child and departs. Evan is forced to set caregiving events into motion. A nanny and a complacent wife seem in order for starters.
Lady Charlotte Grisham pays a visit to Evan to complain about a near accident between his coach and her brother. However as she's a single woman who's visited his home she ends up in BIG TROUBLE! Enter the Black Widow an old friend it seems of Charlotte's mother. (Now that's a huge surprise!)
Novella length, but the story packs a punch, and although there's reams of action, the story doesn't lose focus, cruising to a satisfactory conclusion.

A Dragonblade ARC via NetGalley
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

Lyon's Prey by Anna St. Clair is a very short romance between Evan Prescott, Earl of Clarendon and Lady Charlotte Grisham. Evan had spent most of the last year drunk as a response to the death of his wife, Amelia, in childbirth. The child was now nearly a year old, and his sister, Catherine, who had been caring for the child, thought it was time that Evan take back his responsibility. It is on the same day as she informs him and he agrees, that Lady Charlotte arrives at his house to scold him for his carriage nearly killing herself and her younger brother on the road the day before. He was so drunk; he knew nothing of the situation. Charlotte's father had died and her uncle had assumed guardianship of her brother and now was prepared to sign betrothal papers for Charlotte to marry a much older man with a terrible reputation for abuse to women. Her mother retreats to Lady Dove-Lyons, now a friend who had been helped years earlier by her husband. Lady Dove-Lyons sees it is time to Evan to remarry and so arranges it. Of course, it does not go entirely smoothly.

Fun related world with books written by many authors, this Lyons book is simple and romantic. It is a matter of two people who are perfect for one another coming together by accident. Charlotte is a fiery young woman who is extremely protective of her family. It's not been a good year for them and she is inexperienced but feels deeply. Her mother deals with the situation by pretending to be slightly batty, all the while scheming to make things right. Evan is a good man, thrown for a loop, who figures it out in time and is working to make things right. These are terrific characters in a story with lots of loose ends, which were not sewn up as well as they might have been. It is, however, a fun way to spend an afternoon. I recommend it.

I was invited to read a free ARC of Lyon's Prey by Dragonblade, through Netgalley. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #lyonsprey

Lyon's Den and Mrs. Dove-Lyon to perfection. Far from being the Black Widow that society has tagged her with, she is a resourceful woman who sees beyond the gamblers in her den and finds ways of correcting the evils of society. Thus, when Evan Prescott, the Earl of Clarendon falls foul of her due to his besotted behaviour, she neatly sets him up to settle an earlier debt that she has. Lady Charlotte is also furious with Lord Evan because his bad behaviour almost took the life of her younger brother and she takes the unprecedented step of confronting him in his home. Evan discovers that Charlotte's older brother, who is also a friend of his, is missing and he promises to investigate on her behalf. However, he did not anticipate being inveigled into marriage with Charlotte by Mrs. Dove-Lyon, but he finds that he does not resent the idea as much as he thought he would. This short novel can be read in an evening, but it is nevertheless suspenseful and entertaining and comes to a successful conclusion. I received a copy of this book through NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
💋💋

A great mix of tension and passion,and that devious Mrs Lyon, who for once is showing her tender side.
Great characters and a wonderful baddie, make for an enjoyable read and a satisfying ending to this book.

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

This was an engaging regency romance novella.

Evan Prescott, the fifth Earl of Clarendon lost his wife during the birth of their child. Lady Charlotte Grisham who is still mourning the death of her father and elder brother meets The Earl and they make a marriage of convenience that turns into so much more.

In the year since Evan Prescott, the Earl of Clarendon, lost his wife in childbirth, he has found himself drinking and gambling, despite caring for his son. Immersed in his grief and alcohol, he finds himself making a bet that will change his life. Lady Charlotte Grisham finds herself entering the Lyon’s Den, and coming face to face with Evan, the man whose coach nearly ran down her younger brother. When the two come face-to-face, they find themselves unexpectedly facing an ultimatum from ‘The Widow’.
A great quick read, with all the necessary components – two interesting main characters, a villain and several good friends who will most likely be a part of the ‘Rakes of Mayhem’ series.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

The Lyon’s Den brokers another marriage! How Mrs. Dove-Lyon seems to have the winning cards or know the right people, but she has the knack for bringing the right people together.

