Her First Desire is the second book of Cathy Maxwell's A Logical Man's Guide to Dangerous Women series. If you haven't read the prior book, you won't have any problems. I haven't read it either, yet I breezed through this fun battle of the sexes Regency story in about a day, and I wasn't the least bit lost. I was extremely entertained and plan to go back and read the first one.

Gemma Estep is the poor relation who lives with her deceased husband's family after he dies in a disgraceful manner. When looking in her brother-in-law's desk for paper, she discovers a hidden letter written to her informing her of her uncle's death. Her uncle previously wrote to her telling her that when he's gone, all that he had was hers. When Gemma demands a widow's portion from her brother-in-law she is refused, so she heads to the village of Maidenshop to turn her uncle's tavern into a respectable family tea garden. When she arrives, however, she meets local doctor Ned Thurlowe, a member of the Logical Men’s Society, who informs her that he is planning to use the tavern as the meeting place of the Society. Well, that just won't do at all! The local matrons help Gemma clean up the tavern for her tea garden, while the men attempt to sabotage her. The fight is on...except Gemma and Ned, despite their confrontations with each other, begin to develop deep feelings. Just how can any good come of this, however, as Ned is already engaged to a local lass?

This story was heaps of fun and I had trouble putting it down. There were some maddening issues, though. Ned was engaged to a sweet local girl whom the matrons basically foisted on Ned in order to help her out. He had no feelings for her whatsoever and he kept putting her off. In other words, Ned was basically unlikable at the beginning of this book. He actually was throughout a good deal of it. Gemma was a healer making salves and the like, while arrogant Ned basically dismissed any gifts she might indeed have. He did, however, begin to grow on me as he gradually fell for Gemma and acknowledged that maybe he wasn't always right. Most of the town's men folk actually believed as he did about a woman's place in society. Gemma was good and feisty and I enjoyed watching her head out on her own to escape the thumb of her in-laws. The town matrons were particularly pushy, though they did have their hearts in the right place. I did enjoy Ned and Gemma's sparring and growing romantic feelings. They had palpable chemistry, but it wasn't graphic in the story; besides one love scene and some kisses, it was basically steam-free. This is a book you can share with your relatives without embarrassment. Despite its faults, 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. Reading this was the perfect way to spend a Sunday!

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

I have read Cathy’s books for years and have really enjoyed most of them. I do love a good enemies to lovers story but in my opinion this one went on a little too long and a lot too far. You can usually breeze through enemies to lovers story just because you want to see how it ends but unfortunately even though I read this in a short time it did not work for me. Sorry Cathy. Gemma was okay as a character and even if she did have a bit of spunk it was not enough. Ned could have been a great character, normal country doctor but he was just too stubborn. I would like to see who Mars is paired up with, I am thinking Clarissa because she protested way too much when it came to him.

She had been staying at her brother-in-law's home. She happened to find a letter addressed to her and had been opened. Her last living relative, Her uncle had died and it had been 3 months ago. The same had happened when she came to London she found out her husband had been dead for six months. No one thought to tell her. She had lost her father, then her daughter and her husband, and now her uncle. Her uncle had left her a tavern in Maidenshop. So she left and went to Maidenshop.
Dr. Ned Thurlowe was a very distrustfully young man. His mother was a courtesan, a very famous one. His father took him and educated him. Clarissa Taylor had become his fiance, but there was no love between them. She had waited two years to marry.
It was a wonderful story. The matrons of the village thought they ran it. Ned only needed his friends in The Local Men's Society to feel at home but they thought they ran the village. When Gemma and Ned first met, they had a lot of animosity toward each other. One time she found her store/house with dozens of chickens inside and boy did they make a mess. She was very angry. She stood in the middle of the road and threw eggs at him. She just knew he had something to do with it. Crazy things like that. It was funny. I loved reading this tale and the characters were amazing. It was very entertaining and kept you on your toes. I highly recommend it
I received this ARC from Net Galley and voluntarily reviewed it.

I received an ARC and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.

Ouch…I typically like Cathy Maxwell’s books, but Her First Desire is a major misfire. And that sucks, as it’s a successor to a book I really enjoyed and there were elements of the premise of this one that appealed to me.

I really liked Gemma’s determination to have her own life following a bad marriage by taking ownership of her uncle’s tavern. And Ned was great in theory, as I liked that he worked as a doctor (and that this series so far has featured untitled working, although still genteel, heroes), and claimed to have a logical mind.

