This is my first historical romance by Amita Murray and I will be looking for more. I enjoyed her style of writing and the included diversity among the characters. But mostly, I loved the growing relationship between Anya and Damien! It was great to watch as their animosity flowed into interest and then more. Brava!

When she inherits most of the Dowager Countess Budleigh’s fortune, Anya Marleigh is stunned. Not only is she no relation, but she is a sitar player and singer at the court of Queen Charlotte. Not to mention the daughter of an English earl and his Indian mistress. There are, moreover, some tricky conditions in the will.

How these are resolved initiates a complicated series of adventures involving robbery, blackmail, death, a wild horse ride, rescues, stressful family relationships and, of course, falling in love. Since various social issues are also raised, such as aristocratic privilege and the treatment of minors, gay people, and people of mixed race, there is rather a lot going on. Nor does it help that when the lovers are not locked in passionate embrace, they spend most of their time worrying about their many problems, including what they perceive to be their own inadequacies.

There is interesting material here, especially on the long-term impact of childhood trauma, but the distractions are numerous. Second in the Marleigh Sisters series. 3.5 stars?

HNR Issue 108 (May 2024)

I received an ARC of this book by the publisher via Netgalley in an exchange for an honest review.

Unladylike Rules of Attraction is a romance/mystery book set during the Regency era in England. While the mystery side of the book was successful enough, I didn't enjoy the romance aspect of this book. The characters always felt stitled and there was never any tension between the characters. The first smut scene came out of nowhere and it made me feel awkward while reading it. There were also times when the writing was very circular, repeating similar lines that had been written a paragraph or two before. I came very close to DNFing this book several times but powered through due to wanting to know how the mystery played out. I think Unladylike Rules of Attraction would've been more successful if the romance was completely taken out of the book.

I give this book 2.5 out of 5 stars rounded up to 3.

Anya Marleigh, a court singer favored by the Queen, unexpectedly finds herself the heir to a large fortune, providing she marries within 4 months, when she turns 25. The family of her benefactor, in desperate need of the money themselves, is willing to try anything from marriage to murder, with a healthy dose of blackmail thrown in, to get the money back from Anya or Lord Damian Ashton, the executor of the will as well as next in line to inherit should Anya fail to wed. I enjoyed the interaction between Anya, her sister Lila and Damian. Anya and Damian in particular both have built huge walls around themselves due to their being brought up in unloving circumstances, and thus constantly misunderstand each other’s feelings and motivations, as well as their own. Lila, who we met in book 1 of the series, is now happily married and is determined to break down her sister’s barricades. The stories end, while predictable, was satisfying, and left me looking forward to a third book about the other sisters we haven’t met yet. (Note, this book can be read as a stand alone.)
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an advance copy.

The Dowager Countess Griselda Budleigh left the bulk of her money to Anya Marleigh, a court singer. The condition is to be married by her twenty-fifth birthday, with approval from the executer, Lord Damian Ashton. Murder, robbery, unfortunate accidents and threats, some people will do anything for money. Rumors, gossip and family dynamics make matters worse. Amid all this turmoil, Anya and Damian fall in love. A very complicated plot with extended characters. Descriptive sex.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book from NetGalley.

"Attraction" tells the story of Anya, the second Marleigh sister. Children of an Englishman and an Indian woman, the three Marleigh sisters are shipped to London on the death of their parents, and the consequent revelation that their father had an English wife. Not surprisingly, she detests the girls, and does everything she can to separate them, and make their lives miserable.

Anya's love story with Damian, another outsider in England, is complicated by the machinations of Damian's family. The instigator is clear very early on in the story, but Damian and Anya's attempts to untangle the mess and find their HEA make for an entertaining story.

Lila's story is told in last year's "Unladylike Lessons in Love". With one more English sister, and the mysterious triplets, Amita Murray has plenty of gas left in the series tank!

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

Anya Marleigh has accepted that a musician in the Queen’s court is as good as it will get for her. But when an elderly dowager unexpectedly dies and leaves Anya sizable trust, all chaos breaks loose. The main stipulation of the trust is that Anya must marry by her upcoming birthday or the trust will go to the aggravating Damian Ashton. The dowager’s family are livid and determined to get the money any way they can. When one of them ends up dead Anya must try to divert suspicion from herself. With the help of Damian and his brother they try to figure out how to give Anya access to the trust amidst threats and whispers. Will Anya be able to secure the trust after all? Or will Damian once again get the better of her?

