Trem and Harrietta have known each other since childhood. Henrietta has always had a crush on Trem but because he is her brother’s, best friend, she has always felt that he would not love her. Trem has always viewed Henrietta as his best friends little sister until one day his perspective changed. They began a love story that had to be kept secret, but that would help her in the end.

The book was entertaining. I enjoyed the book. I did like the characters and the angst. This is the second book in the series.

I have to admit I did not finish this book. I made it to chapter 9 before deciding it’s not for me. A few reasons:
- I didn’t like the double standard the text seemed to have for Henrietta’s behavior. It’s clearly trying to be feminist but Trem’s view of her was too tied to her being his friend’s younger sister. Relatedly, the author was not convincing me that his sudden transition from viewing her as a child and wanting her wasn’t creepy
-Trem took it upon himself to solve the problem of Henrietta’s reputation without consulting her on how it should go. He just invited the dude to his study and then ambushed her, and in the end all he did was yell and make him more resentful. Then, two breaths after establishing the power differential between them, and after stating he feels like an older brother to her, and without clarifying his real feelings, he starts seducing her? No thanks.
- I also felt like this book needs more/better editing. For me, there was too much empty interiority, Henrietta or Trem thinking about things we’ve seen happen on page without advancing the story or telling us anything new. The page space could have been used to better sell the tension/changed relationship between them with more concrete and sensory memories or experiences between them

Henrietta is a beautiful and sought after debutante who has a tryst with a man she believes to be her friend, but is now being pushy about marriage. Trem overhears the man lamenting over Henrietta’s rejection and suspects that the man is trying to ruin Henrietta’s reputation. Being Henrietta’s brother’s best friend, Trem tries to resolve the issue by questioning the lady. Turns out the pushy guy’s accusations were true and now Trem sees Henrietta in a new (and attractive) light. They pretty quickly start their own affair and end up engaged in the process. Henrietta has had a longstanding crush on Trem and is pleased that he desires her in return, but is keeping secrets about her parentage and worries over Trem’s reaction. This book was high on the steam, quick on the getting together, and also high in external drama. An entertaining adventure.

This is the second in a series, "The Rake Chronicles."
Lord Hugh Aldershot, the Viscount of Tremberley, is the best friend of the first rake, John Breminster, the Duke of Edington. John's sister has gotten herself into a bit of trouble, and Hugh rescues her and her reputation.
Henrietta has been in love with "Trem" since she was old enough to know when she was in love, as she put it. Trem never thought of her as someone besides her brother's little sister once she debuted into society. He doesn't acknowledge it to himself until his world gets turned upside down after he rescues her.
Their relationship takes off quickly, both physically and emotionally. While they are definitely hot for one another, they also grow closer as he helps protect and shield her from an obsessive "sort of" suitor she had. Once their relationship becomes obvious, Trem proposes. Henrietta is convinced it is only to keep her reputation intact.
There are deep emotions and a heart wrenching story beneath the surface. The storyline itself is a continuation from the first novel. While it might be helpful to read the first of the series, it is not totally necessary. There is enough explanation throughout to help it make sense. You also get to see how John and his wife's story has evolved.
Neither have a sense of security of themselves. Trem never knew his parents because both of them died suddenly when he was very young, and he has no real concept of family. This leads him to a path of having no real direction or purpose in life. Hers was upended when Henrietta found out she was not legitimate because her mother was actually the mistress of her father, and not his wife, who had died in childbirth. She and her brother only found out after their father died. Their mutual feelings of abandonment help them bond, but takes a long time to occur. Their relationship seems mostly physical until both have their own epiphanies.
No spoilers, but it is obvious from the beginning what will happen. That isn't the important or main point of their story. The journey of discovery is what drives it.
I felt Trem's lack of family, and not having a concept of even having parents was more tragic than Henrietta finding out her parentage was a lie.
I did have a problem with how it did not seem to be an issue for them to be alone together without any type of chaperone. During this time period, a reputation could be ruined if you went on the balcony at a ball. They spent over a week alone, and that didn't create a scandal. Not even her best friend's mother, who would go insane if a dress was too low-cut, didn't bat an eye.
The end was tied up very quickly after such a journey they had. I would have appreciated more of an insight of what Trem's life had been like growing up without parents, and how his butler was basically his only family. There was one conversation when the butler explained his childhood, and then all of a sudden Henrietta was able to help him come to terms with everything. The same could be said of the resolution for her story. One conversation, and all was well. I'm not sure I'd be as understanding as Henrietta.
I loved Trem and Henrietta as a couple. They definitely complemented each other. Their journey together was wonderful, and well-paced until it wasn't. Forgiveness, purpose, and resolution for all three plotlines were tied up nicely in a bow rather suddenly.
I still loved the story, and look forward to the next friend's story. A slight hint as to which friend is given, and it sounds fun.
While the story is the second in the series, it can be read as a stand-alone. I plan to go back, and experience both stories again.
There is a definite high level of heat, and quite a variety of situations. While graphic, they are written well, and further shows their growth as a couple.

