Josiah is the administrator of the Society of Beasts, a gentleman's club for men who prefer men. When a rival club in Bath threatens to steal away their members, it's up to him to learn all he can about it. Hartley, the son of a nobleman, agrees to pose as his lover so they can infiltrate the other club. But when their travels lead them to lodgings with only one bed, the charade becomes all too real. Can they overcome their class differences and find a future together?

Josiah and Hartley are as alike as they are different. Temperamentally, they're both bristly, but Josiah's social class forces him to keep his thoughts to himself. Hartley, on the other hand, tends to speak without thinking, only to regret it later. He's also blind to his privilege, and Josiah is only too happy to point out his flaws in that area. Hartley's trauma-induced claustrophobia humanizes him, and I appreciate how the author deals with this issue.

I also enjoyed how the author handled the class issues. She didn't try to flatten the hierarchy that pervaded British society at the time. Instead, she focused on the importance of treating everyone with respect and compassion.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

If you've read the other books in this series then you've probably been wanting Josiah's story as much as me. Admittedly, I was less eager for Hartley but I learned to love him by the end of the story. Josiah has been very self sacrificing the entire series so when he started to desire to call Hartley his own, I was rooting for him all the way.

The trope here is of fake boyfriends, and it was very sweet to see Josiah pretend to not swoon over Hartley. Another thing I really liked about this installment, was that the Beasts came together and strengthened their friendship and bond to each other. That was beautiful to see after everything they've been through.

I'm a little sad because I think this is the last book in the series. I'm hoping that the author has a follow up with lower class men getting a chance at love.

4/4.5 ⭐️This was lovely. I wanted to share some quotes and then realized I highlighted half the book.

This is my first book by Greene but I had no problems following along. I have now downloaded the first two books cause Greenes writing and storytelling was beautiful. Friends have suggested to read them in order so if you can do that.

This book is historical romance filled with adorable mini tropes I love, with lots of character growth, lots of pining and so much comfort. The banter between them was lovely too.

We get to see them working together to get over the class difference and also deal with Hartleys trauma. It’s was very swoon worth it.

TDLR: lovely historical romance, please read

This book is so good! It's definitely my favorite of the series. What really got me invested is the characters - Josiah who has had years to work his way up in the Society of Beasts until he's practically running the club, and yet he isn't respected by the gentlemen he serves on a daily basis; Hartley has had a life of wealth, power, and privilege, but is broken by betrayal and trauma. I loved watching these two characters interact, from their initial verbal sparring to their awkward attempts at having real conversations. As they learn about each other and build respect and trust, romance begins to blossom, even when their situation seems impossible. Without spoilers, I will say this is one of the most satisfying romances I've read! I enjoyed the progression of their relationship and their individual character arcs. There's also an important and interesting plot about the rival club for working class queer men. If you've been reading the series, this book also brings in characters from the previous two books and wonderfully wraps up the series.

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Humor: Yes, a bit
Perspective: Third person from both hero’s perspectives

Should I read in order?
It’s not necessary but I did find myself wishing I had read book 2 (I did read book 1 of the series).

Basic plot:
William is a member of the Society of Beasts where Josiah is the administrator. William has never really looked at Josiah, as he’s just a servant, but all that changes when suffering from a claustrophobic episode, Josiah is able to calm him like nothing else has. They end up striking a bargain to work together – Josiah helps William overcome his fear if William will help Josiah get information about a rival club.

Give this a try if you want:
- Regency time period (1820)
- Much of this story takes place in Bath, which I thought was fun! The rest in London.
- Unrequited love – Josiah has been pining for William from afar
- A bargain struck – William requests Josiah to help him get through his claustrophobic episodes and Josiah agrees if he helps him infiltrate a rival club
- Fake relationship trope – yay!
- One bed – even more yay!!
- M/M relationship
- Mid to high steam -
- Lots of focus on the relationship – there is just a touch of mystery going on here and the two work together on a common goal but so much of the page time is them spending time together and getting to know each other deeper
- Class difference – William is a snobby 3rd son of a nobleman and Josiah is a servant

Ages:
- Didn’t see them mentioned – would guess mid/late 20s?