Evan Prescott allows grief to take over his mind and heart. He barely sees his infant son and lets his gambling run his businesses. He decides to make a bet that changes his life, but enables another her freedom.

Charlotte’s brother is presumed dead in the colonies and her father has passed away. Her mother has become feeble in her grief and her wicked uncle has taken over as guardian of her younger brother who he has insured has been declared Earl.

Intrigue and twists have set in and Charlotte has no one to turn to for help!

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.

This was a lovely, but quick, read that was well-written and well-delivered. I enjoyed it so much that I really wished it had been a bit longer – there were many things I wanted to know and I felt it was rushed.

Evan Prescott, Earl of Clarendon, and his wife were a love match, and when he lost her in childbirth, he went off the deep end. He immediately turned his newborn son over to his sister and her husband and set off on a year-long drunk. After a long night of drinking and gambling, a trio of events and their consequences changed his life – again. First, his sister and her husband arrived and informed him that he was expected to take over the responsibilities of his son, Edward, by the end of the week. Second, he had a whirlwind of a termagant, Lady Charlotte Grisham, berating him because his coach almost ran down her little brother. Third, and perhaps scariest, he received an order to appear before “The Widow” at the Lyons Den. Oh! My!

Lady Charlotte Grisham has had a horrid year as well. She lost her father, the Earl of Romney, her older brother Matthew is missing and her nefarious uncle, Baron Langdale, has had him declared dead – thus declaring her young brother, Jason, as the Earl with Langdale as his guardian. When a speeding coach nearly runs Jason down, it is just a step too far and Charlotte marches to Lord Clarendon’s home to confront him about his behavior.

When Charlotte’s mother discovers a nefarious plan by her brother, Langdale, she approaches an unlikely friend known as “The Widow” for help. And help is what she gets. Both Charlotte and Evan have received a summons from ‘The Widow’ and neither of them expects, or are prepared for, the ultimatum that is given.

With kidnappings and slavers afoot, Charlotte and Jason are both in danger. Can Evan save them – even with the help of his good friend Christopher Angelsey, Earl of Banbury, and ‘The Widow’ helping him? Can they find their own HEA?

I thoroughly enjoyed this read and wanted to know more about the characters. Since this is apparently the prequel to a series, maybe we’ll learn more about Charlotte and Evan in future books. I’m happy to have tried this author and will definitely be looking for more books in the series.

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

It's a year since Evan Prescott, the Earl of Clarendon, lost his wife in childbirth, and now he's got a motherless son and a bit of a problem with drinking and gambling. A carriage mishap leads to his first meeting with Lady Charlotte Grisham. Her family has had their share of problems as well since the death of her father. Her brother is missing and her greedy uncle does not seem to have good intentions. A hostess of a gambling den informs Evan of a stupid wager he had forgotten that just might be the solution to the problems of them both.

This is a quick little read that I was able to finish in an evening, along with another novella and a couple of half-read other books. The story has promise but everything happens a little too quickly to get invested in the characters. In one passage I was a little confused because the book says, "Charlotte's heart fluttered as he walked toward her. She found him handsome..." but the only male that had been mentioned in the previous paragraph was the butler. It is meant to refer to Evan though.

I read an ARC from Netgalley.

Thus was a short but enjoyable novella connecting the Lyon’s Den series to a new series. Inked both Evan and Charlotte’s characters and thought their romance was sweet. Add in sone mystery surrounding Charlotte’s older brother and Mrs. Dove-Lyon being a bit of a force, as always and you have a good read!

Short and sweet, the story was the perfect length for an afternoon read. The characters were nice and while there was little growth in the heroines character; the hero changed and developed into a true gentleman. After the loss of his wife he had started drowning his sorrows in drink. All of that changed when his carriage almost ran over a young boy and his sister. I liked the struggle he had with his conscience and his addiction to drink.