This is historical romance, and it's also the 7th in a series (although as I hadn't read any others I can say this worked fine reading it as a standalone).

Our female main character is a former courtesan, current pretend widow, and also the patronise of one of London's most sought after clubs. She's happy with her life, she definitely doesn't want to get married and really doesn't want anyone to recognise her from her former life. So she tried to avoid certain parts of London society, but when she's at her sister's for Christmas she starts up an affair with the next door neighbour which draws attention she didn't want.

This is a 'spicy' romance, given her former career she knows what she likes whereas he's the inexperienced one.

I enjoyed this, even coming in so late to the series! Both of the main characters are likeable, which isn't as common as I'd hope in romance novels. I've since bouggt a couple of the earlier books, and the epilogue of this definitely made me want to find out what was going to happen in book 8!

The Phoenix Club series has been a captivating and entertaining series thus far and I have really been loving it and this latest installment also did not disappoint. An interesting twist in characters in this book is that the heroine, Mrs. Evie Renshawe is a retired courtesan who is pretending to be a respectable widow. Lord Gregory is the virtuous hero who is quite taken with Evie and would like to court her. She stirs in him feelings and desires he's never felt before. But Evie is quite content in her independent life and is only willing to offer him an affair. As he spends more time with her, Gregory wants more than their temporary affair. Evie's feelings for Gregory also start to grow and she begins to wonder if she could have a future with him. Should she risk telling him of her past and her secrets in hopes of having a life with him?
The story was a nice change in pace in that Evie was the one with more experience regarding intimacy and was essentially teaching Gregory, but when it came to love and trusting one's emotions, Gregory was the one doing the teaching. A lovely story and a great addition to the series!
I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

Burke has crafted a great love story and romance. Evie and Gregory are both delightful characters and the way the find themselves in love and committed is swoon-worthy!. A great read for romance fans.

Evie is visiting her sister who she says is her friend. She meets Gregory while out for a stroll. They are instantly attracted to each other. He is nobility and she works for the Phoenix Club. She has many secrets. They meet in a cabin on her sister’s property. He is a virgin and she is very experienced. She wants the affair to end when her time there is over. He wants it to be permanent. Many secrets are revealed. Can their love take the strain?

The heroine is strong and used to taking care of herself. The hero has done everything his family wanted him to do. Can he change, can she?

The book was well written. I can’t wait for the next book in the series.

I received a copy of Impeccable by Darcy Burke from NetGalley. The Phoenix Club Book Series by Darcy Burke has been one of my favorite historical romance series so far. Naturally, I was very excited to read Impeccable, the seventh addition to the series. The story follows Evangeline Renshaw and Lord Gregory Blakemore.
Evangeline Renshaw and Lord Gregory Blakemore were introduced as characters in the first book Improper itself. There is little information about Evangeline in the other books that followed, but she remained a sort of mysterious character. Evangeline is spending time with her sister and her brother-in-law at their house. She runs into Gregory while taking a walk, and they rescue a puppy together. Evangeline and Gregory have met before, they are part of a similar social circle, but he doesn’t remember her. Now, he is the neighbor of her sister.
I loved the way Evie and Gregory complemented each other. Their relationship builds in a quite realistic manner, and they have chemistry from the start. Their romance is done really well, and it was the best part of the story for me. I liked how the romance was build up between Gregory and Evie. Gregory is pretty smitten with Evie immediately but isn’t exactly sure of how to behave around her. Evie pretends to be a widow because it keeps her safe in society and her past hidden away.
Impeccable by Darcy Burke was every bit as interesting as the previous books of the series. The plot was interesting, the characters were relatable, and the romance was swoon-worthy. The story is paced well, I finished the book over a weekend. I know this historical romance series is almost at the finish line, with just one more book to go, I think, but it's been so much fun reading these stories.

Yes, finally! I had been waiting for a long time for Evie Renshaw to have her own story in the Phoenix Club series. And, as usual with Darcy, you get a wonderful story. we finally learn why Evie doesn’t want to marry and how her association with Lucien has started. Although I was rooting for Evie and Lucien to end up together, I now fully understand why this didn’t happen.

Fortunately, Darcy found an even better match! And even better, in the next part, also Lucien will be finding his true match. Thank you Darcy, for yet another great story on the Phoenix club and it’s wonderful members. It is great to encounter them in the other stories as well. Five out of five stars from me and I’ll be on the lookout for Insatiable. And, of course, a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc

Finally Evie, the patroness of the Phoenix Club and former courtesan, gets her happily ever after. Evie has been such an important part of the whole series. It was nice to have her front and center.

