Can two damaged people find happiness together? Only if they are willing to let each other in. Mara and Ambrose, Duke and Duchess of Southwick, had a rocky start to their marriage. So rocky, the Duke sent to Duchess to live at their country estate the day after the wedding.

She has had enough. She has an idea to return to London and take a lover, and Ambrose catches wind of her plan. He decides to confront her.

I really liked these two prickly characters. They each have sky high walls around their hearts, and need to do a lot of work to find their way to one another. The book is steamy, and you will find yourself rooting for these two to find their HEA. A fairly quick read, it also ends with a quick tease for a follow up, which is good because Mara’s sister Kitty seems to have a lot going on herself… I’m looking forward to reading her story too!

I have very mixed feelings about this story. On one hand, I really don't like Ambrose. I know he had a tough time but he could have chosen a different path before he met Mara or even right after. On the other hand, I really feel sorry for him. The story itself is a series of current and past thoughts and conversations leading up to the conclusion. There aren't any real villains or mystery in this story, unless you consider two Fathers that are now deceased. All that said, it's a fast paced well written story that will keep you fully engaged and even beyond. The epilogue is cunning so don't miss it.

I enjoyed this book. The story and character interactions kept the book interesting. Both Mara and Ambrose had to overcome childhood abuse to find love.

Do you know when you read a book and at the same time a movie passes through your head? That's exactly what happened to this book. I didn't expect to read it so fast, literally in one sitting. It was a quick read and made me want more. The ending seemed kinda rushed but besides that I really enjoyed it.
I can't wait for the next books in the series! I also wish the book was a bit longer.

5 stars

Really enjoyed this story and great start to a series. Marabelle has been left at Ambrose's country estate. There was one attempt for lovemaking at the start of the marriage that goes wrong. Ambrose packs her off to the country and stays in London. Mara (odd name) enjoys country life but decides because she's lonely that she needs to find someone. She like her sister, Katie was a victim of her father's coersive control and physcial bullying. We learn the reason for Ambrose's coldness in the story. I liked the way the rumour of her planned infidentity winds it's way to London where Ambrose is angry enough to want to be that Lover. I wonder if the second book will be Katherine's tale. I will look out for it eagerly. I would have liked an epilogue to find out how Ambrose and his Duchess got on. I have read other books by this author but this is my favourite.,

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

There was a reason they were drawn to each other but cruel lessons from the past reared their heads and now they are estranged. Only a rumour brought them back together to find their one chance at their own HEA. Main characters are very sympathetic under their masks. Passion and tenderness abounds in this wonderfully enjoyable book.

A duchess with nothing to lose and a duke with everything to gain and so starts a heartfelt journey for Mara and Ambrose discovering their hearts desire and falling in love. A marriage worth saving as long as two passionate people can see what they already have. A great start to a new series.

This is a fast read, full of many features of the "marriage of convenience" trope. It contains some very disturbing themes, neither of which are addressed directly between the couple, but which haunt their relationship. The characters, both main and supporting are drawn fairly well, but the book doesn't explore any of them with much depth.

Overall, this was a decent read. I agree with others that it had a lot of potential to be a lot better though. There were some plot inconsistencies as noted by others. I also think there was much more room for development. She never even tells him about her childhood abuse. They never really express their traumatic backgrounds to one another. It was a great base, but needed to be fleshed out more. There were some steamy scenes, but again, I would have liked to see them more developed. Everything just felt rushed. The writing was solid though. A lot of potential and hopefully, her next novel is a bit longer. It was worth a read though. Thanks to NetGalley for this free copy advanced copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Mara is married two years with Ambrose but she lives alone in his Ducal estate so she decide to take a lover so she oll stop being lonely . When he learns about the gossips he travels to demand an explanation . She accuses him for abandoning her alone and then he tells her that he will give her lessons that will help her gain a lover . Will Mara be able to break the walls around Ambrose heart or is it too late for them ?
I received this book from netgalley and the publicer as an ARC . Thank you . All thoughts and opinions are my own .

Easy to fall in love with Mara and Ambrose. Both were emotionally and physically abused by their fathers thereby finding it difficult to trust each other. Ambrose likes Mara’s unique dress and personality but does find it difficult to acknowledge to her or himself. A floundering marriage and a woman determined to defeat her loneliness by finding a lover makes for unusual situations.
Enjoyable journey.

Lonely and abandoned duchess, Mara, is rumored to be planning on taking a lover this season, much to the anger and dismay of her husband Ambrose. He comes back to the castle where he left her alone to confront her on the issue and finds a stern and outspoken wife instead of the meek and quiet woman he’d known before. We get to see bits of flashbacks to their courtship, knowing that Ambrose purposely sought to marry a woman he would not love so that he can stay in control of his placid emotions. But of course, he’s been in love with her this whole time without realizing it and he’s intensely jealous of the idea that she might take another lover. Both of these people are unwilling to risk their own emotions due to past trauma and heartache, but it’s clear that they actually just want each other and not anyone else.

