Member Reviews
Outrageous is the story of Eva and Godric. Eva hatches a plan to kidnap him in order to keep her family safe from the dangerous rogue, Godric. Only when she succeeds does she realize what it means once the deed was done. Godric (the villain from the previous book) does understand the consequences and of course, demands she marry him. And away we go…
Minerva Spencer is an auto-read for me. I love her books and this was no exception. I love the characters and I love how Ms. Spencer writes their points of view. Eva is 19, impulsive and somewhat immature, but her heart is in the right place. Godric is 36, jaded with a slightly skewed moral compass. Watching them fall in love after being at odds for so long was fun. Yes, the age gap is an issue and brought up in the book several times, but I didn’t think it hurt the story too much. The supporting characters are also fun and help the plot along without stealing the story. And the sexy times are exactly what I expect from a Minerva Spencer book: hot, engaging, and plentiful.
Overall I liked this book. It’s a fantastic continuation of her Rebels of the Ton series. Definitely a keeper. 4 stars of 5
This was a really fun novel to read!! Spencer has taken us back in time to a brilliantly written world that is so entertaining you would forget to close the book before the ending.
4.5 Stars - Top Pick
This is the first book that I have read by Minerva Spencer and I really enjoyed the characters and the plot of the book. I loved her attention to detail and her research that she did while writing this book. If you enjoy reading historical romance with some action and romance this is the book for you.
First, we meet Godric Fleming, Earl of Visel, who is the heir to the Duke of Tyndale. He is a war hero and was plotting to destroy a man’s life. At first I was hoping that Eva would succeed in her plans for Godric. He seemed to be such an arrogant man. Then after reading more about him, he truly was heartbroken and just looking to sooth his heart and soul. I loved how he slowly changed throughout this book. Especially when he was with Eva. I loved how they interacted with each other like when they would argue and neither of them backed down.
Eva de Courtney was not a normal nineteen-year-old girl. They all thought she was mad just like her mother. I truly sympathized with her because that’s all she was ever told and grew to believe it. I loved how she accepted it and didn’t care what others thought of her. I liked the fierceness in which she loved her family. She sacrificed herself for the love she had for her brother and committed a crime that could land her in shackles. I especially enjoyed how she presented herself not caring for balls, gowns or entertaining people of the ton. She definitely had her own style men in that era might find appalling.
With the adventure they go on, I was taken for a funny, scary, and exciting ride. They both were evenly matched in wit and stubbornness that had me laughing and flipping the pages to see what would happen next. I truly enjoyed this book and can’t wait to dive in to the next book in the Rebels of the Ton series.
~ Brooke
Fun Regency Romance with its fair share of misadventure!
What a delightful termagant Eva de Courtney is! Well meaning, courageous and most often misguided.
But if you’re known as the disastrous daughter of the de Courtney’s then you surely live up to that reputation!
When Eva decides to kidnap Goodrich Fleming, Earl of Visel to prevent him from harming her sister-in-law Drusilla, well it made perfect sense in Eva’s (aka Evil to her siblings) way of thinking. 🤷♀️
So talking her long suffering friend and stable hand James into helping her was just the beginning.
Kidnapping the dreaded Lord Visel was next. What was not so simple were the storms, the out of the way inns, the highwaymen, and Eva’s father—the Marquess of Exley.
A rollicking tale with adventure, romance (well a bit more than that, given the inns and Eva’s inclination to experimentation, and Godric’s inclination to ruthlessly ignore any better judgement that might have lurked in his damaged psyche.)
Another brilliant addition to the Rebels series—witty and engaging. This one had me feeling a series reread coming on, including The Outcasts.
A Kensington Books ARC via NetGalley
This is a very typical historical romance that also happens to be an incredibly imaginative story. I don't think I've ever read a historical romance that starts out with the heroine kidnapping the hero, but I loved how things kept getting twisted around. It's a comedy of errors where both Eva and Godric switch off on who has the advantage and the annoyance while also discovering that they just might be everything that the other wants and needs.
Eva is a very anachronistic character, but Spencer somehow makes it work by showing both the disapproval from others and how a little understanding goes a long way for her. Godric is the typical tortured hero with a past, but seeing his personality change (or maybe even develop) the more time he spends with Eva was a pleasure.
