I've never seen Arab representation in a historical romance, and it seems (from my admittedly pale eyes) that true thought went into it. The author didn't just throw a WOC into a typically white setting, but included a culturally appropriate family unit, food, language, and even medical background. I very much appreciated the depth that was brought to Hanna's character, which you don't normally see in a book like this.

I received this book from the publisher, through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
This was my first Diana Quincy book. While the love story did not exactly get me swooning (it's ok-ish but that's pretty much it), I liked reading about a woman making her own way. The trouble with own voices in romance is that a lot of times they end up being annoyingly preachy but it was not the case here. It was nice to read about Arabs in England and quite enlightening. The mystery was well written and I'd even dare say that the story leaned more towards that genre. But all in all a very pleasant read and I hope the next installment in the series will be about Rafi. I would really like to see how an ethnically diverse man can find his happily ever after with a merry widow.

I quite honestly adore historical romances where the heroine has a unique profession we rarely see in the genre, and it was so entertaining to learn more about bonesetting in the realm of history. As a lead, Hanna is fierce, independent and confident in her abilities, and it was delightful watching Griff fall in love with her for all of her qualities (and be very happy with falling in step alongside her as opposed to butting heads or trying to assert authority, especially considering their class differences). Lots of intrigue in this one too, especially revolving around the mystery of Griff’s parents’ murderer once upon a time. Ultimately, just an even better addition to a series I started out enjoying, and I’m eager to read the Marquess of Brandon’s romance next!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I found this book to be enjoyable. I liked learning about the challenges Hanna faced as not only an unmarried women but an Arab one in regency times. I also found it rewarding to see Griff deal with his grief & anger over his parents' death. I did find some of the plot points to be a little predictable but that could just be because I read a lot of romance.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and immediately went to order several Diana Quincey backlist titles. Hanna, the heroine, is the standout here, although both leads are great characters. She is such a force of nature and confidence and intelligence that any scene she isn’t in, you miss her. I recommend for anyone who’s likes to read about smart ladies being smart,

The best thing about this book was our amazing heroine, Hannah. She is Arab, and a bone setter. She truly was such a joy to read about.
Our hero, Griff however, was very hard to love. I enjoyed him in the first book, but honestly, he was such a prick to the heroine, that it really turned me off to him pretty hard. I did come around to him by the end, but it was a struggle.
I went in with middle of the road expectations. Those expectations were met.

✨It’s always spicy when society thinks you’re a murderer.✨

I really loved Her Night with the Duke, the first book in this Clandestine Affairs series, and I was highly anticipating the second go-about in the set. Where book one was the vivacious older sister, I’d say this book is the Mary Bennet type—a little more darkness, a little more mystery.

Her Night with the Duke was sexy from the start and the plot revolved almost entirely around the couple. The Viscount Made Me Do It is more reserved and slower to burn, with the plot divided between the romance and the conflicts of being a bonesetter and ya know, murder. Both however are scandalous and unique and highly addicting.

From the beginning, the bonesetting element was so cool and fascinating to read about. I found Hanna to be a very strong heroine with a very particular set of skills she was fabulous at using. The scene where she was first introduced was totally badass. Griff’s whole backstory hooked me instantly and the way it combined that past with Hanna in the present was supremely dramatic and delicious.

The spice was definitely there and they did some WORK at a desk (*winks in blinking neon lights*). Also her doing actual work on his injuries was just as hot and swoony. However, I felt like the steam took a backseat to the rest of the plot. Like the desk scene was hot but I think that even could’ve been taken up a notch further. The epilogue gave a little to me but it also tooketh away—I think as a society, we deserve explicit sex in epilogues. We ride at dawn.

As for the mystery element, I was reading to find out the whodunnit or perhaps the whydunnit because I knew The Who from pretty early on but not The Why. I think a red herring could have been thrown in a little bit earlier to mess with the reader and to really commit to the mystery (since other plots were pushed aside for it to take up a good chunk of space). I wanted a bit more drama or a plot twist or something to really jazz it up. We flashmob at dawn.

