Tobias Powell is now the Earl of Overton. He receives two “obligations” in his father’s will. First, he has a ward and is responsible for bringing into society. Second, he has three months to marry, from the time the will is read. Miss Fiona Wingate, Tobias’s ward, has spent her life in the country. She has no interest in marriage, at least not soon. She wants to enjoy herself in London. Tobias has not interest in marriage, either, but if he doesn’t wed, he will lose his mother’s estate, a place he cherished. Watching Tobias try to keep up with Fiona while navigating the marriage mart is sheer entertainment. Watching the attraction between the two of them is sometimes amusing and sometimes frustrating. The story becomes very interest when we learn who will get Tobais’s mother’s estate and why the old Earl, and then Tobias, was Fiona’s guardian. I love Fiona and Tobias. There are several other characters I found interesting. Mrs. Tucket is funny. I like the way Tobias accepted her into the household. Mirabella and Lucien are here, as is Lucien’s brother Con.
There are some problems to solve, a bit of adventure (usually on Fiona’s part), secrets revealed, a fairly hot romance, and an HEA. I enjoyed this one, and I look forward to Con’s book.


I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

Improper is my second novel by Darcy Burke and while I'm not sure I enjoyed it as much as the first one, I did find it to be an easy, enjoyable read.
Tobias is a roguish hero who is not impressed to find himself responsible for his wilful ward, Fiona. The guardian/ward trope is a favourite of mine and I enjoyed watched Fiona give Tobias a run for his money. The idea of The Phoenix Club was interesting and was a nice back drop for the blossoming relationship between the hero and the heroine. The romance was maybe a little too much of a "slow burn" for my preference - it felt like the two MCs didn't really notice each other romantically until a considerable way through the book.
Still, overall I like Darcy Burke's writing style and I look forward to future releases.

Pleasantly surprised!
It is my first book by D'arcy Burke and it won't 'the be the last. The plot is well constructed,, the dialogue witty which makes the book enjoyable and easy to read. A classical Regency love story between a reformed rake in need of a wife and a fresh provincial miss who delights în the new found circumstances. They are both caught in their own story and are unlikely to see that the answer to their own problems lies before their very eyes. Drawn to each other they are to fallow into their fathers footsteps and break the social conventions. The HEA is expected though their reckless behaviour is not.
A good story that makes you want to see what happens next.

Improper is the first book in the Phoenix Club series, that follows a group of people who have created an exclusive club to rival White’s that allows both men and women. This first book tells the story of Tobias, an earl, who has inherited Fiona, a country miss, as his ward after his father passes. While he attempts to usher her into society with a season, he also must find a bride for himself before the deadline his father’s will sets or else he loses his mother’s property. Unfortunately, Fiona isn’t the quiet and disabled woman that Tobias can rush into marriage to get out of his hair, and as he comes to know her more, things get a bit complicated.

I would rate this 3 stars overall. I think it started fairly slowly, but got better at about the 50% mark. The relationship between the two characters, in my mind, really struggled to get moving. Fiona seemed more than just naïve, but almost stupid in some situations, and Tobias reacted in ways that I think were meant to create romantic tension between them but really didn’t. A lot of the development of their relationship was awkward. That being said, I enjoyed getting to know the characters individually, and I want to try the next book in the series.

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

I love Darcy Burke and you can always depend upon her for a solid historical romance. I was left wanting a little more after this book, but I think that this is a delightful read and would be a great introduction for anyone new to Burke.

I loved this story about a newly appointed Earl whose father has put a time challenge on his inheritance to marry and saddles him with a ward. Tobias seems very dedicated to his duties in parliment and also to repair his rakish reputation.

Fiona has lost her father and her home. A stranger in her cousin’s house, she is called to London as the ward of the Earl of Overton. She is also to have a season and an adventure too!

I loved the little details about Fiona’s love of maps, her maid who curses in her sleep and her funny scheming ways. I wish her adventures were even more adventurous and that we had these nuances with Tobias’ character as well. All the other side characters are wonderful and I’m looking forward to the next in the series. I love the ups and downs the two face. I think many of the conflicts were very easily overcome and would be just the read for anyone looking for that right now.

Thank you so much to #Netgalley for the early read. #Darcy Burke #Improper

What a wonderful story! It reminded me a lot of Sarah MacLean’s A Scot in the Dark.
A rogue has just inherited a title and young ward but he also needs to salvage his reputation. A young ward is finally free to do what she wants, but the new Earl keeps trying to tell her what to do. And so a battle of wills ensues!
I enjoyed the characters push and pull dynamic, along with the banter. The pace is quick and kept me turning the pages.
A great beach read romance!

