Drinking and gambling don't mix. Henry Stanton, Earl of Edgerton, has a hard time fighting his demons. He carries the nightmare of his father's death and the death of men in battles against Napoleon. Lord Langdon is a villain who cheats for power. Obtaining Lord Southwood's vowels by cheating, he demands Southwoods' daughter, Olivia, will marry him and no one else. Henry Stanton, Earl of Edgerton, grew up with Olivia. He doesn't like Langdon and is willing to have a fake engagement with Olivia to protect her. This engagement is orchestrated by Henry's mother and Mrs Dove-Lyon. Although Olivia already loves Henry, he isn't so sure. When Olivia's life is in danger, Henry has no choice when his heart tells him he must come to her rescue. Mrs. Dove-Lyon has only a small part in manipulating the circumstances in this book.
Kissing only. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

4.5 Stars
Riddled with guilt and haunted by nightmares over the tragic death of his father, Henry Stanton, the Earl of Egerton, returns home and seeks solace in the excesses of the Lyon’s Den. He’s sworn to never marryas who would endure his nightmares. Lady Olivia Dawson wants a love match, but her family’s financial ruin upends her perfect life and worse, the vile man who holds her family’s fortune demands her hand. When she meets the childhood friend she’s never forgotten, she realizes he’s everything she’s wants. A mother desperate to save her daughter’s future appeals to the Black Widow of Whitehall who spins a web of hearts, high stakes bets, and intrigue—but the widow’s plan places Olivia’s life in the path of a killer.
I was drawn into this book from the first page & was left satisfied a few hours later when I finished it. I loved Henry & all the Stantons, it was lovely to have a loving, caring family who stood together & mourned their father, I hope the author has books planned for the other siblings! Whilst I really liked Livy I felt her character wasn’t as developed as Henry's. I did however like the chemistry between the pair & how their feelings changed & grew. I loved the mystery & was kept glued to my kindle. A well written engrossing read
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

This book had a little bit of everything; drowning, attempted murder, poisoning, kidnapping, a cheating villain but through all this we still found a sweet romance between childhood friends, a faux engagement that grows into true love.

Henry Stanton, Earl of Egerton, has come back from war suffering nightmares of combat and the guilt about his father, the duke's death. He is an honorable, caring man but has vowed not to marry because of all the nightmares & guilt. When he learns his childhood friend, Livy, is in danger of being forced to marry an evil man who holds her Father's vowels and Henry must rescue her.

Lady Olivia Dawson has recently overheard her parents arguing over the fact that her father has lost everything to a cheating scoundrel and wants Olivia's hand in marriage for payment of what is owed him.

Henry and Livy had not seen each other for years and they both felt the attraction at seeing each other grown up. After speaking with his family and her family, he suggests a faux betrothal to protect Livy and the agree it will only last until the villain give up - but Livy wants so much more even though Henry makes it clear he is not read for marriage. However, during their engagement there are many evil, dangerous happenings and a villain that must be stopped!

A wonderful, sweet romance and I love Livy's rescue kitty, Salem (Devil Cat)! I voluntarily read & reviewed an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book; all thoughts & opinions are my own.

*I received a free ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review*

I know I have said this in my reviews of other Lyon's Den books, but I feel it can be said again - this series is one of the most creative ones out there. I love how each author brings their own spin the core concept. The last few, Heart of a Lyon included, have moved away from the crazy wagers and more into classic matchmaking. The story opens on a somewhat sad note with the loss of Henry's father. It stays in a dark mode through the attack on Albert and Livy's father's big losses at the gambling tables. Things brighten up once Henry and Livy are reunited as adults - I liked that they had known one another when they were younger because there was already a foundation for their romance. Having the fake engagement known by both of their families also avoided them having to lie to anyone other than Langdon. I'm not sure I completely understood Victoria's plans, but it added an extra layer of intrigue to the story and ultimately gave Henry the push he needed to admit to himself (and others how he really felt towards Livy. I would love to get Roger's story in another book, especially now that he has adopted two orphans.

Amongst evil doers and a savage murderer, a sweet romance emerges and grows. Henry, is the Earl of Egerton, struggling with nightmares of war and the death of his Father, the Duke. But Henry is a kind and caring man, and when he learns of his childhood friend, Olivia (Livy) being threatened into marriage to an evil scoundrel because of her father’s gambling debts, he rushes to her rescue. He proposes a fake engagement to protect her, but Livy wants so much more! Henry makes for a wonderful book boyfriend, and their courtship is sweet and heartwarming.

A lovely and engaging story and I enjoyed the romance that built between Henry and Olivia. A pretend betrothal that changes everything, second chances and a little drama lead to a wonderful happy conclusion.