My thoughts:
I enjoyed a lot about the first story in this series but I LOVED this one. So, so much. I am definitely going to go back and read book 2. This book gave me so many feels and butterflies of falling in love!

William is described as a bit of a snob. This makes his falling in love with Josiah, a servant, that much sweeter. And as you get to know him, and his judgment eases it’s just so rewarding to experience. The walls he’s erected fall and while I didn’t know how I would feel about William in the beginning, I ended up absolutely loving him.

Josiah takes pride in his position with the Society of Beasts and everything runs smoothly as a direct result of his care. His fascination with William is double edged – he drives him insane with his temper and careless remarks but has also caused a longing in him so he can’t think of another.

These two together were pure perfection. It gave small vibes of sunshine and grump and I loved seeing Josiah take control and William experience vulnerability with him. There was just so, so much sweetness in this book. So many little things I adore in romance. Whispers against lips when you’re feeling so unsure. Thinking of them when they aren’t with you. The uncertainty of how a gift will be received. A simple holding of a hand making me breathless. It was lovely. So, so lovely.

<b> 4.5 Stars! </b>

Hartley is the "Sable" in the Society of Beasts. Wrongfully accused in Book 1, we didn't see him in Book 2 aside from a letter he wrote to the other Beasts of his intention to possibly forgive them for their hasty conclusions.

Josiah, who we got to know better in the previous book, carried a torch for Hartley which was surprising since Hartley was the coldest, rudest, most aloof Beast (or at least that is the impression I had/ most readers of the series had before reading this book).

We were right in our assumption for the most part but, under all that biting sarcasm and even more caustic tongue, it seemed there was somewhat of a gentle heart within Hartley just waiting to come out.

Also, he certainly met his match in Josiah who, while maintaining his signature calm dignity, refused to be treated with anything less than respect. It made Hartley want to be better and made for a great story.

Watching Josiah and Hartley navigating the changes their relationship underwent, as well as the challenges the Society faced was at once heartwarming , heart-wrenchingly emotional and in some instances, plain funny. It made them face some really potent and difficult truths and fortunately, made them emerge out of the other side as better men.

I devoured this story from the very first page straight to the end and although this book seems to be the last in this particular series, I wouldn't mind a spin-off following the wonderful side-characters introduced during the course of the series. For e.g. Samuel Gibbs, the irreverent and sometimes exceedingly stubborn oaf stole the show for me and I wouldn't mind reading more about him , a certain pastry shop owner and Bryce the cantankerous butler. Lol

I guess all I'm saying is that, Annabelle Greene has an undeniable talent and I, for one, would like to read her books forever.

Highly Recommended.

Another triumphant return to the Society of Beasts! I greatly enjoyed the first two books in this series and I certainly wasn't disappointed in the third installment. While the characters from previous books appear in lovely cameos in this novel, it's primarily about the intriguing partnership between Beast William Hartley and Society employee, Josiah Balfour.

Hartley is one of those club members who doesn't even seem to notice the staff. He's been spoiled by his wealth and privilege, he's short-tempered and snappy. The problems lurking under the surface aren't visible to everyone else. Traumatized by a significant event in his past, Hartley is left with panic-inducing claustrophobic.. and wounds to his friendships that have yet to be healed.

As Hartley begins to push himself to recover... a chance encounter with Josiah makes them both aware of the attraction between them. Josiah agrees to help Hartley... and the two men embark upon an investigation of a club that has appeared in the city. The club may undermine the popularity of the Society of Beasts and that doesn't sit well with either of the men. Despite their differences, they find themselves timing up to try and solve the mystery of the new "men's" club.

The pacing is spot-on in this instalment of the series. Greene is an expert at timing, doling out just the right amount of tension versus progress in a relationship. While this book is a romance at heart, there's a lot of growth in Hartley's character in particular. I loved the way that he worked through his issues... and he did it under his own steam. 

