Loved by the Lyon is one of those books that you find yourself reading in one sitting and then you smile because of the good feelings it leaves you with. It is the story of Kingston Barclay, the heir to a dukedom, who is destitute with siblings to support. He and his best friend Gabriel went to war together. Kingston returned without Gabriel to find his parents deceased and his siblings living in squalor. He must marry an heiress to provide for his family. He goes to see Mrs. Dove-Lyon for assistance finding a bride and finds Gabriel's sister, Vanessa Becket, sneaking around in the Lyon's Den. The solution to both of their problems is a temporary marriage until Kingston comes into his inheritance. Kingston has a secret that prevents him from agreeing to a permanent relationship. A very good book! I definitely recommend it.

Kingston needs a fortune to rehabilitate his estate and support his younger siblings while waiting to inherit a dukedom. Enter Vanessa, his best friend's sister, and an heiress in her own right. She needs protection from her wastrel stepbrother.

Kingston and Vanessa enter into a temporary marriage of convenience, planning to get the union annulled in six months. He's sure she won't want to stay with him once she learns the truth about his part in her brother's death.

But Vanessa has other ideas. Can he resist her efforts to bind him to her forever?

This light. steamy novella is a pleasant, uncomplicated read. The characters are strong, particularly Vanessa. I liked her a lot. I wish the book had been longer—the story was meaty enough for a novel-length book.

I received a NetGalley ARC, and this is my honest review.

Could their temporary marriage change to a more permanent one...

I like this series, each new author adds its mark to it.
Vanessa while a bit judgmental at the beginnings a caring young woman who is facing dire circumstances because as a woman she has practically no say about her future, and is not even listened because of her sex.
But when given the chance, she takes charge and acts for the better of everyone.
Kingston was quite intriguing, who is this man, a rake who had an affair with a courtesan or the honor bound young man who will sacrifice his future happiness to provide for his siblings.
Yet, he is also the man who put his head in the sand instead of facing the music because he is ashamed of his past actions.
He is all of these men, a complex fellow because of his guarded silence struggles to act on the attractiveness he feels for his new wife.

Their romance is one following a smooth path as they only hold back because of the pact they made at the beginning. It is sweet and sensual.
4 stars

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

Kingston is looking for a marriage of convenience with an heiress. Vanessa is looking for safety from her cousin until she inherits. They knew each other growing up, surely Kingston and Vanessa can keep it platonic? I received an ARC from NetGalley and Dragonblade Books for my honest review.

Kingston Barclay may be a duke's heir, but he's dealing with a struggling estate and several siblings to support. He's considering contracting a marriage through the famous proprietress at The Lyon's Den, but the last person he expects to find there is his deceased best friend's sister. Vanessa Becket turns up at The Lyon's Den, chasing down her thieving stepbrother. A match is made as Kingston and Vanessa agree to a temporary arranged marriage to combat both of their problems.

This book is part of an interconnected world, but is a stand alone story. I felt like it featured a couple with great potential, but the book suffered from too much build up and then a rushed conclusion. There was quite a bit of introduction for Vanessa's stepbrother as a threat to her fortune and freedom, but then it gets swept under the rug. Similarly, the spark between Kingston and Vanessa was intriguing, but then there is a time jump and there isn't enough development to make me care about their HEA. The positives were that I found the characters likeable and wanted to know more about them. I enjoyed the writing style and would try this author again in the future.

Tropes: Marriage of Convenience, Best Friend's Sister

* I received an ARC and this is my honest review. #LovedbytheLyon #NetGalley

It seems the Black Widow of the Lyon’s Den has the magic touch when it comes to the wedding mart. She has somehow paired off another couple, Kingston Barclay is looking for a rich heiress because he has siblings to take care of and a crumbling estate!

Enter Vanessa Beckett who is a heiress, but she is only in the den and that is to retrieve her stolen belongings from her evil stepbrother! However, the stepbrother has other designs and the Black Widow proposes that the two marry.

Kingston has a secret that Vanessa would hate him if she ever discovered it. Secrets and families have a way of being difficult to a new marriage!

The author does a good job in keeping the readers wanting to see how it all plays out.
Another great addition to the Lyon’s Den Series!

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

This is the second book in the Lyon's Den series that I have read. The first one was by a different author but the common thread is a gambling den in which there is also a lot of matchmaking.

It is a shortish read that starts a little slowly as we're about 30 % in the book before the couple meets for the first time. It picks up once they start interacting and meet his siblings.

Vanessa is a heiress who is quite alone in the world after the deaths of her mother and brother. She has a stepbrother but he is a bit too intent on stealing her valuables to be much of a comfort. Kingston is the heir to a dukedom, but currently he is penniless. He has returned from the war traumatized and feeling guilty. He had an amorous liaison with an enticing spy and as a consequence, a friend of his perished. That friend was Vanessa's brother.

Vanessa goes to the Lyon's Den to look for her thieving stepbrother. Kingston wants the matchmaker's help in marrying a desperate heiress. They end up marrying each other, planning not to consummate their union and get an annulment later. Kingston is determined to punish himself for his fatal indiscretion. However, there is a definite attraction, and the question is whether they really are able to keep celibate throughout their marriage. .

Kingston's physical description seemed somewhat inconsistent to me. In the beginning of the book Kingston considers himself maimed and crippled, and we're told that "his clothing hid his mutilated flesh". Apparently he suffered burn scars in the fire that killed Vanessa's brother. But later when Kingston and Vanessa get naked we hear that he was "sculpted, molded, masculine perfection": There is just a brief mention that his back is scarred, but it seems a far cry from being maimed and mutilated. Perhaps Kingston estimated his injuries through the glasses of self-hatred and Vanessa saw him through the eyes of love.

Collette Cameron was a new author for me. Her prose is pleasant. if a bit flowery in places. Some readers might be offended by four letter words in the book.

I would rate this three and a half if half stars were a thing.

I read an ARC I got from Netgalley and these are my voluntary opinions.

EDIT: I ticked the box for posting the review to goodreads automatically but it posted on the wrong book"
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11052020-going-going-gone

I enjoyed this quick and light historical romance. The story focuses on Vanessa and Kingston, a pair that knew each other when they were children and reconnect as adults. Vanessa and Kingston haven’t seen each other in years, ever since he left to join the military. Vanessa and Kingston, for different reasons, agree to an arranged marriage with the stipulation that they annul the marriage in six months. As their feelings grow, they both realize that theirs is more than just a convenient union. Will secrets and their eventual annulment keep them apart, or will they fight for their happily-ever-after?

Kingston is an honorable and good man who is willing to do whatever it takes to take care of his younger siblings. He carries a lot of guilt and is burdened by the past. I like how Vanessa helps him to make peace with the past and look to the future. Kingston, in turn, does the same for Vanessa. He gives her what she feels is missing in her life, a sense of belonging. They are a well-suited pair that complement each other well. Plus, their marriage of convenience turned epic love story is wonderful!

The chemistry between Vanessa and Kingston is fantastic. They have a history since Kingston was the best friend of Vanessa’s brother. Kingston has the immediate compulsion to help and protect Vanessa, and she reciprocates these feelings. Since they did not marry for love, they fight their feelings, but their feelings and history run deep. They have so many conflicted emotions and fears about the past and the future, and it was interesting to see how they tried to come to terms with it all.

If you are looking for a quick and charming historical romance, you should give this series and book a try. Also, though Loved by the Lyon is part of a series, it can totally be read as a standalone. Thanks so much to Netgalley, Dragonblade Publishing, and the author for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

A sweet story about a man who needs money for his family and a woman who trying to find a jewelery .
I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley.