I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to read more from author Jess Michaels.

5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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A nice end to a series on the make believe Kingdom of Athawick.

After all the widowed Queen's children found their match, it was time for Giabella to explore her feelings towards her long time secretary, Dashiell Talbot.

The previous books alluded to something simmering between the two, so much so, I thought something had already taken place. I was more surprised to find out if hadn't. There was little angst which fit the mature relationship better.

The fantasy Kingdom, was not my favorite plot for a series but the romance aspect was still good in each story and this was a nice change of pace to ending a series.

A romance between a dowager Queen and her pining personal secretary (who are both 50+ years old btw!!) who finally allow themselves to give in to their love PLUS this cover??? Come on, a must read.

I absolutely did not read the first four books in this series, and based on other reviews I've read you get hints of Queen Giabella of Athawick and Dashiell Talbot's romance in the previous books, but I will absolutely be checking them out now.

Fun to be in a world that is set in a fake monarchy on an island in a Regency era setting, plus seeing two adults find their HEA after so long, the best!

Thank you to the author for the advanced copy - Jess Michaels is about to celebrate her 100th !!! novel release, so if you need a new to you, spicy historical romance author to jump into, here's a perfect choice.

CW: death of spouse, grief, mention of infidelity (not of main characters)

Jess Michaels is a masterful storyteller. Her complex characters and intriguing storylines keep me coming back for more. I come for the mystery and stay for the romance. The Queen's Man is an alluring tale of heartache and danger that grabs at the soul. Dash and Giabella push past the preconceived notions about love and expose the feelings behind the words. A haunting end to an epic series.

This book is the conclusion I have been waiting for. I LOVED it. I am SO happy that Queen Gia and Dash are finally together! 

The story is excellent. The characters are, by this point in the series, well known and well loved. I could hardly put it down. Dash and Gia are such wonderful characters. They have both spent their whole lives sacrificing for the good of others. It is so lovely for them to finally have what they've always wanted. This is one of my favorite tropes. Long time friends, heavily reliant on each other, finally giving in to love. *swoon*. 

I cannot recommend this book (nay, this series!) enough!

This is the final book in the series but it can e read as a standalone. Queen Giabella should be happy, her children are happily married, the country is at peace and she now has more freedom. For some reason she is still restless and the only person in her life that can calm her is her personal secretary, Dashiell. When she is asked to take a tour of the country, she knows that Dash will be there with her. What will happen when the attraction between them sparks. Fast-paced read with sizzling chemistry and an entertaining story. I really liked it.

3.5 stars

This is the final book in the Regency Royals series, and it features widowed Queen Giabella and her personal secretary/man of affairs Dashiell Talbot. Though it is not strictly necessary to read all of the previous books in the series, I would highly recommend it as the earlier 4 stories feature Queen Giabella's children, and this story picks up where the most recent book ended.

In the first four stories, the reader becomes well acquainted with the Queen as the mother of the children that are the H/h characters in the previous books and Dash, the man that has been at her side for fifteen years to ensure her needs are met. In addition, Dash is somewhat of a surrogate father to her children, and a father in practice to her adopted daughter (h of book 2 in the series). There has always been a strong connection between the two, but neither has nor feels they can act on the palpable passion. Not only was the Queen married when they first met, but the timeless class issue has also always been an obstacle as Gia is royalty and Dash is a servant.

Things are rapidly changing in the kingdom since Grantham, Gia's older son, took over when her husband died, and Athawick is making the move towards a more democratic style of government. Grantham is running for the prime minister role, and asks his mother to tour the southern region of the country to drum up support for his candidacy. He has also asked Dash, who has not only been a counsel to his mother but to him over the years as well, to take a role in the cabinet as he truly values his wisdom and input. While Dash quietly contemplates the offer, he is asked to accompany the Queen on her tour... a tour through a very romantic region of the country with only the two of them (with some security and Gia's maid) for the duration.

Gia has grown tired of having feelings she has never felt before and not acting on them, and she has long sensed that Dash has the same feelings for her, so she decides to test the waters during their tour. Dash has resisted the temptation of the most beautiful woman, inside and out, that he has ever known since he first met her 15 years ago. When Gia makes the first move, his resolve finally crumbles, and they give into the passion and begin an affair to last only until the end of the tour. But as they get closer to that "deadline," the thought of not being together becomes less and less tolerable. Is there any way for their union to be publicly accepted? And what will the Queen's children think of their mother finding love with a servant?

I tend to steer away from the "mature romance" field in general, but this book intrigued me because I had read all of the others in the series and wanted to see the Queen get her much-deserved HEA. Also, because she was married at such a young age, she was probably late 40's in age, though I don't recall it being specifically stated anywhere.

Plot --- 3.5/5
Main Characters --- 4/5
Supporting Cast --- 4/5
Steam Level* --- 4/5
Violence --- description of h's father and stepmother verbally abusing her; h tells story of a time her father hit her
Language --- some, not egregious
POV --- 3rd

*Note that steam level is not a rating so much as a how hot was it: 0/5 - clean; 1/5 - mild (nothing descriptive); 2/5 - 3rd base action/1 home run; 3/5 - now we're getting somewhere (a couple of full-on steamy scenes); 4/5 - yes please! (erotica territory); 5/5 - they did EVERYTHING in this one, y'all

Alright story, great chemistry between these characters. the book felt like it moved a bit slow for me but still enjoyable.