This book is a page-turner as much for the what-could-possibly-happen-next factor as it is for the steamy enemies-to-lovers romance. Pick this one up if you want fun and adventure with your romance.
Many happy thanks to NetGalley and GoodReads' First Reads because they funnily enough both gave me a copy on the very same day.
This was my first Minerva Spencer story and it won't be my last. When it came highly recommended to me by an author I like I decided to try it. I'm so glad I did. It was packed with outrageous situations, glorious comedic moments and a force of nature for a heroine. It was so much fun watching these two individuals on a disaster ridden carriage trip out of London. This is what happens with two temporally insane people are enclosed put together in a small space. I laughed, I was outraged, I couldn't wait for what happened next. I can't image that will happen in the next book in this series.
Eva Courtney will to anything to protect her beloved brother Gabriel and her best friend Drusilla, who are now married. For some reason the newly made and Earl of Visel, Godric Fleming, is determined to bedevil Gabriel. Godric has been in the war for 15 years and is believed to have war hysteria. Well, anyone would be grieving when they've recently lost every member of their immediate family when the ship they are on is sunk by pirates! He's now heir to his grandfather, a duke. Eva has gotten wind of Godric's plan to abduct sister-in-law Drusilla, and she decides it's time for her to stop him. So she, with the help of her childhood friend, James Brewster, her father's groom, abducts Godric instead. When he wakes up he manages within 24 hours to turn the tables on her and declares they're on their way to Scotland to be married now that she's ruined herself by being alone with him. Little does he realize that the beautiful fiery petite woman in the carriage is his equal. They are beset by fierce storms, highway men and a grieving widow bent on revenge along the way. It was such a ride watching these two battle their way into each other's hearts.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Eva De Courtney has had enough of Godric Fleming harassing her brother and his new wife. Eva decides to take matters into her own hands and along with her groom James they kidnap Godric.
The plan is to keep him for two weeks to give her brother time to spend with his new wife without interruption.
Things soon take a bad turn and Godric turns the tables and takes Eva hostage and decides that they must marry to preserve her reputation.
This is my first five star read of the year. I absolutely loved this book.
Eva is a strong independent woman which is unusual for this time period but I love her determination and how she always speaks her mind.
Godric on the other hand took sometime for me to warm up to. In the previous book he was a bit of a jerk but on reading this book you learn of his motivation in the persecution of Eva’s brother.
Throw in a long carriage ride to the Scottish border, a band of highwaymen, and a kidnapping gone wrong and it makes for a very entertaining read.
*****Thank you to Net Galley for providing me an e-ARC of this book!*****
This series is quickly moving up my favorite series list and Minerva Spencer is becoming a favorite author.
First, the setup. OMG! I don’t think I have ever read anything with quite this setup. It was so incredibly fun and sucked me in right from the beginning.
Second, the banter! Wow! I legitimately laughed out loud several times. Eva and Godric both have such sharp tongues and incredible wits. They are a perfect match for each other.
Third, can we just talk about how amazing Eva is for a minute? She is so smart and witty and I adored her. I understood her motivations. It was beautiful watching her work through her issues regarding her mother’s death and to see glimpses of her healing her relationship with her stalwart father. Oh, my heart! ♥️♥️♥️ Her banter and relationship with both James and Andrew was also so sweet and funny wonderful.
Last, Godric was just fantastic. He went toe to toe with Eva and reveled in her sharp tongue and wit. His story was absolutely heartbreaking. I hurt for him while reading this. I didn’t think he could top Gabriel (hero from the first book), but he came *really* close.
I read both books pretty quickly and I honestly can’t say which one I enjoyed more. All I know is I rarely order a physical copy of a book while listening to the audiobook or reading an ebook, but I did that with BOTH books in this series. I am definitely pre-ordering the next book, too.
Eva really is outrageous. Everyone thinks she is mad and when she kidnaps Godric, he knows she really is outrageous. Will they make it to Scotland to get married? Godric has to marry Eva now that he has been alone with her for days. Godric doesn't always do the right thing, but he is an honorable man. He thinks Eva is too young, but he is tempted by her. They both have their reasons for never marrying, but can they stick to that?
Outrageous is the second volume in the Rebels of the Ton series by Minerva Spencer. I didn’t read the first volume, or other books by the author who’s also published in French. To tell the truth, I was attracted to the book by its synopsis.
