My Fair Katie

A Duke with a serious gambling problem and a curse over his head and his enemy’s daughter whose father is ashamed of her and doesn’t care about her at all, meet and thru many ups and downs fall in love.
I fell in love with these characters. I was totally invested in their lives. They came alive for me Shana did a great job with the plot, characters, their relationship and the resolution. Everything about it was believable. I enjoyed it immensely. Well done, Shana

This multifaceted novel lifts the veil on the nature of addiction, holding grudges and living with disfigurement, making one realize that nothing has changed over the years. Lady Katherine's father is ashamed of her birthmark and deals with her harshly, but despite having lost the one thing that brought her joy, Katie finds ways in which to compensate and instead of bowing under pressure she becomes a strong and courageous woman. Henry, Duke of Carlisle, however, is almost destroyed when he loses everything he has at the turn of the cards. It takes his mother's stern reprimand and Katie's resilience to pull him out of his despair. Unfortunately, dealing with Katie's father is another matter altogether as the man cannot be appeased nor will he see reason. As Henry discovers, anything is possible with the love of a good woman at his side. This book is part of a series and the matter of a curse still has to be resolved, although things do look promising. Henry and Katie's story, nevertheless, does come to a very happy conclusion. I received a copy of this romance as a gift through Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

Henry has lost everything because of his gambling addiction. He retreats to his mother’s home in the country to regroup and that is where he meets Katie. They couldn’t be more different, but they find themselves drawn to one another. She is basically a prisoner in her father’s house. He has hurt so many people with his gambling. Can these two people find happiness together?

I didn’t like the beginning. Henry isn’t likable. His gambling and his losses at the gambling table annoyed me because I have read book one in the series, and I understand how serious these events will be. The author did a good job giving Henry a major growth curve. When he finds out why the “bad guy” hates him, Henry develops a plan to solve that issue. I actually really liked Henry by the end. Katie has a sad backstory. Her father is absolutely awful to her. I think the author made a good choice letting Katie learn her own strength. She needs that strength to be with Henry long term. I like that the author had both characters learn how to be responsible adults together. There are some good side characters that help the story to move forward. I even like the “bad guy” and think that he helped to move the overall series forward.

My one issue with the story is that I can’t picture the characters or settings. The story itself left an impression but the only description that stuck with me is Katie’s birth defect. That’s unusual for this author but I’m not sure it makes much difference for the overall series.

This story is an historical romance set in England and Scotland. While both characters are grown adults neither starts the story with any job or view toward the future. This story focuses on the two of them finding their purposes. This is book 2 of a series and you should read this series in order. I will read more from this author in the future.

Henry, the Duke of Carlyle is a deeply flawed man, his addiction to gambling has caused him to lose everything to Lady Katherine’s father. Katie’s flaw is a large port stained birthmark on her face. Together, they face their flaws and build a life together.

This was another enjoyable read from this author. I love the trope of the non-conventionally 'attractive' person finding the one person who sees beyond to the beauty inside.

In this case, it is Lady Katherine Malfort - who was born with a strawberry birthmark on her face - who learns her worth and gains confidence from meeting and befriending Henry Lewis, the Duke of Carlisle. Henry never once shrinks away from Kate, and helps her see that she IS beautiful and worthy of love.

I enjoyed the story, especially the continuation of the over-arching plot involving the witch's curse - and can't wait for the final book to see how it is all resolved.

Henry the Duke of Carlisle has one love and that is the gambling . When he turns 30 he has lost all of his family's estates and money and now lost the last house they owned . He tried to win them but he lost them at a game against the Marquess of Shrewsbury . The Marquess has his own daugher Katie living at Henry's estate because she is artist and tried to escape to Paris to leanr from a famous painter . Katie was born with a birthmark in her face and her face and her father has always kept her hidden . Now that she is in country and met with the Duke's mother she is helping her with her new tenants who need their help . When they meet she show him no respect and call him out about his behavior . He is the only man who doesn't look at her like she is cursed . When he learns that her father is holding a vendetta against him he is trying to find the truth about what happen years ago so he asks her help . Spending each night together in the library brings them together and she falls for him . Will he be able to resist his passion for wager or his love for Katie will win ?
I received this book from netgalley and the publicer as an ARC . Thank you . All thoughts and opinions are my own .