Delightful and captivating to read. A mature age romance I wasn't expecting to enjoy as much as I did. Gia and Dash's hidden desire and love was one so passionate they just jumped off the pages and made my heart melt for them. A wonderful and heart warming happily ever after. A worthy final book in the Regency Royals series.

With all the changes happening in the country and with the monarchy, the soon-to-be-former King Grantham of Athawick asks his mother Queen Giabella to tour the southern part of their Island – to hopefully garner support for Grantham’s run for Prime Minister once he renounces his crown. He suggests that she take her long-time secretary and dearest friend Dashiell Talbot with her. She agrees without question and looks forward to time alone with Dash. She wonders if she will finally have the courage to be honest with him about her feelings, feelings she has had since she meet him and never acted upon, even after being widowed.

Dash has loved Giabella since the moment he met her, but he is a servant and she is a queen, no matter his feelings, he will never be worthy of her. But with the changes coming to their country and the offer of a position in Grantham’s cabinet, he might not be completely worthy, but he will be closer. When Grantham suggests he accompany Gia on her trip, he knows the time has come to tell her the truth of Grantham’s offer, that he will be leaving her employ. But when a moonlit kiss changes everything between them, will they finally give in to the passion that has always simmered between them or will they let duty keep them apart?

This was a fantastic end to this series, and I will be 100% honest – I was shocked to learn that these two were not already lovers – the close connection they have shared since the first book led me to believe they were already secret lovers – so I had a serious NFW moment when I learned that they have never even kissed! The book is short, but it does not skimp on the love scenes, emotion or angst. I loved seeing the past characters living their HEA and was absolutely thrilled for Gia and Dash – theirs was truly a hard-won HEA and rarely I have read that kind of chemistry between characters! This is the fifth and final book in the series and can be read as a standalone, but I would recommend reading the books in order for the best experience.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*

The Queen's Man is the fifth and final book in the Regency Royals series by Jess Michaels. Though this isn't my favorite series by Ms. Michaels, I greatly enjoyed all the books in it. It seems, though, that she has saved the best for last! If you didn't read the previous books, this one stands alone. I recommend reading the others first, however, so you can see Gia and Dash's longing build until it explodes here.

Queen Mother Giabella of Athawick has just seen the last of her beloved children fall in love and get married. There are other big changes coming to Athawick as well: the monarchy will be no more and democratic elections will be held so all citizens can vote. Current King Grantham will be running for the position of Prime Minister. He asks his mother to do a goodwill tour of Athawick to celebrate the elections. Gia, of course, will be accompanied by her longtime personal secretary and friend, Dashiell Talbot. Dash has secretly loved Gia since he first met her, but he as always proper towards his Queen. With all the changes occurring, Gia is having trouble dealing with her own emotions regarding her dear Dash. Will all of their suppressed feelings for each other break free, or will the new changes coming in their lives keep them apart forever?

I enjoyed reading about all the couples in this series, but every time Gia and Dash appeared together I kept wishing that their relationship would grow and they would both get the happily ever after each of them so richly deserved. When I found out they were getting their own novella, I think the people in the next county heard me squeeing with joy! What I especially loved about this book was that both our hero and heroine were mature people over 50. And yes, the mature people were actually treated as real sexual beings. We usually don't see that sort of relationship in Regency romances, so this was a welcome storyline. As in all books by this author, there were extremely passionate love scenes. They were graphic, but sensual and loving as well. There had always been longing between these two, and it was beautiful when they gave in to their desires. It didn't look like they would get the relationship they both craved, but this is a romance, so you just knew it HAD to work out in the end! I enjoyed catching up with the prior couples and how their roles were changing in this new era for Athawick. I hate to leave Athawick, but I'm really looking forward to seeing what Ms. Michaels comes up with next! Here's hoping that we get to enjoy more romances with mature heroes and heroines. Please?

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

The Queen and her man.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Why? It features an older couple (Giabella is a queen and a mother to the adult children who all found their HEA). A recent widow, Giabella is finding her place after the drastic changes to the monarchy and her son now being king and widowhood. Dash has been her loyal secretary for years. Its been an unrequited love on Dash's part (he knows his place). A trip including forced proximity may change the dynamic of their relationship (where the Queen was well, the queen).

Recommend. Loved the older characters.

Content warnings: death of a spouse; emotional neglect/abuse from spouse

I’l be honest, I’m not a fan of this author’s writing style – I find her sentences, particularly her dialogue, clunky. That being said, her plots are really sweet, so I will occasionally get tempted by her new releases, and I’m glad I did for this one! I’m always interested in a romance between two older characters, and both leads here are in their fifties, but get just as sweet a love story as any young couple. This is the last book in a series, and it does feel like a sort of epilogue to the main series, which focused on Gia’s children as they each found love – there are lots of moments that feel like they wrap up those previous stories, that are presumably nice cameos for long-term readers. These moments don’t at all spoil the main story for a new reader (which I was!) but they lend a sort of cosy, happily ever after feel from the very beginning, which I really liked. Overall, this was very sweet.