While visiting her sister she has an adorable meet-cute involving a puppy with Lord Gregory, who happens to be visiting his brother, the new Marquess.

This book started off so cute and I really loved that Gregory was a virgin While Evie was the one with more experience. That was a nice change of pace. But I had a hard time connecting to them as a couple and it felt like to many of their interactions centered around the Ash, the dog. Overall it was just okay.
I am very much looking forward to Lucien's story and the conclusion of the series.

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

Writing this review so my ratio doesn’t go down.

Started out great with a dog in chapter 1! The plot of this book sounds amazing.

“Society's most exclusive invitation...Welcome to the Phoenix Club, where London's most audacious, disreputable, and intriguing ladies and gentlemen find scandal, redemption, and second chances.
Former courtesan and pretend widow Evangeline Renshaw is happy with her reinvented life as a patroness of the Phoenix Club. She doesn't need or want a husband or a lover……until she meets the devastatingly charming and surprisingly virtuous Lord Gregory Blakemore. He'd like to court her, but he'll have to settle for a short, thrilling affair instead. After the death of his father and the marriage of his older brother, Lord Gregory can finally focus on what he wants: a government appointment. However, the enchanting Evie makes him desire intimacy for the first time, and now he wants her most of all. Their entanglement is supposed to be temporary, but he can't let her go. As Gregory reveals himself to Evie, she wonders if she might finally share the truth of her past. Unfortunately, there are those who seek to ruin her carefully crafted second chance. To protect Gregory's dreams, she must sacrifice the only love she's ever known.”

I will try to finish this but just not in the mood/ not really vibing with this read

Historical romance,part of a series featuring the Pheonix Club. Didn't enjoy this one as much as the others,predictable and too much sex.

This is the seventh book in the Phoenix club series although each can be read as a stand-alone, II enjoyed reading Evie’s story. It was a quick and entertaining read with a staring role given by Ash the puppy. Looking forward to reading Lucien’s next and I hope he and his father will finally join forces in this very well written series.

****1/2 stars- Evangeline Renshaw is a former courtesan. She reinvented herself as a respected widow to return to society. She is a close friend of Lord Lucien and a patroness of the Phoenix club. She is not interested in marrying. She enjoys her independence.

Lord Gregory Blakemore is the second son of a marquess. His father always wanted him to join the church and be a bishop. He does not want that. He wants to work for the government.

Gregory and Evie meet by chance in the country during Christmas while visiting family. They find a lost puppy which they name Ash. The puppy connects them. Gregory is captivated by Evie. They begin an affair that Evie says will only be temporary. Gregory wants so much more. Gregory has never desired a woman like he desires Evie. They fit so well together. They have great chemistry. It was a joy to watch them fall in love. Gregory is a sweet and noble character. Can he convince Evie to continue their affair when they return to London? Will Evie tell Gregory about her past?

Gregory and Evie have many obstacles they must overcome. The author weaves a story that has you rooting for them to succeed. The story flows and keeps you entertained. The author has you rooting for the couple and hoping they will be together. Will Evie take a chance on love? I cannot wait for the next and final book in this series. This book will be about Lucien. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

I’m starting a petition to have more puppies written into historical romance books. Rescuing a puppy stuck in a hedge was one of my favorite meet cutes! The pairing took me a little longer to warm up to than I’d hoped, but I ended up really enjoying them together. I was shocked by how early the steam was but it worked for the plot. Unfortunately, the MMC was too perfect and everything was a little too easily wrapped up. The ending had me more excited to pick up the next book and I needed an epilogue for the MCs.

Thank you to NetGalley and Zealous Quill Press for the advance reader copy. All thoughts are my own.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first book by this author. I haven’t read the rest of the series, but I don’t feel this hindered my reading of this book.

I really enjoyed the story of Evie and Lord Gregory from their adorable meet cute to the HEA they both deserved. Evie is a strong heroine (despite what she thought) and Lord Gregory is an absolute sweetheart. I liked the virgin hero with the more experienced woman, and I especially liked that it was finally, truly, on her own terms. The steam started just before 30% so we weren’t made to wait ages for them to get together.

I thought the secondary storylines were maybe a little too prominent in places, but I’m sure this would have made more sense to me had I been following the series from the beginning. Long time readers would likely appreciate this more.

