I have been reading historical romance and to a lesser degree paranormal and contemporary, for over 50 years. This is the first book I remember that the author brings into the hero and heroine’s developing relationship. The author allows us to join them on their journey to their own happily ever after. And what a wonderful journey it is. Needless to say I loved it !! Bravo Shana.

This review was made possible via an ARC through NetGalley

The King and Vi is a Regency romance where King is the young son of a marquess accused of colluding with the French, leaving King destitute as his status, money, and home are taken from him. Vi is a tavern owner who is furious at King for being involved in destroying her business the night before and heads to his estate when the debtors have begun to take everything, demanding that he pay to fix her tavern. King goes with Vi back to her tavern and grows attached to her two young brothers and Vi herself, giving him a new home and family as well as a new place in life. Woven in with the romance plot is the Ferryman, a gang leader who wants Vi for himself and Vi’s brother, Joshua, trying to free his friend from the Ferryman’s control.

One of the best parts was King being exposed for being terrible at cleaning and Vi being exasperated at him. I enjoyed a lot of their banter, particularly how unafraid Vi is to call King out.

There are historical depictions of disrespect towards the autonomy of women, forced prostitution and the claiming of young girls as well as conversations around forcing young boys into gangs to pay for debts, so readers sensitive to that kind of content should proceed with caution.

I would recommend this to fans of Regency romance looking for an exploration of the darker aspects of the time period.

The King and Vi @shanagalen is the first book in the Misfortunes Favorites and the beginning of an amazing adventure.

A childish prank ...
Three friends cursed...
A witch seeking revenge
Spicy ☕🔥🔥🔥

The Marquess of Kingston or "King" to his peers has discovered his life is about to change, and not for the better.

Violet Baker must repair the damage to her tavern after it was destroyed in a brawl. As it is she's barely surviving while taking care of her family. What will happen when a stranger turns her world upside down?

One decision King made decades ago has turned his world upside down. Is it too late to fix the damage? Who will he be able to trust?

Will Vi let him stay while he tries to fix things?

Both will discover that money can't fix everything, but it will save you from the Ferryman and hopefully keep a roof over your head.

Consequences of King's childhood pranks have caught up to him. Woven with witches and curses the past is now colliding with the present.

The only way to survive is to make amends and make things right. Will he be forgiven, or is it too late?

King never expected was to fall in love. With everything that's happened to him, will he be able to hold onto it before that gets destroyed too?

A whole lot of passion, desire, devotion, love, faith, trust, and redemption in this spicy historical romance.

I can't wait to read the next installment in Shana's new world!

This spicy historical romance is best enjoyed with your favorite iced beverage, a cozy chair, and maybe a fan. Characters comfortably express their desire with kissing and passionate exploration. If you're looking for a medium level of heat this should be a satisfying read.

Thank you Dragonblade Publishing for the advance reader copy for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I laughed so much reading this book. The snarkiness and witty dialog are superbly written. I thought Shana really pulled out the stops in this story. I love her writing and this story was great. I loved that these characters lived in Seven Dials and no punches were pulled. Reading about the lives of the people who lived there, especially through King’s eyes was shall I say “eye opening.” I know, we have read about Seven Dials before but Shana brings it to life. Oh, and don’t forget tissues, you will need them.

I look forward to reading how the three men can reverse the curse. This is a standalone but it has an overarching story that leaves us needing the answer.

An English Regency Romance with a hint of fantasy contrasting the working vs gentry class. The author’s voice, tempo, and descriptions created a concrete stage, imagery, and story. As a novel, it was intense.

Unfortunately, it flopped with the characters. I furrowed my eyebrows and shook my head at the main male character, the Marquess King, so often that it made me fatigued. I had little to no sympathy and didn’t believe he could grow from his selfish nature, nor did he earn a chance with our heroine, Violet.
Sigh, he was just so unlikable that I growled at him. Although I did not relate well to the characters, I would be more than willing to read a future novel by Shana Galen. This one was just not for me.

3.4/5 Stars

This was a sponsored ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

I loved this! It felt like reading a fairytale but better.
I was sucked in by the first chapter. It had such a good set up that I needed to know what happened. The writing flows and immersed me into the story.
The characters were entertaining and fun. I really enjoyed King & Violet’s interactions. They were cute and had plenty of banter. The romance developed at a perfect pace too.
I just loved everything about this!

King lost everything and that’s when he learns that he really gained his life.

I really enjoyed the book. It was an easy read that kept me entertained. King had to learn a few life lessons in order for him to gain his happily ever after. Violet has always been guarded, and does not trust many people easily. Especially one that is entitled.