But then, there’s the men’s club…it was a part of the first book, but not so much that it irked me. But Ned is an enthusiastic member and eternal bachelor, and while that’s not unusual, the way this manifests in his character was off-putting. One of his first actions was to lay false claim to the tavern too, in order to get Gemma riled up, because of his attraction.

What followed was the most lukewarm battle-of-the-sexes ever, not providing me any reason to think better of him, and actually making me think worse of her for associating with him due to him having his head stuck up his ass. He does improve slightly, but I never warmed up to him.

This book really frustrated me, and while I have seen mixed opinions on this one, so I would take my opinion with a grain of salt, it’s good to know I’m not alone in thinking a great concept got lost in execution.

I will start by saying this is not my favorite cover. Still it is bright and eye catching. Now we have a book that is part of a series but it is not needed to be read in order to understand the story but you meet past characters. We have a widow who takes her undecided future into her own hands, by taking over her uncle's tavern. This upsets the Logical men's society. Especially the chairman and local doctor Ned. Ned and Gemma butt heads over the ownership. We get lots of arguing and tension. There are strong women who will take the men down a peg. A little humor, a little tension, and some sweet kissing. There is one steamy scene but not too graphic. MINOR SPOILER:I will say that Ned is engaged to a lady who he is not interested in. He does share kisses with Gemma while engaged. Of course things work out for everyone with a happily ever after and an additional chapter letting us know what is coming in the next book.

Widowed Gemma Estep has absolutely had it with men! She’s never met one she could trust and rely on – even her father who loved her left his fortune to her worthless husband rather than to her. When her husband died in a duel over another man’s wife, his brother inherited the fortune and ‘allowed’ her to live with his family – basically as a servant. Her final straw was when she discovered a letter in her brother-in-law’s desk. That letter – addressed to her – was months old – and it was the news that her beloved uncle, her only relative, had died. After a loud confrontation with her brother-in-law, she decided to leave because she had a letter that made her believe that her uncle had left her his establishment, The Garland. OMGoodness, the mess she found when she arrived to make her claim! That mess included the state of disrepair in which she found the Garland – and the animosity of the male population of the village – many of whom belonged to the Logical Men’s Society.

Doctor Ned Thurlowe is a well-respected physician and member of the village. He is of a scientific nature and really pays little attention to what is actually going on around him. People talk to him, but he pays almost no attention to what they are actually saying. He’s always thinking of something else entirely. He’s betrothed, but it is a pity betrothal that he was sort of shamed into. He is totally indifferent to the woman and has been putting off the wedding for over two years. He knows he’ll marry her someday – but not today. Then, that wicked, flame-haired harridan came to town, and he found he might actually have feelings. Who knew? Of course, they could never be friends because she is claiming the Garland – and worse yet – she plans to turn it into a tea garden where the Logical Men’s Society will not be allowed to meet! The nerve of her.

Ned’s character seems to be a caricature rather than a real person. He certainly needed to have a grand epiphany because he was not a particularly likable character for most of the book. Because of his background, he had a very insecure nature and wasn’t one for trusting – especially women.

I don’t care for infidelity in any book I read – and – while many of you will disagree with me – this book has infidelity in it. Ned is betrothed to a lovely young woman. He asked her to marry and she agreed – and then he never made any effort to get to know her or care about her – and then he has a relationship with Gemma. He should have dealt with the betrothal before he ever embarked on the relationship with Gemma. I’m not a believer in those ‘uncontrollable’ urges. I believe you always have a choice – even if you don’t like the available options.

I liked the IDEA of this story much better than I liked the execution. I thought it would be a bright, funny, entertaining romance, and for me personally, it just wasn’t. I have begun to wonder if all authors hate men or if it is just a wide swath of the Historical Romance authors. I’ve read several books within the last month whose common theme was that every female in the story was constantly referring to men as idiots, wastrels, untrustworthy, rakes, etc. To me, that sort of equates to thinking all blondes are dumb as in all of the blonde jokes. It isn’t true and it is insulting to my intelligence to try to make me think it is.

While I wouldn’t read this book a second time, I hope you’ll enjoy it if you choose to read it. I also think I’ll skip any remaining books in the series.