Overall, I’m very happy to have had the opportunity to read this book, and I’m interested in picking up more by this author in the future.

This is a voluntary review of an advanced copy.

I have been waiting to learn the story behind Evie as she has been part of each story along with Lucien. Unfortunately, this was not one of my favorites of the Phoenix Club books. it just seemed to me that most of the book centered on Evie teaching Gregory how to be a great lover.

It was more enjoyable once they parted and Evie went back to London. There was more drama and when the Phoenix Club is threatened and we find out a bit more about who the silent partners are.

Lucien's father even turned out to deliver a surprise for Evie - a good one and we find out a bit more about what is happening with him which tied in with Gregory's father.

I am really looking forward to Lucien's story and the remaining secrets of the Phoenix Club and its real purpose!

Evie is a former courtesan who has reinvented her life as a pretend widow and currently a patroness of the Pheonix Club. On holiday at her sister's house, she has a lovely little meet-cute over a puppy with Lord Gregory, a kind, virtuous, thoughtful but slightly awkward man who is also on holiday visiting his brother, the new marquess. They quickly begin flirtation coaching, which leads to a steamy holiday affair. While they fall fast and hard for each other, Evie is determined to maintain her independence as a widow and patroness but Gregory is ever the optimist and wants to maintain their affair.

I was instantly drawn in by the description, which sounded like a lovely, steamy regency, which is fortunately exactly what we got! I've never read a Darcy Burke before, and certainly not any of the other Phoenix Club novels in this series, but I'm excited to pick up the rest of the series and read more Darcy Burke, for sure. This was a good standalone in that I didn't feel like I was missing anything, while I also feel like I was interested in reading more of this series. The cast of characters were fun, but maybe a lot to keep track of without having read anything else in the series.

The author's prose was engaging and I was instantly drawn into the interactions between our leads Evie and Gregory. I also loved the chapters from Gregory's POV. He really was so charming and innocent and kind (total cinnamon roll!!!), even when he struggled to be his best self. And it was so funny any time he struggled to maintain his composure with his brother and sister-in-law. They could be truly ridiculous. I just loved that Gregory was a cinnamon roll hero and Evie was an independent and cynical heroine, but not to the point of rudeness.

My only critique would be that Evie's inclination to always pull away from people, in particular Gregory, was frustrating. I felt as though that just prolonged the story and gave the author time to develop the club's story for the next book in the series rather than adding to the story between Evie and Gregory.

I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was an okay addition to the fairly large Phoenix Club series (this one is the 7th). I've read several but not all of the previous books, and so far, this one is my least favorite. There's nothing inherently wrong with it, but it just didn't give me the feels like some of the other ones.

So in a bit of a twist, we have a virginal hero and a very experienced heroine. I kind of like it when the hero is somewhat innocent, but I never really fully bought Gregory's reasons for remaining chaste. It feels a little like the author felt we needed at least one of the pair to be a virgin and since the heroine is a former courtesan, it didn't leave any other choice.

The conflict is also a little unevenly played out. I get that Evie has to hide her past and that she's not interested in getting married. However, she seems to change her tune rather quickly and without any obvious reasons to explain her change of mind.

Together, I don't think they have as much chemistry as the author wants us to think they have. They do okay, but I didn't find myself enthralled by their interactions like I am with some other couples. For example, I absolutely loved Ada and Max's story. That said, I did root for them, especially in the face of his abhorrent brother and sister-in-law.

I believe there's one book left in this series, and I really am curious what will happen with Lucien. His story is a bit teased at the end of Impeccable, so it's worth reading this book just so you don't go into the final book unprepared.

I received an ARC of this book for free from the publisher and Netgalley. I'm writing this review voluntarily, and it reflects my honest opinion.