Alright SO. This is the first book I have read by Jillia Eaton, who seems to have quite an extensive back catalogue.

I got off on the wrong foot with the first scene. Some details were off - for example, there's a scene where two women are gossiping at a dressmakers - and one of the women, who we discover is unmarried is referred to as 'Lady Topple'. This is not how unmarried women would be referred to - it would be 'Lady Susan' or 'Lady Amelia' etc.

So, that irked me.

Moving on - the premise of the book is that Mara, the Duchess in question, has grown tired of being parked at the country estate of the Duke she married (Ambrose) in good faith, a year and a half ago. She's decided to go to London and find some companionship. Through a well meaning housekeeper, the whole of London finds this out, including said Duke.

He's all very damaged because his parents weren't very nice to him, so had decided to keep his wife at arm's length, but this revelation rather convinces him to rethink.

Once it gets going, it's a fun read. I'm interested to hear about Mara's sister in what I suspect will be the second book in this series.

Received an ARC from Netgalley.

This is the first book I've read from the author, and it's quite a nice one! I find myself looking forward to the next in the series. The characters feel real and the romance scenes were just right in terms of their tension. That being said, I think what's stopping it from being a five star read is that there wasn't enough groveling--and the MMC definitely needed to grovel. There were also themes of them both being victims of emotional + physical abuse from their fathers, yet there wasn't any real follow up? It just wasn't explored enough and almost seemingly is used as a vehicle for why they were both estranged. It also just wasn't addressed aside from the FMC coming to understand this--but did the MMC? There just wasn't enough development on that part.

While I'm typing and thinking more about these issues, my four star read became a 3.5 that I rounded down.

When I saw the cover, and then the title, it was a no-brainer for me. Instant gratification for my regency romance addiction. I devoured this story, enjoying every second of the experience, sighing with satisfaction as I turned the final page.

I loved the premise and how it was executed! I’m not normally a fan of books with estranged wives and husbands but I thought it was framed very well! I wish it would have gone a bit deeper though with them talking about their childhoods with each other and how her father killed her mother. I think it felt a bit off without those deeper conversations. In the first spicy bit he tells her that was her first orgasm and she even seemed confused by her first orgasm, but in flashbacks it shows that she has had two others before. It was the other inconsistency I noticed.

I also think the word “quim” was used too much in the book. If I took a shot every time it was said, I would be dead.

That to say, I loved the pacing, how the duke came to her. However, I think it could have been drawn out a little more. Make the duke jealous by actually considering prospects for affairs, talk about their horrible childhoods with each other, do some cute dates, tell her why he was so cold right after the wedding and changed personalities. It’s a great story but I think it needs to be fleshed out more.

A light, quick read with a sweet storyline but also 🔥🌶 scenes.

Mara decides she is going to travel to London for the season to take a lover, but she is still very naive and has not really considered what this will entail.

Her husband, the Duke, Ambrose, hears of her plan and is furious and jealous. In his head, she belongs to him and he plans to make that known to her... only when he returns to his Duchess, he finds that she is not the same shy and submissive wife that he left behind.

This book was fun and had a lot of passion/spicy scenes.

TW: mention of harm caused to an animal and one scene where a character defends themselves from an animal attack.

4/5⭐

Thank you to Netgalley, Dragonblade Publishing and the author for the review copy, provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

Scandal, Doubts, Shocking Behavior:
Many mistakes take Ambrose and Mara who are two intriguing characters through a turbulent romance with a frighting yet rewarding happy ever after ending.
This story has much anguish, shocking behaviors, steamy lessons that had the pages smoldering, and a very scary ending that certainly was a turning point in the gripping story. 
I truly enjoyed the entire story with its many moments of passion, terrific arguments, overcoming their childhood horrors, and more.
My first time reading anything by this author, and I am looking forward to reading more from her. She took a short story and packed it full of everything I look for in a romance book.
✔Mature Advisory:🧯🧯🧯

Mara had a disastrous wedding night and she was left isolated at her husband's country estate. She decides that she will travel to London for the Season and take a lover. Her husband, Ambrose, hears the rumors and is shocked. He decides that he'll be the one to make her feel passion.

I love how Mara grows and gains confidence. I like how Ambrose has to earn her love. Terrific plot. Terrific historical romance.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

Very interesting storyline. A hero and heroine that are determined to misunderstand each other and not communicate. Agnes was interesting. I can see how the author made her more demensional than just a spoiled and entitled brat. The hero I can like more. His little bursts of anger and tirades are getting very old very fast.
Overall, this was a fun read and I am amazed at how much character development and plot the author was able to squeeze in with
166 pages.
Looking forward to Kitty's story:)