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

This was my first Cathy Maxwell and I was intrigued at the list of authors the synopsis compared her too. I don't think her writing worked for me, I loved the banter but the story was a little too slow for my taste. DNF

I really enjoyed reading from one of my favorite authors. Ms Maxwell writes historical romance like nobody's business. I like the story line and atmosphere that catches the reader's attention. The characters seemed real with thought and feelings of their own.
Ned Thurlowe is a member of the Logical Men's Society which is held in a tavern that he owns. It's where a fellow can escape and drink away their problems. No women allowed and they like it just that way.
When a new resident claims it's hers Ned is determined to keep her out of his business. Emma Estep will not give up her dream of having a tea shop all her own, and no bull headed man will stop her.
A challenge is issued and let the games begin in the battle of the sexes. A fun and thrilling romp to see who will win in the game of love.
I appreciate Net Galley for this ARC title in which I gave an honest review.

Firstly, this romance is FUN! I don't usually find that the case in historical romance, but from the beginning to the end, there is so much physical action in this book. Rowdy pub scenes, a hilarious fistfight, horse rides, magistrate-carrying (you'll have to read it), dancing, etc. Maxwell really puts you in the middle of the action, and I found myself laughing and getting excited about the book.

Without giving too much away, gentlemen doctor Ned Thurlowe (head of a misogynist group--trust me on this one, too) is enjoying a peaceful life in his little village when a feisty woman, Gemma, shows up claiming to have inherited the pub that Ned wants to buy. Hijinks ensue, tempers flare, hearts are broken and won. Of course, there is a happily-ever-after (as all good romance should have) and Maxwell does an excellent job of not only showing how two polar opposites can fall in love, but how two souls can complete each other, even without them knowing it.

I loved 90% of this novel, but there were a couple of things that bothered me in the beginning. It's totally my opinion, though. These may not bother some people at all.

While I ended up absolutely adoring Ned, his first few chapters were a little problematic. He is EXTREMELY misogynistic when we first meet him. So much so that I didn't actually know if I could finish the novel. There's even a few sort of "cheating" scenes. Not between the two main characters (they don't cheat on each other), but it involves one of them. He's actually engaged to another woman. It's hard to redeem a character like that, but Maxwell does a great job with this. He ends up groveling. A lot. But not to the woman he's engaged to. This broken engagement is handled very well, in my opinion, by Maxwell's emotional writing.

The other thing that irked me a little is how fast they fell in love. Like, SUPER fast. He goes from hating her to "I love you" in the span of a few pages. It gave me whiplash. Once again, though, I think that Maxwell handles it well. It actually UPS the sexual tension--instead of losing it--and this is when Ned wins me over. His love for Gemma is fierce. Very, very fierce. A huge catnip for me is when the hero falls in love, it's completely over for him. He is 100% in love with the heroine, and no force on Earth will stop him from loving her. When Ned falls for Gemma, it's over. Nothing else matters. He does everything he can to have her. It's beautiful.

While there is a ton of sexual tension in this book, there is only one real love scene and it is super quick. I think Maxwell could've included a few more of those, simply because the sexual tension is so strong. It would've been a nice payoff.

Gemma is scared--more like terrified--to love another man (her last husband was bad--trust me, you'll hate him), and as a widow, she refuses to let another man ruin her life. I can completely relate to that, but I love that she is won over by Ned's admission that he is her equal, personally and professionally. She always knows this, of course, but it's nice when you see Ned finally catch up to that realization.

Overall, the main things I loved about this book was the physical actions and comedy, Gemma's amazing survivor, Ned's heart eyes for Gemma, and the setting in the small village of Maidenshop. Excellent job, Ms. Maxwell!



**I was given a complementary copy of this book by the publisher through NetGalley for an honest review.**

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3923434094

I tried so hard to love this but it just moved a little bit too slowly for me The banter was good. The premise was clever. I just felt like it took AGES for the relationship to develop. I love trying new authors here and appreciate the opportunity to read and try it out!

Well-respected village doctor Ned Thurlowe takes pride in his strong intellect and clear thinking as chairman of the Logical Men’s Society. But all that cool composure is lost when a feisty and lovely woman show up claiming to have inherited the local pub. Ned won’t stand for it as the beloved tavern has become the favored meeting place of the Society and he hopes to claim it himself, even if the men haven’t exactly been taking care of the place.