This was truly a beautiful book, the second of an equally beautiful series that features flawed male characters who struggle to change their ways and are helped by strong, but also vulnerable women. I laughed quite a lot this time, but I was also touched by Katie and Henry's story and I think Galen did a magnificent job at portraying a pathological gambler.
I loved the side characters, especially Henry's mother and the deaf (?) butler. The writing is superb as always. I really can’t wait to read the last book and finally see all three friends reunited.

I’m a huge Shana Galen, and this book did not disappoint!! Good story, good character’s and good dialogue. Storyline flowed and I couldn’t put the book down. A must read!

Two disillusioned people, who are supposed to be enemies, find love amidst a curse in this delightful romance.

Henry and Katie were both captivating characters. From the start, Henry saw her for the brilliant person she was, underneath the birthmark that she was taught to be ashamed of. Katie kept her promise of standing by Henry and never leaving him to fight his demons on his own. It was amusing and charming to see Henry trying to make sense of the curse and the witch.

Henry’s gambling addiction was portrayed extremely well. We could clearly see and understand his obsession and how strong a hold it had on him, the push and pull between his compulsion and his conscience. It ruled his thoughts, until he discovered the wildfire of attraction burning between him and Katie. If they weren’t kissing each other, they were thinking of kissing each other. The story never implied that Henry’s addiction was miraculously solved, but that it would be possible for him to manage it in the future with help.

There was a spot in the middle that slowed down somewhat, but overall the pacing was just right. I cannot wait to read Rory’s story and see how the curse situation gets resolved. If you like steamy historical romance with down-on-their-luck characters, then this is the series for you.

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

She's great, he's a mess...

Henry is very hard to like, in fact, he's easy to dislike.
He has a gambling addiction, (I can't blame this on a curse). He gambles away his home and has to live with his mother in the country at 30! Henry has ignored his responsibilities and let his tenants and estates languish, while he's off gambling. Yuck!

Katie is lovely. She has been hidden away due to a large birthmark on her face. Her father is the one who Henry lost to while gambling. She's artistic and young and is the one who wants Henry to do better by his tenants. Henry, meanwhile, wants to use Katie to help himself.

I really enjoyed reading this book by one of my favorite authors. Ms Galen writes a spectacular, funny and awe inspiring romance. It had me at the first and never let go. Even though this is part of a series, it can be read as a stand alone. The characters were fully developed with thoughts and feelings of their own.
Henry Lewis, the Duke of Carlisle has a gambling problem. He has always bet on anything that entices him to want more and more. Now he's hoping to win again in a game with the Marquis of Shrewsbury. But when Carlisle looses to the man, he now is penniless and without a home. It is sort of revenge of Shrewbury's part because he hates the Duke.
Now poor Henry has to leave his townhouse and retreat to the country. His mother lives in the Dower house (Since his estate now is owned by Shrewsbury) and he has no where else to go.
Lady Katherine Malfort is now living in Henry's estate because her father banished her there. She loves to paint and wanted to go to Paris to study, but parent was against it. He is a harsh man and treats his daughter without any feeling.
When Katie and Henry meet sparks fly. He sees her face (which has a birthmark) and is smitten.
She thinks he's just trying to get on her good side. I think there is a slow burn to their romance which had me rooting for a happy ever after. Katie shows Henry that she will be his anchor when he gets overcome with the need to gamble. Henry will show Katie that her love keeps him from going back to the way he was. Cheers to Ms Galen and can't wait til the next one comes out.
I appreciate Net Galley for this ARC title in which I gave an honest review.

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Intimate Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑 (Some are average, some are on the shorter side)
Steam Scale (Number of Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥🔥 (being a bit generous because one is short)
Humor: A bit
Perspective: Third person from both the heroine and hero
More character focused or plot focused? character
How did the speed of the story feel? medium
When mains are first on page together: It takes a little bit, about 14%
Cliffhanger: No, their relationship ends on a happy for now (and marriage) but a few plot things with the curse are unresolved (just like book 1, I’m sure the ending curse breaking will be in the final book)
Epilogue: No, but the ending has a bit of a wrap up.