Overall, this was such a quick and enjoyable read. Hanna and Griff fell hard and it was so sweet how she was able to help him. The pace kept me engaged and the plot kept me entertained. I really like Diana’s writing style—it’s modern but still feels like a historical piece. This is also an Own Voices book and I’ve learned a lot about Arab culture and practices of the time. I’m very happy I found this series because it just feels so fresh.

There were a few directions I thought the couple for book three was going to go and I was pleasantly surprised when I read the summary! I love me a brooding type.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25/5 🌶🌶🌶.5/5

This book made me so happy and I was thoroughly entertained. Hanna is a bone setter of Arabic descent who has worked hard to establish a good reputation in London. Her newest patient is the former soldier Thomas, Viscount Griffin. He has a past in the sense that their are rumors he killed his own parents. Griff approaches Hanna because of a tip about his parents death and at first is convinced she is a fraud.
There is a slow building romance between Griff and Hanna. You can feel their chemistry while you read. The dialogue is entertaining and the plot of the book has much intrigue.
This is a highly entertaining and enjoyable book with a delightful romance. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.

Highly enjoyable page-turner of a book. I loved Hanna with her grit and spirit, and Griff was a truly decent gentleman. They made a good pairing and I liked the way they had to work together throughout the story. The mystery element was really obvious, but I did still enjoy following Griff and Hanna's journey to the discovery, and I think that was all down to the well-crafted characters.

I enjoyed the story of Hannah and Griff. There was romance and a mystery to make the story more interesting although I knew who the bad guy was from the beginning. The love scenes were tasteful and not plentiful, but fit the situation. 4 stars

This book was a pleasant surprise! Quincy's books always have a nice steam level but the mystery surrounding romance flowed really nicely.

Thomas Ellis, Viscount Griffin, sees Hanna Zaydan, a bonesetter, in a local coffee shop wearing his murdered mother's necklace. Under the guise of seeking treatment for a war injury, Thomas goes to see Hanna treatment. Their connection is instantaneous and I really enjoyed how quickly they became attached and united towards the common goal of finding Thomas's parents' killers. Hanna is a cousin to Lady Delilah from Her Night With the Duke and she makes an appearance in that book. I also loved the glimpses into Hanna's Arabic family and culture. I loved the ending and how they resolved their differences.

Overall, the mystery was pretty fast-paced. This book didn't drag at all, even though you sort of suspect who the killer is early on, Quincy really keeps you invested with her storytelling. I probably read this book in a day. I can't recommend it enough! A great way to spend a rainy saturday.

I am also looking forward to the next book in this series which was teased in this book!

DNF @ 7%. After reading and loving Her Night with the Duke, I had high hopes for this installment. However, this book just didn’t pull me in at all and I’m not exactly sure why. The heroine is a bone setter, which is a very interesting profession, and the hero is trying to figure out who killed his parents 10 years ago, which should be a very intriguing plot line, but I found myself not caring about these characters, the set up, or the writing 🤷🏻‍♀️

**thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review**

Hanna is a bonesetter. Before her father passed, she spent years helping him set bones. In 1816 London, female bonesetters were not desired. Viscount Griffin noticed Hanna while sitting in a pub. He spied his deceased mother’s necklace she wore when she was murdered no hanging around Hanna’s neck. Having a painful back doctors could not fix; he decides to get to know Hanna and find out how she obtained the necklace. Their relationship develops as both Hanna and Griffin get to know each other. The mystery behind the necklace and the death of Griffin’s parents is intriguing. I really enjoyed this book.

I read book one, and this author, on a whim when the publisher surprised me with a free copy. And I was pleasantly surprised by the style and characters, I enjoyed it so much. So I immediately wanted The Viscount Made Me Do It. I didn’t love it as much but there is still a uniqueness to the author and her ideas that I definitely want even more of her books.

The characters were interesting and intriguing. So different and compelling, their backstories and colorful surroundings. Individually, i loved them, but I didn’t feel very connected to them and didn’t feel the connection between them until very late. The way their romance came together was a little too jagged for me.

