An entertaining steamy read, The two main characters had good on page chemistry and the story has numerous engaging secondary characters to move the narrative along.

Minerva Spencer’s Outrageous is book 2 in the Victorian romance series Rebels of the Ton. This one plunges right into the action! Eva, a young woman not at all enjoying her debut season, decides to deal with the man who’s been harassing her step-brother and his wife, her best friend. Her solution? Kidnap him! Eva enlists the help of her dubious but loyal groom to cosh Godric on the head and shove him into a carriage. Then they’re off for the Irish border.

Of course, things don’t go quite as Eva had planned. There’s bad weather, multiple robberies, and an elaborate revenge plot. This means that enemies Eva and Godric are forced to spend a great deal of time together in close quarters. Plenty of time for heated glances and clever banter.

Minerva Spencer is not shy with the tropes and uses them to great effect! Enemies to lovers, forced proximity, Damaged Hero Who Cannot Love Again (or can he?), Heroine Who Refuses To Conform To Society’s Expectations, and But We Must Do The Noble Thing And Marry.

This book has a lot of steam, a lot of adventure, and a lot of humor. It’s a fantastic romp!

If large age gaps bother you, maybe give this one a pass as Godric is in his 40s and Eva’s very young, sometimes seeming even younger than her calendar age.

Thank you to Kensington Books and Netgalley for the ARC; all opinions are my own.

Young and willful Eva kidnaps Godric, Lord Visel, her stepbrother’s sworn enemy, before he can carry out his nefarious revenge plot. Unfortunately Eva did not think through her plan as she and Godric must now get married after traveling together. On the way to Scotland, they share a carriage, stop at inns with just one room and are beset by highwaymen. They are hot for each other (age gap notwithstanding) but alas, Godric is a Damaged Hero™️ and Unable to Love Again™️.

Unfortunately, I found both of these main characters unlikeable. Eva acts young, in part because she IS young but also because she does things like stomp her feet in an argument. And Godric is never rehabilitated in my mind after going after Eva’s stepbrother and his wife with what is clearly a racially motivated animus, which is waved away.

Outrageous (Rebels of The Ton, #2) by Minerva Spencer
This book kept me on the edge of my seat... This is Eva and Godric's story and they are both strong H and h characters but both are hiding wounds. There are also so many other interesting people that we learn to love or dislike. Plenty of angst, mistrust, evil, madness, independence, honor, laughter, tears, twists and turns, hate/love, crazy adventure and plenty of steam to get us to a HEA. I can't wait for the next book INFAMOUS.
Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Action-packed Unpredictable Scary Steamy Easy-to-read Page-turner Romantic Informative Funny Great world building Happily Ever After Tragic Wonderful characters Entertaining Tear-jerker

Eva doesn't stop to think of the consequences if she is caught abducting a peer. All she cares about is getting Godric away from her brother and his wife. Godric doesn't want Eva for a wife, she is impulsive and everything he is not looking for in his countess. Somehow these two fall into one series of errors after another and only after they are a part, they realize the only place they want to be is together.

Minerva Spencer writers the kind of books I like to read. There is laughter, passion and pages you keep turning because you just cannot put her books down.

Though I've never thought of myself as a historical romance fan, I'm really leaning more into this genre lately, which is what drew me to Outrageous. I really flew through this one. Luckily, before I started it, I realized that this is the second novel in a series, so I found that one and read it first. If you don't, you'll likely be really lost. Outrageous is fun, and I really enjoyed the banter between Godric and Eva, and, while others might have an issue with the age gap, it didn't bother me much. However, I did find both Godric and Eva to be very childish, and I couldn't fully comprehend how their relationship turned into love. Lust, for sure, but love? I just didn't see it. Also, despite reading the first book in this series, I still felt that I was missing some important background for the characters.

This novel was a bit hit or miss for me. I enjoyed the humour and banter between characters but I felt like there was something missing. It might be because I haven’t read others in the series, however!