I think this is a well written historical romance, but I had trouble connecting to the characters. To me they weren’t very likable which kind of took away from rooting for them and their happiness. Thank you Avon for the opportunity to read and review.

This book was a little underwhelming for me. It seemed like the story in the first half moved really fast and then the development kind of dropped off for me. I liked the characters and the overall story but it felt a little disjointed.

A captivating tale of love, drama, and family.

This is an interesting and unique book! It had plot line different from any other historical romance I’ve ever seen. The story really kept me turning the pages to see what would happen next!
Damian and Anya are lovely characters. The romance was so sweet!

Star Rating: 2.75/5
Tropes: Enemies to lovers, inheritance

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The blurb of the book initially held my interest. I also liked how the author chose to do something different, but I found it difficult to follow along with the pacing. The initial attraction was fine and afforded the potential of chemistry; however, that quickly went to being intimate without any of the courtship, I guess.

I like the build up of a romance.

ARC provided NetGalley via Avon and Harper Voyager.

This is the second book in the series and although a standalone I do recommend reading the first book, Unladylike Lessons in Love.

This follows the story of the second Marleigh sister, Anya, who inherits some money but must satisfy the conditions of the will and trustee, Damian.

This surpassed my expectations. It was gripping and electrifying from start to finish. There were so many twists and turns that it almost felt like a mystery read rather than romance.

This celebrated diversity and if you’re in your Bridgerton era you should certainly consider this one.

I enjoyed the chemistry between these two. Their banters were refreshing. I also enjoyed the revisit of Lila and Ivor.

All of the side characters were amazing, including the goats and I would love to see a spin off series featuring Trixie at some point.

If you love historical romance which celebrates diversity then you should read this.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this story.
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW

I did enjoy the characters in this novel but the story felt really fast paced. I thought there'd be more back and forth between Anya and Damian but they started kissing almost randomly after their second meeting. I could understand why they'd do that fi the sexual tension or attraction had been built up enough to do that but that wasn't the case here. For the most part, both of them only talked about how infuriating the other person was and not how hot or pretty or smart they were. etc, etc. I know this is an ARC so maybe it's better paced out in the final version. Despite this I did enjoy the story (I know I put it at a three but it's a strong three) and I'm intrigued enough to go and read more by Amita Murray so I consider this a win!

Unladylike Rules of Attraction is the second book in the Marleigh Sisters series by Amita Murray. I really enjoyed the first installment, but I LOVED this one! I sped through it as fast as I could, not wanting to put it down. Thank you, boss, for being on vacation! I started it on the 13th, and finished it on the 14th. It was an entertaining story, but it was the characters who made the book for me. They weren't always likable, but I couldn't help but adore them.

Anya Marleigh plays the sitar and sings in Queen Charlotte's court. She doesn't make much money, but she's extremely talented and it's a living. Anya discovers that Dowager Countess Budleigh, an elderly woman who hired her to entertain at her home, has left her a fortune, with one stipulation...she must marry before her next birthday (which is only months away!) if she is to receive the funds. Lord Damian Ashton, a horribly insufferable man, has been appointed as the trustee for this matter. If he doesn't approve the marriage, the fortune is then his! To add to the fun, the Budleigh family is furious, believing that they money should have gone to them. They will do all they can to accuse Anya of murder (unless she submits to their blackmail demands) and accuse Damian of criminal or underhanded dealings unless the funds are handed over. As Anya and Damian band together to save their reputations - and perhaps lives - the two become increasingly attracted to each other. Is Damian only trying to get the money? And will Anya lose both a fortune and the man she's falling for?