OMG this series keeps getting better and better! I think this is one of my favorites so far!
Former courtesan and pretend widow Evangeline Renshaw is happy with her reinvented life as a patroness of the Phoenix Club. She doesn’t need or want a husband or a lover…until she meets the devastatingly charming and surprisingly virtuous Lord Gregory Blakemore. He’d like to court her, but he’ll have to settle for a short, thrilling affair instead. Their entanglement is supposed to be temporary, but he can’t let her go.
As Gregory reveals himself to Evie, she wonders if she might finally share the truth of her past. Unfortunately, there are those who seek to ruin her carefully crafted second chance. To protect Gregory’s dreams, she must sacrifice the only love she’s ever known.
This book is beautiful. I absolutely loved Gregory. He’s maybe the sweetest male character I’ve ever read about. He adores Evie and he just wants to make her happy. She is a complex heroine with a hard past and who’s definitely not looking for a new man in her life. But an adorable puppy and some meddlesome side characters we met in previous books, would make her realize that they are perfect for each other.
There are more sexy times than in some of the previous books in this series and really sweet moments with their share dog, Ash. He is the real prince charming in this story.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

**ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

Evie Renshaw is masquerading as a respectable widow in order to distance herself from her scandalous past as a courtesan. She's a patroness of the exclusive Phoenix Club and is content to remain independent and single, although everyone around her is determined to match her up with the first man who shows even tepid interest in her. Lord Gregory Blakemore is the second son of a marquess, destined for a position with the church but apparently more interested in politics (something which he shows absolutely no interest in unless it's him telling Evie that he'd like a political appointment - he is in no way obviously engaged in politics or tries to discuss it with anyone around him). He meets Evie when they rescue a dog together, and instantly falls for her - in a way he's never felt for anyone else before. He asks her to teach him to flirt, which largely consists of him saying vaguely chivalrous and/or charming things and Evie immediately telling him how seductive and good at flirting he is. They embark on an affair during which Evie repeatedly says she wants it to be a short term, casual fling only, and Gregory repeatedly tells her that he's not satisfied with this but will tolerate it in the hopes that she'll change her mind.

Naturally she does - the minute she ends the affair she's filled with regret and the more they keep bumping into one another (he shows up at her exclusive club, of which he's a member, she loses the dog that they've got shared custody over) the more she realises that they are clearly meant to be together.

This is the seventh book in the Phoenix Club series and I definitely felt that while the story was able to stand alone, the reading experience would have been enhanced by having read the earlier books. Judging by other reviews many fans of the series have been looking forward to hearing Evie's story. As this is my first Darcy Burke read, I didn't have any previously-formed attachment to Evie or any of the other recurrent characters who were clearly from earlier books - maybe I would have enjoyed this book more if I had done.

As it was, I felt that there was a complete lack of chemistry between Evie and Gregory. Their affair was believable only insofar as Evie was attending to her physical needs and taking pity on Gregory (who was extremely magically good at sex from the very beginning despite his inexperience - I would have been more interested to see his transformation to incredible sex god take more than a single assignation) - I just never felt that they were falling for one another as people, or even really knew or cared about one another.

Evie also seems poorly developed as a character - although again, maybe if I had read the earlier books in the series in which she appears, she would make more sense to me. She seemed to lack charm, charisma, wit, joy - any of the things that would make her a courtesan able to charm a protector into taking her under his wing - let along a string of them.

Established fans of the series will definitely enjoy this one - a steady read with plenty of steamy scenes and cameos from plenty of the presumably beloved characters from earlier books.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ We’re almost to the end of the series 😱.

Evie Renshaw is a former courtesan and proprietress of the Phoenix Club. She has reinvented herself as a widow who does not want nor need a husband. After leaving her past behind, she has also not taken a lover since leaving Lucian’s protection. She’s cynical about love, men, and life.

Lord Gregory Blakemore is the second son who was heading towards the church at his fathers wish, even though he’d prefer to be in government or a barrister. When his father dies, he spends time at the estate and runs into Evie as she tries to save a puppy from getting tangled in the bush. He finds her beautiful and caring. He can see she wants the puppy but will not take him. He arranges to take Ash (the puppy) home with him but brings Ash to visit.

Evie and Gregory engage in an affair. This is the first ever for Gregory and the first time a man has taken Evie’s wishes and desires into consideration. They are great balance for each other and their chemistry was 🥵 ❤️.

As secrets come out, Gregory wants to stand by Evie’s side but Evie wants to distance herself from everyone to save the Phoenix Club and not bring scandal to anyone.

We learn more about the silent partners of the Phoenix Club and see more if Lucian’s story begin to take shape. Excited for the last book in the series!

Thanks to Netgalley and Zealous Quill Press for the arc. This has no bearing on my review.

I have devoured all of The Phoenix Club books, and I've been particularly looking forward to Evie's story. Darcy Burke did not disappoint. Impeccable has everything I love in a romance novel and more. It is well-written and really kept me turning the pages. I stayed up until 4:30 to finish it because I couldn't put it down. I highly recommend this book.