I truly enjoyed how they learned to be together and find their happily ever after.

I have always loved Shana Galen books. Her Survivors series was consistently well written and enjoyable to read. In her books you get flawed heroes and the strong, intelligent women who love them.

The King and Vi continues in this vein. I loved the character of Violet and her practical no nonsense attitude. Her interactions with her brothers and those she cares about in her Seven Dials community allows her soft spot to emerge. The found family that King adopts after losing everything (title, money, material trappings) empowers him with the ability to evolve from the arrogant, entitled aristo to a real man who can love and be loved.

Good start to a promising series with an interesting premise of redemption and atonement.

Thank you NetGalley and Dragonblade Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest

Oh, I just loved this book by one of my favorite authors. Ms Galen writes a spectacular tale of a curse, lost wealth and a love worth finding. The characters were fully developed with thoughts and feelings of their own. It had me at first chapter and never let go.
When George Oxley Marquis of Kingston was thirteen years old, he and some of his friends played a terrible prank on a supposed witch. They didn't really think what would happened to them in the future. The witch put a curse on each telling them it would makes their lives change for the worse.
Only they thought it can't be true and left it at that .
But when Kingston (King to his friends) tuned thirty, his father was imprisoned for treason. He hadn't really gotten along with his sire. Then his creditors began to descend on his doorstep to get money owned to them. They began taking his things and a woman from a tavern is there too with a bill for a torn up inn. Violet Baker owns the Silver Unicorn where King and associates made a mess and demands her money. So what's a man to do but ask a feisty woman to let him hide at her place and he will work off to recompense her for trouble he caused.
King doesn't really know how to do anything but be a titled lord, but he's willing to try.
Lots of adventure with a gang of men trying to extort Violet, and a man who will do his best to keep her from harm. King has never been in love, but he know it's for real. Violet on the other hand, thinks the man really is above her station and couldn't love her. But fate steps in to make it real for both of them. A happy ever after is the key.
I appreciate Net Galley for this ARC title in which I gave an honest review.

Sparks fly when a curse leads to an unlikely alliance between a down-on-his-luck marquess and a tenacious tavern owner.

This is definitely not the same as all the usual historical romances in which two people from different social stations meet and fall in love. The ending was unexpected, but still highly satisfactory.

King was spoiled through and through and he only thought about himself, even after he lost everything and became involved with Violet and her problems. He was so nonchalant about his world falling apart, it was a bit surreal. I liked that it took time for him to change his views and his ways, and he kept some of his arrogance all the way to the end. He was a charming and likeable character, despite his obvious shortcomings, and he kept his promises to Violet and her brothers.

Violet didn’t fall for his charms initially and she didn’t put up with his nonsense either. She was in a truly dismal situation and King’s presence made things worse. But he also shook up their lives and showed them that it was possible for them to have something better.

The curse was an integral and intriguing part of the story, and I would love to see how it affected King’s two friends. Violet’s brothers were so cute and I just loved them and the roles they played.

I can highly recommend this if you like steamy historical romance with class differences and curses.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Marquess of Kingston – King to his friends – has never wanted for anything. Except maybe the attentions of his father. Instead, he has spent his childhood in boarding school after boarding school, oftentimes getting into as much trouble as a young boy can. On one particular adventure, he’s tasked with stealing a cask of whiskey from an alleged witch. But during his dare, he’s caught and cursed by the witch. King thinks nothing of it…until his thirtieth birthday when his world falls apart.

But in the middle of his downfall, he finds hope in the form of Violet Baker, a tavern owner from the slums of London, and someone he now owes a lot of money to. Since he has fallen from society, the only way to make it up to her is to work for her. But King hasn’t worked a day in his life, let alone manual labor in the worst parts of town. However, as he works beside Violet he finds more to life than just money and societal standing. But will the curse leave him alone and let him find peace? Or will he have to contend with fate herself to save the promise of a new life?

An image of the book cover for The King and Vi

The King and Vi is a fast-paced historical romance. As such, I found it difficult to form any connection with the characters. There were bits and pieces of them that were enjoyable but nothing about them drew me into the story. The plot was intriguing and that’s what kept me reading. It isn’t often that you read a book where the male lead is brought low and must find his way. Too many times we read those Cinderella-esque stories about lowly women falling in love with a prince to have their world changed.

