I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

The Black Unicorn is a historical romance with a bit of mystery. Overall I found this story to be decent and engaging. I really liked the characters and the spice. The storyline had a great pace but the ending fell flat.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.75 stars

Thank you NetGalley, Heather E.F. Carter and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This is a historical romance (early 1700s iirc) that keeps the historical accuracy for the important stuff (language, fashion, transportation, etc.), but also lets the female characters have a bit more sexual freedom than they probably actually had in 1700s England. It worked. There's also a bit of mystery in the plot, which was fun.

It has been a while since I've read a historical MF romance, and I gotta say, this was pretty good. And for a debut, I'd say it is VERY good. It did not fall into a lot of the traps that many MF/HR books do (FMC is tstl, FMC is NLTOG, etc.) The one trap it did fall into (a little): The FMC was very much a "Mary Sue"- meaning, everyone wanted her, and it was really unclear to me WHY everyone wanted her so bad.

That being said, I liked the FMC Elina. She is a young widow (25) who isn't afraid to speak her mind and ask for what she wants, and she's incredibly loyal to her family.

I also liked the MMCs (Tristan and Ashby - it's a bit of a love triangle situation) although, I did feel they were underdeveloped characters, especially compared to Elina.

My one complaint has to do with the relationship development. And I guess it is also connected to the whole Mary Sue thing. Both MMCs are madly in love with Elina, but we are not shown *why*. Especially with Ashby, it seemed like he hardly knew Elina, and yet, <spoiler>he is willing to sacrifice anything and everything for her and declares that he will "never love another".</spoiler>

The sex scenes were good, but I think they could have used more passion. Things felt a little robotic at times to me. This also may have helped with the connection between the characters which, again, felt a little weak to me.

But overall, this was well done, and an enjoyable read.

I was bad and judged the book by the cover, I thought I was going into a serious historical fiction that would have a touch of romance. While it did handle some serious stuff, mostly woman being sexually assaulted, and handled it very well, this book was actually hella romantic!! Elina's family is attacked by highwaymen and her sister brutally assaulted, on their way to a house/shooting party in Northern Yorkshire, She vowes revenge on their leader the Black Unicorn. At the party she meets Lord Ashby again, a whoring friend of her late husbands who she despises, but is there more to him? Yes, yes there is and I loved him so much I can't even begin to explain it!!! He has loved her for so long and been there for her so many times without her knowing, I just died!! This was a moving, dramatic, steamy, romantic historical novel. I hope to see many more books from Heather E.F. Carter! Do yourself a favor and read this book!! Then read it again and again!

I enjoyed this book! The FMC was very likable, I liked her backstory and her relationship with her family. The MMC was also very swoon-worthy.

The development of the story was good and it moved at a good pace. I liked all of the supporting characters and felt that they were all good additions to the overall plot. There was just enough of history between the main characters that it gave the reader a good feel for why Elina felt the way that she did about Ashby. I appreciated the Elina had a voice (and used it) and that she was respected by the male characters. I think the time period of the book drew me in as well, I love a book that is set in the past!

My one gripe about the book is that it seemed to end abruptly. I wanted more of a resolution of what happened to Elina's sister and Tristan, what happened with the potential for criminal charges, etc. It felt like there should have been one or two more chapters, even though there was an epilogue (which also felt rushed and didn't wrap up the story like I was hoping it would).

Historical romance with a hint of gothic mystery.
Recently widowed Elina is on her way to a house party with her family when they are set upon by highway men. Luckily the black unicorn rescues them but all is not what it seems. Elina is sure their robbery is the fault of the unicorn and resolves to uncover his secrets.
Lord Ashby is the drinking companion of Elina’s late husband and a holder of secrets. Elina must unravel these secrets and decide where her heart lies.
This was really enjoyable and a little different to the usual historical romance. Rich characters and conversations complement the search for clues and secrets. The only part I didn’t like was the ending. I just felt it was a big flat and didn’t match the pace of the rest of the story. This was also a very spicy book so beware if that’s not your thing.
All in all I enjoyed reading it.
Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for this advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

Imagine my disappointment when I read the final page of this book and didn’t have a sequel to run to 😭 I looked forward to reading this book all day. The writing was so beautiful, I absolutely loved Elina (and Ashby, are you kidding me????). I would have loved a few chapters from his POV. I think this book put me back in my medieval, gothic era.

What a book! With the French Revolution raging on across the sea, London society is instead entranced by the highwayman, The Black Unicorn and the mystery surrounding him. Having an interest in the late 1700s, The Black Unicorn was an interesting read with gothic landscapes and intriguing characters. I'll admit, at the beginning, I wasn't entirely sure, but I'm happy I stuck with it because it was so good. This novel has Scarlet Pimpernel vibes with a dash of Bridgerton romance/spice.

Overall, the Black Unicorn was a fascinating read, and I recommend it to any historical fiction fans who want an escape to a 1790s England entrenched in secrets and adventure.

Thank you, NetGalley and Blinky Publishing for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. If you like to read historical romance/mystery novels, this one is a cut above the ordinary. It has a couple twists and great character development. It kept me reading late into the night. I highly recommend this book. This does have some very explicit sexual scenes. Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy.