If you're looking for steamy and swoon-worthy read (particularly if you're in a post-Bridgerton slump), look no further than THE HELLION AND THE HERO! This was the perfect second-chance historical romance -- definitely pick this one up!

DNF at 25% - this just wasn’t moving at a good pace for me to remain interested. The characters were boring and hard to connect to.

I’m always so excited to start a new regency romance and this one was so enjoyable!

Second chance romance is one of my favorite tropes and I loved how this one came together.

This one is perfect for fans of regency and second chance romance!

This book had some cute moments, but I had a hard time getting into it. I wish I had read it sooner after reading the first two books in the series. I think I might have liked it more if I had.

I did enjoy parts of the book. The sex scenes were very nicely done. The late 19th century time period was fantastic to read about. It was wonderful seeing a woman running a business in that time.

What I didn't enjoy as much was that the romance was very slow moving, and the mystery behind Georgiana's attacker wasn't very interesting. I also hate when issues could be easily resolved if the couple had just had a conversation.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Early on in The Hellion and the Hero, readers are treated to some anti-police and pro-workers' rights vibes (particularly for women working in factories), so it's off to a great start. But of course, I expect nothing less from Emily Sullivan. She also takes well-aimed shots at the British Empire and the nasty mindset behind colonialism throughout the story. How I love when historical romances manage to stay relevant and thoughtful about the societies they portray. Also, while we have a straight, white couple at the helm, we do have significant side characters who are people of color and a casually sapphic couple.

The romance is a second chance for widow Viscountess Georgiana Fox and retired naval intelligence officer Captain Henry Harris. Since Georgie was freed from her late husband's grasp, she has taken over a textile factory with the aim of listening to and respecting her workers, not least of which includes improved wages and childcare. The story notes that she doesn't deserve applause for basic human decency, but it still stands out as a worthy effort in a world where few make one. I wish we saw more of this in a genre where wealthy philanthropists often get fanfare over doing the bare minimum. Henry is working as a P.I., and Georgie's brother hires him to investigate threats being made against her as she moves to expand her business. Oblivious to their history-- a courtship eight years ago that ended with Georgie's engagement to someone else-- her brother keeps finding ways to force the two stubborn protagonists together in an effort to keep Georgie safe. In some ways, it was a relief that no deep harm had happened in their past, but a basic miscommunication is just as infuriating in a different way to explain their breakup once upon a time. Now, both are convinced they're the only one who ever harbored feelings for the other, so the pining has a hard edge since it's assumed to be unrequited. On the plus side, I love stoic people falling in love, and this book is two for the price of one. Unfortunately, this explains why a miscommunication could stand for so long. With both world champions at guarding their feelings and acting the martyr, no progress is made. No vulnerabilities are bared. And no open conversations are attempted. What we get is a no-strings-attached arrangement over a forced vacation.

Beyond the broad political implications of the story, my favorite parts were the individual journeys of both Georgie and Henry. Georgie is coming out of a shadowy period in her life, one where she was controlled and manipulated by her husband and punished for not bearing him an heir. Before that, she held the weight of responsibility to protect her younger siblings-- a circumstance that led her directly into her toxic marriage. Henry is grappling with his past service for a government that routinely used him as a pawn, seeking petty, vindictive gains that did not inspire patriotism or pride. It left Henry with an injured knee, a mobility aid, and deep emotional trauma, even as that same government touted him as a hero to protect its image.

I love what this story represents and what it means for the genre. Second chance is never my favorite trope, however, and not even a bodyguard dynamic was enough to lighten the load of the angst in the story. The couple seems good together, but we get to see so little of it amidst the flurry of hurt feelings and defensive maneuvers. For romance readers who love the process of seeing two broken hearts mended in a second chance story, I think this will be a winning read. Thanks to Forever for my copy to read and review!

Historical romance and I go back and forth on whether or not we're friends and this book was interesting because I flew through it, but ultimately am not entirely convinced by a couple of the plot points. That said, because I enjoyed my reading experience so much, I'm still definitely landing on four stars. If pressed to identify the plot issues I had, I think it's more just that the book dragged a bit for me in the middle section of the book. But overall, there was angst and suspense and some really lovely friendship moments so I really enjoyed it!

As for the plot of this book, basically, Lady Georgiana is a widow (her husband was a terrible human) and she's also making waves by running the two fabric factories left to her by herself and by paying her employees a living wage and making sure their jobs are as safe as possible. So she starts receiving some threats and her brother is like, "Excuse me, no," so he goes off to Captain Henry who is returned from this thing that the government has called him a hero for and now he's a PI. Anyway, turns out Lady G and Captain H have a past together and now Captain H has to protect/investigate Lady G's situation and lots and lots of things happen.

I don't really want to spoil the plot for you because despite my quibbles about pacing a couple of times, the plot feels like reading a really great Lorraine Heath novel where you go in and you're getting one thing and then suddenly, you're off to the races with a totally different plot than you were expecting. So anyway, I highly recommend this series and I look forward to trying whatever is next for Emily Sullivan!