The is rather an epic love story... so don't go into it thinking you won't be invested ... you will be, and it will be by page 10.

I really enjoyed this thoughtful and romantic story. The fake dating across class boundaries was fun, and Josiah helping Hartley fend off his PTSD was well done. There were so many sweet moments as the two of them fell for one another (while pretending they hadn't because it was impossible), as well as the perfect amount of wry humor.

The writing was lovely and the heavier topics (class boundaries, protecting those accused of loving other men, money and power, PTSD from a traumatic event) deftly and thoughtfully handled. There were a few more sex scenes than I usually like, but I was enjoying the story so much I didn't mind skimming them.

My favorite thing about it is the way Hartley and Josiah relate to one another and push one another to be better. Hartley is a bit of a Darcy - he doesn't really see anyone he considers 'lower' than himself and Josiah pushes him to open his eyes to all that he's been ignoring. Watching Hartley slowly work to change was very satisfying. Hartley in turn pushes Josiah to have more confidence in himself.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Carina Press for providing an e-arc for review.

William Hartley’s wealth and social standing often make up for his short temper, but they can’t cure his claustrophobia. He’d lost hope of finding help for it, until meeting Josiah Balfour. In a moment of panic, Josiah’s presence is a balm to his senses, leaving Hartley calm for the first time in months.
Josiah Balfour knows his place—and it’s not in the bed of a gentleman. As the administrator for the Society of Beasts, he’s responsible for the club’s well-being. When a threat to the Society emerges from an unexpected quarter, it falls to Josiah to deal with it. But Hartley is willing to help, even if it involves posing as a couple to infiltrate a rival club.
This is the third book in the series & it could be read on its own, I’d been eagerly awaiting this book after the teasers in the previous one. I just loved it, it was romantic, it was swoonworthy, it was just so so good. I loved William & Josiah, how they were very different but how they complemented each other was pure genius. How Josiah helped William towards recovery was sympathetically handled. One of the loveliest romances I’ve read this year & I read alot
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

I enjoyed the first two books in this series, but I think this one is now my favorite. For all that the core of the story is about class division between our heroes and in more general terms of society, it’s not written as something that tears them apart. Instead, it’s something they both have to acknowledge, accept, and make their choice of how to proceed if they want a relationship.

Hartley’s obscenely rich, but he does frequently use his money for good. His fondness for sweets results in investing in a shop that only uses sugar harvested by freemen, not slaves. Yet he still doesn’t see servants as beyond their usefulness in their job, until he finally takes notice of Josiah, who’s employed to administer the Society of Beasts’ business. Hartley’s also suffering with we’d call PTSD these days due to events in the first book in the series, and accidentally discovers that Josiah can help calm him.

Josiah was born into a poor family, with the complication of being obviously queer at a young age, but managed to get out of his small town by seeking out an education. He’s now in charge of the day-to-day work of keeping the society operating, but he’s not a member, he’s an employee. That’s something that many of the members either don’t think about as long as he’s doing his job, or in the case of other members, they definitely want him to remember his place.

I liked that there wasn’t a Big Misunderstanding between the two, and that their conflicts were directed towards outside issues such as their class differences and the threat of a competing society based in Bath. They decide to go check out the competition, which means a road trip with lots of my favorite tropes: fake dating, there was only one bed, consent is sexy, and lots of pining. There’s also some catharsis for Hartley as he realizes part of his problem is caused by his friends who unintentionally caused his trauma never apologized, and he seeks them out to demand it. That’s a rarity, especially in a historical, and it was nice to see it dealt with instead of remaining something they don’t talk about.

We’ve now had stories of the founding Beasts, but I expect many of the plot threads started in the trilogy will continue to be pulled in other books. The introduction of another society that accepts both the rich and the working class opens a lot of new avenues as well.

ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Servant and the Gentleman by Annabelle Greene
Society of Beasts #3

Excellent – Thoroughly enjoyed this addition to the series – Wonder if this is the end, if there will be more, or if there might be a spin-off in the future – Hope so!