Aside from the characters, there were some issues I had with the timing of things towards the end of the book. It almost felt as if the ending was rushed and the author was simply trying to meet a deadline. Also, the dialogue seemed amateur and disconnected to some of the scenes. It didn’t flow quite right and was a little disconcerting to read. However, it was a light and quick read and if you’re looking for a book to whet your palette, then this would be a perfect choice

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

4.5 Stars
The bored and snobbish George Oxley Marquis of Kingston, King to his friends, doesn’t believe in witches. Granted, he was cursed by a witch when he was thirteen, but King doesn’t believe in curses either. So surely it must be an aftereffect of too much drink and debauchery when, on the eve of his thirtieth birthday, the witch from his youth reappears to watch her curse on him take effect. And, whether King believes it or not, the next morning he’s gone from nobleman to nobody, a man without a title or farthing to his name.
Violet Baker has had enough of entitled aristocrats slumming it in Seven Dials and causing trouble in her family’s tavern. She has two younger brothers to support, and she can’t when her establishment is destroyed by raucous young bucks. The morning after the Marquis of Kingston’s brawling leaves her tavern in ruins, Violet confronts him and demands payment for the damages. He convinces her he’ll pay if she gives him a place to hide from his creditors. Violet needs the money King owes and figures she can put up with anything and anyone for a couple of days. She soon realizes her mistake.
The start of a new series, it was different – a witch putting a curse on three young lords, now it’s time for them to pay. Wonderful characters, fast paced, sizzling chemistry all made for an engrossing, captivating romance. I loved Vi who was one strong woman, determined to make a success of her family’s inn The Silver Unicorn, she has two adorable brother Georgie & Joshua. I must admit I disliked King to begin with who was self-centred, selfish, a bully, arrogant & a wastrel, I wondered if the author could redeem him & to be honest if I wanted him to be redeemed. I loved how the story progressed & developed & read the book in a couple of sittings. I’m looking forward to the next in the series
My review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖 (even though this had a number of elements I’m not usually into, I was really fascinated and so curious what would happen)
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Intimate Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥
Humor: Yes, a bit. This isn’t a lighthearted book, there’s heavy themes. But the humor is woven throughout.
Perspective: This is third person from both the hero and heroine and a few minor chapters from the heroine’s brother, Joshua, who is 13
More character focused or plot focused? plot focused
How did the speed of the story feel? medium to me
When mains are first on page together: 12% in
Cliffhanger: No, this ends with a happily ever after
Epilogue: Yes, 6 months later

Should I read in order?
This is the first of Galen’s Misfortunes Favorites series.

Basic plot:
On his thirtieth birthday, King loses everything. When his creditors come calling, he finds one person there for money from him willing to hide him until he pays her back.

Give this a try if you want:
- Regency – 1814
- London setting – Seven Dials
- heroine is the proprietress of The Silver Unicorn (alehouse)
- riches to rags – hero loses his title
- children in the story – Vi has two younger brothers, 13 and 6 (?)
- curse to overcome
- dare I say ‘ugly duckling’ hero vibes? This hero is a bit self centered and spoiled...perhaps a bit of an idiot – and this book shows his turn around
- villain to overcome
- interesting author notes!
- medium steam – 3 scenes but one is at the very end

Ages:
- Hero is 30, heroine is 21

My thoughts:
The King and Vi starts with a troublemaker hero that desperately wanted attention and ended up being expelled from a number of prep schools. These leads to him eventually going too far in a dare and getting cursed, along with his 2 friends. King loses everything and finds himself facing Vi, whose tavern he assisted in wrecking the night before, demanding her share of his money to right his wrongs. They work out a bit of a bargain where she will house/hide him while he gets his affairs in order.

This leads to some delicious close proximity between King and Vi, and him bonding with her two younger brothers she also cares for. Now King definitely isn’t someone you are really loving in the beginning. He’s a bit lazy, self centered, and doesn’t really think of long term repercussions. And one of my small issues with the story was it was a good 40% before I felt like he started to turn around into someone I didn’t want to kick.

This story really has a lot that is not really my jam in romance. I don’t love children being main characters, and these two get lots of page time and even tend to invade the steamy scenes because they are worried about them having privacy from them (maybe a bit too close to home in my current phase of life haha). It’s also a plot that revolves around a villain character and just isn’t as focused strictly on the characters and their relationship development like I usually prefer.

But maybe it was the curse (I do love magic elements and curses!), but I ended up enjoying so much about this book. I think this is my first by Galen and I definitely want to try some more by her. I enjoyed her writing a lot – the action/suspenseful scenes I was on the edge of my seat to find out what would happen. I loved her humor. I loved the heart she put into her characters! I think she did such a good job turning around King and I thought it ended up being believable.

I’m left quite curious about King’s friends and fellow curse bearers. I will probably pick up the next in the series as well when it comes out this spring.

