This is my favorite book in the series so far. I loved Verity and the Doctor. You could feel their love throughout the story, as well as their passion for each other. I especially liked how although Theodore (in other's eyes) was not the right person for Verity, She fought the naysayers and fought for him, despite the odds. And the twists and turns kept me entertained and on the edge of my seat from beginning to end.

This book was a breath of fresh air. I'm loving the fact that lately we have been seeing African-American characters and historical fiction and this one did not disappoint. Verity is very sweet almost naive and easily falls for Dr darrington. At times verity could rub me the wrong way being a little bit needy but overall I feel like this was a good sequel. Thank you for allowing me to read this book

If you're looking for a diverse historical romance series where racism is a non-issue (though classism certainly still exists) you might try this series. In this second installment we follow Verity, a young woman with a traumatic history of abuse as a child, in London for the season and supposedly looking for a husband.

While I do think this was a bit longer and slower than it needed to be, I enjoyed the story. We really see both characters go on a journey of growth and healing while also fighting for their love. Characters from book 1 are back and we see more of characters I hope will find their own happily ever afters later in the series!

The second book of The Dubells series, the story was entertaining and engaging. It's a good story to pick up if you're looking for some diversity in the Regency era. If you read book 1, you know that Verity is the younger sister of Evander, who was the hero of the first book. Despite her traumatic and tragic upbringing, Verity is tough and resilient. She is in London for the Season, in search of a suitable husband. When she encounters Theodore Darlington, the doctor who had saved her brother's life, she is completely drawn to him. But he is the least suitable person to court her, being the illegitimate son of the Marquess of Whitmear. He, too, is attracted to Verity, but he knows he cannot be with her. But Verity is not one to follow the rules, especially when it comes to society.
Get ready to enjoy a forbidden romance and a beautiful love story. Theodore and Verity were kindred spirits, both suffering as a result of their parents actions. I'm glad they found each other and I enjoyed following their journey. Both were lovely characters and I immediately fell in love with them. The story was well-written and entertaining and I hope there is more of the series to come!
I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

So fun! I loved the first in this series and I really enjoyed this second. As was the case with the first book, this book is perfect for fans of Netflix's Bridgerton.

Verity is the daughter of a Duke who finds herself entranced with Theodore, an illegitimate son.

I enjoyed this book. I liked that the diversity of the characters was never a topic of discussion.
I did feel as if the book started off very slow. And it seemed to be a little too long.

The classism is very heavy in this series.

I liked how stubborn and determined Verity was once she understood her heart.

I would say this book contained more romance than spice.

Even though this book overlapped with the first book, I'm happy that this series wasn't repetitious.

Overall I would recommend this book and read book 3 if there was one.

If you're looking for a diverse historical romance that doesn't deal with racism but still has everything else you love about Regency, then you will love this book! It's the second one in the series, you could read it without reading the first one -- but I wouldn't recommend it.

I love the world that JJ McAvoy has created and was very excited for Verity's story. Verity is the younger sister of the Duke in the first book. What I loved about Verity is that she was determined, knew who she was and didn't try to change herself to fit into society. But beneath all that, Verity is still dealing with trauma that happened to her as a child and still causes her nightmares. After her brother's wedding, Verity is sent to stay with his in-laws. While there she meets Dr. Darrington, a dashing doctor with an unfavorable upbringing. As the bastard son of a noble, Darrington can only be accepted as a doctor in the ton but not as a suitor. While Darrington knows he shouldn't, he can't help but have feelings for Verity. It seems no matter where he goes, he and Verity are drawn together. Soon the two of them are plotting on ways to get to know one another.

As much as I love the story and the evolution of these two characters, I do think the story was a tad long. Even with the subplots and other characters, I think the story could have been about 50-100 pages shorter.

But, I think it's a great series and I can't wait to read the next one -- I'm pretty sure I know who is coming next :).

Special thanks to NetGalley for the arc of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

A good escape read. I liked the plot and the forbidden love due to “class”.
Many thanks to Random House and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was outstanding!

Absolutely outstanding!

I was so invested in the entire story. I will suggest you read book 1 in the dubell story if will definitely make you closer to the characters as this story goes along side that one almost, timeline wise.

The Forbidden suitor is the extremely talented, loveable, and adorable Theodore who falls in love with Verity at first sight. However, social classes keep them away from one another.