Widowed Gemma Estep is done relying on others for her living and is determined to turn her late uncle’s tavern into her own establishment, a respectable tea garden. This is her chance to finally be free and she has no intention of letting her new enemy Ned Thurlowe get in her way, even if he sparks wholly unfamiliar feelings in her. As the two bicker, it eventually becomes apparent they’re very alike and beneath their mutual animosity is an entirely different sort of heat.

This book was rather bizarre to me and much of the time had me simultaneously entertained and highly annoyed. I’m pretty sure this was the intended reaction given the incredibly high levels of sexism displayed by the men in this novel, including and especially the hero. The meddling matrons were frustrating in their own regard, but the backwards men certainly took the cake. The romance here was rather lost in the battle of the sexes and the hero’s bloodless engagement to another woman, both of which went on a bit too long for me. Ned went from being ridiculously immature in his behavior, harassing Gemma when he knew he had no claim simply because his attraction to her made him uncomfortable, to complaining about being too old. His reasons for his dislike of women were also rather feeble and made him difficult to like as his change of heart and growth as a character came about quite late. Ned and Gemma went from being at each other’s throats, with Ned being especially and irrationally nasty, to suddenly being in love. This wasn’t just a slow burn to me, but their feelings didn’t make sense after how he treated her. Lust was believable, but it was rather an abrupt about face for deep emotions, especially since it took them so long to fight for their love. I also would’ve liked to see some comeuppance for Gemma’s awful family; I kept waiting for them to pop up and try to cause trouble since she left so abruptly, and it was a bit odd that we never heard from them again. Overall, this story was entertaining but rather less than romantic. I was intrigued by the side characters and enjoyed the writing style though so I will likely continue the series.

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

We just don't get enough backstory for Gemma to understand her. This book revolves more around Ned and his inner thoughts and feelings. Very sexist hero and very misogynistic men throughout the whole book. Hero isn't that likable.

I also wasn't sure if this was supposed to be a humorous story?

Didn't click for me. DNF.

About the Book:
In Her First Desire, the widowed Gemma is relying on the cheap charity of her husband's relatives after the man himself and her entire family dies. When she discovers a stolen letter in her brother-in-law's desk dated back several months announcing the death of her last blood relative—an uncle—she decides to pursue her own freedom and claiming his small-town tavern.

Gemma's efforts, encouraged by the women of the town tired of being excluded from "men's" spaces, are threatened by the town doctor and leader of the Logical Men's Society, a once revered bachelor's group turned into a drinking club headquartered at the tavern.

The Good:
Maxwell's second novel in the series is quite enjoyable, even for someone who has not read the first. I enjoyed seeing women banding together to fight patriarchal social orders, not overly encumbered by a not-like-other-girls attitude. While Gemma is clearly the main character, well-respected, ambitious, and "ethereal" in her beauty, she is not any better than the other village women. In fact, she relies on them as her allies and confidants, wholly aware she would have failed miserably without them.

The Bad:
Then men in this book are awful. Their sexist views are proudly shared unchallenged by most everyone, clearly stating over and over again that a woman should never have any right to property, even when she is heir-apparent to the deceased. In their drunken, lackadaisical, offensive manner, the Logical Men's Society resorts to disturbingly childish, and even violent, attempts to get their petty way.

The romantic hero is of course the ringleader of the group, though he claims he abhors his friends' actions, he does little to stop them except saying, "Hey! That's not very gentlemanly."

Finally, the ending was rushed, with a sudden and vague wedding which somehow is now accepted by the townsfolk, against all reason presented earlier in the book.

Who Will Like This Book:
This book is an enjoyable if not overly-exciting read for historical romance readers. It is not going to be your favorite mass-market of all time, but it is certainly enjoyable and worth finishing once begun.

Other notes: The e-book I received is an unfinished proof and may not be identical to the published product. One error I would like the publisher to fix is Thurlowe's early acknowledgement that Gemma held a letter of proof, when later on he is shocked by this revelation.

Ned had a lot to makeup for in my eyes in order to redeem himself. She was horrible to Gemma in the beginning and not very nice to the other ladies either. I am happy to say that he did redeem himself greatly.