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

I would like to thank netgalley and tule publishing for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Enjoyable.

Thanks to Tule for giving me an arc of this! I previously enjoyed Lloyd’s first book a lot but there was something about this one that didn’t hit as much as the first. Despite this, I still found it to be cute. I’m looking forward to the next one!

I am so happy that Henrietta is finally getting her own story. I loved her so much in the first book of this series. I really like this book although it took a different route than I thought (not in a bad way of course). Tremberley may be a rake but he's just so sweet and loving to Henrietta. He wants her and isn't afraid to show it and I appreciate that. It was pretty fast paced in the beginning but kind of slowed down a bit in the middle. I love that Henrietta got the closure that she needed with her mother. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for giving the ARC. I cannot wait for what comes next.

When the Duke Wanted Me is the sequel to Lydia Lloyd’s debut which came out last year. I liked her debut very much, so I was excited to receive this one from Netgalley. I’ve been following Lydia on Instagram for quite some time, so I’ve been exposed to the type of things she likes for a long time. Because of that, I knew this book would be a good time.

This book follows Henrietta whom we first met in the first novel of this series, When the Duke Loved Me. Henrietta was my favorite character in the first novel so I couldn’t wait to experience her story in this novel. This novel takes place a few years after the first novel, so Henrietta is a few years older and dealing with suitors left and right.

We really jump into things fast with our hero, Trem. There is a lot of sex in this book, and I mean a lot. I usually like more of a slow burn and angst aspect to my romances, but I actually enjoyed the sexy aspect of this book. I loved Henrietta and Trem together. We also met Trem in the first book of the series, but we met him as John’s best friend. John is Henrietta’s brother, so we have a brother's best friend/best friend’s little sister trope going on here.

Overall, I really loved the book. The only thing I didn’t enjoy was how wishy-washy John was as a character. He was overjoyed and happy when he found out about his best friend and little sister, but he was very quick to turn his back on Trem when a small issue occurred involving Henrietta. I didn’t like how John was so hateful to someone he called a friend after being so supportive in the beginning. I loved everything about the book, but John’s actions altered the 5-star rating I had planned on giving When the Duke Wanted Me. I

Tropes include: brother’s best friend, secretly dating, mutual pining

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

“When the Viscount Wanted Me” is only the second book by Lydia Lloyd that I read. It is also the second book in “The Rake Chronicles” series of, I presume, four books. I’ve been following Lydia on instagram for ages and I know what she likes to find in books, such taste translates into her stories for they are incredibly sexy although not over the top spicy. In this case I highly recommend to read the first book before this one because there is a plot line in that book that has very important developments in this one, for it affects its heroine.

Henrietta always thougth that the late duchess was her mother, but she found out that actually she was the result of the romantic liaison of his father and another woman. This is a secret that both her and her brother John and his wife keep very safe in their hearts, not even her brothers best friends Tremaine, Leith and Montaigne know, even if they all grew up together. Henrietta has always had a crush on Trem, but he never really saw her differently until a few years after her debut. What made him realize that she had become a woman was that she owned her body and she knew her own mind. So they become very much physically friendly until the situation was obvious for the two of them to be turning into something serious and they get engaged. But Henrietta doesn’t want to keep her deepest secrets from her fiancé, and after seeing her best friend and her mother’s relationship, she runs away from her brother’s home in London in search for answers. In the rush, she forgets to leave a note so of course, Trem, runs after her and once they find each other they start to really need to tell each other everything.

That was my favorite part of the story, the moment they have to find the answers that Henrietta is looking for. In the process they not only get to know each other well and learn to support each other and carry each other’s burdens. They both happened to be lost at this point in their lives, Henrietta needs to know who she is and where she comes from, Trem needs to find a meaning to his life, a purpose. It’s so beautiful how they open each other’s eyes, how they came from a good place to start with and how they find common ground. In the fist chapters Lydia Lloyd might make you think that she has written “just another spicy story” but this is historical romance, she knows very well her audience doesn’t dwell on TikTok, the spice is only the surface so you need to dive deep to see that actually she knows her craft, she not only writes beautifully but also her character study and development is incredible. This is anything but superficial and to me it is both a treat to her readers and a joke to the viral trends that we’ve seen in the last few years.

And there’s also the drama with an obsessive ex-boyfriend, what else could I ask for? I loved this book so much.

Lady Henrietta is horrified when Viscount Tremberley, her brother’s best friend, learns of her indiscretion with a man who’s become obsessed with her. Trem offers to help keep the secret quiet. Working together, Trem and Henrietta discover their own forbidden desire. But Henrietta will only marry for love.