I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley, all opinions are my own. The King and Vi is the first book in Shana Galen's exciting new series Misfortunes Favourites. To celebrate his 30th birthday George Oxley, Marquess of Kingston known to his friends as King goes out drinking and gets into a fight at a public house called the Silver Unicorn, owned by Violet Baker. The fight cause a lot of damage and Violet goes to King's house to collect repayment for the damage. She arrives to find his household in an uproar, King's father, the Duke has been found guilty of treason and every one King owes money to is trying to collect before the Crown takes it all. Violet is determined to have him pay what he owes even if he has to work it off so she allows him to accompany her back to the Silver Unicorn. This book was really fun to read, witches, curses, evil villains, an exciting battle, adorable orphans and a delightful enemies to lovers story line. Steam Level: Medium Publishing Date: January 24, 2024
Publisher: Dragonblade Publishing. #NetGalley #TheKingAndVi #DragonbladePublishing #HistoricalRomance #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #booktalk #HistoricalRomanceSeries #HistoricalRomannceReader

When a witch curses King and his friends at the age of thirteen, he doesn’t take too much notice. Yet on the eve of turning thirty, the witch reappears to watch her curse take effect, transforming King’s life from the Marquess of Kingston to a nobody, a man without a title or farthing to his name. Suddenly, witches and curses seem very real. The morning after his birthday, he finds himself confronted not only by his creditors but Violet Baker, whose Seven Dials tavern he and his friends destroyed. Vi demands payment for damages but reluctantly agrees to let him stay with them, whilst he finds the funds. When Vi and her brothers find themselves in danger from the neighbourhood gang and its leader, Ferryman, King vows to protect them. Soon, Vi is struggling to resist her feelings for a man she once though snobbish, spoiled and lazy.
A clever reversal of the Cinderella theme with King, down on his luck, realising that money does not bring love. It was delightful to see King grow into a man, worthy of the title, and find love not only from Vi but her two brothers. Vi’s strength and resilience were touching and made her all the more endearing to King. A great start to a series and I look forward to reading about King’s friends and their woes.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Do you believe in witches? Well you might after reading this unique and interesting story that shouldn't be missed. A noble lord plus his two best buddies, were very mischievous during their youth. One of their tricks caused them to impact an old woman who put a curse on them. Years later, King (his name) went from wealth to poverty and from nobility to common. He met Vi, a tavern owner and between the two of them the adventures begin as they try to undo Kings loss of fortune. Great banter, fast moving, cultural differences, humbleness, and lots more. There are two more books in this series which I'm convinced are about his two pals. Looking forward to both of the other books to see how they were impacted.

A very engaging read involving some witchcraft and curses as well as neighborhood protection gang and bullies. He is cursed and just lost everything while she is struggling to get by. On their own, their future look bleak. Together, they are each other’s salvation. From a lackadaisical lord into a responsible hero standing up to a criminal gang, he found his redemption in her and her lovable brothers. Inspiring, steamy, funny, witty, action packed. All around excellent read.

I received an ARC of this entertaining book and leaving my review voluntarily.

King is a Marquess with a curse while Vi is trying to care for her brothers by running a small pub in a terrible neighbor hood. Circumstances throw them together in survival mode while the twists and turns of their lives throw them together. Attraction to each other becomes challenged by their fears.
A different approach to class differences, unexpected interesting storyline

This checked off everything I look for in a book. Was not disappointed. Really enjoyed this book. I will read more from this author. Must read

I am a huge fan of Shana Galen, so I was excited to read this first book in her new series. I'm happy to say that my expectations were exceeded by this fun tale born out of a prank gone horribly wrong.

King, the (former) Marquess of Kingston, and his two best friends - Rory & Henry - run afoul of a witch while at boarding school in Scotland. The witch places a curse on them, saying when they reach the age of 30 they will lose everything they love. The boys, aged 13 at the time, ignore the warning and go on with their lives.

On the day of King's 30 birthday, his father (the Duke) is found guilty of treason, meaning his titles, lands, and those of his heirs, are now forfeit to the Crown, leaving King homeless and penniless. Also that night, King happens to start a tavern brawl, leaving Violet Baker's only home/source of income in shambles. What is a girl to do? Why, make the Marquess pay up - either with coin or manual labor, of course.

The story had elements of one of my favorite films - Overboard, with Goldie Hawn & Kurt Russell - but without the amnesia aspect. It was a joy to see how King learned to accept his new lot, and to care for Vi and her adorable brothers. And what they do to the local thug, Ferryman? Well, that's just fun to imagine.

This was a very enjoyable read, and I look forward to seeing how things play out through the rest of the series as King & the others work to reverse the curse.