Ah, this book was all but perfection, yay. The author took a tired trope--penniless lady who suffered a scandal and is unmarriageable meets stoic earl and sexy times ensue--and made it wholly unique in the way she characterized Mina and Simon.

Mina and her twin brother are nearly destitute, with no family to turn to. After her brother makes a stupid move, Mina steps in and finds herself working for Simon as his secretary. Simon is nothing like other lords. He works hard in Parliament to pass laws that will benefit the common man... and woman. Mina quickly comes to admire him and more.

Simon is fascinated by Mina; he's also fascinated that he's fascinated. He has never been a man of strong emotions, and Mina stirs something remarkable in him. Although it is never stated (such things were not known of in mid-nineteenth century England), it's clear that Simon is on the spectrum. Watching him discover joy as he discovers Mina is beautiful. It's impossible not to root for the couple as they navigate their feelings and the unlikelihood of a future together.

If there are any flaws, for me, it's Simon's friends. They come across as self-indulgent, womanizing jerks, and I really hope they aren't protagonists of future novels. Fortunately for us, they don't appear on the page very often. Also, the main obstacle to Simon and Mina being together is resolved with little fanfare, but I didn't overly mind; I was too entranced by how perfect they were for each other.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion. Thanks!

What can I say? Stacy Reid never disappoints!

Mina is a charming heroine, brave, witty and smart. Her relationship with Simon is special! He appears cold in the beginning but as soon as he stars caring for her, he proves to be a very sweet hero. I really liked the twist at the end and how it was resolved. I’m really glad I got to read it, I adored it!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and this is my freely given opinion.

I think this is a standalone book, rather than a new/continuing series, as this story felt pretty well contained in itself. Mina Crawford and her twin brother, Anthony, are rather in desperate straits after the death of their father. They were left in poor finances, and even tight economizing, and selling what they could, they did not have the funds to invest and improve their circumstances. Because of a very poor choice in Mina's past, she has a scandalous reputation, and in unable to help improve their circumstances by marrying well. Anthony, apparently also prone to some bad decision-making, has put himself in a precarious circumstance when he tried to make connections and financial advancement at a house party and tried cheating while gambling. In the heat of the moment, rather than admitting his guilt and apologizing, he instead bluffed and challenged Simon Loughton, the Earl of Cheswick, to a dual by rapier.

Because of their father's modern and reformist views, both Mina and Anthony were raised with a rather unconventional education, where Mina was given the same education as her brother, including Latin, the sciences, politics, and sports such as fencing; she is far better at fencing than her brother, and contrives to take his place in the dual. Simon figures out the ruse, and is impressed by Mina's boldness, bravery, and intelligence and offers her a position as his secretary; considering he was thinking about offering her brother a position on one of his teams, to help him gain some ground financially and in honour of their father. Simon had greatly admired the prior Viscount and his politics. He also has great political aspirations to bring reform to England, including expanding education, and the vote. Simon sounds to be a very hyper-intelligent, driven, focused man, having entered Oxford at the age of 12 and graduating by 16, amassing great wealth, and being well known as a politician and businessman by the age of 27. Mina, however, becomes quite a distraction for him.

In the mean time, his grandmother is on the hunt for an appropriate bride for Simon, and he is honour-bound by a promise he made to her, to abide by her choice. Mina knows she is not an appropriate choice because of her scandalous past and secrets. Simon wants a wife who can be a good political hostess, and help his career and ambitions for reform, and Mina knows her past may taint and hinder him. However, neither one of them can deny they are very physically drawn to each other.

I really liked the two main characters; Mina made mistakes that have changed her life, and you can feel the binds of the constraints and her desire to live and experience life beyond those social constraints from page 1. I loved that part of the story where she faces death and starts to enumerate things she never experiences (Frys chocolate... ice cream... kisses... passion...) and how Simon helps her to live life more. She is a brave, intelligent, loyal, loving woman, who is flawed. Simon initially comes across as cold, but really, he sounds like a driven, hyper-intelligent man, whose passions were driven into his political aspirations because he wants a better, more equitable world, but does not understand personal passion or love as he has not really experienced it. Rather like a Victorian Sheldon Cooper? On meeting Mina, he finds a new focus of passion. I loved the telling of their story and passion. I love that his cold, hyper-logical exterior hides a more passionate, sensitive soul (he saved a lost puppy for a crying little girl - stole my heart in that moment!!!)

One or two aspects of the story that remains unresolved, that was a sticking in my mind. From the beginning, Simon received a warning from one of his contacts, that a friend has become an enemy... there was the attack (was it a planned ambush or coincidental?), and then there was nothing further about that storyline or indicating if any of his friends - Beswick, Stannis, etc. were actually betraying him. What was up with that? Also, his friends - how can such a coldly intelligent, driven, focused man with such lofty aspirations for social reform have such friends, who have more the typical superficial debauched habits and hobbies - that does not seem to jibe for me. Maybe they met in school? But then again, considering the traditional snobbery and bullying that can happen - would teens/young adults befriend an overly intelligent 12 year old in university, rather than bully him - there were rather some missing pieces in some of Simon's relationships.

But otherwise, this was a story I really enjoyed and was so happy and satisfied to reach the HEA.

4.5 stars out of 5.

Guess who stayed up until the wee hours of the morning to finish reading this delightful romance? This girl!
I have read many histroms, and I cannot remember every reading about this particular conflict that Mina and Simon had. I loved this new-to-me twist to the story, and loved how Reid resolved it.
That being said, everything leading to that was really good. Mina is determined, bold, self-assured, witty. Simon is starchy and blunt, progressive in his politics. When Mina ends up being his secretary, they quickly develop feelings for each other, although Simon tries to resist her for a bit. However, they think that their affair will not go beyond that, each having their own reasons.
I loved how determined Mina was. How she decided to go for what she wants and stop just existing without reaching for what she wants. Oh and Simon was caring, and loving, and all the good things.
Pure entertainment!

Thank you to Entangled Publishing for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Absolutely adored this romance. It was witty and sexy and everything I look for in a historical. The starchy hero was perfection and the heroine was just as wonderful.

This is the first historical romance that I have requested from Netgalley and I am thrilled to say that I really did enjoy this one.

Wilhelmina Crawford aka Mina, has been living the life of a recluse ever since a failed elopement led to her being ruined in society. Add to this, the dire situation of her family's finances and the Crawfords are barely hanging by a thread. So when she is offered a job as a secretary to Viscount Simon Creswick after beating him at a duel, under the guise of her brother, she readily accepts. As the stoic viscount slowly but surely falls in love with charming Mina, she hides a secret so scandalous that not only threatens to ruin his political ambitions, but also tear both of them apart.

My usual experiences with historical romances have always been about dashing rakes, damsels-in-distress/fiery spitfires, palpitating bosoms and passionate affairs. However this book stands out with its slightly nerdy hero who is pushing for social reform and equality for all, and a heroine with an adventurous spirit who would rather fly a kite and eat copious amounts of ice-cream than get married. The dialogues on reform tend to drag a bit, considering this is an out-and-out romance novel, but it is well-balanced with quite a lot of high intensity intimate scenes

Overall, a steamy, entertaining read. Thanks to Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for providing a digital copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

A Matter of Temptation was an absolutely gorgeous historical romance, filled with everything I love. A powerful, confident heroine; a surly, genius hero; an intriguing and well-paced plot; a strong political undertone; and a romance that'll have readers swooning, this book delivered everything I wished it to.

Mina was the kind of heroine I love to read about. She was smart, confident, hilarious, and oh-so-loveable. I adored the way she approached everything, with curiosity and determination. Her relationship with Simon brought out the best in her, and their scenes together frequently had me laughing or my heart swelling with joy. Simon was equally loveable - with his standoffish, intelligent charm devolving into impassioned devotion to Mina and the lightheartedness they shared together, I thoroughly enjoyed his character development. Reid struck the perfect balance in their relationship between steamy and delightfully playful, and it was truly lovely to read about a couple that had scorching chemistry as well as many scenes where they were just silly and happy together.

This book also had a completely engaging plot. The mysteries and dilemmas that befell the main characters were not complex, but they were unfolded with delicate precision and in a way that kept me intrigued and invested until the final page. I enjoyed the way the complications played out, and how Mina and Simon overcame them - I find it disconcerting when the third act complication results in the characters behaving out of character, but there was no such issue here, and as a consequence, every part of A Matter of Temptation was a delight to read. Further, the inclusion of such detailed insight into the politics of the period and particular social issues was incredibly interesting. I found myself hooked by the discussions of policy and reform that Simon entered into, and I really enjoyed the stark feminist tone underpinning his and Mina's ideas and beliefs. It was a unique avenue for the book to pursue, and I feel that the exploration of these ideas really added to the story and set it apart.

I was also struck by how beautiful the writing was. I don't always expect knock-out prose in historical romances, but Reid's way with words, particularly when it came to dialogue, truly swept me off my feet. I thought the way the characters spoke, and particularly the dialogue between Mina and Simon, was beautiful and entirely consistent with the characterisation we were given, which just added to my enjoyment of this book.

My only complaint with this book is a very slight one - things tied up quite quickly and easily at the end. However, this didn't actually bother me much at all. With how much I adored the characters and plot of the book, I was relieved that they had such an easy, happy ending after everything! So despite the fact that things were remedied with little effort, I found I still really liked the ending.