Hanna’s life, work, and family are what carried the story. Griff’s was an interesting counterpoint but despite the mystery, there was no mystery. It was all very obvious.

Still, it was entertaining and I’m interested in another book in this series.

*I received a free copy from the publisher via netgalley.

Hanna Zaydan works hard for every scrap of respect she’s offered as a skilled bonesetter, but her attraction to her newest patient threatens to derail everything she’s worked to build. As she treats his injuries, she finds herself increasingly drawn to the former soldier even though she knows she should stay away. She can tell that Griff has secrets, but she can also see that he desires her too and she may just be willing to give in.

Thomas Ellis, Viscount Griffin, has been plagued by awful rumors that he murdered his own parents even since their tragic deaths when he was just 13. Now, more than ten years later, Griff finds a clue that could lead him to his parents’ killer, and which brings him into the orbit of the lovely bonesetter. Influenced by his cousin and former guardian, Dr. Pratt, Griff fully believes Hanna to be a fraud, but she awakens feelings he thought long dead. When her treatment is truly effective, it seems like she could mend more than just Griff’s broken body, if he’ll let her.

This has to be a five-star read for me, hands down. There’s relatively low angst, especially given the premise of the plot. We have engrossing intrigue, MCs who are adults and openly communicate as such without playing games. It was a bit low on steam, but I loved these two so much that I didn’t even mind, in fact, I was so engrossed in the story that I didn’t really notice their lack of alone time together all that much. We have both an unconventional hero and an unconventional heroine and a mystery for them to solve together. Of course, they fall in love along the way, face adversity and fight to be together, and heal each other as they go. I couldn’t not love this book. Griff was such a genuinely good man who had been hurt so badly by others and just needed some love in his life. Hanna was the perfect match for him, no matter how reluctant she was at first, and she needed someone to believe in her as Griff did, even if she didn’t realize it. It was great to see Hanna get some support to realize her dreams and to see Griff take his life back and finally heal from the grief and guilt he lived with for so long. I loved this book and it left me so satisfied and full of warm fuzzies that I wasn’t even bothered by wrong forms of address, which are usually a huge pet peeve of mine. I enjoyed this book much more than the first book in the series and I’m looking forward to what’s next and especially hoping we find out what’s going on between Selina and Rafi.

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

I finished The Viscount Made Me Do It with a massive grin on my face. With a kickass heroine, an engaging murder mystery and a well-developed, tender romance, Diana Quincy’s second book in the Clandestine Affairs series is a pure delight.

Hanna Zaydan has devoted her life to following in her Baba’s footsteps and becoming a bonesetter. But when Thomas Ellis, the Viscount of Griffin, walks into her office to have an old war injury treated, he threatens to upend hard-fought independence and bonesetting practice with each visit. Meanwhile, Griff has an ulterior motive for visiting the bonesetter. Ever since his parents were murdered when he was 15, society has thought him the murderer. However, Griff wasn’t actually home the night of the murder and has spent years trying to figure out who actually killed his parents. When he sees Hanna dislocate the wrist of a nobleman who accuses her of being a fraud, he notices a necklace that belongs to his mother hanging around her neck. Determined to get to the bottom of his parents’ mother, he visits Hanna under false pretenses but quickly becomes seduced by her skills, beauty and charm.

I loved that this historical romance had a murder mystery plot woven into it! I’m a sucker for a good mystery plot and I really enjoyed having that in the background of this romance novel. Watching Hanna and Griff work together to unravel the web of secrets around Griff’s parents’ murder and confront the culprit brought an added level to this book and kept me on the edge of my toes to see if my guess on the culprit was correct. While the bad guy ended up being a bit obvious in the end, I still loved the mystery in this. The person behind the murder also gave me real superhero villain vibes at times as he kept talking about doing things for the great good. Such a fun addition to a historical romance.

