If your looking for a book to satiate your ravenous craving for powerful and mysterious males and feisty women, then feast your eyes on historical anthology, guaranteed to entertain and entice! Bon appetit! 💋.

Rating 4.5
I love Mrs. Dove-Lyon and how she is able to match men and women with that one person. Some of the eleven stories feature couples who have a past but were separated for some reason and eventually come full circle back to each other. I enjoyed all of the stories but I did like some better than others, even though the end result was the same. This is a good read but it is lengthy and time consuming.
I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley and are voluntarily leaving a review.

I absolutely love each of the Lyon stories. They are clever, often funny and wildly engaging. However none of that would be possible if the authors themselves didn't have incredible writing skills to bring each story fully to life. This book is an amazing example of those writing skills and allows the reader to both enjoy different styles of writing, different authors and different views of the Lyon series. If you have never read this series, this is a excellent first step.

An enjoyable if inconsistent collection of stories related to Bessie Dove-Lyon's celebration of her birthday through a masked celebration. The stories in this collection are short, most not even hitting novella length, but most feel complete, if short on details or character development. I am a fan of the Lyon's Den and think this is an entertaining addition to that world.

4 stars, Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary ARC of this book. The opinions herein are my own.

A wonderful collection of romantic tales, revolving around the Lyon’s Den Annual Masquerade. Short 4-10 chapters each but complete, with different tropes like second chance, reunion, spycraft, and much more. A good introduction to new authors or enjoy more from your favourites.

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

Eleven stories with a common theme of a masque at the gambling hell known as Lyon’s Den. Book lengths vary from 4-10 chapters, some with an additional prologue or epilogue (or both). Believe all to be brand new stories which have never been published before. There has obviously not been total coordination between the authors though as Bessie wears different dresses, has absolutely no gambling on this the night of her birthday party in some stories but does in others and has different times on the doors. Having said that there were a large number of really good stories in this boxset with only minor typos.

A Lyon With No Name 5* by Chasity Bowlin - the only solution to William’s inheritance of an impoverished Earldom is to marry a wealthy heiress but instead he meets Ellie who needs a husband before her stepfather forces her to marry a disease ridden roue.

The Lady and the Lyon’s Scandal 4* by Ruth A. Casie - a deceived lady learns the truth and finds love.
In Pursuit of a Lyon 4* by Sandra Sookoo - Astrid had a hard upbringing but was given a hand up by a good samaritan. Years later she is both able to thank him and indulge in fantasies with him.

A Lyon’s Word of Honor 5* by C.H. Admirand - Alasdair made a vow years ago to protect his commanding officer’s daughters if anything should happen to the Colonel. It appears the Colonel is dying and now he must once again face his former love, the feisty spitfire Eglantine Merriweather. My favourite story in this anthology.

Don’t Tempt the Purring Lyon 4* by Sara Adrien - Bessie Dove-Lyon ventures into Jewish matchmaking; story rather spoiled by mix up of paragraphs.

Unmasked by the Lyon 4* by Belle Ami - Lizzie suffers from a debilitating stutter when around male strangers. Will a mask and costume allow her to channel someone else and enjoy a ball? Perhaps finding a match? In this story I couldn’t help but be distracted by the secondary romance going on between Lizzie’s stepmother and the new Duke and all I could feel was an overwhelming feeling of sadness for the couple as they would never have been allowed to marry. Note: The author is obviously unaware that marriage between a man and his deceased uncle’s wife was prohibited until 1931. I suppose the common man might have got away with it by moving to another part of the country where he was unknown but that would not have been the case with a Duke.

To Tilt at a Lyon 4* by Abigail Bridges - a 2nd chance romance. Bessie Dove-Lyon brings together a couple who have not seen each other for ten years.

The Lyon’s Wager 5* by Jenna Jaxon - the Duke of Welwyn makes two wagers, rescues a lady from an unwanted marriage and defeats a blackmailer.

Crossing the Lyon 5* by Jude Knight - Bessie Dove-Lyon foils a vengeful plot and uncovers a secret.

Mistaken for a Lyon 4* by Rachel Ann Smith - this was a story featuring Agents of the Crown attempting to find and capture the traitor in their ranks. Inconsistencies caused me to drop a star here.

The Lyon’s Last Chance 5* by Aurrora St. James - a wager and a promise has kept Owen from the woman he loves for years but seeing her once more at the Lyon’s Den masque he knows he cannot give her up again.

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