All in all, A Matter of Temptation was a truly special read. I enjoyed everything about it, from the unique addition of political discourse to the hilariously delightful romance that blossomed between the well-developed characters. I would absolutely recommend this to any lover of historical romances.

Mina and Simon are just delightful.

For me there is always something special about reading a story with a hero who is different. Don't get me wrong, Simon is definitely smart, handsome, and interesting - but he is also excessively smart, a workaholic, and likely somewhere on the autism spectrum. I would also wager to say he is probably demi-sexual or somewhere in the grey range. His arc as a character is wonderful and nuanced - it really takes into account the full picture of his personality and life.

Mina is also a fantastic heroine. She is in an incredible difficult and very unfair situation. She's been stuck for years as a result of falling for the wrong man - and living with those consequences in the time period of the book just pretty much sucks. But even in the face of that - Mina is so strong and sure of herself.

Mina and Simon's relationship arc is great to read and so true to them and their characters. I loved especially their embrace of small joys in life.

Overall - I highly recommend this for fans of Victorian romances with leads who aren't cookie cutter in any way. I received this as an ARC via NetGalley, but these opinions are all my own.

I was lucky enough to get an ARC for an honest review. I have to say I loved it! I love Stacy's books, she is one of my favourite authors and this book didn't disappoint.

Simon and Mina are great, I especially enjoyed Simons development and realisation of his feelings. He was quite a complex character but as he worked through his thoughts I couldn't connect. Mina has a spirited side that was a pleasure to read and balanced Simons character really well. When a past issue arose, the way he never wavered from her was beautiful and not what I expected.

I haven't written many reviews before, so I don't want to give too much away. All I will say is, read it!

So, this book was very cute and sweet. I love a good force proximity read and the two of them work together every day, all day and also he's also helping her with a personal goal, which is my favorite storyline.

The FMC is a twin of an immature Viscount, but she made a mistake when she was 17 and was ruined in the eyes of society. She lived at an estate in the country and kept to herself for six years until she meets the Earl.

I really liked the fact that the Earl was a little different than most lords in novels. He went to Oxford at age 16, and was a little nerdy and not at all a rake.

He ends up hiring her as his secretary, but it would never work as a marriage because she is ruined, has secrets, and he needs connection/proper lady.

I really liked both MC's and I really liked them together, and they were so good together. They really balanced each other out, and they had great chemistry to bout!

I just felt like it was missing something for me ending wise, but for me, the last Stacy Reid book I read just got better and better toward the end, so I may have had too high of an expectations. It was a cute read though, and I loved the build up of the love story.

I had so much fun reading this book I've re-read it many times. it claimed my attention and affection, I recommend reading the book Stacy Reid has a wonderful backlist of books which I reread. I'm eagerly waiting for the next to be published.

Oh, boy, this did not disappoint. Watching Simon become human and Mina find the love and acceptance she never thought she would was wonderful. Mina is a ruined spinster who is lonely and thinks there is nothing out there for her after the colossal mistake she made at 18. Simon is a gruff, buttoned-up political genius who goes through his days without emotion. Watching these 2 help each other and find love was perfection.

mina and simon have my entire heart and the book certainly lived up to my stupidly high expectations—seriously, every single thing about this was my favorite! ...well, except for the rushed ending.

I received "A MatterofTemptation" from Netgalley and voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Stacy Reid is one of the best, most versatile authors I have read. Her attention to details is fascinating.
Wilhelmina Eleanor Crawford—Mina, pretends to be her twin brother in a rapier duel against Simon, Earl of Creswick. Unbeknownst to whom he is fencing, Simon is impressed with his opponent's win. Within minutes, he discoverers that Mina was actually his opponent. On discovering the who and the why, Simon offers Mina a job as his secretary. Mina immediately is attracted to Simon. They are both fascinated by each other's intelligence and ability to converse on political topics. This book brings out the best about being open and clear with one of a kind open dialog. Both clearly admit to what their relationship entails with no hidden agendas.... except of course for the one secret Mina never thought anyone would learn. Political agendas and parties are talked about that remind the readers of times when opposition parties could be cordial and respectful of each othwr while opposing viewpoints. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would give 6 out of 5 stars to it.