Thanks to the publisher, author and Netgalley for an Advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adore Minerva Spencer historical fiction. Her heroines are feisty and forthright and the heroes are usually tortured and interesting.

Eva and Visel meet when she kidnaps him, which is a kind of reversal of how these things usually go. Visel was a bit of a villain in the last book, so it was surprising that he was chosen to be the hero of this one. If you squint though, you can see the attraction with this not-so-bad boy.

Eva is a plucky, beeautiful young lady - emphasis on young - but I didn't mind the age difference between them. I did get thrown a bit when Visel observes how she reminds him of a child .. more than once. It made me a little uncomfortable.

These guys both have a bit of a tragic backstory but it was all a bit brushed over and hazy - especially Visel's previous marriage. I didn't connect with the characters like I usually do.

I won't let that dissuade me from reading further books in the series as I feel like Eva's sister Mel will hopefully get the attention she deserves.

Outrageous is the second book in the Rebels of the Ton series, that so far has featured two women who claim to not want to marry, each for their own reason. This story tells of Eva, the stepsister of the male mc from the first book in the series, and her attempt to kidnap Godric after he has treated her stepbrother and his wife poorly, including considering attempting to kidnap said wife. Eva decides that in order to give her stepbrother some peace, she will take Godric away for a few weeks, and hopefully convince him to change his outlook on her family. However, once Godric wakes in the carriage with Eva after being hit over the head, he reasons with her that no matter what follows, people will find out that they were together and so they must marry. What ensues is an exciting tale of "on the way to the chapel" with highwaymen, poor weather, a broken carriage, and other escapades that slow the couple down on their journey north to wed in Scotland.

I would rate this 2.5 stars overall. The plot worked, and I loved that Godric, for all his grumpiness and taunting, really liked Eva for who she is. However, just like in the first book in the series, there seems to be a lot of backstory that the reader *should* know (based on how it is introduced), but doesn't. There are many off-hand comments about things in the past, and I can tell the author is trying to make them mysterious and a part of why each character has become the person they are at that point, but there were still unanswered questions. Like, what was Eva sick with for two years that made her have her come-out late? It is mentioned in both books, and in a way that makes it seem important, but still has yet to be revealed. This book was better about this than the first, but only because I read the first book and pieced some of this backstory together. It was extremely frustrating. I am really unsure if I will read the next book in the series because it seems to be about a different set of people, and I don't want to deal with having to guess at what is going on.

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

The second in the Rebels of the Ton series, this book picks up directly after the close of Notorious. Lady Eva - 19 and she acts like it - has kidnapped her brother's nemesis, Lord Visel - a 36-year-old war veteran with major trauma in his past. Although the abduction was clearly premeditated, she apparently only realizes the consequences to both of their reputations (and her faithful servant's) about a day into the trip. What follows is a comedy of errors, mostly involving bad weather, unsavory inns, and the oil-and-water temperaments of our two leads.

We had some trouble rating this book and landed on a 3.5 rounded to 4. There are definitely good aspects - the writing is not bad at all, the road trip romance is fun, and the sex scenes are steamy enough to keep us up late. That said we struggled with the age gap, the abduction schemes (before being abducted, Visel himself had planned on kidnapping Eva's sister-in-law), and the refusal of both parties to communicate with each other. We also had issues with the portrayal of the Barbary pirates/sultanate, which is a thread that runs through both books of the series.

I will highly recommend this book. It was incredibly fun and entertaining. It has plenty of action and kept pace. I had a hard time putting this down. In fact, once I started, I did not put it down until I finished it. Luckily, family dinner was takeout. This is the 2nd book in Rebels of the ton. However, I did not read the 1st book but after reading this one will rectify that. I am giving this book a 4 out of 5 is only because in some ways it is like a train going so fast that I wanted the story to slowed down to enjoy. But I think that would take away the fun of the book. Regardless, it was entertaining and worth the time to read.

OMG this book was awesome. I laughed so much because this just wasn't your typical regency story. It was entertaining and witty.
Godric and Eva was like made for each other.
Sometimes Eva behaved like a tomboy but it totally fit her character.