A love story this improper has to be good!

Tobias not only inherited his father's title and assets, he also inherited his father's responsibilities - namely, his ward, Fiona, daughter of the old man's best friend. Tobias has to find her a suitable husband, and he also has five weeks to marry or he'll lose the only property that really matters to him - his mother's house.

The setup may be familiar but it's executed with a few surprises along the way. Fiona steadfastly refuses to marry, especially once she realizes how much she has to gain by staying single. Tobias struggles to control his attraction to her, especially since he's convinced himself he would prefer a widow over a debutante. The author does an amazing job of bringing these characters to life and filling them with a depth of soul not usually found in most romances.

The secondary characters are excellent, as well. Fiona's friends, Cassandra and Prudence, are well-developed and poised to star in their own upcoming books. I loved the way the story poked a bit of fun at the expected behavior of debutantes, especially the "proper" F words that limited their conversational skills.

The action is non-stop as Fiona is constantly exploring all the boundaries of propriety, and I loved every bit of it. The HEA was beautifully done, and the grandmother's blessing was exquisitely delivered. I highly recommend this book, as well as any of this author's works. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

This was my first book by Darcy Burke, and I was pleasantly surprised! Her writing style is easy to read, and this book had many of my favorite elements of historical romance told through a progressive lens.

Improper is the first in a series about the Phoenix Club which will be the connecting factor between story lines, a la Sarah MacLean, but I didn’t get as much information about the gaming club or those who run it as I would have liked. Perhaps she’ll dive deeper into the Phoenix Club in the next installment? I’ve also learned there is a prequel that might answer some questions.

I enjoyed the forbidden romance between Tobias and Fiona, as well as their playful banter, but both characters came across a little one dimensional. Tobias’ transition from desolate rogue to proper gentleman seemed too fast. And recently independent and liberated from her small town life, Fiona had a lot of potential to shine, but I found her to be a little naive and immature.

Overall, this was a lovely, light-hearted romance with low angst - an easy 3.5 stars. I loved the epilogue, and I’m intrigued about the next story in the series!

I received a complimentary advanced copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. Thank you!

I'm not really sure why didn't enjoy this one. When I picked it up, I just wanted an easy read, and I felt like a historical romance would fit that mold. For some reason, I spent most of this counting the pages until it was over.

I really wish there had been more tension between Fiona and Tobias. Sure, we're told that there's a connection between them, but I never felt it. In a romance, the main thing I want is a clear connection that I never want to part from. This was just lackluster, and I honestly didn't care about either character.

I also wish there had been more of a plot. The plot was pretty nonexistent, and this was just worsened because the romance was nothing to root for. The Phoenix Club played a pretty big part of the plot in this one, but I still can't tell you why it was important, or how it was different from any other clubs.

I think this book mainly suffered from a lack of substance and depth. If ideas had been expanded on, this could've been amazing, but instead it got stuck in the mediocre.

Thanks to Netgalley and Darcy Burke for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review

I was instantly enchanted with the idea of The Phoenix Club: “where London’s most audacious, disreputable, and intriguing ladies and gentlemen find scandal, redemption, and second chances”. And after meeting the founding members, I was equally enchanted with them and learning their stories. We start with Tobias, who’s still fighting his father’s control, even beyond the grave. Fiona was and wasn’t what I was expecting. She has the wide-eyed innocence of a country miss but she somehow developed her own opinions and a spine of tempered steel. They made an excellent pairing together, pushing one another to be better people. Even daring Society to be better. There are lots of sparks between them; all that pushing and daring often didn’t go easily. I imagine I can see so many of the possibilities this series is opening up and I can’t wait to read more about them.
I received a complimentary advanced copy of this book through NetGalley.

This is my first book by this author, and I am starting with book 2 in the series, it seems. Could have lead to disaster, but I enjoyed the story of Tobias and Fiona. Fiona feels she's a girl and she wants to have fun... in London... with no dud of a husband to kill her joy. It's her first time out of the country and she just wants to enjoy a few days or weeks of freedom for goodness sakes. Her guardian, Tobias, wants to get her married off, but reluctantly decides to let her have a little time. Tobias has his own worries--he absolutely has to get hitched and is on a timeline. So, why not find a wife and then let her worry about Fiona. Sounds like a plan. We all know how these things go! Great story!