A sweet charming romance with a bit of intrigue and a kidnapping and PTSD on Henry's part. It got me interested in reading about Henry's brother's and their romances too. However I did love Salem the cat best of all in this story. The only thing I didn't like was the link to the Lyons den. It felt a bit forced and wasn't really needed in the story. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

He Would Come To Her Rescue Again!

Henry knew Livy when they were growing up and many a time he rescued her. But when he was re-introduced to her years later, he was instantly attracted to her! She had grown up quite beautiful with a beautiful soul. Henry had a lot of issues he was trying to overcome and when he found out Livy and her family needed help, he agreed to a faux engagement to rescue her once again.

Livy really cared about Henry and although she agreed to a faux engagement, it broke her heart, she was hoping for a real engagement and marriage. Henry in his own way really cared for Livy but felt he wasn’t ready for marriage even though he loved courting her and taking her out.

A lovely clean romantic read with some mystery. The characters were wonderful, I really liked his brother’s personality and hope they both get their own story. Livy was just what Henry needed and although they would have eventually got together, it was great to read how other characters within the book encouraged the romance.

If you like clean romantic stories not to be taken too seriously with a hint of mystery, this is well worth a read.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A huge thanks to NetGalley and Dragonblade publishing.

I like the sweetness to the story. Livy and Henry romance was charming and unique. I enjoyed the mystery added to the romance. The mystery had me intrigued with the excitement of the hunt and pulling the clues together. I liked idea of having both families standing together as a solidarity of not allowing anyone to ruin their family. The story is an easy read that I like.

Thank you Dragonblade Publishing and Netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I requested this book because of the cover… and found myself invested with the synopsis.

Maybe because I had high expectations for this book, but I found it rather lacklustre.

Okay, fine, I was expecting to read a steamy hot history romance but there wasn’t any in here 🤣

While the romance wasn’t that good, I love reading about Livy and Salem. However, it seemed that there was too much stories to be told, like with the Black Widow, Langdon, Henry… some remained unresolved or resolved offscreen. No idea why the Black Widow was important, because she was made to be important but not really.

To be honest, I was more interested in Roger than Henry and Olivia. If I could say one thing about Henry (believe me, I have many words), it is that boy was thick-headed.

The Heart of A Lyon comes out 12 October 2022.

3.5 stars

I didn't really feel I got to know the heroine. There was lots of interaction betweem ther hero, his adopted brother and his mother. There also was lots of back story for the hero. A lot of the action seemed to be off screen and then reported. Why were we told that the mother hid the key to her secret letters in the bureau.? A point was made that only the family knew this but this fact wasn't needed in the rest of the story. I wonder if as well as a Lyon book it's part of another series that we might have been aware of?

The villainous lord doesn't seem to get his comeupance over his cheating. I also didn't see why Olivia's father owed the heros family money if they had gained the vows back through the game of chance? Why not just hand them back. I could see Bessie might have needed a cut for helping them out.

It wasn't a bad read but I thought there were so many themes going on. For me the heroine's character apart from being a paragon seemed to get lost in the mix.

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

This story is addictive. It grabs you and keeps you enthralled from start to finish. You will run throughout London from salons to graveyards in this thrilling mystery romance.

Lord Henry Stanton, Earl of Egerton, has return from fighting the French Napoleon.wars and Waterloo. Finding his father to welcome him home on the ship is surprisingly warm knowing he can not swim but wanted to be there for his sons. His adopted brother Roger and him are greatful. Only to lose their father to rebels and a cannon ball to the ship. Now with the guilt of his death, Lord Henry goes on a downward spiral of drinking and gambling. When his older brother is hurt this gives Lord Henry a reason to turn things around as family is everything.


Lady Olivia Dawson, a lovely daughter of a family friend to the Stanton's, finds herself in a predicament of her father's making. After overhearing an argument of her parents. She is unsure how to help out and finds herself wanting to assure her parents she will do what she can. Only to get told all will be well.

As it happens the two stories get linked by a common foe.

How you ask. Well, enter the Lyons Den where fortunes are won, loss, and traded by all.
Can the two pull of the coup to rid the evil foe of his victory or will they lose all? Will the Black Widow earn another match to her credit, she is famous for? How will these two bring the twist and turns of the plot to their side? Find out when you read this masterfully crafted suspense with enough romance to brighten you day.

An interesting and intriguing historical romance great writing and well thought out characters. Witty interesting dialogue. I want to read more from this author.

Henry, who feels guilty about the way his father died, is determined not to marry. Olivia, who has always been attracted to Henry, has an unwanted suitor. In order to protect Olivia, Henry agrees to a fake engagement to Olivia. However, their feelings for each other are anything but fake! I received an ARC from NetGalley and Dragonblade Publishing for my honest review.