Godric was horrified about himself and when Eva kidnapped him so he can't kidnapp her sister-in-law aka BF, he wanted to do things right and not to compromise her. He was amused with her witty character as well as immensely attracted to her.

They both have never meant to merry but to avoid a scandal they had to make sacrifices. On their way to Scotland they had quite literally wobbly ride.

This book was interesting and kept me on pins and needles until the very end.

I loved this book! Only Minerva Spencer could turn a man with villainous intent into a man we care about. Much of the story revolves around a road trip fraught with danger, comedy, and attraction as Eva kidnaps Godric and then finds the tables turned on her. Her family and friends further complicate matters when they come to the rescue. The story has many unexpected twists and turns before it is resolved. Some of the action runs concurrent with events in Notorious. I would read that first to get the lay of the land and also to enjoy another fabulous story! I cannot wait for the next book in this series!

Minerva Spencer’s books are wonderful. Her talent hops from the page and wraps around you drawing you closer until you’re falling in love right along with the characters. With effortless ease you find yourself attached to the characters, their plights and their outcomes until the very last page and wish the book could continue so as to stay amongst the pages just a little longer. I look forward to reading the next book from this excellent author.

I appreciate the opportunity to read an advance copy of this novel in exchange for my unbiased opinions and honest review.

Outrageous by Minerva Spencer
Rating: 4-stars
Summary: Godric is an ass with a past. He will not leave Eva’s brother alone, going so far as to plan to kidnap the man’s wife. Eva will not let that happen, so she kidnaps Godric, but things do not go according to plan. They think they will have to wed as Eva is technically ruined, but her father does not force her to wed (even when she finds out she is pregnant with Godric’s child). Two trusty servants and Eva’s stepmother eventually bring the two lovers back together and you arrive at your happily ever after.
Overall opinion:
This is another great story by Minerva Spencer. Eva is thought to be mad, when really she is just quirky and refuses to hide her true self like all the other debutants. She is fiercely protective of those she loves, so when she realizes what Godric is up to, she decides to kidnap him before he can carry out his plot. Along the way, she realizes Godric is not the ass his behavior would lead one to believe he is, but rather he is suffering from losing his wife, child, and 9 family members in a short time (not to mention being wounded in battle, too).
Godric was fun (aside from him name, sorry it is a hard pass for me) because when you first meet him, you do not like him. He was a total ass in Gabe’s book and thankfully you get to understand why in this book. He lost his wife and son during the war, and soon after when he was wounded and in the hospital, almost his entire family was murdered by pirates that were loosely associated with Gabe (not directly, but of the same race and therefore this is what Godric latched onto). Does this forgive his behavior? No. Does this make you understand why he was acting as he did, yes. He is flawed and he realizes his behavior was awful and says so.
This story was full of quirky secondary characters who added a lot to the story. It was a situation where some of the storyline was like ‘really, they are robbed twice in one day and then you beat Godric to a bloody pulp?!’ but yes, it works in this story.
Also, the book had some steam to it, but I would have preferred a little more description about these scenes. This is one of the main reasons why I gave a 4-star and not a 5-star rating. The other thing that took off the star was the last few chapters of the book. Godric thinks Eva is better off without him so he says something cruel to send her away when her father gives her a chance to choose him or leave him behind. Later she discovers she is pregnant with his child and instead of going to Godric (whom she thought did not want children with her because her mother was deemed mad), she agrees to marry another man who claims to love her but is really just into her looks. I do not like additional strife in a story when it can largely be cleared up already. Get me to my happily ever after as soon as possible, please. I read romance for the fun and romance; while this book did not have significant strife, I do not like adding it on when the book could have been wrapped up neatly and the pages dedicated to more of their story post marriage (and/or baby?).
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Outrageous is a fun and adventurous enemies-to-lovers romance that is appropriately named. The story begins as Eva de Courtney kidnaps Godric Fleming. She believes that, by kidnapping Godric, he will be unable to kidnap her sister-in-law. However, by spending time alone with him, Eva compromises her reputation, as well as her family’s. As their journey ensues and they learn more about each other, their feelings for each other change and grow.

