A great way to start a new series and introduce the Windermere family!

Lady Amelia and her family are in Italy, with the hope that time away from London and the Ton will help improve their reputations, especially with her parents also away.

But trying to appear most proper and upright, falls away when she runs into Tristan, who has also been away from society for years. He is a sculptor and it opens up her own artistic desires, in more ways than one!

A sizzling attraction and their mutual artistic minds lead them to an HEA... maybe, if he can only convince her!! Cannot wait for more!

Meet the unique & scandalous Windermeres - a brother, two sisters, and a cousin make up this eccentric family that has taken up temporary residence in Florence, Italy while the scandal they left in London dies down and Lady Amelia, the most proper, works on regaining entry back into London society. She is spending her time doing the one thing she loves and that is painting - watercolors are her medium and she is very good.

Perhaps this was true of Lady Amelia until she literally runs into Tristan, Duke of Ripon. The duke has taken a five-year retreat to Italy, and he only has a few months left before he returns to London to take up the title of duke but in the meantime, he is enjoying his time and love of sculpting and living up to his nickname "The Desolate Duke".

When the two artists get together, there is instant electricity and chemistry, but Amelia is skeptical because of his known behaviors, and she cherishes her reputation. But Tristan is handsome, sexy, sensual, and magnetic - she tries to resist his charm but the two of them make beautiful music together and it is crackling hot! However, can or does this bachelor want to settle down and can Lady Amelia give up this romantic chance and instead return the family back into the overly snobbish Tom?

This had characters that have real substance; the dialogue and humor are well-written with genuinely emotional scenes and a sizzling steamy romance. I was gifted this ARC from Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley; I have voluntarily read, reviewed it and all thoughts & opinions are my own.

Totally immersed in this steamy love story between the dissolute Duke and a woman thinking of her family and reputation. Tristan is a free spirit in Italy following his artistic bent, enjoying freedom and sculpting until he must return to England to take up his ducal responsibilities. Amelia wants to be proper and welcomed into English society and the ton but her talent at painting puts her in direct view of the Duke.
Chemistry, hot kisses, and their affinity for art leads to a conflict between their goals: respectability or living in infamy as artists.
A bright start to a new series.

I received an ARC. It the honest opinion is my own.

Happy release day! 💙🖌️
Thank you Netgalley and Dragonblade Publishing for this Arc.

Th book starts off introducing our heroine, Amelia, who is an uptight, rules-follower, proper lady. Then she goes on on meeting our hero, Tristan, who is a dashing scandalous rake. They collide spectacularly.
They share their love for art in its different forms. He helps her see her full potential. and she helps him connect with his emotions. Artists going crazy for each other. They are each other's muse.

I did find the heroine too naïve at times and the hero too arrogant for my liking. There was definitely psychical attraction but it didn't feel like they had any connection other than that. Putting all that aside, it was a fun, steamy, fast read.

This book is one of the most visual stories I’ve read in a while. I could picture the works created by Amelia & Tristan as they were described. It was so interesting to view their works & their muses through an artist’s eyes. They both feel “seen” by the other.
I could easily imagine the heavy hearts & stifling effects of the duty both Amelia & the Duke face in returning to England. Both know they will be required to leave the societal & artistic freedoms of Italy behind. I so enjoyed them coming to the realization that they’d already found something great together. This is a well-written, fun, steamy story, & I’m already looking forward to future books in the series.
I was able to read an advance copy of the book via NetGalley & am happy to leave this honest review.

Loved it, perfect and captivating in every way. The characters, the Italian setting, the wonderful banter between the sisters and the couple, and their passion was spot on. A grand start to this new series Windermeres in Love. Amelia and Tristan stole my heart along the way, I don't need much more than a proper English lady that's not so proper with her dissolute Duke. Who cares about scandal when you can have La dolce vita!

I loved this delightful story introducing the eccentric Windermeres, as they romp through Italy, with Lady Amelia being the most proper one of the trio. That is until she comes across Tristan, the Duke of Ripon. Both are artists, he a sculptor, she a painter of watercolors. He is a force to be reckoned with, handsome and sensual, with quite a reputation. She is the moth to his flame. Together they ignite in passion that sizzles off the pages! But what happens in Italy, stays in Italy. Can she give up it up for an opportunity to be an acceptable member of the snobbish ton?