The book begins when Eva de Courtney, our heroine, kidnaps Godric Fleming, our hero. As for him, we understand he was about to do something he himself describes as “not wise”. Let’s simply say he intended to play a dirty trick on a person he dislikes, who’s none other than the heroine’s brother.
The heroine’s goal is to prevent Godric from harming her brother who’s just married.
Context in Outrageous: the heroine’s brother, Gabriel, is the hero in the first volume, and his soulmate is Eva’s best friend Drusilla. Even if I didn’t read the first volume, I understood all the ins and the outs of it, plus the fact at least a good part of the action in Outrageous takes places at the same time than Notorious.
However, there’s no real lack by not having read the first book. The author places the story and the events well, so the reader who hasn’t read the previous book isn’t lost.
In any case, in Outrageous the plot is centered on the succession of adventures to which the heroes are confronted, beginning by their travel from the moment Godric is kidnapped.
As I said I really liked the synopsis and the first pages really appealed to me. However, that deflated really soon.
I didn’t like a lot of things in this book, among others:
- Godric: a non-mature grownup who behaves like a brat for a good part of the book AND in the first volume. I’m really skeptical about his evolution.
- Eva: the kind of character who takes a decision on the pretext of helping those she loves, but in fact she’s attracted by the hero from the start. I’d just say the kidnapping was more a way to get noticed.
- The author insists too much on the age gap between the heroes as if it was original. Scoop: in historical romance, it’s not new. She should read again the classics (Kathleen Woodiwiss for example).
- The evolution of the plot: the shift in the situation that leads to a conflict between our heroes was illogical when a good part of the book was linked to a decision taken by the hero.
To conclude, I didn’t like the book and I won’t read the previous or the sequels.
Outrageous is book two of the Rebels of The Ton series, and I recommend reading the first book in the series, Notorious, where Godric Fleming, Lord Visel, is the villain.
Outrageous starts where Notorious leaves off, but with a twist. Instead of Visel continuing to do dastardly deeds, this books starts with a kidnapping, with the heroine Eva at the helm.
This is an enemies to lovers story with a big age gap, Eva is 19 and Godric is 37. During the sexy times it was annoying to constantly be reminded that Eva was so much younger, as the reader was often in Godric's head. I get it, she's of consenting age (and she did consent to everything), but I didn't necessarily like that Godric was thinking he was old enough to be her father one minute, and undressing her the next.
This book kept me entertained. It was very witty and moved along at a good pace. Eva was a spitfire, even though her immaturity was grating at times. She would do anything to fiercely protect those she loves. Godric had a lot of baggage and I don't think he really ever paid for some of the heartache he caused in the first book.
I loved the supporting characters, they were very funny and the best part of the story.
I'd give this book 3.5 stars. I liked it, but didn't love it all. I feel like Eva and Godric will have a good romp, but I can't see the two of them in the long haul.
Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book. The thoughts and opinions are my own and freely given.
This fun historical romance is good for those who enjoy very steamy scenes (my favorite part of this book), strong feisty women, age gap romance, a big dose of humor, and a touch of intrigue. It was a fun summer escape.
I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley. All opinions are my own. Outrageous by Minerva Spencer is the second book in her Rebels of the Ton series. It could be read as a standalone, but I think reading the first book, Notorious and Dangerous, the book about Eva de Courtney’s parents, will give you a better understanding of her character and her actions. I adored the heroine of this book Eva de Courtney. She’s brave, strong, fearsome, loyal and loves deeply, all in a deceptively tiny package. The story opens with Eva kidnapping Goderic Flemming, Earl of Visel, intending to prevent him from causing harm to her brother and his wife, but the tables quickly get turned, and the story is a rollicking adventure with plenty of steam, from beginning to end. Goderic is the type of villain you love to hate, but he manages to redeem himself and becomes an excellent foil for the larger-than-life heroine that is Eva. I enjoyed this book immensely and highly recommend it. Steam Level: Quite Steamy. Publishing Date: June 29, 2021. #Outrageous #MinervaSpencer #HistoricalRomance #HistoricalRomanceSeries #KensingtonBooks #NetGalley #RebelsOfTheTonSeries #bookstagram #bookstagrammer
Drama, if one word could describe a book and it’s characters it would be drama. At times it was funny and cute, other times it was so over the top I just rolled my eyes.
