Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Tension: ⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋
Intimate Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Scenes): 🔥
Humor: A bit
Perspective: Third person mostly from the hero and heroine, but also some brief perspective time from the hero’s betrothed and a side character’s mother.

Should I read in order?
This is the second book in Maxwell’s A Logical Man’s Guide to Dangerous Women series. I didn’t read book 1 and found it find picking up alone. The characters from book 1 do make an appearance here and have some page time. I’m not sure if either Ned or Gemma are developed in that book.

Basic plot:
After Gemma has lost almost everything, she claims a local tavern from her uncle and starts new in the English countryside. The only thing is, Ned has been using this tavern for his Logical Men’s Society meetings and isn’t ready to give it up.

Give this a try if you want:
- Regency time period (1815)
- Country setting
- Working class romance – heroine is the daughter of a wealthy merchant and the hero is a country doctor (and an illegitimate child)
- Both mains are healers
- Small town feel – the town has a strong community and everyone is up in everyone else’s business, as well as caring and loving each other
- Enemies to lovers
- You like love triangle angst – the hero is betrothed to someone else most of the book
- Lower steam – I have this as a 1 but it’s possible I missed a second one towards the end? I listened to audio and don’t take as good of notes in that format. Either way it isn’t happening until 85%.

Ages:
- Hero is 27, I didn’t see the heroine mentioned but would guess mid 20s as well

My thoughts:
I really struggled with this one because the hero was SO unlikable in the beginning half of this story!

He is downright rude to women and it’s obvious he has not respect for them. Some of this is excused with his background but not all of it. He’s also unofficially engaged when we walk into this story – and still there at like 90% of the book. I have read quite a few of these recently, love triangles or where one of the mains is engaged to someone else and honestly I don’t love it. I don’t want to read a book where 90% of it is them connected to another love interest. It tends to taint any feelings I get for them together and it just feels wrong. So that was a big downer for me with this book.

Anyway back to the hero. He says things like ‘women are frivolous and cruel’, ‘without the intrusion of women’, and calls them jades and opportunists, and implies they aren’t intelligent. He was just plain unpleasant. I didn’t love him or even like him. I also felt like once the kiss happened (which was rather out of the blue), his total turn around of attraction just felt very instalust. But since it was 70% I ended up just frustrated. It didn’t give me any feels.

BUT the second half of this book did have a bit of a turn around for me and I generally enjoyed it more than the first half. I think many people aren’t as bothered by these things in novels and will enjoy this one

I really enjoyed Ned and Gemma's story! I loved that Gemma was trying to turn the tavern into something of her own. Too bad others had different plans, which of course causes all kinds of drama! Such an enjoyable read!

I really like Cathy Maxwell, but Her First Desire was unsuccessful for me.

First of all, I wanted to hit Ned, multiple times. He is truly an ass. He is immature, sexist... I could go on and on. I think the story is supposed to be a redemption arc, but I simply wanted Ned to disappear. It's incredibly hard to root for a couple when you don't like one of the MCs. Plus, Ned is ENGAGED to another woman for the majority of the story. *fumes*

I could go on and on, but this was just a big miss from a usually reliable author.

*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*

This book took a while for me to get invested in but once I did, I couldn’t stop reading. It is amazing how similar Ned and Gemma are in terms of this distrust of the opposite sex and their knowledge of medicine, where Ned is educated in the traditional form of medicine, Gemma is a healer with knowledge of herbs and plants. I really enjoyed this book after the initial hump and would recommend it.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review*

This is a super fun read. I really enjoyed this one!

Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

It's a battle of the sexes in the village of Maidenshop! Ned, the pompous town doctor, wants to hold a lecture series at The Garland. The only problem - The Garland has been claimed by Gemma, the deceased owner's niece. She wants to turn the town tavern into a tea garden for ladies. With curtains! Ned doesn't trust women. His mother was a famous courtesan who ignored him all his life. He really doesn't like healer's like Gemma and can't understand why townspeople (especially the women) are going to her for relief and not him. Gemma doesn't trust men. Her cheating husband died dueling over another woman leaving her destitute. Her father had left everything to her husband and now her home and money went to her brother-in-law. The Garland is a chance for an independent new life. To add to the complications, Ned is engaged to orphan Clarissa even though he doesn't want to marry her. He felt pressured by the Matron's of the town to give her a safe future. Gemma's presence in the village changes the status quo. People are changing their ideas without even realizing it. There is an excellent scene involving eggs you'll enjoy! We see characters from book one and I look forward to reading their stories in the future.

This was a cute book and I enjoyed seeing the plot develop as well as the relationship between the two characters. I would recommend this book to any historical romance lover.

I love that Gemma sweeps in like a hurricane and turns the whole town upside down! This is such a sweet and fun book to read. Maxwell has pit out another wonderful book. Enemies to lovers is on of my favorite types of books. I love the evolution of the characters and their emotions. This one does not disappoint. I would definitely recommend.

This was my first book by Cathy Maxwell but certainly not my last. Romantic and fun with a great hero and heroine! Highly recommend and cant wait to read more!