Thank you to Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley for the DRC.

The first half of this book almost made me DNF. Lady Amelia is a prim and proper lady who constantly scolds her siblings, gasps at improper conversation and stamps her foot in a tantrum. And somehow we’re meant to believe that despite several encounters like this, the antisocial Duke develops an interest in Lady Amelia. He sees past her prim attitude to see the other woman inside, which he discovers based on a few watercolor paintings. The entire first half, the relationship seemed forced and unbelievable.

The second half of the book was a little better, probably due to the spice picking up, making dialogue and internal monologues less necessary. The spice writing was better than the rest. Most of the book seemed somewhat abrupt and modern in sentence structure, and the overall writing wasn’t great.

For example:
“As he hadn’t been wearing a cravat in the first place, but rather a simple red neckerchief, he now looked decidedly manly.

Like the most masculine man she’d ever beheld.

He rolled one sleeve, then the other, up to his elbows, and his manliness increased tenfold.”

As I mentioned before, the second half of the book was better, but the first half spoiled it somewhat.

A little time in beautiful Italy is just what Lady Amelia Windermere and her eccentric family need while their latest scandal dies down. Amelia is hard at work on their triumphant return to London society when she meets Tristan Carteret, Duke of Ripon, a sculptor who is too wild for any proper lady.
Tristan isn’t eager to let go of la dolce vita that he’s enjoyed in Florence but he promised his mother he would return after five years. Then he meets Amelia. She may appear to be one more uptight debutante, but he soon realizes that there’s a talented artist and a passionate woman just aching to emerge. Exploring their art leads to Amelia and Tristan exploring much more than stone or canvas.
The first in a new series & the Windermere’s are certainly a different family. I loved this series starter & now look forward to the rest of the series. A well written book with strong characters who are likeable. I loved both Tristan & Amelia, their verbal banter was a delight & their chemistry sizzled, both are talented artists & when they agree to pose for each other they seal their fate. I read this engrossing read in a sitting & loved every page
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

This is a fabulous story! It has more to it than just hot romance. Amelia and Tristan find the path to each other. The path was a little bumpy but true love wins in the end!

This is a delightful novella. Despite being a shorter story, I did not feel like any character development was lost, which is often a problem I find with novellas.

Here, our heroine Amelia has retreated with her siblings and cousin to Italy, following her sister's scandalous turn on the Eton stage. Amelia believes she wants to be all that is proper and good, even though her family seems to take pride in being the exact opposite. The one thing Amelia does do is paint in ways England would say are not becoming to a young lady, albeit her chosen medium of watercolors is all that is proper.

Our hero Tristan, the Duke of Roth, has been in Italy for 4.5 years after his engagement came to a scandalous end. His mother gave him 5 years to essentially retreat from English society, and he has been creating sculptures in Italy.

Amelia and Tristan literally run into each other and their romance begins. I loved their interactions and the steam level was fabulous. We watch them re-examine what they think they believe and what they think they want and cheer as they achieve a HEA of their own design.

I definitely recommend this delicious quick read, and will be watching for the other family members' stories, which are excellently foreshadowed in this story.

A new series from Sofie – yay! And what a series it seems to be shaping up to. Starts off right off the bat with this fantastic title. I love when series takes us to new places like Italy. Everything seems forbidden and exotic. Also love that Tristan is described as a big ox – which is catnip for me. The snarkiness and bickering between Tristan and Amelia is great. I love that in stories. For being a short story/novella this packed a lot into it. I would have loved to read more about these two fabulous characters. There are lots of other characters in the story which I am sure we will be reading about in the coming books.

Really enjoyed this book! This is a great start to a new series. This book is about Lady Amelia Windermere and Tristan, the Duke of Ripon. Both of them are too artsy for the TON but must live within it, how to balance it all? Amelia is trying to make her family more respectable but Tristan doesn't really care about being respectable. Can they balance each other out? Can they figure out that respectability doesn't mean giving up on fun...but having fun doesn't mean you aren't respectable?!?!? Great secondary characters, I can't wait for their stories.