This well-written book focuses on the physical relationship between the main characters. I wish the content warnings had been included in the book description.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Such a good book. Definitely a quick read. This book kept my interest the whole time and opened up a new kind of time period for me to want to read about. Recommend!!

A delightful and passionate romance!

I enjoyed this best friend’s brother/sister romance. The attraction between Henrietta and Trem, the two protagonists, is evident from the beginning. I liked the idea that their relationship begins right away in the story and that we discover their personalities, as individuals and as a couple, throughout our reading. I loved Henrietta, the heroine, for her independence and curiosity. The relationship between these two main characters, full of twists and turns, is very intense and keeps us in suspense. One element, however, bothered me: Hartley, the antagonist, is a touch too caricatured.

I received an advance review copy, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Trope: brother's best friend
Steam level: 4
Part of a series: yes, book 2

3.5 squeaked up, Just like in this author's last book (her debut) the writing style is solid and the steam is super steamy (if you're into "sweet and clean" this isn't the book for you). My main issue is that I didn't find either MC all that compelling--but maybe that's just me. Lately I've been into HR's with more nuanced. emotional characters, especially working class MC's, and these two were just a bit too "glossy upper-crust" for me. Henrietta is too headstrong for her own good, bordering on TSTL at times (and pretty anachronistic in her behavior/language to boot). Some of the humorous scenes work, but she really is the instigator of her own problems. Trem is fine, just missing that spark that really pulls me in and puts a MMC into "book boyfriend" territory for me.

There is a lot of interior monlogue-ing, as well, sometimes slowing down the pace. I do enjoy the "brother 's best friend" trope but was looking for something with a bit more meat story-wise.

Overall: you'll like this fine if you're into modernistic HR's with a lightweight plot and characters.

I read an advanced reader copy of this book and this is my voluntary review. Opinions are my own.

Historical romances are my ultimate comfort genre and this was such an odd book. Lydia Lloyd must be sending in her application for the circus because the heroine was a total clown. She made poor decisions and I swear she was this close to applying that white grease paint. I really enjoy the author's infographics on her Instagram and her steam comes straight from the kettle, but I still can't fully commit to liking both protagonists. I had an issue with the hero in the previous installment and my main beef now lies with the current heroine. Henrietta was a buffoon whose foolish choices forced Tremberley to swoop in and save the day. Thankfully he was competent or she would have had to start packing her size 43 kid slippers and skedaddling right out of town.

Despite my utter disdain for the heroine, Tremberley helped redeem the story. He always held a torch for Henrietta and looked out for her when he could. It's the typical best friend's little sister archetype that I wished would happen to me. My own brother has some beefcakes for buds, just saying. They had major chemistry and it seemed from the beginning that they were meant to be. The hero definitely stepped up his game and was more motivated than the previous one. I was rooting for them, even though Henrietta needed to pull her head out of her designer-clad bottom. I can't help but refer to her antics as clownish, they were that asinine.

When the Viscount Wanted Me made me feel like I was under the big top and I was woefully underwhelmed by the heroine's childish behavior. She was a spoiled brat and dumped all her problems on the hero's doorstep. I haven't given up hope yet for this series. I'm a fan of the author's research and sensuality between the characters, but it hasn't culminated into a full package. I'm gonna keep holding on, no matter what. Although honestly this title could have been extended to When the Viscount Wanted Me...At The Circus.

dnf @ 36%


The writing style is perfectly fine, but the dramatic tension felt sorely lacking. We get ~30% into the book & the relationship is confirmed with very little emotional growth on either main character's part, which was frustrating because characters' emotional journeys are the thing that draw me to reading romance in the first place. Alas, this one didn't work for me, but since the writing is fine, others might have more success.

Oh my, Trem and Henrietta are hot hot hot! I liked Lydia Lloyd's debut, but I borderline loved "When the Viscount Wanted Me", Lloyd's second book and the second book in her series, "The Rake Chronicles". Henrietta is so much her own person and Trem's willingness to accept her as she is, past and all, is lovely. The book is sex positive, does a great job touching on issues of race and class, and there is no third act break-up. The meat of the book is lust tempered with true knowing of one another. John is still not my favorite character (he was the MMC in the previous book in the series) but I did understand why he eventually got so upset with Trem. I am definitely invested in these rakes now, and look forward to Leith and Montaigne's stories, even though I don't love Montaigne's apparent obsession with bedding servants given the power dynamic there. I do think Lloyd shows growth as a writer just in her first two books and I will definitely be watching for more.

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

The spiciest book I have read outside of Sierra Simone!

I really enjoyed this book and Lydia Lloyd's writing, especially when it comes to Monty!
However, the book felt somewhat long, like some sections lagged and it felt like it took a while to get to the next point of the story. Also, the magazine side story felt unnecessary, the book could either do without it and be fine or make it more important. Otherwise it feels like a "purpose" for the sake of giving Harriett a purpose.

