What a lovely short story! Cort has been in love with Alex since he was 10 and she was 15. Alex has no idea, but has just recently became widowed after an unhappy marriage. When these 2 meet up again, the fireworks start! I am so looking forward to the stories about Cort’s brothers. 5 stars.

This was much better than I expected as novella's can be hit and miss as there isn't much time to build a story. However this story managed it so well I just loved the back story of Cort loving Alex since he was 10 and her being oblivious until they meet later in life when he's back from waterloo and she's a widow. It was fun and well written with just the right amount of steam at the right time. Recommended. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I have recently started reading Tracy Sumner books and have enjoyed them. This is actually the first book I have read in the Wicked Widow's League. It was fine as a stand alone book, but now I am wanting to read the previous books in the series as well as the ones to come. Characters were well-written. The novella flows at a fast pace and is easy to finish in one sitting. Alex and Cort made a great story, but I do wish it had been longer. It was a complete story with an epilogue, I just wasn't ready for it to be over. I look forward to Cort's brothers' books.

I received an ARC from Netgallet and Victory Editing for an honest review..

This was a nice little novella by Tracy Sumner. If you're looking for a quick and engaging read, consider picking this one up. Despite the short length, I though Sumner did a great job with the characters and the story.

Cort, a damaged war hero, comes across Alex the woman who he has had a crush on since childhood. He is afraid to acknowledge he still has feelings for her when she, a lonely widow, wants one night together. They both come to realize that one night might not be enough. I only wish the story was longer. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Victory Editing for my honest review.

This novella had a fun title and a great set-up. I am a sucker for heroes who are younger than their heroines and had childhood crushes on them, so the resurrection of Cort’s youthful infatuation with Alex was a plus. Her status as a widow wondering what she’d missed out on in her marriage made the characters’ relatively speedy leap into bed believable. What wasn’t believable was how after one night of sex and two conversations, they both individually decided they were in love with the other. Honestly, it was like whiplash as a reader and really took me out of the story. The pacing went from zero to 100 and the remainder of the book felt more like an outline than a fully written conclusion.

Overall, I’d say the first half of this book was enjoyable and the second half wasn’t. This was due to the plot issue referenced above, but also due to the writing style. The author’s love of incomplete sentences was given increasingly free rein as the book wore on and this started to look like sloppy editing instead of a deliberate style choice. Also, Cort kept coming out with long, dramatic, clunky speeches that don’t sound like the way anyone talks, let alone someone in the nineteenth century. I am not a stickler for period-accurate detail but when characters say things like, “Go with it,” it just grates.

Ultimately, this book just wasn’t a good fit for me. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. This review will also be posted on Goodreads and Amazon.

A quick but captivating read and a very well written entertaining, enjoyable read which I devoured in a sitting. Cort and Alex were delightful together and their journey beautifully written. If you haven’t read this author but you like steamy historical romance, please give her a try! This story is absolutely amazing! This story also features the tropes: enemies-to-lover, second chance and a delicious slow burn… what is not to like?

They meet again after having lived a lifetime of experience and pain. Rediscovery of each other and rekindling of love progresses into what was meant to be. A short, steamy and complete story to enjoy.

I received an ARC from Netgalley and leaving my review voluntarily.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tracy Sumner for providing this free copy for an honest review!

I loved the premise of this story. Younger guy/older woman, man falls first, second chance, and learning about intimacy are some of my favourite tropes. I love novellas in general and this one did not disappoint. The characters were well-developed for such a short story. The spice was great and came at just the right moment.
The writing felt a little off at times, but maybe it was just Too Much for my bilingual brain.
I am definitely going to look into the author’s other books!

Okay, so first warning: I LOVE TRACY SUMNER. Her books are 5 star deliciousness.

This one is part of a multi-author series that I hadn't heard about but will be delving into immediately.

This is a novella (98 pages), so you don't get a lot of backstory but you get enough. Alex and Colt, childhood nemeses, see each other after many years. He's a mentally scarred war veteran. She's an icy widow. He's loved her since he was 10 years old but she always thought he was just a little bully (his way of showing his affection was terrible, but, he was a kid at the time and didn't know any better).