I found this to be a very sweet and soft novel. The plot is more character driven with societal events focusing on the heroine's first season and the hero's search for a bride. Darcy Burke's writing is accessible and light in tone, she has a gentle way of crafting some light and funny scenes that have a lovely charm to them. Overall the pace of the novel was consistent, with out being too rushed.

The heroine, Fiona is the ward of the hero, Tobias, she is a small town, country girl who is excited for the adventure that London will bring to her. At first she comes across as a bit naive but as the novel progressed I was really delighted to see that she was able to stand up for herself and articulate to the hero how she should be the one to decided what is best for her and her body when it comes to making decisions around sexual experiences. Tobias is said to be a rake, which we briefly see at the beginning when he is having a final tryst with his mistress, but ultimately I found him to be a bit bland without too much of a distinct personality. When it came to Tobias, we are told that he must find a wife and be married in 5 weeks in order to keep ownership of his late mother's estate, but I never truly felt a drive from him to really search out a wife.

I also felt like there was a bit of something missing overall from the romance between the hero and heroine. It is a bit of a slow burn, the first half of the novel is really Fiona and Tobias tip toeing around each other and just learning to be ward and guardian. There are some funny and sweet scenes between them, but a lot of it felt very surface level. When it came to them realizing that they loved each other, I was a bit unsure how they came to this conclusion. Yes, they had a few brief moments of attraction that they acted upon, but a true depth of feeling just was not there for me. The steam level of this novel was sweetly steamy, but lacked a passion mostly due to the fact that I was not sure I truly believed their love had a depth.

Overall, I did find this to be an enjoyable novel. Darcy Burke created some intriguing side characters who I am curious about their love stories. I particularly enjoyed the friendship between Fiona, Cassandra (a Duke's Daughter) and Prudence (Fiona's companion), I do hope both women find their happy ever afters. A decent start to a new series, 3.5-4 Stars.

Read to 47% and then started skipping around.

I’ve read and enjoyed several of Darcy’s books and this one sounded good. Sadly, it wasn’t for me.

I liked Fiona and Tobias well enough. They’re both good people, with good intentions, they’re just so bland. I saw no real chemistry between them and that was the biggest struggle. There are loads and loads of characters here and it didn’t seem like we actually got to know anyone.

Plot wise, it was flimsy. Yes, it was a lot of fluff, yet things were introduced without a real reason to advance the story. However, the last few chapters were interesting and I did enjoy the epilogue.

Overall, I just wanted a lot more from this one. I am intrigued at the set up for book 2 and might read it, but I’m not entirely sure.

**Huge thanks to the publisher for providing the arc free of charge**

Guardian/Ward Romance.

Rake/Country Innocent.

This was a exciting, sexy read. The struggle that both main characters felt reconciling their own feelings towards each other versus the obligations they have to preserve who they believe they are was deep and moving. I really felt for Tobias wanting to do what he thought was right but feeling powerless and resigned. I also admired Fiona who did not crumble at the first signs of adversity and basically stood up to convention.

This is my first book from Darcy Burke and I can’t say it will be my last. Although there were a few parts that I felt dragged a little bit and others that weren’t the most believable (i.e. Barbara at the end…), I still enjoyed the book as a whole. I really enjoyed the band of characters that I anticipate will each have their own books as this series progresses. Get ready!

*I received this book as an ARC and this is my honest review.

#Improper #NetGalley

Tobias Powell, Earl of Overton, had a big problem. Just before his father died, he changed his Will. Tobias had three months after the death of the old Earl to find a wife. If he did not the house, he grew up in would be given to someone else. It belonged to his beloved mother.
Miss Fiona Wingate had lived her whole life in Shropshire. Her uncle had isolated her and her chaperone in a small cottage. Tobias had invited her to have a season in London. Needless to say, she was so excited.
A Darcy Burke book is an automatic buy. I have always loved her novels and this was no exception. It was enchanting, sweet, and engaging. The characters added so much to the story.
Their friends were so amazing and supportive. The writing held your attention. It was an amazing and titillating tale. It does get a little steamy, but it is such a great novel, it only adds to your reading pleasure.
I received this ARC from Net Galley and voluntarily reviewed it.

This book is about an earl, Tobias Overton, who is seen by the society as a rogue because of something that happened in his past. Tobias needs to get married within a few weeks, or else he loses his mother’s house due to a condition in his father’s will. He needs to fix his reputation, try to find a husband for his ward, and get married within the next six weeks. Fiona is his ward, who has grown up in a boring town, and is looking forward to coming to London to have her season. She has no idea that the earl has plans for her to marry as well. But Fiona has no plans of getting married, she’d rather focus on being independent and her interests.