What I liked:
* Josiah Balfour: Administrator for the Society of Beasts, from a humble background, has worked hard to become who he is, has dreams and some include one of the Beasts
* William Hartley: wealthy, privileged, rude, doesn’t see much around him, focused on himself, fashion conscious, dealing with terrors, grows a great deal in this story
* Getting to see how some characters from previous books are doing
* Thomas: baker, supportive, good listener, would like to know more about him
* Samuel: Josiah’s cousin, seeks a future in London, has a few secrets, is integral to the story – wouldn’t mind hearing more about him in the future
* Robin Guppy: Josiah’s first assistant, has secrets of his own, admirable, another person of interest for a book of his own
* That the book drew me in, made me feel and care, and think
* The idea that perhaps such societies as the Beasts Society and Cambrill Club could have existed and done what they did in this story
* The discussion of clothing
* The dialogue – open, honest, real
* That I could see Balfour and Hartley together by the end of the book
* Contemplating what the future holds in store for the characters in this series
* Wondering if Lord Maurice and Lady Ploverdale might end up together
* All of it really except…

What I didn’t like:
* Thinking about how difficult it must have been for those not in conformity with social expectations when choosing one’s life partner – the laws were reprehensible and horrific
* Thinking about the “divide” between classes

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more by this author? Definitely

Thank you to NetGalley and Carina Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

4/5 stars. A gentleman and an overworked clerk fake a relationship to infiltrate a competing gentlemen’s club. Another excellent historical romance from Greene, this time one that focuses on the class differences that have been simmering in the background of the series. Like the previous book in the series, this one has great banter, tons of romantic tension, satisfying character development, and many swoony moments. The romantic arc is just as satisfying and well-executed as in The Solider and the Spy. Josiah and Hartley are an unlikely pair at first glance, but Greene takes her time bringing them together emotionally, and by the end they’ve both changed enough to make perfect sense as a couple.

In the previous book in the series, I struggled a bit with reading about a gentlemen’s club that’s exclusive to the wealthy because the plot highlights how less wealthy members of society could use similar protection but don’t receive it. I loved that Greene embraced that issue in this book rather than running away from it, and forced the protagonists of all three books to grapple with it, too. Josiah’s frustration with his situation is palpable from the beginning, though it’s clear he’s accepted it as an unchangeable fact of the world. It’s gratifying to see him act on that frustration to improve his and others’ lives throughout the book, and to be rewarded for it.

Hartley is pompous and self-centered at the beginning, and I liked that he has to stumble his way through some uncomfortable and difficult realizations and make a real effort at self-improvement, rather than being one of those characters that seems like a jerk on the outside but is secretly amazing the whole time. His journey is satisfying to read and makes the romantic payoff much stronger than if his snobbishness were a facade. His initial attitude also makes for some great banter between him and Josiah, and creates a convincing obstacle for Josiah’s attraction to overcome.

Hartley’s PTSD is also handled very well. Since this is a historical, he can’t go to therapy, but he receives unquestioning support from Josiah, who helps him confront his trauma and understand its roots. This is one of the better portrayals I’ve seen of mental health in romance, especially in a historical.

As with the previous book in the series, this book has just the right level of realism: it has the necessary historical details to make the story work, but it doesn’t force all of the characters to suffer from internalized homophobia for the sake of “realism.” Societal homophobia is more present here than in the second book, but this is ultimately a story about the need for queer community and how privileged members of the community are morally obligated to support the less privileged members, and as such the historical setting is purposefully kinder and more hopeful than our own past. (Also, the reduced realism makes the fun fake dating plot possible.)

Greene also continues to omit unnecessary or anachronistic details about the characters’ physical appearances and doesn’t give them the default romance MC body (not a single ab is mentioned), which I really appreciated and hope will become a more common approach in romance generally. The characters’ physical attraction to one another is still obvious and believable even without these details.

This book will join The Solider and the Spy on my all-time favorite historicals list, and I highly recommend it.

“But it’s simple enough. No one can spend too much time in Mr. Balfour’s company and—and not feel. Not feel exactly as powerfully as he does.”