I recieved a free copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I feel like I have been waiting for this book for forever.
Gia and Dash have had a strong connection in each of the previous books as Gia's children their own partners.
As the last book in the series, this book does a good job or trying up loose ends and providing everyone with tla HEA.
Now that Grantham has decided to end the monarchy, he asks Queen Gia along with her secretary Dash to tour to the country to gain support for the transition to democracy.
I have loved the chemistry between the two from the start and them finally coming together did not disappoint
I am not usually a fan of an older couple romance but this is the story I was looking forward to the most.
A more mature version of the romance of Queen Clarice in the Princess Diaries.

Each and every book in this series is amazing, but this one is absolutely perfect.
Queen Giabella of Athawick is restless. Only one man has been able to settle her during times of trouble: her longtime personal secretary, Dashiell Talbot. Dash has served his queen for a decade and it has been the joy of his life. And the challenge, considering all he ever wants to do is touch her. But that is not his place and he has always been able to control himself before, nothing will be different now. Except that Gia is starting to have trouble controlling her own desires and everything that has been hidden, suppressed, denied is about to bubble to the surface with an explosion of powerful passion. Will they be able to find a path to a real future? Or will the past keep them apart once again?
I loved every story in this series. The second and the third ones were my favorites so far. But this one overcome them.
The sexual tension, the aghast, the longing. So well written and engaging! I couldn´t stop reading and finished it in one sitting. One of my favorites books ever. I loved that both MC are over fifty but the sex scenes are spectacular. It’s adorable to see the way he fights so hard to control himself around her, but Gia breaks that control and send him on his knees.
I highly recommend to read this books in order. It will be a totally different experience and a really marvelous one.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

2.5 stars

I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I hoped. I always liked Giabella and Dash’s relationship in the other books. You just knew they were in love with each other but kept their relationship strictly between queen and secretary. After reading this book I just couldn’t understand what the big deal was of why they couldn’t be together. I felt like they were just holding themselves back for so long they made it bigger than it had to be. I know there is a division between their two roles but I didn’t really get the conflict. This book was shorter than the others. Didn’t really care for the conflict or plot. Also, I felt Dash was a little too overprotective. Then at the end I’m happy to see them together but I didn’t believe in their love. It was like it was more romantic from afar.

I can’t say this is my favorite series Jess Michaels has written. I much prefer the Seasons series, The 1797 Club, The Duke’s By-Blows and The Three Mrs. I’m so excited to see what Jess Michaels will be writing next even if this series didn’t draw me and I didn’t love it as some of her other series. I liked the couples and but overall this series was just okay for me.

*Received via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

Well this is lovely. Older characters with lots of mutual pining and a bit of UST. Gia and Dash’s relationship is so sweet and sexy and made for a great read.

I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley. Thank you!

Dashiel Talbot has been the secretary for the queen for over ten years. He rarely leaves her side. He
also has fallen in love with her. He is excepted as in the family by them all. He is tall, handsome, kind, and protects the queen. He is a smart dresser and always looks tidy. He was English but he stayed for her.

Queen Giabella Athawick was in an arranged marriage, and it turned out miserable for her. He cheated on her, just a total miserable man. When he finally died there was relief among them all. The queen was with her son when he was crowned, and she always supported her family. She had loved dash since the first day she saw him. She had to protect him, so they let it lay.

You could just imagine how much requited love was going on. I thought the way they handled this delicate and tender emotion was lovely. The writing was marvelous and easy to read despite some of the rough issues. All the children were married, (all four). Dash wanted a job in government
and she had no idea of what to do with herself after the momentous change. I so enjoy this author's work. If you pick up a book of hers, I hope you love it as I do.

I received this ARC from Net Galley and voluntarily reviewed it.
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Giabella and Dash story was a long time coming from the first book. Finally. Their love was so sweet and endearing. The author did a great job conveying it from the pivotal moment where it started for them . Heat level 4. Great conclusion for a great series.
ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley. The opinions expressed here are all mine.

I received an ARC from the author/publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
The Queen’s Man is the final book in the Regency Royals series. It can be read as a stand-alone. And despite the fact that this is only a novella, this is my favorite in the series, due to the shift in focus and change in character dynamics.
I’m a sucker for the older woman marrying for love after having gone through a marriage for the sake of duty, so I knew I’d adore this one. Gia has been through a lot in her marriage to the king, and waited to see her children settled before thinking about herself. And the fact that Dash was always there and had long nursed feelings for her…super sweet!
I did feel like the conflict in this one was a bit so-so, given that they were both so prepared to give up on their love instead of fighting to be together at times. But of course, everything works out in the end.
This is a lovely story in its own right, and a standout installment in an uneven series. I would recommend this to fans of historical/Royal romance.