Eva kidnaps an earl’s heir to stop him from kidnapping her sister in law, (already drama). But the tables are turned when the two realize that she is compromised and they must marry. There’s a lot of “everything that can go wrong will go wrong” as they travel to Scotland to elope.
I liked Godric. He’s had so much trauma that he’s afraid to feel again and only wants revenge. Eva was also likable, if immature. It was hard to see them actually fall in love though with the constant arguing and sarcasm. The story beyond that was really entertaining. The scrapes and secondary characters had me turning pages wanting to see what would happen next.
This was a bit of an odd book. It begins when Eva de Courtenay kidnaps her family's nemesis, Godric Fleming, to prevent him from harming her brother and his family. Godric was the villain in the previous book in this series, but he has a change of heart (and indeed, personality) in the earliest pages of the book, even before he is kidnapped. And so while he is pretty annoyed to be kidnapped, and quickly turns the tables on Eva, he also decides at once that he must do the gentlemanly thing and marry her, and is actually fairly nice about it.
This... made no sense in the context of his personality from the previous book. Also, Eva is wildly attracted to him from the start, which also makes very little sense in the light of his previous behaviour.
There is a significant age difference between Godric and Eva in the book - she is 19 and he is 36. It's possible to do an age difference romance and make it not creepy, but alas, that didn't happen here. Godric has a tendency to alternate between infantilising Eva and lusting after her, and Eva's immaturity only added to the feeling that there were too many years between them.
There was also a LOT going on in this book. Around about halfway through the story, a whole collection of minor characters are introduced, bringing a raft of plot developments with them, and they rather steal the show. I actually quite enjoyed that section, but I couldn't help noting that it had almost nothing to do with the rest of the story. We only return to the romance in time for Eva and Godric to decide to be very stupid about it.
Altogether, I found this book frustrating. There were a bunch of elements that were fun, but they all seemed to belong in different books. And I just didn't like the central relationship. I can't recommend this.
Minerva Spencer's books offer rollicking adventure, witty conversations and, yes, plenty of steam. In this continuation of her Rebels of the Ton series, we see a desperate young woman plotting the abduction of her brother's enemy — with an outcome she never could have predicted. Eva de Courtney goes from being abductor to abductee, with Godric Fleming taking control of the situation. He insists they marry — after all, she is ruined because of the time they have spent together unchaperoned — and that's when the story grows ever more fascinating. The trip to the border is one calamity after another, with the seemingly mismatched couple becoming ever closer. Read the books in order; Minerva Spencer builds a world and knowing the back story improves the experience. Oh, and Enjoy! You will.
(I received an advance copy on NetGalley. Opinions mine.)
Thank you to NetGalley and Kinsington Books for an e-galley of Outrageous.
Perfect for fans of Bridgerton and historical romances, Outrageous is just that! Eva has taken it upon herself to kidnap the man who is causing her step-brother so many problems. I mean, truly, what is the issue with a 19-year-old girl kidnapping a grown man? And what could possibly go wrong? Enter a hilarious comedy of errors, with a side of highwaymen, and some spice and you've got Outrageous. With a witty, vivacious female lead, this book is the perfect poolside read.
The second in the Rebels of the Ton series, this is a fun romp of a novel. I have to say, though, that reading the first book is necessary to understand what's happening in the story. The book starts out overlapping with events at the end of Notorious and will actively spoil key plot points of that novel. With that disclaimer over, I really loved reading about Eva. She's a wonderful combination of feisty and insecure that feels deeply relatable. While I came into the book disliking Godric (as was intended), he really did get enough development for me to be okay with him by the end of the story. While the plot was truly ridiculous, I really enjoyed it. This is a fun, fast historical romance with enough banter and steam to keep you entertained.
Book 2 in the rebel of the ton series was just as fun and wonderful as book 1! I loved that our main character Eva decides to kidnap pour leading man Godric - shes hoping he stops trying to persecute her beloved brother. There were so many romance tropes in this book that it made my heart happy.
Many people have been talking about the age gap - I don’t mind age gaps but I did get annoyed by how often it was referenced.
Loved the side characters and I’m hoping these characters get their own HEAs!
Fun series that I will be continuing. That’s for the chance to read and review!!
Good historical romance. Really slow and somewhat silly but cute overall. The book after this one is even better but it’s good to have the back story.