This is by far and away one of the most adorably, romantically, swoon-worthy heart-feeling books I’ve read in a long time. The teasers for Hartley and Josiah in the previous book had me absolutely <i>hooked</i> to read their story, and did Greene ever deliver!

I loved seeing Hartley’s growth, both as a person and through his relationship with Josiah. Even Josiah had his own personal growth arc through his cousin Samuel - both of them dealing with big personal revelations, and taking them in stride (mostly) to become better together. The best.

Together their relationship was absolutely precious, they worked so well and played off each other beautifully, the neediness and caretaking and just everything. Even the class differences were used in a way that enhanced their relationship. It addressed the elitism of the Society of Beasts, as well as the original difference between Hartley and Josiah themselves. I liked seeing them have to confront their prejudice in the face of Samuel and the rival club.

I really appreciated how the treatment of Hartleys trauma was handled. It was not at all magic-dick. It was kind of like pre-therapy therapy, via Josiah. No magic cures, but just Josiah helping Hartley work through it from the source, and talking, and such. So sweet. He was never 100% cured, but working towards handling it.

I got so mad at Frakes though - so mean to Josiah and half-assed the whole thing with Hartley. Rude. I know the characters were fine with how it went, but Hartley and Josiah are precious and I will remain mad on their behalf! Forever. >:(

…coherence is overrated for reviews, go read this immediately when it releases!!

Highlights: usually I include a few highlights from the book at the end of my ARC reviews, since I can’t import them like a normal book…but I have so many I cannot. like 70. It’ll have to wait until I can get the kindle version of the book. It was lovely and poetic and romantic and dramatic and just perfection.

Annabelle Greene seems to excel at writing fun, tropey historicals without sacrificing great prose and emotional connection. This features class differences, hurt/comfort, fake relationship(!), slow-ish burn, forced proximity (only one bed), long time pining and also whatever trope "being comforted after a nightmare" is, which I now realize I need more of. And it's good to read a regency-era historical where, while homophobia does exist and isn't discarded, the fear of being found out and the shame of one's sexual orientation aren't main plot points.

I read this straight after reading and loving the second book in this series. I already liked Josiah, the hardworking chief assistant of the Society of Beast. He's used to blending in the background of this molly club he basically runs almost by himself and to being disregarded by every member because he's from the lower class. Hartley should have been a harder character to like: he's filthy rich, arrogant, snobbish, and doesn't seem to do much for the club despite being one of its founding members. Josiah has been pining forever for him while Hartley, being by nature has barely ever noticed him or any of the other servants, for that matter. But from his first appearance in the story, he shows vulnerability and complexity: he's hiding a crippling fear of being trapped in enclosed spaces since a traumatic event that happened earlier in the series. It's impressive how the author made me feel for him so quickly, considering how protective I already was of Josiah after the second book.

Josiah and Hartley's relationship develops in a context in which they become partners with a common goal, so I didn't feel a big power imbalance in their romance, despite the class difference. The plot is fun and a little silly, in a good way: they have to fake a relationship to investigate a rival club, while Josiah helps Hartley "testing" the limits of his fear, as he seems to be pretty good at, ahem, distracting him. I liked how the fake dating goes, as it is NOT used as an excuse for every intimate moment they share. The way the classic "is he just faking?" angst is handled here is not insufferable and overbearing. As with The Soldier and The Spy, the flirty banter here is also excellent, without falling into clichés, and the chemistry between the two MCs is great. With that being said, Hartley/Josiah still had their unique dynamic that was very different from Benjamin/August, which I loved, because sometimes I feel like couples in the same series tend to resemble each other. As much as I loved the D/s undertones in the second book in the series, I'm glad this one took a different turn. August and Hartley have a softer feel and a slower burn (ok, maybe more of a medium burn), and I loved how the power shifted from encounters to encounters in a way that the characters were very aware of (yay for discussing consent!). This is still high-steam, don't get me wrong, but in a way that feels unique to these characters.