I enjoyed the enemies-to-lovers romance and the witty banter between Eva and Godric. It’s interesting to see this impulsive and naïve young woman go head-to-head with an older, war-hardened man. Godric definitely redeemed himself from the first book and became more of a misunderstood man rather than the nefarious character I expected. I appreciate how dynamically developed both Godric and Eva were, even though I didn’t always like their characters. Both are very stubborn and don’t always think things through, and some of their ways of speaking to each other rubbed me the wrong way. Because Eva is 19 and Godric is 36, he sometimes speaks to her in a condescending way. He even calls her a “child.” I didn’t love this aspect of their story. However, their romance is really steamy, and it is clear their feelings for each other are strong.

The story includes a lot of misadventures and funny moments while Eva and Godric are on their journey, and many incidents border on outlandish. Danger and adventure await at every turn, and it makes for some exciting scenes. I also really liked the secondary characters and thought Andrew, James, Eva’s step-mother, and others were all quirky, unique, and dynamically developed. Some of my favorite scenes included funny antics and conversations with these characters.

Outrageous is the second book in the Rebels of the Ton series, and though it could be read as a standalone, I would recommend reading Notorious, the first book in the series, in order to fully understand the characters and context. Thanks so much to NetGalley, Kensington Books, and Minerva Spencer for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

Outrageous, continuing the Rebels of the Ton series, follows the story of Eva (nicknamed Evil), who in an attempt to protect her brother and best friend kidnaps Lord Godric Visel. A quick-witted, entertaining period romance ensues, containing plenty of hijinks and odd but loveable character!

This book is the second in the Rebels of the Ton series and follows on from the previous book, Notorious. As we begin the adventure in this book, Eva de Courtney has kidnapped Godric Fleming to prevent him from kidnapping her brother's wife. But her plan has a few flaws and soon the tables have turned so that Godric is in charge. And now it seems she will be forced to marry him due to her ruined reputation. Despite the fact she has no interest in marriage and he has no interest in love. The journey to the border is fraught with dangers such as broken carriage wheels, road attacks, and really bad weather.

This is very much an enemies-to-lover, Regency romance, with a not-at-all standard but strong female character, even though she makes some less than mature decisions. The male lead, Godric, is a bit of a mystery to me. I say this mainly because I haven't read the previous book and so I don't really have a good understanding of what a villain he was there. So how to judge him? Here he is a likable male lead with the requisite trauma in his past who needs the challenge of a very non-typical woman like Eva to help him put his past behind him. It's only references to his previous actions that give the reader any impressions of his misdeeds.

Overall the story is quite amusing and a good way to pass a few hours. I give this 3.5 stars.

Thank you to Kensington Books and Netgalley for sharing an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest and fair review.

In the wake of Bridgerton there has been an increased interest in regency romance and I hope that the next crop produce books as funny and full of character as this.
I didn't realise that this was the second in a series but I was able to quite quickly piece together what had happened before and so you don't really need to have read the first one before falling into this.
In Outrageous, Eva kidnaps Godric in order to stop him messing with her brother and his wife. Her plans are quite involved and convoluted but she means well.
In a madcap turn of events, they are held at gunpoint several times, swap hostage and hostage-taker roles and spend far too much time trapped in a carriage together. With hi-jinks, strong independent female characters and a man that is quite non-plussed by the situation he finds himself in, this was definitely a fun ride.
It was fun and ridiculous and I enjoyed it.

Spoiled young heroine kidnapping a desolate older man. He treats her like a child. If not for the forced proximity of the carriage and rooms at the end we would have no development. Seems like their banter was filler for the next sex scene. Sadly, DNF.

This was my first Minerva Spencer novel. Thank you to Kensington Books and Netgalley for the ARC to read and review.