Should I read in order?
I think it might be better in order because you’ll get the full prologue with the boy’s backstory and how the curse happens. This story also mentions King a bit and his dire straights, which you’ll understand if you read book 1. If you decide to read out of order, you get a brief recap though so you shouldn’t be confused. But you will miss out on a lot of the suspense and danger of the way the curse feels...

Basic plot:
Kate is basically a prisoner in her new country home her father won in a bet. But she wasn’t aware the prior owner (and duke) is now homeless and living with his mother in the dower house.

Give this a try if you want:
- Historical – I couldn’t peg the date?
- rival families – the two families wronged each other long ago during the French revolution
- heroine has a large birthmark on her face that she is self conscious about and her father has hidden her away from society
- artist heroine – heroine is a painter but has been forbidden to paint by her father
- bit of a size difference – heroine is 5 ½ ‘ tall and hero is 6’
- one horse
- bit of enemies to lovers – heroine thinks the hero has not been a good caretaker of his home and tenants and doesn’t like him
- medium steam – 3-4 scenes but some might be on the short side

Ages:
- Heroine is 21, hero is 30

My thoughts:
I * mostly * loved this story! I enjoyed so much about book 1 of this series, and was curious how the curse would play out so I was eager to pick this one up.

This had so much to love in it. I loved the country setting and the close proximity of Henry and Katie. I loved the push back Katie gave Henry and how she pushed him to be a better version of himself. Henry’s mother is a side character here and I adored time with her too!

Henry is a hard man to love, but very real and raw. He has lost everything due to his gambling addiction. And it was hard to read in some instances. I struggled a bit with Henry having a break down so late in the story – but I do think this shows the realness of addiction problems, the constant pull and battle to overcome. And in romance we see a lot of curing impossible odds with love and I’m sure that can get tiring in regards to representation.

I adored Katie. She has been kept hidden by her father due to her large birthmark on her face and is self conscious about being uncovered. Henry’s mother’s influence on Katie was lovely and she was the motherly figure Katie needed.

I was left needing a bit more of a solid epilogue, but I am hoping that comes with the series end.

While this is the second book in the series, it can be read as a standalone. Henry is a Duke with a serious gambling problem. He has already lost his country home to the Marquess of shrewsbury, For some reason, the Marquess is out to ruin Henry due to an old grudge between his father and himself. Henry is also under the spell of a witch who has cursed him and his two friends for a prank they pulled when thirteen. He is turning thirty and about to lose everything due to the curse.
Katherine is the Marquess’ daughter and she has been banished to Carlyle Hall after planning to travel to France to paint. Katherine has been kept away from society as she has a port wine birthmark on her face. Her father has treated her poorly.
Katherine and Henry meet and their story is fun and triumphant as they find their HEA!

Shana Galen brings in a new era of Regency fairy-tale romance in her series, Misfortunes Favorites, and especially My Fair Katie.

Lady Katherine, daughter of the Marquess of Shrewsbury, has a pretty bad problem. One that's made her wear a veil her whole life, in fact. She has a large birthmark on her face many in Society call the devil's mark.
Superstitious, right?
When Lady Katherine, tired of living life in its shadows, tries to pursue her passion of becoming a Parisian artist, her father's realization of her actions and his swift retribution ends with her being banished to a country estate her father won in a game of cards, with only the peeling wallpapers, an old lady's maid, and a vivacious dowager as company.
Until the dowager's "idiot son" comes home.
Cue Lord Henry, the man who lost said estate in a game of cards, which he then followed by losing his townhouse in a game of ving-et-tun. To the Marquess of Shrewsbury.
Forced to retreat to his mother's home, right beside the estate he lost, he meets the fiery Lady Katherine, who, of course, wants nothing to do with him.
If only he could stop thinking of her...
And if only Katie could rid her mind of Henry's biting wit- and scorching kisses.
Yet what happens when a game of cat and mouse begins, between a vindictive marquess and a lord with an addiction?
Because there is only one thing between them.
Lady Katherine.
And everyone knows when the cat and mouse begin to play, you better get out of their way.