Class differences are a big theme in this book, as the main plot deals with a rival society that caters to gay men of lower means. I like how this forces the reader to see the Society we saw mainly as a good thing in the previous books in a different light. I liked how this issue wasn't easily solved with a Walt Disney-like solution, and the gulf between Josiah and Hartley's backgrounds felt very real. It would have been easy to make Hartley super progressive, but he isn't, and love didn't cure him of his class bias either. The scenes with Josiah's cousin were well-done and didn't feel heavy-handed.

In my review of The Soldier and The Spy, the previous book in the serie, I talked about how I usually don't go for historicals, as I'm not a fan of the writing style. But the prose in this series is very accessible while still having this lyrical feel that made me immediately re-read some parts. I felt like the writing was even better in this one.

Note that I didn't read the first book in the series, and went straight for the second one. Hartley's backstory is featured in book 1, but I still felt like I could follow along pretty well in this one, even though not everything was explained.

I received a free copy of this book and am providing my honest review voluntarily.

The Servant and the Gentleman. There is no big cliffhanger in this book but it is slow pace to begin with. Mr Hartley and Mr Balfour were a great match. One very stubborn and privileged and the other very patient and loyal. We can see the growth in Hartley happening with the help of Balfour. The steam is 4🔥. This was still an enjoyable read but I was not moved from start to finish.
ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley. The opinions expressed here are all mine.

3.5 stars

It was a cute, low angst, grumpy-sunshine-ish, class difference story. I really liked Hartley and his growth through out, recognizing his privilege and adjusting his behavior. Greene wrote a happy MM historical where there was mostly no drama or trauma around sexual orientation, created safe communities in the book, just rode the line between a safe world and acknowledging the threat of persecution. I also appreciated that class difference was always present but both characters tried to live in the moment and didn't make a melodrama about it.
It was just a little wordy for me, could have been shorter or could have used more of Hartley's humor.

Please excuse me while I sit here with a stupid smile on my face and giddiness in my heart.

I adore this series. Each book has brought me nothing but pleasure and joy and I'm so grateful to have been able to read them--especially this one, prior to its publication.

Josiah and Hartley are, perhaps, the most adorable pair of men I've ever encountered in fiction. The obvious class divide they were faced with as well as ingrained prejudices and general Life Things--I just..they more than deserved their happy ending. I smiled so much while reading this that my face hurt. The settling change from London to Bath shook things up, as did the lack of life-or-death stakes. This book was quieter than the previous ones, but that's not to say it didn't touch on important things.

It was great to see the Beasts together again, though I wish their partners got more page-time--but that's just because I adore them all so much. Some day I'd like to know that Lady Ploverdale gets her happy ending. It would be amusing to watch Maurice brought to heel. I'd love to know what becomes of Ginger in the end, too. And the Starlings. This is all to say: this series has made me care about so very many characters. And care deeply.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I have received this book by NetGalley and Carina Press & Carina Adores (Harlequin), and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review. The Pub date of the book is May 17th.

I can already point out that the author continues to give us outstanding writing, and we see this, especially in moments when the characters wander in their minds. There is coherence and logic in the thoughts - even when they don't make any sense to our heroes.

We have an interesting new theme here that will make our heroes' worlds collide, and I'll confess that the slight trace of hypocrisy I could see, made me angry a bit. Does that make this less worthy? Not even a little. Sometimes, this frustration happens because I'm wrong in my opinion versus what is correct and deserved. I know how to admit my mistakes and maintain an honest opinion.

Here we can witness Hartley's frustration and what consumes him so terribly, and his need for someone to help him. I was heartbroken when I truly understood what he was going through since the first book. I loved that he learned so much more throughout the story while working on his healing with Balfour's help.

As for Balfour, it wasn't easy to understand his feelings at first because I forgot about empathy. But after a few chapters and using my brain, I can say that despite some things, his ideas and thoughts were not entirely wrong, and thanks to his loyalty and good character, a great union could take place in the future.

Balfour and Hartley are a wonderful couple, and I loved their story, even with all the thorns and distances and frustrations. I loved it, and please, I want their eternal union.