While I liked Her Night With the Duke, the first book in the Clandestine Affairs series, the romance fizzled out a bit for me in the end. I did not have that problem with this book at all! The romance in this one hit all the right notes for me. I truly loved that Quincy let the relationship develop slowly over the course of the book despite the initial attraction between Griff and Hanna. It felt a bit like a slow burn, but there were plenty of kissing scenes to tide the reader over until Griff and Hanna finally get together. While there were barriers that were a bit superficial to their being together, this novel did feel relatively low angst. I felt more of the drama ended up coming from the murder mystery plot in the end, which I appreciated. I also loved how much Griff appreciated Hanna for her talents and found her skills and brain a massive turn-on. At one point he says, “I never realized how seductive a competent woman could be,” and I swear I swooned!

One thing I’m quickly beginning to love about Quincy’s books is that she writes fabulously strong female characters. Hanna is no exception to this! Our introduction to Hanna might be my favorite introduction to a character I’ve ever read in a historical romance. It perfectly shows off Hanna’s skills, strength and independence in one single scene. I loved Hanna’s devotion to her trade of bonesetting, which is akin to modern-day osteopathy or chiropractors. She was clearly very skilled at the work and wasn’t going to let anyone stop her from helping people, even though society and her family both looked down upon her practicing bonesetting. In comparison to Hanna, Griff is a bit of a weaker character, but I still really liked him. He’s a bit of an outsider since everyone thinks he murdered his parents, which I think helps him be a good match for Hanna since she’s also a bit of an outsider. I felt he was slow on the uptake in regards to who the bad guy was and I wish he wasn’t so trusting of his guardian Dr. Norman Pratt, who was so rude to Hanna. However, Griff’s admiration for Hanna and the actions he takes to support and defend her speaks volumes for his character in the end.

Quincy is also an Own Voices author, and I love how she continues to write amazing romances with diverse Arab characters. Quincy is a Palestinian-American and I love how she weaves aspects of her culture into these books. And yes, Arabs did exist in England during the Regency period, as Quincy references in her author’s notes. And while this book has less in-your-face racism than Her Night With the Duke, it’s still there, especially in how people view Hanna as a fraud and charlatan.

Also, I’m so excited for book three in this series as it will be focusing on the Marquess of Brandon, Leela’s brother and Hanna’s cousin. We’ve only seen him a few times so far in this series, but I am fascinated by him. I loved how he came to Hanna’s defense in this book and the air of power he has. I will be anxiously awaiting The Marquess Makes His Move, which is slated for Spring 2022.

If this book isn’t already on your TBR, I highly recommend adding it! This book is such a delicious Regency romance with diverse and independent characters with a sprinkle of murder mystery woven in. I couldn’t stop smiling at the end of the book which is a testament to a great romance and a great book.

Hannah Zaydan is a bonesetter in London of Arab-descent whose family consists of merchant working class. When she gets a patient, Thomas Ellis AKA Viscount Griffin AKA Griff who has a shoulder/arm war-injury. Doctors and physicians, including his own guardian, Dr. Pratt, have told him he will never heal, but to give it time. Griff has been the source of scandal and tongue-wagging when he was suspected of murdering his parents at 15, which has fueled his need to figure out who truly killed his parents.

A historical romance set in the Regency Period, I was very excited to read about head-strong, independent, and family-oriented Hannah. I also appreciated the Author's Note at the end giving credit to bonesetters of the era as well as recognizing the melting pot that was England.

Unfortunately, I was underwhelmed by the narrative and the conflicts that emerged. The mystery of who killed Griff's family became pretty apparent early-on and the romance between him and Hannah--the "against-all-odds" factor--did not seem motivating enough for her to throw her reputation, business, and family aside. I probably would have preferred more in-depth narrative of Hannah as a bonesetter and the profession in London or a more focused conflict for the pair to overcome together. Nevertheless, this was an entertaining, low-stakes read that highlighted (mostly) historically accurate BIPOC and diversity in London.