I absolutely enjoyed this book. I was not sure about Ned at first but as the book went on you couldn't help but get behind him. I'm so glad there is another book in series and I can't wait for it! What a wonderful story.

Her First Desire is the second book of #CathyMaxwell A Logical Man’s Guide to Dangerous Women series. I did not read the first book and really do not fell lost at all. I plan to go back and read the first novel.
I really enjoyed Gemma and the strength she has gained from what she has endured in her life. There is so much to gain from this story along with the wonderful romance.

I just finished reading Her First Desire by Cathy Maxwell and it was soo good! Lovely writing, fun, funny, small country town, pranks, and fun tropes.

Her First Desire is second in a series but worked as a stand alone for me. I’ve never read Cathy Maxwell before but I will be reading all her books now. Her writing reminded me so much of my favorite Historical Romance writers that weave in humor so effortlessly (Tessa Dare and Lenora Bell). Low on steam but I didn’t miss it with this slow to awaken romance.

The set up for this novel is fantastic. Gemma is dependent on family after her husband loses most of her money and dies. Gemma learns her Uncle has passed and she escapes to the small village he lived in. She claims his bar to transform into a tea parlor. It is quite a scene when she gets there.

The other side of this is that MOST of the men are old fashioned. Many belong to an organization called the Logical Men’s Society. Ned Thurlowe is the chairman of the group and also the village doctor. When he lays eyes on Gemma he is instantly at odds with her... and in love.

Overall, this story is so entertaining and I loved the cast of characters in Maidenshop. Looking forward to reading more of this series.

Thank you #netgalley and #Avon for the early read. #CathyMaxwell #HerFirstDesire

This books was very good I had trouble putting it down. Besides one love scene and some kisses, it was basically steam-free. This is a book you can share with your relatives without embarrassment. It was an extremely entertaining tale and I'm definitely looking forward to reading more about the Logical Men’s Society, especially Ned's friend Mars!

Her First Desire is the second book in A Logical Man's Guide to Dangerous Women series by Cathy Maxwell. While this is part of a series, it can easily be read as a  standalone novel. The characters are well-written and help the storyline develop at a smooth steady pace. I look forward to reading the next book in A Logical Man's Guide to Dangerous Women series.

Gemma Estep has been poorly treated by the men in her life, her father left his fortune to her no-good, wastrel of a husband, who made no provisions for her and so all her father’s money went to his brother when he was killed in a duel. To make matters worse, the brother-in-law refuses to give her a widow’s portion and has her live with them as basically a servant. So when she finds a letter informing her that her uncle died, she has had enough and leaves. She is intending to go to Maidenstop, claim The Garland which was her uncle’s tavern and start a new life – it is a solid plan and should go off without a hitch.

Ned Thurlowe is the town’s doctor and member of the Logical Men’s Society. The Society is for bachelors and has been a staple in the town for years – so when Gemma arrives and intends to turn his club into a tea garden – he will not let go without a fight. Ned is a very serious man and doesn’t have a lot of faith in women. Despite their immediate attraction or maybe because of it – these two declare war and the story is set up for an epic battle of the sexes.

This is a well-written, fast-paced story that neatly follows up where the first book ended. This book had so much potential and a lot of fun scenes and witty dialogue – but unfortunately, the fact that Ned is betrothed to another woman for almost the entire book is a major turn-off for me – one, because he cheats on her and two because Gemma’s first husband cheated on her and she knows the pain that causes and still let her relationship with Ned become intimate – That is not cool and ruined this book for me, which is a shame because I was looking forward to this title. I will definitely continue with this series, but I can’t say I would recommend this book.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own,*

Even the butler thinks he can boss her around?

poor Beth!

Six months?!

Women are still dying in childbirth today.

Haha, Lucy rocks!

Huzzah!

Clarissa deserves better.

I need to start with the disclaimer that NetGalley and AvonBooks have provided me an ARC of "Her First Desire" to read and provide early unbiased feedback on.

Some housekeeping items, "Her First Desire" is the second book in Maxwell's 'A Logical Man's Guide to Dangerous Women', while it can be read as a standalone, it will be better enjoyed having read the first book in the series, "His Secret Mistress", as the characters from the 'love triangle' in the first book do play significant roles in this entry in the series and it will give spoilers for the first book, if you are a reader that tries to avoid them by reading in order.

Secondly, there are going to be some readers in Romancelandia that are going to not like this book no matter what, because the Hero of the story is engaged to another woman throughout the story and how she is handled. If cheating, other women storylines are a trigger for you, this is your content warning, just know this one probably isn't going to be for you.

Ok, all of that is out of the way... "Her First Desire" is a fun continuation of the themes Maxwell started in the first book about the Logical Men's Society in Maidenshop, only amplified by 100 to turn into a full blown Battle Royale of the Sexes between the single men of Maidenshop and the 'Matrons'. So in that sense this book is a complete romp of hijinks that will leave the reader chuckling as the women of the town definitely are winning in this battle. However, depending on the reader's mood it could also be a little bit disheartening to see the heroine of the book have to shoulder all of societies systemic sexism and the consequences of toxic masculinity as the singular target of all the angry men, even if she has the support of all the women in the village behind her.

