Member Reviews

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. Fun Victorian romance. Love the cover.

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The book is about a widow named Honoria aka Honey aka Ria. The Hero’s name is Luc.

The book was a nice read, but at times I was a little confused. One instance is the heroine had three names. Just pick one or two names at most (real name and nickname). Another instance is when we meet a Monty in the first chapter. Ria and her deceased husband’s nephew are in a room together and then she leaves, but the nephew and this Monty are still “together” but no interaction. Come to find out like a chapter and half later that Monty is a ghost and he is Ria’s deceased husband.

The Ria and Luc meet each other at a masquerade. They had previously meet when they were children. She is there to have sex with someone. She needs to lose her maiden hood otherwise her deceased husband’s estate would go to a no good nephew.

Luc and Ria continue a relationship, but Luc does not realize Ria was the woman from the masquerade. Luc is a typical rake. Ria just wants to do what’s best for her little family, but would not mind a relationship with Luc.

I liked the basis of the story, but having to turn back every now and then is not fun for me. It takes away from the story.

I was given a free copy of this book for a honest review.

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This was an enjoyable book that had an element that is not found in many historical romances...a ghost. This is not a ghost story, but there is a quite nice ghost that pops up occasionally. I enjoyed Ria, she had a great moral compass and I was interested in her story. This is the first book that I have read by this author and I look forward to reading more from her.

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I liked this story and the intrigue. The paranormal aspect was a nice twist. Overall an enjoyable story. * I received an ARC of this book and this is my voluntary and honest review.

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4 Stars

This book is a Historical Romance. It is written from multiple perspectives of the two love interests, plus a ghost. I enjoyed reading this book. It was entertaining, a bit confusing at times but overall the story progressed nicely and very dramatic. What I liked best about the book, was the mystery behind Mrs. St. James, at the Masquerade party. The romance behind it was so forbidden, for the time period as well as the secrets that were dividing the two main character’s you could not help being intrigued by it all . The female lead is known by several names in the book which include: Honey, Ria and Mrs. St. James. It was a little confusing at first trying to work out that they were all the same person. I loved reading and seeing the development of Ria. She started out taking directions from the men in her life, including the Ghost of her late husband, and strove for independence, self-reliance and the ability to take care of her own affairs.
This story is about Mrs. St. James, who has just lost her husband and is trying to figure out how to keep his estate out of his nephew's greedy little hands. There is only one way to do it, which involves a masquerade party and unsuspecting gentleman from her past, Lord Arden. Lord Aden catches sight of a beautiful masked woman at the masquerade party, where he wines and dines her into his bed. He was planning on taking off back to London after the party, but can’t get her out of his head and decides to stay and search for her. Their two lives begin to intertwine from there but only one of them really knows who the other is.
I enjoyed this story and the mystery of will Lord Arden finding out about his mystery lady plus his family's past getting in the way of future happiness was great. The obstacles for Ria were stacked against her and the suspense from all the Drama, forbidden kisses and the threats from a violent relative, were all captivating. There were a couple of things I had an issue with, the first chapter was very confusing because it kept switching perspectives rapidly from Ria and Lord Arden with no real indication when we were switching, like a little icon or spacing of paragraphs. I would read on still thinking we were reading from Ria’s perspective and then hit a spot which made no sense for her and had to go back. After that first chapter it was fixed I had no problems discerning who was the narrator of the story. Finally, I don’t know why there was a ghost written into the story, It seemed a bit out of place and one scene the ghost was written to make it seem that he played a part in making sure Ria and Luc got together when in fact it made Lord Arden, who throughout the story was exceedingly smart, practical and protective come off as a stubborn and irrational. Not to mention Ria was talking to him all the time and it did not come off as odd to the servants or several women that lived there. I just don't understand why the ghost and just does not really fit me.
Overall, I liked the story, it was a very enjoyable, sexy and great historical aspect and I would recommend it. Trigger warnings include murder, violence and some drug us.
I received this ebook, via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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I did enjoy this book very much.
I loved the paranormal elements that provided humour to the story and I look forward to reading the next in the series.
I really liked this story and adored Ria. She was a woman of honor, compassion and loyalty to those she loved. She was also forced to do something that went against her conscience to protect the people she loves and fulfill her dead husband's wishes. But at least she has a choice in the person with who to do the deed. And Luc the Earl of Arden has no idea what hit him when they meet us. They are not as unknown to each other as he thinks. He is drawn to her but just chalks it up to sensual attraction; well at least at first.
This book had surprises, twists, turns and a good romance. All in all, I enjoyed it especially the H.E.A. and Epilogue that is included.
I love so much historical fiction, so this book was the perfect read for me… it was an amazing story, I loved the main characters so much. Ria was completely amazing. I can’t wait to continue whit this series.