Verity the daughter of a duke who was raised away from society has never been one to fall anyone's rules but her own and Theo can only hold off temptation for so long ...

This book was so good I cared about every, single aspect not just the couple and im so sad its over absolutely this book should be read!

This is a great sequel. We get glimpses of Evander and Aphrodite in Verity's story, which is quite enjoyable. We also get a better view of Aphrodite's family. Verity falls in love with the doctor who treated her brother, Evander. The only issue is he is the illegitimate child of a duke. The story details Verity's struggle for her love despite how much she initially fought against love.

I enjoyed the first half of the book a lot. The Du bell kids eat up every scene they are in. I also loved Theodore and Verity's relationship development.
That being said, the second part of the book was just poorly handled. Too many plot lines weren't adequately explored. The resolution to the main conflict in the book was...weird. I don't know. Real bummer cause the beginning had alot of potential.

Thank you to netgalley for giving me an arc in exchange for my honest review.

Verity and the Forbidden Suitor is not a stand alone book, y’all. I started reading and immediately flailed in a sea of characters that I might have cared about if I’d read the first book in the series. I was annoyed, but the book eventually settled down into an unabashedly romantic, and slightly gothic, story set in a racially mixed nobility reminiscent of Bridgerton.

My troubles with Verity and the Forbidden Suitor might be partly my fault for reading a book clearly not meant to be a standalone. Readers who like tragic backstories, principled heroes who will do anything for love, and earnest heroines who feel out of step with society may like Verity and the Forbidden Suitor. But start with book one.

3.5 stars, rounded up

I've made no secret that I absolutely adore this series, it is the Black Regency Romance series of my dreams. The DuBells are such a dynamic, authentic family, I just need to see all of their stories.

As a part of the DuBell series, this book did quite a bit of heavy lifting. There were some character arcs that were completed, A LOT of world building/history, and setting up of a future couple. I absolutely adored the time we spent with the younger DuBells, especially Hathor. She absolutely shone!

Now as a romance. I found Verity's story a bit lackluster. She was so much smaller than I'd expected after meeting her in Aphrodite and the Duke. I suppose McAvoy had to shrink Verity's personality so she could fit between all of Dr. Darrington's daddy issues. (Say that 5 times fast.) That boy was so bland, stayed blocking his happiness.

Anyway, this was a book I liked, even if I didn't love it. So ready for the next entry in the series though!!

J.J. McAvoy has done it again! From the Prince's Bride series to the DuBells, I look forward to seeing what else J.J. puts out. I enjoyed reading Aphrodite and Evander's story and was delighted to learn there would be a second book in the series. Enter "Verity and the Forbidden Suitor"!

We were first introduced to both Verity and Dr. Theodore Darrington in the first book but little did I know I would soon be reading their love story. I am a fan of historical/regency novels especially those that involve Black women. I love, love, love having MCs that are people of color and it not being something abnormal or a focus of the plot itself.

The story of Verity and Dr. Theodore is a class difference, first love story, but there is more to the story than that. I liked that there were references from the first book and enjoyed learning about Theodore's history as well as Verity's upbringing. I do wish their love story hit as strong as the story between Aphrodite and Evander. However, I recognize the history between the latter, which added to their story. For the most part, I enjoyed both Verity and Theodore as characters and thought their chemistry was nice though it did seem a bit out of the blue in the beginning at least on the part of Theodore in my opinion. Still, I had a hard time putting the book down and was able to finish it in 2-3 days. I'm not surprised since this happens with any J.J. McAvoy book I read lol! 4/5 stars

One of my favorite quotes from the novel:

"I would spend my life chasing away her nightmares, for she was my dream turned reality."


Thank you, Random House Publishing Group, for this eARC via Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion! If you are into regency or first loves getting their happy ending, I recommend this to you.

The following are my thoughts as I read this book. Verity Eagleman…sister of a duke, staying with the Du Bell family, a loaner. Theodore Darrington…a doctor, illegitimate son of a marquess, extremely intelligent. I had to go back and review Aphrodite and the Duke to follow the opening chapter, it has been some time since I read it. So I recommend reading it prior to reading this book. There is a mystery with one of the side characters that somehow draws in the MCs, not bad. Ahhh now I know part of a mystery, hmmm. I am now starting to understand why the h is the way she is, flashbacks. This is a slow building romance, so don’t expect fireworks. I so feel for the H, he has got it bad. My my my, the h is a little devious (but in a good way). I am really enjoying the (this is going to sound cruel) turmoil of the MCs because it adds to the depth of the story. I liked the added view point of a MC from a previous book. I’m a little disappointed in how the “issue” was resolved but I understand it was necessary for the HEA. Light steam……Trigger warning - abuse.