Emily Sullivan does a great job of building up characters and plotline. I've been really enjoying her writing and I am looking forward to reading her next book!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

This book was just ok but it took me forever to read it . I just struggled getting into the story.

I don’t think I will continue the series if there are other books .

I hate that it took me so long to pick up The Hellion and the Hero, the third in the League of Scoundrels series by Emily Sullivan. It was a wonderful second-chance historical romance, and we got to see more of Rafe and Sylvia, which made me happy!

Henry and Georgiana fell in love during her season eight years ago, but she needed to marry for money, and he was a lowly naval officer, She became a viscountess and he joined naval intelligence, and for many years their paths didn't cross. But now Georgiana is widowed and a successful business woman, who has received threats because of her progressive views. Her brother hires Henry, retired from the navy and now a private investigator, to protect Georgie and figure out who is behind the threats.

Those feelings, long since buried, return to the surface the more time Henry and Georgie spend together, and eventually, they can't deny their renewed attraction.

This may be a small thing, but the thing I appreciated most was that there wasn't a baby or pregnancy in the epilogue. During her marriage, Georgiana was unable to conceive (the reason is not confirmed--infertility or inattention on her husband's part), but either way, she is unsure if she wants to have kids of her own. The fact that Sullivan chose to show her and Henry happy while still childless was a refreshing change of pace from all the "and baby makes three" happy endings many historical romances favor.

I still love Alec and Lottie's story the most, but Georgie and Henry definitely wormed their way into my heart, too. If you love steamy historical romance with strong characters and great pacing, check out the entire League of Scoundrels series!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3/5 Stars

I have mixed feelings here. I'll start by saying I did enjoy my time reading this and It read very easily. The angst was okay as well as the romance. I was very intrigued because I had heard it was inspired by Jane Austen's Persuasion. I'll admit that this was kind of a run-of-the-mill book and so it was a little forgettable. A short while after reading it and I couldn't tell you much about the book. Overall I think it's a great read to get your historical romance fix in, It's a fun and easy read.

I gave this one the old college try and just could not get invested in it even after putting it aside and coming back again.

Thank you for the opportunity but it just didn't work for me.

Georgiana, Viscountess Arlington, has done her duty to her family even when it meant sacrificing her own happiness and agreeing to a loveless marriage to save her father from the debt he’d accrued. Now blessedly freed from that union by the death of her tyrannical husband, she has emerged stronger and become a savvy businesswoman in her own right, too much so for the liking of some. When she begins to receive anonymous threats, the one man who seems capable of helping happens to be the same man whose heart she broke eight years ago.

Retired Navy Captain Henry Harris has risen above the lowly fortune hunter status he had when he and Georgiana first met eight years ago. Now he is lauded as a hero and could have any lover he chooses, but he has yet to meet anyone who draws him the way Georgie always has. He admires her tenacity and even though helping her now puts him at risk of both physical harm and another heartbreak, he can’t resist the possibility of a second chance with the woman he’s never ceased thinking about.

I’m always a bit leery of the second chance trope just because the time the couple has inevitably missed out on tends to make me sad and be the main thing I focus on. I was especially nervous about this one because I was anticipating it so eagerly. Overall, I was happy with this one; though it also wasn’t everything I’d hoped for in every aspect, I still enjoyed it and was satisfied with how things turned out. What I found off-putting was Georgiana’s flippancy and failure to take threats to her life seriously. I think it was meant to make her seem mature and independent, but for me it just made her seem naïve. She definitely seemed to create quite a few of her own problems, and I was pretty surprised that she was still putting such stock into something she’d heard as a young girl even now as a mature woman. Her role in the misunderstanding that separated her, and Henry eight years previously also got me off on the wrong foot with her so maybe I didn’t give her a fair enough shake. Beyond this my only real issue was with the pacing as I found it to be a bit slow. By the time I was nearly halfway through the book not much had really happened and Henry and Georgiana had yet to have a conversation.

I wasn’t a huge fan of how they came together physically without having much of anything in the way of a meaningful discussion beforehand, though I will say that this did make their chemistry completely undeniable. Even when they’re still believing the worst of one another, they can’t stay away from one another either and this made their relationship believable and convinced me that the spark that had been between them before hadn’t faded. Georgiana definitely wasn’t very welcoming toward Henry though. I know she was trying to protect herself, but it did make me question why Henry wanted to confide in her. This relationship definitely happened in fits and starts but I loved it when it finally got going. I did want more conversation and communication, more time together with Henry and Georgiana without the secrets and past misunderstandings hanging between them, but the steamy scenes were well done. I enjoyed the way things were wrapped up here; though things did conclude a bit quickly, it left me unable to cease reading, needing to see it through to the end. I would’ve liked a bit more detail on the comeuppance received by the villains here, though I am assured they got what was coming to them. I loved how things worked out for Georgie and Henry and my only complaint is that a lot of this fell into place off page. I liked that Georgie and Henry were both finally fighting to have the life they wanted and the happiness that had so eluded them thanks to the mistakes and machinations of others, even if it did take some time to get there. These two finally getting to be together felt like a win for everyone who’s ever felt like an underdog, and I loved that.