A bonesetter of Arab descent. I was intrigued just by reading the description of the book. Poor Hannah is just put through the ringer.. She is very good at what she does,, but because she is a woman, all of these obstacles are in her way.. So unfair! Makes me happy to be a 21st century woman.

I also very much enjoyed the "mystery" aspect of the book.

CW: death/murder

Second in a series that worked great as a standalone, The Viscount Made Me Do It features a wounded soldier carrying grief from the murder of his parents and a spinster bonesetter who is determined to continue her father's business.

This was the first Diana Quincy I have read, and I really enjoyed the premise as well as the interesting look at bonesetters (an ancient practice of joint manipulation that now is carried out by chiropractors, osteopaths and physical therapists) and Arab culture.  It was well researched, based in London but away from the whirl of the Season, and featured a mystery element which, although I guessed the villain pretty early on still kept me interested in the "why" and how the heroine was intertwined.

Hanna was a Regency standard spinster age (26) heroine who is focused on her career of bonesetting, a practice she learned from her father and assisted with since she was 11.  Her grandmother and mother would prefer her to settle down and marry, but Hanna dreams of opening a dispensary with a physician to treat middle and lower classes.  I liked how focused and strong she was, against many odds, and also doesn't take any guff.  Although her family presses her to marry, Hanna is devoted to helping people through healing arts.

Griffin, after receiving a mysterious package, is on the hunt for clues about his parents murder over a decade ago. Griffin is a viscount who was badly injured in a fall from the horse during the war and has really experienced arrested development since the murder of his parents, as many suspect him to be the assailant.

When he goes to see Hanna under the pretense of treatment, sparks fly, and soon enough Hanna is not only curing Griffin but also getting him closer to answers about his parents untimely deaths.

I found this to be an immersive experience, fast paced and and well researched.  My biggest disappointment was the romance sometimes took a backseat to the mystery so that the "feels" and "sparks" weren't there for me, at least for the romance portion.  However, I did really like Hanna and learning about her profession and some of the challenges facing her.

Griffin also had many likeable qualities, but I do think his arrested development sometimes made him seem two dimensional.  I can't decide if that was intentional or not.  However, it felt sometimes like Hanna's attraction or interest in him was purely physical.  However, I did like how supportive he was about her professional dedication and skills and how he starts to realize towards the end how wallowing in his grief has made him neglect many people around him who depend and care about him.

The romance was believable, however, and represented a lot of healthy elements of mutual support, admiration, and attraction.  I can believe, setting this novel down, that the MCs will have a successful relationship rooted in friendship.

I did think the mystery element was well paced with some twists and turns to keep me guessing even though the villain was pretty obvious early on.

The intimate scenes were sex positive and fairly vanilla.

I added a content warning because there is a bit of discussion about people passing and associated grief.  Its not necessarily the main focus of any passages, but its a common theme throughout the book so it may be difficult for those struggling with grief or the murder of parents.  Griffin's guilt or the general suspicion of him that has led to family alienation is not well developed, but its another element that may be problematic for some readers.  Much of this gets redeemed in the end, but nonetheless the resolution raises a lot of feelings of how a person can really traumatize another person out of self interest.

The Arab culture (sometimes referred by others in the book as Levantine) is beautifully woven into the story and really gives Hanna dimension.  I love reading about my favorite era with new characters, points of view, and historical elements I haven't explored...and I found this in spades in The Viscount Made Me Do It.

I am super interested to read more from Quincy, who is an #ownvoices author writing diverse historical romance.  I recommend this for readers looking for something a bit different who like a headstrong, spinster heroine and aren't all about the alpha hero.

Overall this was a very enjoyable read. The Heroine, Hanna Zayden is a bonesetter and Arab, which is very different and interesting for a Historical Romance. That alone made me interested in reading.

Griff is a Viscount and he comes to see her under the pretense of wanting her to help him with his injured arm, as he was looking into the murder of his parents. He sometimes comes off as naïve and soft=hearted but towards the end he gains abackbone

The story moves along at a nice pace. There are lies and misunderstandings that happen along the way.

Overall this was a good book and I would read again.