“The only way to satisfy temptation is to yield to it”
“I was beaten by a fighter of exceptional skill. That she is a lady has no bearing on the truth that I was defeated”
“Even half drowned, and baring your teeth like a feral creature, you are exceedingly lovely and all too fearless”
“And I would kill dozens more if you were hurt”
OMG!!! I cannot believe it, this book was just amazing!!!
I went into it because I wanted to read a regency romance to take me back into the Bridgerton mood since I was obsessed with it.
This one just broke me and healed me and made me laugh and cry and it made me feel butterflies in the stomach when something happened!!!
Mina and Simon were such a perfect couple and the issues they had to deal with, the experience that they went through from the very beginning of their relationship until the very end … OMG it was amazing!!!!
Their love, their feelings, the respect they have towards each other and the mutual attraction that by a certain point became impossible to hide … it all made my day better!!!
This book had some of my favourite tropes, like the forced proximity, like the fake identity like the “working together”, the “who did this to you” and “I would kill everyone tries to touch you”!!!
It was just otherworldly amazing. I couldn’t stop reading it!!!!
The jealousy, the obsession and the passion that they share is something that I wasn’t expecting to find so defined in this book
And the spice … don’t let me even start on some spicy scenes that just made me feel something deep in my stomach that I couldn’t deny!!!
Simon is a perfect fictional man and Mina is just a perfect, rebellious and determined strong, powerful main character!!
I honestly couldn’t ship them more together
I have to say that, despite the problems that they had with society standards and how women were considered to be how they should’ve acted during those times this book made me feel things that I will always cherish!!!
“Is is best I do not dwell on the murderous feelings I had at the thought of another putting his hands on you and falling at your feet as you allow him to ravish you”
“I have never wanted to linger over the taste of a woman’s skin before”
“I want more than one night. I need you for more than one night”
“I want to lay the world at your feet”

5 stars

Great start to a series.

Mina is the sister of a viscount who is having financial problems. The hope was that Mina would marry well but previously she'd made a bad mistake and this didn't happen. Her brother tries to cheat the hero, Simon and then asks him for a duel. Mina decides to go in his stead. After the duel Simon insists that Mina works for him as a secretary. I found the salary very unrealistic but this didn't necessarily distract from the story. Lots of kisses and then some passion. There was a jeopardy I didn't think the hero would solve but it did wrk out Ok. I'll be looking out for book 2

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

I have enjoyed Stacy Reid's books in the past so I'm not sure if her writing style was different or if my reading tastes changed but A Matter of Temptation didn't feel as good as her past books. I liked the characters just fine, for the most part Mina was a strong lead, and I loved the banter between her and Simon, but the story felt a bit uneven. There were plot points that felt important but didn't go anywhere and the ending felt a little rushed. That being said, I still read it in 2 days, enjoyed it, and will keep reading her books.

Ah, Stacy Reid, how I missed you, and how happy I am with this new novel, “A matter of temptation.”

Mina, a witty, beautiful, headstrong heroine with a secret and a skill for fencing, is a delight to read and reminded me of a Georgette Heyer heroine. Simon, intelligent, thoughtful, a reform crusader, our strong and constant hero. The story of the two and how their relationship develops, first in friendship, then more, has such wonderful development. You won’t be disappointed with this stand-alone romance - I finished in just a few hours and am just sad to not have more to devour!

Absolutely adored this book. Mina, a rapier master, an adventurous spitfire matches wits with a stoic Earl. The banter was fabulous, the tension was hair raising and the love melted my soul. I felt like I was part of the family and wanted to slap Grandmother silly! I am not afraid to say I cried, laughed and got frustrated reading this book. I am an emotional reader and if you don’t capture my emotions, I get bored. This book is passion and adventure rolled into one… read it and be enthralled!

I have received this book for free as an advanced copy and these are my opinions

A Matter of Temptation,Stacy Reid. How is it so easy for me to fall madly in love with a fictional male character? I tell you how. They say that it has been proven many of times over that after you have closed a book, and you find yourself reminiscing over that book, then there lays the proof of a brilliant writer. Stacy had me all a flutter with Mina and Simons story.
I hung on to every word that Simon so unabashedly whispered to Mina on a horse or while he made wild passionate love to her. His words were raw, seductive, naughty and oh so sexually arousing. It’s a wonder why Mina just didn’t lay on any furniture and let Simon have his way with her. I would I mean let’s be honest here. The book is a wonderful page turner and is very easy for you to read.
All the characters were magnificent in the intensity to their dialogue and how they portrayed themselves in the book. Simons Grandmother was a handful. I think the woman has ice for blood in her veins. The grandmother had me wanting Simon to push her into a carriage, and command the driver to take her back to her dungeon post haste! Mina, not once did she succumb to all the whispers and talk that surrounded her.
It was the leap of faith that she took that I thought gave her the courage and strength to stare down all who cast doubt her way. I loved how Simons character was written perfectly for Mina. It was his dominance, charm, and ability to have actions taken by people without saying a word. I thought the witty banter between Simon and Mina made their story even more charming. I don’t know how many times Simon can say, “ Mina, your fired”, before she actually realizes he means it.
This is a well put together story where the intentions were meant for a very happy ending and I feel that this love story touched every surface for you diehard historical romance readers. I give this book two snaps and , “ Simon, you can’t fire me. Im to irresistible to you”. Until next time my fellow readers… read on!