This is an awesome book from the beginning. It's a funny story in the beginning and a poignant one towards the end.
Ned and Gamma make incredible adversaries and e an better lovers.
Cathy Maxwell crafts an incredible story.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Her First Desire is the second in the Logical Man's Guide to Dangerous Women series and I have been anxiously awaiting it's arrival since reading the first book in the series. Cathy Maxwell's characters loop you in from the beginning and you are sad to see the characters go at the close of the book. Wonderfully complex and compelling characters and storyline. You'll fall in love with the whole town too. Can't wait for book three.

Give this one a pass. This novel was out of place and time with most of the character attitudes and thoughts. I really struggled with such modern day rhetoric in a novel set in early 1800s. I struggled so much that I skimmed the entire thing and I don’t feel like I missed a thing.

I was provided with an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Such a different story. Cathy makes such endearing characters that make you laugh and want to cry. I loved these two characters and their quarrels.

This book is very much a battle of the sexes. Pretty literally. All of the men and women in the book - except for maybe Brandon and Kate (from the prior book in the series) are very much at odds with each other. Both sides believe they know better and both sides have decidedly flawed views as well.

Ned is a physician who is the illegitimate son of an earl and a very famous courtesan. He is pretty rigid in his beliefs and thought processes. He doesn't trust anyone - particularly women. Very few women in his life have given him a reason to trust - and he hasn't felt an emotional connection to any of them. He is engaged to a truly sweet woman who has had a hard life - not because he loves her or even wants to marry her but because she needs someone to help her. When Gemma comes to town and threatens his stable orderly life - he is immediately threatened by her in almost every possible way - from her talent for making herbal remedies to her immediate acceptance by the town to her claimed ownership of the building where his society meets. His fiery reaction to her equates to a passionate emotional response.

Gemma responds in kind - she is in a desperate situation and the Garland and the small town is her only chance towards building a life. She has been badly treated by all the men in her life except for her now deceased uncle. She is predisposed to think badly of Ned and his behavior doesn't exactly help things.

In reading this book you have to be prepared for a long, antagonistic battle between Gemma and Ned. I think the author did a really good job of letting each of them learn and grow - finding that men and women aren't all one way or the other and not all bad or good. I also appreciated the friendships that Ned had - and how they didn't just tell each other what they wanted to hear or blindly support each other. I'd be very interested in reading Marsden's book in particular!

Overall - I recommend - but you have to be in the right frame of mind to read an enemies to lovers book!

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, but these opinions are all my own.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4. I was very excited to get this ARC as I have read almost all of Cathy Maxwell’s books. I did struggle initially to get into the book because the first chapter or so setting up Gemma’s backstory was so harsh that I was worried that this wasn’t going to be the fun romp I was expecting. Once Gemma got to Maidenshop (which honestly didn’t take that long) the story turned into more of what I was expecting.

I liked Gemma a lot. I found her smart, capable, charming, and quite the feminist. I struggled with Ned. I get that he was meant to be an alpha-type hero, but I grew soooo tired of his blatant sexism. I appreciate that when he was called out for it he acknowledged his biases and tried to change his ways, but to me by that point he had crossed over into the land of incels of which there is no escape. (I do admit that my opinion of Ned was probably a bit tainted by the fact I read most if it immediately after reading The Rommate which has a cinnamon roll super feminist hero.)

I also struggled with the fact that there was almost no relationship development. They had an instant attraction while hating each other and continued to hate each other for 75% of the book. Then out of nowhere (again like 75% of the way through) he kissed her was saying he loved her, when they literally had not had a single civil conversation at that point.

Maidenshop is filled with a wonderful array of secondary characters. Everyone was so distinctive and it really felt like I was immersed into a real world filled with real people. The book would not have been the same without these characters. They kept me engaged, brought humor, and quite amazingly for a historical romance only a couple of them were titled. Honestly I think they probably saved the book for me. I will be very happy to see almost any of them again in future books in this series.

I really really liked the first in the series and overall enjoyed this one as well. Kate and Bran from the first book are present for part of this book and play a big role in helping Gemma and Ned get together. I am very much looking to the third book (which I really really hope is about Clarissa and Mars).

Trigger Warnings (sorry some of these contain spoilers): Cheating (Ned is engaged to someone else for 97% of the book, if that is not your thing, you’ve been forewarned). Child loss (discussed but happens before the story starts). Drug use (a side character frequenting opium dens is discussed but happens off page, and he will likely be the hero of another book in the series).

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.