I liked both of the main characters. The synopsis sounds like Tobias is forcing Fiona to get married, but mostly he gives into her wishes throughout the book. He is actually quite a good person, who is under pressure due to his father’s will. On the other hand, I would have loved to have seen more of the independent side of Fiona. The book constantly tells you she wants to be independent and have adventures, but there weren’t enough of them to my taste. Also her love of maps was never explained or explored.

The reason I wanted to pick this up, is because the series focuses on an exclusive club, which instantly reminded me of the Rules of Scoundrels series by Sarah MacLean. I don’t think it lived up to that but what does. It was a fun read, if a bit bland at times. There wasn’t much of a plot and I would have loved to see more of the Phoenix Club. It was never properly explored. I also found it quite weird how a young unmarried woman could live with a bachelor on their own (with servants but still). It’s definitely not historically accurate on how much alone time the two could have constantly. I did laugh out loud a few times and I liked the sweetness of the relationship between Fiona and Tobias. Overall, I had a good time reading this book, but probably won’t remember too much by the time the next book comes out.

I would still recommend this, if you’re a fan of historical romance and you’re looking for something fun, light-hearted and low angst.

Tobias must wed quickly otherwise he looses an estate he loves. Finding a wife is not easy, and he is distracted by his new ward. I thought the romance in this book was cute. I like Fiona. Her interest in maps is fun, but I wonder where it came from. This book has got several great secondary characters which are likely to get their own book. I'm looking forward to that!

He made it home just in time.

She didn't know she would have to be presented at Court?

My sister does that.

His father was charming. Not.

Lady Pickering is no fool.

What is Aldington's problem?

I like how she doesn't give a rip.

Oh-ho, Prudence is secretly naughty!

Prudence and Evie are correct.

Hear, hear!

Dude, how would she be your sister?

If his grandma is trying to help him, she's going about it in a confusing manner.

Haha, Barbara is actually nice!

What is so wrong with Wexford?

Improper by Darcy Burke is the first book in her new series about the Phoenix Club. She tends to write books with fun characters, especially women who do not want to follow the mold of what is expected. In this novel, she also introduces us to a private club that is going to be the connecting factor for this series. The private club breaks all the rules because it's for males and females! How Shocking! Tobais is one of the shareholders.

Unfortunately things do not always work out the way The Earl of Overton, Tobias Powell wants them to. His father has died and left him with all the estate and provisions. However, in order for him to maintain the one part of the inheritance that he wants to keep is for him to get married within 3 months of his father's death. Tobias has certainly been a rogue and has gotten in trouble many times. Who in their right mind would want to marry him? He is going to lose the only house where he felt safe as a child to his father’s ward, Fiona Wingate.

After being kept in a small town forever, the chance to go to London for a season is exciting. Fiona Wingate wants to have fun, see things, do things and live life. Instead she is stuck with a guardian who is determined to see her married right off. Fiona has made a couple of new friends and together they seem to find trouble everywhere. Tobais is constantly trying to keep Fiona safe, but she doesn’t make it easy for him at all.

Darcy Burke’s newest book, Improper is a fun slightly scandalous read!

Is it improper to fall in love with one’s ward? Is it improper to want more from life than an husband?
Of course in Regency era it is!
“Improper” is the first book in Darcy Burke’s new series “The Phoenix Club”, but I recommend to read the prequel book, “Invitation”, which is free on Amazon, because it explains a lot of things.
I must say that I look forward to reading the other books, because I liked this one very much.
The first half of the book is admittedly a little bit too slow and too focused on presenting the club, which undoubtedly will be a great basis for good stories in the future. Therefore in the beginning the characters are sketchy, Fiona in particular, who seems too naive, the typical country girl who can’t behave in Society. And the attraction between the couple is practically nonexistent.
But in the second half the story changes drastically and the main characters, as well as their love story, become much more interesting. And at the end I’ve fallen in love with them and their struggle to overcome the obvious difficulties that Society imposes on both men and women.
I particularly liked the hero, Tobias, understanding his mistakes in wanting Fiona to fit the Society standards for women. And there’s also a delicate touch regarding the late earl, Tobias’ father, that I liked very much… But I don’t want to spoiler it!
In conclusion, I recommend this book heartily. Don’t stop at the first pages and you won’t be disappointed!