Ok now the spice.. WOW. I had to step away a few times to cool down. So many scenes, so well written, and they all served a purpose to the relationship. This book could have been all insta-lust, but Trem and Harriett had a true connection.

Please give us Monty next!

"When the Viscount Wanted Me" by Lydia Lloyd
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Cover Rating: 4.5/5
Story: 4/5
Steam: 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥+ (kissing, mentioned scenes)
Ending: HEA w/ Epilogue
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Series or Stand Alone: You could read this as a stand-alone. However, I think a reader would get the most out of the story, having read the first title. Lloyd does do an amazing job providing enough backstory here if you didn't read the first book, though.
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England, 1819
Completely Smitten Viscount
Strong Willed Debutante
Brother's Best Friend
Forbidden Fruit
She's Mine Vibes
Reformed Rake
Road Trip
Hero Falls Hard
Scandal & Secrets
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The first book of this series hinted that Trem and Henrietta might be the couple for the second book of the series, and I was so pleased that this was true. I was hooked on the storyline from the very beginning as this story, like the last one, doesn't beat around the bush for the drama to begin. As I have mentioned before, Lloyd's writing style is detailed and complex, reminding me a bit of Victoria Alexander.

Overall, the pacing of this title is much improved from the first, in my opinion, but does slow a bit after the 60 or so percent mark. This slowdown allows for some complex relationship-building and personal growth for both Henrietta and Trem. Without these slower-paced scenes between the two, their lustful chemistry would not have blossomed into something more lasting, as it did by the end of the book. Throughout the story, there is this feeling that any number of things could go wrong, and I enjoyed the suspense. It's just a question of what/when all hell will break loose.

Lloyd also includes a variety of inclusive characters within this title, which is a breath of fresh air. I also enjoyed that the villain of this story isn't your basic, run-of-the-mill variety. She thought out of the box on how to create an extremely annoying, potentially loose cannon of a villain without resorting to simply making him portly, boring, lazy old man like many HRs have tended to do in the past.

As for steam, there is a lot! If you don't enjoy an abundance of explicit steam, this read isn't going to be for you. However, if you do enjoy a good romp with your romance plotline, you are not going to be disappointed. Steam starts early and is explicit. I liked that Lloyd doesn't shy away from using perfectly normal, medically correct terms for anatomy (she doesn't always use these types of terms but how often do you read v*lva in an HR? It was refreshing.) Not everything needs to be danced around or alluded to. Overall, steam scenes are unique and vary in length.
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Read as an ARC ebook provided by the publisher and Net Galley. Honest review left voluntarily.
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Content Warning: available by author after title page.

Lord Hugh Aldershot, Viscount of Tremberley, one of the Rank Rakes is trying to come to terms with his best friend now bringing married. The other two still there to lend a smile and find debauchery. Having no family himself, Trem is not sure what to do. His live of gossip was just not cutting it, until he overheard a young buck crying over a lady that won't give him the time of day, even after what they did.

Ready to step in and get more juicy information, until her name was said. Baron of Drent, was warning his friend to quiet down and sleep of his drunkenness, Earl of Hartley just got louder and whinnier.

Lady Henrietta Breminster, sister to John Duke or Edington, feels like a fraud but wants to have her life her was. So together with her friend, Miss Cassandra Seymour, they want to run Mr Redmond's publication of The Lady’s Magazine. She is not sure if Hardly will leave her be after what happened and her refusal to marry him. Her friends had warned her he was very enamoured of her but she didn't believe it, they were just friends.

Now she has to contend with hiding this information from her brother when Trem shows up with Hartley and Drent. Trem tells her he will help, after her pleading.

What to do when you now see that the little girl you watched grow up is a lovely, kind-hearted, intelligent young lady that you want to do unspeakable things to?! What do you do when the one friend of your brother's now sees you?! How do you stop a deranged young man from spilling the beans about what they did?

Join the world of the Rank Rakes as another embroiled mess is unravelled. Will the friendship last! Does these two make it? Or does she give in to Hartley? Join as someone invited to the party. Race across England, visit with friends old and new. Catch up on all the gossip.

Ahh! Lydia Lloyd is definitely one of my new favorite historical authors. I LOVED 'When the Duke Wanted Me' and knew that book two in this series would deliver. The love scenes are plentiful and hot!

I loved Henrietta! What a great heroine. It was refreshing to see such a curious, sex-positive heroine in a historical. I am coming to associate Lloyd's heroines as the key figures in her work, much like Sarah MacLean. Sure, the heroes are great. But the heroines are the stars of the show. .

This was such a fantastic brother's best friend historical. I can't wait for Lloyd's next book. She's definitely an auto-buy author for me now. Side note: go follow Lloyd on Instagram. Such a great follow and resource for finding trop-specific historicals.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a review.