This is one of those books that had me sitting on the edge of my chair in suspense, snorting with laughter AND crying my eyes out! I loved the hero and heroine, warts and all. Anya Marleigh had an Indian mother and a British lord father. When her parents died, she and her two sisters were sent to live with their deceased father's wife! How awkward for three young girls! The sisters were sent to separate school and basically had separate lives, so they grew apart. Anya was a talented singer and sitar player, and she played for Queen Charlotte and her court. She was admired for her beauty and artistic abilities, but looked down on due to her mixed birth. Anya could be sweet and caring, but she also had a spine of steel and wouldn't be pushed around; she could also be untrusting. She had a young protégé whom she helped; all she wanted was a nice little cottage for the two of them. When Anya heard she was the heir to a fortune, she was totally stunned; the getting married part she wasn't thrilled with. She figured she could just marry one of her admirers - or perhaps an old man on his death bed - and no longer have to worry about the future. Lord Damian Ashton was the spanner in the works. Damian was another diverse character; he was parts Jamaican and British, and he spent much time on the streets of Jamaica as a child, avoiding his abusive stepfather. Damian was a self-made man, and was a successful businessman. He did not expect to become a Lord, but it was thrust upon him when the previous Ashton heir was killed. Damian could be very unfriendly and aloof. He was rather snarky, but Anya could be as well. I wasn't fond of him at first. When he arrived for the reading of the will at the Budleigh estate, Anya and the Budleigh children were playing cricket. Showing the children how to properly toss the ball (or whatever you do playing cricket...I'm clueless!), he broke a window...and he let the children take the blame! He acted amused to be involved as the trustee of Anya's fortune, and he didn't care about the money for himself. He always held himself back from others, except his brother Jeremy. At first Anya and Damian mixed like oil and water; I didn't see how they would ever get together! When there's a death at a gathering and Lady Budleigh has evidence linking Anya to the crime location, Anya and Damian get together to try to get the information back, and then Lord Budleigh tries to implicate Damian during Parliament of being involved in the death of the former Ashton heir. When Damian and Anya gave into their temptation for each other, they were incendiary! The Kindle got hot in my hands. It was obvious to me that they should be together, but there was still distrust. But this was a romance, so I was confident of a happy ending. Ok, I was HOPING for a happy ending! The supporting characters were great, especially Jeremy, Damian's military brother. He was a sweet and kind man with a secret. Damian was very hurt when Jeremy shared it with Anya instead of him. I enjoyed Trixie Cleaver, Anya's 16-year-old protégé, who was whip smart, but her life was being held back because she was illegitimate. Lady Budleigh, the horse-faced wife of Lord Budleigh, was a great character to hate. And boy, I hated her! I admit my favorite supporting characters, however, were Sally and Prinny, Damian's two pygmy goats. So cute and funny! Anya's sister, the heroine of the first book in the series, and her husband were also part of this story, and I was glad to see them again. I love Ms. Murray's writing - her characters have such a sense of humor, but their inner feelings can break your heart. I can't wait until we get to know the third Marleigh sister in the next book. I really don't want to wait a year!

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Anya Marleigh is a singer and sitar player in Queen Charlotte’s court, who dreams of being independent in the world and freed of the attentions of lecherous men who only want her for a mistress. Her dream appears to be within reach when she learns that she has inherited a fortune from a deceased patron, until the conditions of her inheritance are revealed. The money is being held in trust by the estate’s executor, the arrogant Lord Damian Ashton, who will release the funds only if she marries by her twenty-fifth birthday. And he must approve of the match.

I’m so glad that I stumbled upon this one as an ARC! I had not read Amita Murray before, and her writing is wonderful! This book utilizes several familiar hist-rom tropes, but puts them together with enough variation – and pairs them with a murder mystery subplot -- that it felt fresh and kept me engaged through the end.

There are exquisite moments between Anya and Damian that cement their chemistry and the reader’s buy-in to their relationship, including some delicious sexual tension, fun flirtation, and hilarious banter. Damian is so sexy in his reserved, stoic, “I’m in charge and I am never wrong except when I am absolutely totally wrong” arrogance, and then he totally lets himself go and melts into this sweet, tender man that had me all in the feels.

The major theme of the novel is the unintended consequences of hiding one’s true feelings due to fear of vulnerability, even from family members. I loved that this theme was explored not only throughout Anya and Damian’s relationship, but in the subplots of Anya’s estrangement from her older sister, Damian and his brother Jeremy’s relationship, and even with the friendship between Anya and her young teenage protegee.

I like the author’s style which is prosy, but in more of a narrative conversational way. There are really poignant moments with beautiful lines, so I found myself annotating quite a bit. Like these:

“He was in love with Anya, or in pain with her. That was it, he was in pain with Anya Marleigh.”

“Without Anya, it would all be pointless. Without her, it always had been pointless. He just hadn’t known it.”

SQUEEEEE.

Tropes: enemies to lovers, inheritance clause, family drama, wicked matriarch

Thank you NetGalley and Avon for the opportunity to read and review this novel. All opinions are my own.

