It pains me to leave this review, but this book was equally as painful to get through. I was so intrigued by the premise of Hawkes falling in love with the woman he was sent to retrieve, but the execution of the story was not well done. The initial meeting of Aurelie and Hawkes took too long to occur and their chemistry was beyond lacking. I could not find myself at all invested in their love story. Additionally, it was over 60% through the book before there was even an innocent kiss between them. Lastly, the sexual assault story line also did not feel developed or emotionally dealt with and really cheapened the story. Overall, it just feels as though this book tried to do too many things and in doing so never developed the romance between our hero and heroine.

5th book of a series but works well as a standalone. I was confused with the opening chapter but was quickly absorbed. The romance between Hawkes and Auriele is a slow build, but just right. I enjoyed the read and look forward to reading the rest of the series.

ARC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

You Were Made to Be Mine turns up the action and intrigue compared to the previous book in the series (which was also excellent) and delivers a compelling romance between a former British spy and a French woman in hiding from her abusive fiancé. Although the usual residents of the Grand Palace on the Thames take more of a backseat in this story, we still get many entertaining and heartwarming glimpses into their ongoing journeys.

Christian Hawkes is recently released from a French prison and given an offer he can't refuse by the same man who betrayed him to the French: if Hawkes can locate the traitorous man's missing fiancee, the wealth that he lost upon his imprisonment will be restored. Hawkes pretends to accept this job as a cover for continuing his interrupted investigation into the traitor's crimes against England. Lady Aurelie -- the missing fiancee -- has taken refuge at the Grand Palace on the Thames under a fake identity to lay low while she arranges for transportation to America, where her brother lives. Hawkes quickly locates her, but a nearly successful assassination attempt against him derails his plans. As Aurelie nurses him back to health, they share a bond that continues to grow as Hawkes protects Aurelie from various threats.

Hawkes' chaotic entrance to the Grand Palace on the Thames is possibly one of my favorite scenes in the series. So many great character moments, plus mistaken identities and a hilarious twist in poor Angelique and Delilah's ongoing search for a footman. I also enjoyed getting to see Hawkes in action throughout the story, using his spy skills and his ability to read and persuade people so effectively. When he puts these talents to use to protect Aurelie and seek revenge on her behalf, it's particularly swoon-worthy. As Aurelie observes at one point: "She hadn't realized until she'd met Hawkes that competence could be so unutterably thrilling."

Given Aurelie's traumatic backstory and her sheltered upbringing, I was initially concerned about how the power dynamics and romance would play out. Her track record for making poor choices when it comes to her safety also was a bit frustrating. However, Long does an excellent job of making it clear that Aurelie refuses to be a victim of her circumstances and that she has full agency in how the relationship develops - both emotionally and physically.

Overall, this continues to be one of my favorite ongoing series. I love how the Grand Palace provides a perfect backdrop for any number of stories to be told. Looking forward to reading more of their adventures!

Thank you to Avon and Netgalley for providing an ARC for review!

I am loving Julie Anne Long's "Palace of Rogues" series, and this one is a great addition. Hawkes is a spy who has just been released from prison, and he is hired to find Aurelie, who is a lady in distress. They meet at the "Palace of Rogues" and fall in love. Strengths: Long has such beautiful prose! She also has this way of making the reader feel like they are in this bubble with the couple, rooting for their HEA. Lots of delicious slow burn. My only quibble is it takes a third of the book for them to meet. Highly recommend!

Julie Anne Long is quickly becoming one of my favorite historical romance writers for books like these. The suspense, romance, and all of the elements work perfectly together to create a book that's nearly impossible to put down even when your eyes are desperately tugging at you to go to sleep. Aurelie is a heroine that I especially held close to my heart and Hawkes is a fantastic hero because the two are bound together through trauma and their mutual pain is what brings the two of them together and makes them understand each other.

It is not as simple as the two of them look at the world the same way - they definitely do not. Aurelie was raised completely sheltered and grew up with an optimistic view of the world only to realize that being sheltered also meant that she had no preparation for the world being cruel at times. But even through this, she believes that the hope and beauty in the world is worth believing in and is worth taking a risk on. Hawkes believes the world is going to be a dark and treacherous place but when he meets Aurelie, he sees that she doesn't fit into that view of the world. As the title says, they were made for each other.

The villain was outrageously evil and well done, and the outside forces that are against Hawkes and Aurelie keep the suspense in the novel going perfectly. Highly recommend!

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

When Christian Hawkes, an ex-British spymaster is tasked by the sketchy Earl of Brundage to find his runaway fiancée, he doesn’t expect to be captured by her. The last thing Lady Aurelie Capet expects after fleeing her fiancé is to trust another man, but there is something about Hawkes that drives her wild. Will these two be able to overcome their pasts to move forward together?

I really liked this book and stayed up til 3 am to finish it. The suspense right off the bat was excellent and the villain is completely wicked. I loved Aurelie finding her voice and her strength throughout the book. Hawkes’ quest for justice, both for England and Aurelie, was right up my alley. It was great to watch Hawkes and Aurelie, both with their own scars, move forward together.

There were a lot of nods to the previous books in the series (this is book 5 in the Palace of Rogues series), so I think it would be even more fun to have understood those shout-outs and callbacks. I love that feeling when you reconnect with past characters – so fans of this series will love that. Nevertheless, I felt that not only could I get immersed in the story, but it made me want to read more about the couples that got together at the Grand Palace on the Thames in previous books.

TW: Sexual assault (off-page before the events of the book, but described later in the book)
Would definitely recommend this book!

Thanks NetGalley, Avon Books and Harper Voyager US for this advance copy! All opinions my own.

I love this series-- The Grand Palace on the Thames is one of my favorite cozy fictional retreats. It has a bit of a Love Boat feel to me, but in the best possible way. I would happily read a novel that has nothing more than merriment between Dot, Mr. Delacorte, Mrs. Pariseau, the Hardys, the Durands and co. Mr. Delacorte and Mr. Bellingham's pure joy over their shared love of donkey races was absolutely delightful!

I'm not a huge fan of espionage/traitor villain subplots, so I have to admit that I resorted to a bit of skimming from time to time when the storyline was more focused on that aspect.

Aurelie and Christian's love story is really sweet, slow and gentle, which makes sense in light of the trauma that both characters have suffered before arriving at the inn.

Highly recommended for readers of Regency romance.

Thank you to Avon Books and Netgalley for providing me access to a DRC in exchange for my unbiased review.