This is the 2nd book in “The DuBells Series”. This is a historical romance that is entertaining with just the right amount chemistry that brings Verity and Theodore together. With Verity’s brother the Duke Of Everely being married Verity finds herself alone in the family estate. Verity and Theodore the doctor who saved her brother life see each other while out the chemistry that the two share is up front and center for the couple. With Theodore and Verity have very different backgrounds a relationship between the is not an acceptable one.

Can Theodore and Verity get past their different backgrounds and form a lasting relationship with an HEA?

I received an ARC via NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Dell Historical Fiction Romance and I am leaving my review voluntarily.

In the flood of books being compared to Bridgerton, I think Verity and the Forbidden Suitor holds up really well. There's a casual diversity of at least skin color without explanation, which is the most transparent and easy to compare aspect. But more importantly, Verity and the Forbidden Suitor and the show Bridgerton both share this need to have a lot of extra dramatics. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm all for that sometimes and fortunately, when I picked this book up, I was in the mood for it. There's also a slight element of over-writing almost that doesn't bother me in audio format, but I think would have irked me more if I had read it with my eyes.

Aside from that slight critique, Verity and the Forbidden Suitor was much stronger for me than the first installment in this series and I found myself enchanted with the way this book discusses the concept of love and knowing when you find yourself infatuated. I loved the side characters and I especially loved the way this book skillfully contrasts the DuBells with Verity and Theodore's experiences growing up. It felt like a 400 page novel born out of, "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." And to that end, if the topic of legitimacy would cause discomfort, I would recommend not reading this book. That said, I am really intrigued to see what the next book in the series will hold and who it will follow.

I knew I would love Verity’s story when I read Aphrodite’s.

You meet Verity in Book 1; she is the younger sister of the Duke of Everly. She had her coming out season with Hathor, Aphrodite’s younger sister, in the last book. Verity’s story picks up after her brother’s wedding. Seeing her interactions with the DuBell family, especially Hathor, was lovely.

The chance meetings between Verity and Dr. Theodore Darrington were fun to experience. I absolutely adored Dr. Darrington. He was very refreshing for the time period. The unfortunate part for Dr. Darrington is his birth prevents him from marrying a lady of status. What I loved, though, was getting the story behind his parents. There was so much love and heartbreak.

The writing was terrific, and I didn’t think I would say this, but I enjoyed this story more than Aphrodite’s… and I LOVED Aphrodite’s and Evander’s story. I hope Hathor gets a story and a chance at a happy ending. I would also love to read the story of Aphrodite’s parents’ story; I think that would be fantastic!

I love it when people I want to get a story about, get their chance. I really enjoyed Verity and Dr. Theodore Darrington's banter in Aphrodite and the Duke Book 1.
Verity is accustomed to the high society lifestyle and knows what is expected of her, and that does not include
the dashing doctor. The bastard child of a nobleman is looked down on by those who choose breeding over character.
This is the story of a young lady who comes with baggage of her own and a pedigree. Thinking she is broken and hiding the horrible dreams that haunt her, Verity thinks no man would ever want her.
Theo is smitten and knows the kind of ridicule Verity would face if she were to become his.
I found the fact that both Verity and Theo, were both suffering due to the actions of both of their parents, a very interesting twist and it drew me to theses characters even more.
The supporting characters were always a great time and made me love this story even more.
This was a slow burn for me and I am not usually a fan of that, but this worked so well.

This book is an amazing read! Start this series with the previous book, Aphrodite and the Duke, since it does tie in. Verity has not had the best life and it definitely affects how she views things. I loved watching her grow, starting with the previous book, and throughout this one. Verity and Theodore's love story is a beautiful one. Both are wonderful characters that clearly are meant for one another. This book brings back the wonderful DuBell family and although they are not the main characters, you will still love them. A few of things I love most about this book is how J.J. McAvoy is able to bring her characters to life making you feel as if this is happening right before your eyes, as well as having such a diverse cast of characters. If you love Julia Quinn's Bridgerton series then you will definitely love the DuBell series!