Anya Marleigh is a musician in Queen Charlotte’s court. Despite her half-Indian heritage, she’s respected for her angelic voice and musical talent. She’d been hired by the recently deceased Dowager Countess Budleigh for private singing engagements and thought they had a pleasant business relationship – until she found out that the dowager had willed her the entire Budleigh fortune. The catch is that she must marry by the time she turns 25 – in months. If she doesn’t marry, the fortune will revert to Damian Ashton, the executor of the will.

Although Damian and Anya aren’t similar people and can’t seem to stop arguing, they do have one thing in common: the rest of the Budleigh family hates them. As Anya looks for a husband and finds “accidents” happening to her along the way, both she and Damian realize that she might be in more trouble than they thought. When one of the family members turns into a corpse, she and Damian must both work to keep themselves out of the noose.

I give Unladylike Rules of Attraction four stars. It wasn’t as dynamic as Lila’s story in Unladylike Lessons in Love, but Lila and Anya are ifferent people. Lila is outspoken, whereas Anya is more concerned with the rules of propriety – necessary as she’s employed by the queen’s court. Anya is mild and seems to carry more trauma from the sisters’ upbringing than Lila. I liked Anya’s general demeanor, but anything to do with her finer feelings was skewed, which seemed like a trauma response. She normally seemed logical, but any statement by Damian was twisted to the opposite. It was irritating to read as a Damian sympathizer, but as I kept going, I realized her reactions were guided by her history. I hope that as part of their HEA, Anya and Damian can heal together.

I love a good marriage-as-a-clause-of-a-will trope, mostly because the injustice is real. For everyone involved! The outrage is so understandable, and I am here to support it. I think the last one I read was Scandal’s Bride, part of the Cynster series by Stephanie Laurens. And, the same reaction from me: a total sense of outrage right along with the characters. It’s so much better than them making dumb decisions and me having to ridicule them while reading.

Murray is good at working a mystery into her romances, and while this wasn’t as heavy on the mystery as Unladylike Lessons in Love, it was still good. Both a recent death and one from years ago turn into blackmail, and Anya and Damian must protect themselves. It added a nice amount of tension to an already tense situation, which caused all kinds of angst.

Readers will not be surprised that Anya and Damian get their happily ever after ending. Damian always seemed like a standup guy, and Anya let her past traumas and others’ negative opinions about him influence her probably more than she should’ve. But, he didn’t make a great first impression on her, either. I liked them both as characters in general. They had obstacles to overcome and were pretty normal in how they went about it. I think they’ll have an interesting future together and I hope we get to see more of them throughout the series!

All in all, This was a great addition to the Marleigh Sisters series. I’m very excited for it to continue and grateful to NetGalley for sending me a copy. All opinions in this review are my own and given voluntarily.

3.5 Stars Historical romances present such fun escapism and it's even better when they have a strong female lead and a diverse cast of characters. Unladylike Rules of Attraction by Amita Murray has both and was such a great escape into the world of regency England!

Sitar player and member of Queen Charlotte's court, Anya Marleigh has suddenly come into a fortune left to her by the Dowager Countess Budleigh, one of Anya's elderly clients. Theirs a condition attached to the fortune though--Anya must marry before her next birthday or she forfeits the fortune. The late Dowager's vile family is also vying for control of the money and tensions escalate. Anya is accused of murder and Damian Ashton, the executor of the will, is accused of criminal dealings. Anya must do what she can to keep herself from the gallows and keep herself from her attraction to Damian. He couldn't be interested in her for more than the money, could he?

As I said before, I love historical romances with diverse representation. Anya has Indian ancestry and Damian's family history traces back to an enslaved Jamaican woman. Their voices bring a unique and fresh perspective to historical London and the regency court. There's a lot going on in this story and the pace can feel fast at times to pack in the action. However, the romance and drama are center stage and you won't find either lacking in this novel.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Anya and Damian meet under antagonistic terms when a dowager countess leaves Anya a great fortune that hinges on her marrying someone with Damian’s approval as the trustee to the funds. Anya has a slightly scandalous reputation as the illegitimate daughter of an English lord and current status as a court singer, but she’s resolved to find a convenient husband to fulfill the terms of her inheritance. Except that the late dowager’s family is scheming to get their hands on the funds instead, setting off a load of drama that puts both Anya and Damian at huge amounts of risk. We get to see Anya and Damian start a physical relationship, even though both are wary of any deeper emotional connection. The romance is fairly straightforward here, but the manipulations of external villains are the driver of the story. I was super invested in finding out how they resolve all of these other issues and find their way to safety and security.