This is a great airplane/train trip read, because you'll be able to finish it in one bite. Although it's short, you do get enough on each character to invest yourself. Tracy Sumner is a pro at that. Plus, she's also good at making you love the secondary characters, in this case, Colt's brothers. There's also another member of the "Widow's League" that she mentions--Claudine--who we might see later?

A nice 4-1/2 quickie (no pun intended), which makes a NetGalley 5.

This sweet novella is a second chance love story between a couple who knew each other as young children and haven't seen each other in years. Cort DeWitt fell in love with Alexa Mountbatten, five years his senior, but she never knew. Life has been difficult for both of them since they last met, but after being thrown together again a spark is kindled, and passion builds, but is it enough to overcome the past?

I received an ARC for free, but I give my honest opinion voluntarily.

Lady Alexandra Mountbatton returns to her childhood home after being widowed after only a few years of marriage. She meets Cortland DeWitt, the second son, twin brother of a Duke. Cortland and his two brothers were childhood playmates of her before he went off to war and she into society. Of course he has loved her since he was a child. She didn’t know because he was older than her.

I’m giving five stars to this novella (under 100 pages). It is hard to give background, motivations, build characters and create passion all within a short novel. This story shows Sumner is up to the challenge. If it were a longer novel I would expect much more to give the same rating. This is great fun for a story that can be read in an hour. And I will be on the lookout for the brother stories coming out in the future. Thank you to Tracy Sumner and Victoria Editing for the ARC via NetGalley and I am leaving a voluntary review.

3.5 stars
this book tells of a steamy love story between old childhood friends. Very fast reading, perhaps too much since the evolution from simple attraction to love is rapid for both characters, even if , with the passage of time, the two have drifted apart and become completely estranged. I would have liked a slower evolution of the love story. Secondary characters in future books are hinted at in this book

Court land is the spare by 3 minutes and is happy to be the spare. He wants to prove himself as more than a rake. Coming home after Waterloo has changed him greatly, all but for his first and only love from the age of 10. Fate has Alexandra and Cort crossing paths, will this time she consider his ardor to be real.
Sweet fast read…..to enjoy with your favorite drink! Thank you NetGalley for this eARC. I am voluntarily posting an honest review after reading an Advance Reader Copy of this story. #NetGalley #KisstheRakeHello

I really liked this and the two leads and am very much looking forward to the rest of the family and series.

This is a fun read with Cort finally marrying the woman he has loved since he was ten years old, unfortunately Alexandra had no idea of his feelings because of their age difference. Now a widow, Alex wants to explore passion and Cort is the one she wants. It’s a wonderful story, full of love and family. I wish it has been longer but it is a novella. A great short story that is definitely worth reading.
I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley and are voluntarily leaving a review.

Cortland has a reputation in London as one of the city’s most scandalous Rakes but he has never forgotten Alexandra, the smart and fearless neighbor from childhood. She is five years older them him and a widow who had been stuck in loveless marriage. When Cortland’s horse throws him, it is Alexandra who comes to his rescue and helps him recover. The two are deeply attracted to one another and when Alexandra asks for a kiss, how can Cortland refuse.

This is a short novella at just under 100 pages, so it cannot and should not be compared to longer stories. The writing is tight as to have a full story contained in such few pages. I really liked both Cortland and Alexandra. I loved Cortlands love of his brother and Alexandra’s independence. I liked that while he had always been in love with her, she had to find her feelings for him. The pair had excellent chemistry. While I would have enjoyed having these characters for longer, I don’t feel there was much missing.

Thank you to Tracy Sumner for providing a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 13 of the Wicked Widows’ League series. This one is a pretty quick novella where a widow, Alexandra, and her childhood neighbor, Cortland, meet again. He’s had a crush on her forever and she’s looking for a night of pleasure after her disappointing marriage. A pretty uncomplicated plot but sweet to see Cort shy and fumbling around the woman he’s loved since he was a kid playing pranks on her. Super short to read and enjoy.