This is a book that really makes me wish there was a half star ranking system, because it is a 3.5 star book that is getting rounded up to a 4 star. What pulls it down is while the heroine has her full story told in a satisfying way, the rush of the final 1/4 of the book leaves the hero's story arc kind of unresolved and his issues are kind of big deals to feeling like this couple are actually going to be able to have a real HEA. I do think Maxwell has given the reader enough breadcrumbs that they can assume the biggest unresolved issue that the hero is leaving dangling (his fiancé) is going to get fixed in a future book by his best friend, so we do have that to look forward to, and all evidence points to that being a very juicy story.

I really, really, really loved this book. I loved the whole village ensemble of characters, the silliness of the Logical Men's Society, and their nemesis, the Matrons of the village.

Lately, I have been going back and reading some of Maxwell's older works, and she's a great storyteller. She's easy to get lost in the mix because her books aren't showy or formulaic, but that's what makes them so good; you never know how they will end. I didn't know what to expect when I picked this up, but it drew me in from page 1.

Gemma, a widow dependent on her husband's relatives, finds out her Uncle Andrew, owner of the Garland and member of the Logical Men's Society, has died. Fed up with the abuse and neglect she has experienced from her husband and his family, she escapes and goes to the small village of Maidenshop to claim his pub as her inheritance. Unfortunately, Ned Thurlowe, Chairman of the Logical Men's Society, has claimed it first for his club and its members. The Maidens of town back Gemma and support her because they are sick of the drinking and carousing of the men's club.

Lots of hijinks ensue and witty banter between Gemma and Ned. The characters are endearing and charming. Both Gemma and Ned started mistrusting the opposite sex based on past experiences and healing through their love. Overall, it was an entertaining story.

I loved that Ned was illegitimate instead of Gemma; too often, it's the opposite. So this was a nice refreshing change.

My one complaint was the author's description of childbirth. Full disclosure, I just had a baby and know way too much about this. This is small, but if you are pregnant, doctors repeatedly warn you about this - the water breaking is accompanied by the "bloody show" because there will be blood. In fact, the doctors and midwives tell you if there is no blood when your water breaks that it's probably not your water breaking. One medical professional told me, "yeah, you might have peed yourself, so make sure you make that distinction before you call your doctor." Also, childbirth is not dangerous. Women have been doing it for thousands of years; what's dangerous - doctors delivering babies and statistics since the 1950's support this. It was such a huge plot point, and it kept driving me crazy. However, there is an author's note at the end where she acknowledges the shortfalls of medicine in the 1800s.

Otherwise, so good. I didn't read book 1 and definitely going to have to start that ASAP. Also, side note, I really hope Mars and Clarissa get together. I loved their dynamic.

Tired of living on the crumbs allowed by her in-laws, widow Gemma goes to claim the tavern promised by her late uncle. Physician Ned challenges her ownership, as there was no will. He's hoping to buy the tavern on behalf of the Logical Men's Society, which has been meeting at the tavern for half a century. Underneath their sparring lies a strong attraction—except that Ned is already betrothed to a sweet young woman facing genteel poverty if he doesn't marry her. Can true love prevail?

This is such a fun book. It's light and funny with a strong-willed heroine and a hero who needs a woman who can knock him down a peg or two. I love the townspeople and the dynamic between them. Can't wait for the next book in the series!

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I became a fan of Cathy Maxwell's books by listening to them while I walk, so when I saw she had a book on NetGalley, I snapped it up!

When Gemma Estep's philandering husband is killed in a duel, she is stunned to learn that he left everything to his equally morally-bankrupt brother. Not only is she destitute, she is now the target of the lascivious man's advances. She has only one family member who might help, but when she discovers that her uncle has died, and the letter to her telling of his death was kept from her, she packs what she can, and flees before she can be caught in the snare her brother-in-law has set for her. Convinced that she is her uncle's only heir, she travels to Maidenshop to take ownership of The Garland.

Ned Thurlowe is president of the Logical Men's Society, and they have been meeting in The Garland since the group's founding. Over the last few years, the group has degenerated from discussions of lofty ideas, to drinking, carousing, and whoring, and Ned knows it's all his fault. Knowing he needs to take the reins of the group back, he also knows he needs to secure "their" place. Discovering that someone else, a woman no less, has a claim on The Garland is a shock but he's sure there isn't a will. How can she possibly have a greater claim than he has?

Gemma and Ned fight their attraction from their very first meeting. Since they are at cross-purposes for the building, how can they even be friends? He's a doctor. She's a healer. He's a man who is convinced he doesn't need any woman even though he's engaged to someone else. She's a woman who has seen nothing but hurt from the men in her life. He wants the building to remain a tavern, for men only. She wants to turn it into a tea garden where families are welcomed. What will it take to get them on the same page?

This story had enough laugh-out-loud moments to keep it engaging, and more than enough "pranks" to keep the heroine on her toes. I really enjoyed the story, and will be going back to read the first book in the series, His Secret Mistress.

If you enjoy historical romance with a bit of steam, this one is for you. Cathy Maxwell didn't disappoint here!