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This was a fun little regency with paranormal elements. It felt a little old-fashioned – very Heyeresque in the gender dynamics. I liked the hero quite a bit, and the paranormal parts were cleverly and entertainingly done. Alas, the hero really annoyed me with his behaviour late in the book (not to mention with his implausible inability to recognise the heroine) and for me, the romance couldn't come back from there.

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This book had surprises, twists, turns, ghost and a good romance.
Story was kind of slow at first, I wasn't so motivated to read it, so it took me more than two weeks to finish it.
I liked Ria, she really cared about the people around her. It's nice that her crush at 11 met her pathway again and with a little help of friendly ghost, she deserved her happy ending.
I don't like thriller scenes, so I was glad they weren't to long, I'm all about the romance.
I was at first scared that it will be too paranormal and thriller for me, but I was happy to find out that mostly is still good history romance.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Review posted on Goodreads too.

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Ria St. James has to thwart her deceased husband’s nephew who intends to marry or murder her either will do.When I started reading I couldn't put it down.Peta Lee Rose is magnifysent and amazing writer.I cannot wait to read more of there books.Keep up the great work.You should definitely read this book.Can't wait for the next book

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Great historical romance, Lovely aunts and a murderous villain add to the twists in this story, and then there is Monty. Thoroughly enjoyed this book, definitely would recommend it.

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It was an enjoyable read and had different twists that were not always obvious. Ria was enamored of Luc since she was little and pursued him at a masquerade for various reasons. Luc did not connect Ria to his masquerade lady. Luc was a rake due to seeing his parent’s disastrous marriage. Ria is widowed but being bullied and threatened by her husband’s nephew which plays into Luc becoming very protective but not immediately. I was surprised that Luc did not guess Ria’s complete identification quicker and the realization that he loved her came later but not given much attention.. I wish more reasoning on why he loved her was mentioned. I also wish some of the aunties machinations were exposed too. Altogether it was fun. Thank you.

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Dangerous Masquerade leads to romance. An entertaining and well-written story. The characters were developed rather well. Enjoyed!

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This was a very enjoyable romance with a ghostly element which was very different. It was really well, written and held my attention throughout.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

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This book was a pleasant read about a young widow and the maybe-somewhat-sort-of reformed rake she's loved since she was a girl.

Although the book had the requisite romance-novel parts, it was a little uneven for my taste. After a confusing but quick start, the story slowed for several chapters before picking up again. I also had a hard time believing that if Ria and Luc really were close playmates for a couple of summers (until Luc outgrew her), Luc would forget about her entirely in eight years. The added paranormal element, in my opinion, should either have been beefed up or omitted. I can't say much more without spoilers.

Ria was a great character: smart, strong, and compassionate. Luc was a little less appealing to me. He was actually rather a jerk or maybe just an idiot. In short, there was little in the story to make me understand why Ria loved him so much.

All of this aside, the general story was nice, and there was a decent HEA. While I wouldn't add it to my keeper shelf, I'm not sorry that I read it, and I'd consider reading book 2 in the series.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

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Very intoxicating! Lovely book, well written with characters that will charm your socks off.

The humour is very good too. I especially loved the ghostly scenes haha!

I highly recommend this book, it’s charming and rather addictive once you get into it.

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Murder & Mayhem is surrounding the Widow Ria St. James , but the Earl of Arden is intrigued.
Ria is tempted, but she knows that there are things that Earl is not aware of so she runs to save her life and protect her heart.

The author has done an amazing job at keeping me turning the pages, so I am sure others will find the depth of the storyline and characters are believable and fresh!

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a great read.

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

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This book is delightful! A beautiful love story with a twist I can’t even mention without giving everything away. Just trust me and read it!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

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