Lady Amelia Windermere is determined to be a proper English lady, despite the family’s fall from grace. The plan is to stay away from London and to reside in Italy, until the latest scandal dies down. Yet when Amelia meets Tristan Carteret, the Duke of Ripon, all sense of respectability leaves her. Tristan is enjoying his life in Italy as a sculptor but when he meets Amelia, he realises that the image she portrays to society, hides a passionate woman, with incredible artistic talent. Soon, their attraction will have them questioning all the beliefs that they had been holding onto.
This novella certainly packed a considerable amount of emotion and detail, and it found it fascinating that be so thoroughly immersed from the first page until the last. The author manages to convey all the colourful siblings (and cousin) that make up the Windermere family. The intense attraction between Amelia and Tristan burst from the pages such that the biggest disappointment, was that there wasn’t more to read about when the book ended. I would have so loved to hear more of the back story behind Amelia and Tristan, and what made them who they were. I now am fascinated to read about Juliet and her potential love.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and Dragonblade Publishing. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A perfect mix of sensuality and art. They are each entrenched in what their lives have taught them but they open each other to another world where the two of them make it perfect. I thoroughly enjoy reading this book in one sitting.

I received an .arc of this book from NetGalley and leaving my review voluntarily.

Oh my goodness, I am really looking forward to reading about the rest of the Windermere family! This book was hot, emotional, and fun at the same time. Lady Amelia was conflicted about being good and accepted by society, but discovered that being wicked with the Duke of Ripon was what she really wanted after all. Five stars!

This is the first book in a new series Windermeres in Love, and this book makes me anticipate the rest of the books in the series. Lady Amelia and her siblings are in Italy to let the scandal of their family pass in England. Tristan, who is a Duke, is in Italy to study his art, he is a sculptor. They meet by accident, but they really get together after Amelia wins a sculpture made by Tristan. Tristan and Amelia, who is a painter, has their art to connect them, but that is only the start. The real connection is the sizzling passion and chemistry they share. This was so enjoyable; I did not want it to end.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and am leaving my honest review.

This novella is the first in the series, and we are introduced to the unconventional Windermere family. Lady Amelia Windermere, along with her sister and cousin, have taken some time to stay in Italy after being a part of a scandal. Lady Amelia spends her time painting and trying to find a way back into polite society. When suddenly she bumps into the Tristan, the Duke of Ripon, her world as she knew it turns upside down. After a few meetings, these two decide on a bargain that ultimately leads to both of them giving into their passions and desire for each other.

This was a very enjoyable novella. Sofie Darling has a great style of writing and I cannot wait to read more of this series. If you're looking for a short, steamy read, I highly recommend giving this book a chance!

Thank you NetGalley and Dragonblade Publishing for this ARC.

4.5 stars

An excellent start to a series. Amelia is trying to be prudish and straighlaced though her family is anything but...she has a sister, cousin and brother. I expect we shall see books for each of these characters. The family is waiting in Italy whilst her parents are on an archaelogical dig and waiting for the ton to forget their peccadilloes. Amelia meets the Duke of Ripon and doesn't realise that the large handsome man is actually a sculptor, friend of her brother and not at all impressed with the ton. Amelia wins a prize and this means they have to get to know each other. Ripon realises that she is a passionate artist.

The passion is hot and the romance well structed. I shall lokk out for others in this series.

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

An excellent start to a new series, and very entertaining too. Saving her family from scandal is a full-time occupation for Lady Amelia. However, in order to do so, she has to suppress her own artistic temperament and it is causing deep-seated frustration. Bumping into an ox of a man, she is humiliated when she takes a tumble, but his lack of apology really annoys her. Nevertheless, she is intrigued by him and when she again meets the Duke of Ripon at a soiree, he challenges her to explore her artistic ability and encourages her to step into the unknown. Tristan has made promises to his mother and his time in Italy is drawing to a close, but meeting up with the scandalous Windermeres makes him smile for the first time since scandal touched his own life. Teaching Lady Amelia to search out her own creativity makes him realize that there are unexplored areas in his own life that need attention. The novel comes to a good conclusion and I am looking forward to reading about how the rest of the Windermere family survive their tempestuous reputations. I received a copy of this well-written romance as a gift through Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.