I'm interested in knowing if we will have any more books for this series and who they will be.

I'm afraid I really struggled with this book. I found it very slow-paced; the main characters' relationship felt very repetitive to me for most of the book, which can be a problem with fake dating plots in general if they get stuck in the loop of 'but this is all pretend, they don't really like me'. There's plenty of sexual chemistry, but I didn't feel it was matched by an emotional spark, so I found myself struggling to stay engaged - again, this is more of a general preference, but I don't tend to enjoy a slow burn where the emotions dawdle but the sex starts early in the book. If the characters are having intense, intimate sex scenes where they seem to connect deeply on an emotional level, but then the emotions get walked back immediately afterwards to continue the relationship arc at a very gradual pace, the whole relationship starts to feel unengaging to me, which is exactly what happened here. Just not one that grabbed me.

4.5 / 5 Stars

Thanks a lot to NetGalley for provided me with this ARC! And another big thanks to the publisher for letting me read this!


I'll be honest with you. I haven't read any other installment in the series - yet. I might change that in the future, but for now, that's how things are. Meaning, if you've read the other books and something I critic gets obvious through reading the other two that came before this one: my bad.

I believe there's a certain event that takes place in one of the previous books, that has left William Hartley with a lot of trauma and pain, but the book explains that event in enough detail for me to not be confused. Especially since we have another POV character in Josiah Balfour who's just as clueless as me - the reader - about what exactly took place.

I'm not claustrophobic, so I don't know how it's like to be and how it feels, but I AM arachnophobic so I do believe to know a little bit about irrational fears. I'm bringing this up, because, while most scenes dealt with the condition in a great manner, some other ones felt a little plot-convinient. My fears have gotten more managable over time, but they've never vanished. And since Hartley hasn't had to deal with this for that long a time yet, I felt like some closed space's should have freaked him out more. In theory, there should be a difference between one spider - a larger room - and thirty spiders - a smaller room - but ... reality isn't always that way. If there were one big ass spider in my room right now, I'd probably die where I'm standing. Even if you brought me my favourit cake or made out with me.
I'm not saying we're ignoring it completly. I guess it's just that a part of me wished that sex wasn't used as a form of distraction from fear & trauma.

Besides that though, I'm happy.

The book includes a lot of great tropes, such as one of my guilty pleasure ones:

+ Fake/Pretend Relationship
+ There was only one bed
+ Higher Class/Lower Class
+ Opposites attract
+ Pining/Mutual Pining
+ Consent is sexy
(not much of a trope, but rather a way of writing things. But still. I wanted to bring it up because I LOVE when books advertise for consent. And I love it even more when the relationship gets consent-ier over time)

You see, the bullet point "Higher Class/Lower Class" could cause problems, if done wrongly, but luckily for me, it was done very nicely. Bringing up problems that can still be applied today.

One could argue that the book was slow burn but I'm not quite sure about that. I'd give the category slow-burn a maybe. I guess it depends on how you define slow-burn.

Anyways, let's get to the important part: the relationship.
And well, it was amazing.
They had great chemisty, which made reading them flirt and tease each other a real delight. Something I found an interesting choice - that worked really well in my opinion - is that, most of the flirting scenes where written from the characters POV who has confirmed his pining in chapter one. Meaning, everytime the flirting happens, we're left to wonder: Are you flirting with him or are you pretending slash playing your part?? I'd like to believe it's both, but the choice of keeping us out of the flirters head was a smart one.
I know that technically, the books timeline is limited to them pretending for not too long of a time, but that doesn't change the fact that it feels longer. Which is always a plus in my book. Their growing emotional connection and intimacy is depicted in a believable and great way. I definitifly shipped them.

While I loved their dynamic, I'm also very happy to see them both grow and change into better people and equals.

The world and political drama that surrounded the two was also very intersting. Although I'd like to mention that I've never felt like we included drama for the sake of drama! There were a few twists that you could probably see from a mile away but they still had me gasping and worried.

All in all, I've had a very great time reading this book and I can absolutly reccomand it to anyone.