All in all, I really liked this story. I loved that we got several chapters set in Monte Carlo and I definitely would love to read more histroms set on the continent. This seems to be the conclusion of this series, but I can’t wait to see what’s next from this talented new author.

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

I have loved this series so much and Read Forever continued to have some of the best current regency books.

I am not often one for second chance romances, but how could I turn down a historical romance featuring a naval officer and the widowed viscountess that broke his heart years ago and now he is her bodyguard?

+ Historical Romance
+ Forced Proximity
+ Persuasion vibes
+ The Carriage Scene
+ Second Chance Romance
+ Body Guard Trope

I wouldn't call this a direct retelling of Persuasion, but the essence of it is still there. As with all good historical romance, I am here for the pining and this delivers this. Their romance gradually builds and it's hard not to love Georgiana and Henry with the chemistry between the two and the hand that life dealt them. And give me a grumpy MMC that will do anything for the FMC. The spice was excellent and the carriage scene was by far my favorite, but the bathtub was a close second.

Georgiana was the type of FMC I loved. She was radical for her time and put herself in dangerous positions to stand up for what she believes in. She was hardworking despite the outwardly appearance that many believed.

For a second chance romance, I was hoping for a little more angst, but this was a comforting and sweet read nonetheless.

This is part of a series, but I read this first and was able to follow it perfectly. I am assuming that some of these side characters are cameos and I am excited to go back and read Emily Sullivan's other works in this series.

Thank you to Forever Publishing and Emily Sullivan for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is the third in Emily Sullivan's series but also a standalone. There's a bit of the first two books in this one to help it make more sense, but it's not too much, which is a welcome surprise. I feel like books often add in too much or too little, this was the perfect balance.

Lady Georgina Arlington is being threatened and Captain Henry Harris is here to investigate and find the culprit. But this is no ordinary romance, these two knew each other in their younger years, falling in love and subsequently breaking each other's hearts. Both started this rather awkward and hard-hearted but managed to navigate to a more communicative place which really moved the book forward in a wonderful way.

I feel like second chance romances can go wrong so quickly, but this author does it in such a seamless way, giving us snippets of who they were and how they grew and changed over the years. So many little and big reveals, definitely something that made it hard to set it down and force myself to get some sleep!

Georgie is a widower and a businesswoman, Henry uncomfortable with his war hero celebrity status. Watching them move forward down a slow-burn, sensual romance path, complete with a mystery afoot, really kept me locked in looking toward what was coming next. Definitely a great read!

My opinions are my own and freely given.

The Hellion and the Hero is a second-chance romance between Captain Henry Harris and Lady Georgina Arlington. This is the third in the series and a standalone. This story also mixed the elements from books 1 and 2 perfectly - some flashbacks of the prior courtship mixed with the longing and love they still secretly had for one another.

Henry is hired by Georgie's brother to investigate who is threatening her. Georgie is recovering from a bad marriage and Henry is recovering from being a prisoner of war. There are a lot of misunderstandings in their relationship and hurt feelings they have to work through before they can be together.

I really liked this book and continue to like the characters in this world. Emily Sullivan is a newish author and her writing and character-building continue to improve across every book she writes.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever Publishing for the ARC of The Hellion and the Hero. I am still new to late Victorian romance. I found this book a bit slow and relatively low on drama. I like the main characters but the miscommunication plot drove me nuts.

The New woman and feminism undertones were great and cool to explore within this era.

This is a really well done second chance romance. So often it can be hard to get past the reasons the characters didn’t work in the first place. Bury characters clearly grew and changed in the intervening years. There was a decent amount of steam, but the book still deeply focused on the relationship between the leads and their own journeys.

The Hellion and the Hero by Emily Sullivan is book Three in the League of Scoundrels Series. This is the story of Georgiana Arlington and Henry Harris. Henry and Georgiana had fallen in love at a early age but ended up breaking each other heart. Now in their present day Georgiana is a widower and a business women who life is in danger. Henry is a mitary hero who now does private investigation and is hired by Georgiana brother to protect her. So starts their second chance at love.

Absolutely loved this latest release from Emily Sullivan!

I had the pleasure of interviewing Emily for my podcast, Corset and Crown. My cohost had read the first two books in the series and I had read the first. I loved that this series, in my opinion got stronger as the books went on! This one was probably my favorite! Not only do we have a widow reclaiming her life, and a classic second chance, but Sullivan has nailed down the entire tone of what the kind of romances I want to be reading right now.
Georgie is WONDERFUL and we love a gilded age philanthropist. Yes. And Henry - oof. Finally babies, FINALLY.

I absolutely do recommend this series, and I think Emily nailed the final book. LOVED.

THank you so much to Forever and Netgalley for this ARC