I tried and DNFed the first book in the series, but decided to give the author another chance. I’ve concluded that this author’s writing style is not for me. There are so many characters introduced in the first two chapters, I can’t keep up.

4/5. Releases 5/14/24.

Vibes: "must marry or else", vaaaaague guardian/ward sorta kinda?, two people living on the edge of English society, light mystery

Heat Index: 6/10

Court sitar player Anya doesn't expect to inherit much, if anything, when her client dies. But the Dowager Countess Budleigh has left Anya half her fortune--with one condition. She must marry by her twenty-fifth birthday... which is four months away. Otherwise? The money will go to Lord Damian Ashton, the family outsider and now trustee. (Oh--and they think he killed his way to the title.) As Anya begins looking for a husband, Damian is there, initially to irritate and then, when she's accused of murder by the Budleighs, to help. The question is--if they make it out of this, can he bear to see her with someone else?

The second in Amita Murray's Marleigh Sisters series, I found Unladylike Rules of Attraction faster-paced and more exciting than the first installment, which is always lovely. The chemistry between Anya and Damian had me immediately--and though the relationship unfurled a bit more rapidly than I expected, their back and forth remained a treat. As did the very true reality of them both living on the edges of English society, seen as oddities or fetishized due to their races (Anya had a white father and an Indian mother, and Damian's grandmother was a Jamaican Black woman).

So while I do have nitpicks here and there, I have to say that this was an engaging romp with serious insights.

Quick Takes:

--If you enjoy romantic leads that snark, you'll be into this. Damian and Anya are kind of at each other's throats from the jump, but in, like, a fun way. They both find each other annoying, mostly because they want to bone, and I support that. I also really love the marriage plot setup: she's supposed to marry, or he gets everything, so maybe the best thing would be for them to marry each other...? But NO, God NO, that would be AWFUL.

Damian also has a lovely younger brother who enters the scene as a supporting character. He initially thinks that his brother is making a play for Anya, and the "I am quietly seething from across a ballroom" content was great.

--But, as I mentioned earlier, there's a lot of quiet understanding these two have for each other. Anya is seen as an exotic marvel at Queen Charlotte's court... to an extent. There isn't much actual real respect there, because women hate her (and let's be real, are often jealous of her) for who she is and men want to fuck her without offering any legitimacy or respect.

Although Damian didn't have an identical experience to Anya, he's also very much an outsider. I mean, people just assume this guy murdered someone to get a title... basically, let's be real, because he's of Jamaican descent. The novel is covering, basically, a lot of nasty, racist shit. However, it maintains an optimistic, if realistic attitude, and understanding reality doesn't mean that Murray is going to keep her leads from falling in love. It's a tough balancing act, and I think she executed it well.

--That said, these two do move pretty fast. And I'm not someone who loves a slow burn, right? I enjoy reading sex on the page early. It's not that the sex happens so EARLY in this book. It's more that I don't think there was quite enough build up between Damian and Anya. The chemistry was there, but when it began I was pretty surprised.

It's not a huge issue, but if I had to give a critique, that would be my main one.

--One thing I really appreciated was the way Murray dealt with Anya's trauma surrounding her separation from her sisters. She knows where they are, she loves them--but she can't really bring herself to be close to them because of this chasm of years apart. She wants to be! She feels guilty! But that doesn't make her reluctance built on years of separation go away.

--The mystery and murder stuff here is pretty light; there's nothing that's too much to bear here. But I found it entertaining, and I can be a hard sell with mystery, so that's a good sign.

The Sex:

This is an open door romance. It's not super explicit, it's not over the top. There are a few scenes, nothing super wild, and I do think Murray could go into a bit more detail with it. But as it is: if you enjoy a Lorraine Heath level of heat (and I do too, I could always appreciate more though), you'll enjoy these.

Moving along at a clip, Unladylike Rules of Attraction is both romantic and astute. I see it being compared to Bridgerton, and while I get that on paper... First off, this is a lot smarter in general than that show. Second, it's certainly more attentive to the issues of race. If you want something fun and different and very much its own thing, check this out.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I never read the first book I still had such an incredible experience reading this book.
I loved every second of it from start to finish. I didn't feel like I missed much from starting this book first.