Shana Galen has always been one of my favorite romance authors, but I felt quite let down in this one. It began brilliantly when we were introduced to Henry, a lord with a gambling addiction. The portrayal of it throughout the book was really well done, and I could see it as his addiction rather than some weak pass of it. He's struggling to break this habit, yet he fully realizes how bad he's got it when he loses his home to the Marquess in a card game. I adored the dowager, yet I also pitied her. She could have truly been an incredible character, yet she was shallow, almost like she'd been created simply for comic amusement. Yet, despite this, her sarcasm and biting wit made me like her all the more. Katherine's passion made me think of my own- I love doing henna, which is basically painting designs on people's bodies as decorations- and made me wonder how far I would have gone to learn it if my father had tried to ban me from it. The premise was strong, with a villain, two likable heroes with problems, and a comic character besides. What went wrong?
Honestly, I'm not sure.
Shana began to loosen the plot around the middle, wandering from the main problem of "why is the marquess gunning for Henry?" to mainly just scenes of them making out. The tenants were nearly forgotten, and the dowager's role became limited to an excuse for them to meet up to make out.
The rest of the book was basically just excuses to make out.
It's a pet peeve of mine in historical romances when the heroine falls first and then tells the hero that.
"I'm in love with you!"
"Uhhh.....great, thanks. Want a ratafia?"
[BTW, this did not happen in the book, this is me just exaggerating what I hate about that]
I mean, it seems so ridiculous when the hero begins speculating. Henry began weighing his decisions on Katie's love, and not in a good way. He debated continuing to meet with her, though she loved him, knowing he didn't feel the same.
Can I get a huge no, please?
And the discovery of why Shrewsbury hated Henry didn't make sense. And why would all of this information be in that specific random library book? The rest of the story is revealed to us in a convenient rant by Shrewsbury, who then conveniently gives up Katie to Henry, and then conveniently vanishes from the book.
Come on.
The ending was....disappointing, to say the least. I didn't expect Henry to completely recover from his addiction overnight, obviously, but I expected him to be putting in some effort. He lied, schemed, and tricked his wife, Katie, so he could get to a card table. And then orders her to leave instead of owning up to his actions. When she came into the tavern where he was playing cards, she was relieved to see he didn't have some woman with him. Let me say, right now, if any girl has to worry about her husband being with someone else while they're married, they shouldn't stay married. Henry became passive at the end, expecting Katie to try and solve all their problems while doing the minimum to pass as a hero. While Shana's endings are usually satisfying and wrap up the book well, this one left a lot of loose threads hanging about and didn't give me any real closure.

While I'll say this book was definitely not my favorite by Shana, [Third Son's a Charm will always have that honor] this one was decent, and a good quick read for fans of Sabrina Jeffries and Tessa Dare.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an e-ARC of this book, and this was my honest review.

I’m becoming a huge fan of this series. I love the cursed MMC and the heroine that helps him see the error of his ways. It feels like a cozy historical romantasy combo.

My Fair Katie deals with rake #2 in the friend group. He gambles his family home away and meets Katie when he goes to tell his mother. Katie is his mother’s companion. Katie is not afraid to speak her mind and I loved that about her. She was a tough cookie!

These two had the best banter. Their chemistry was off the charts. I really enjoyed the romance here, perhaps more than book one’s!

A delightful read that historical romance readers are gonna love!

I've been looking forward to this book ever since I finished King's book (The King and Vi), and this book did not disappoint!

This book deals with daddy issues, witches, facial birthmarks, gambling addiction... and so many other things as well.

Our hero Henry is a bit of a hot mess. He's got a pretty major gambling problem and has pretty much lost everything. Henry ends up seeking help from the daughter of the man who took everything from Henry.

Katie has a facial birthmark. As a result, her father has kept her hidden away from the world. When he sends her off to rot on the estate he won from Henry, she starts to discover that her birthmark doesn't have to be hidden from the world.

There is a meddling dowager duchess that gave me life! I loved her. She was plotting to get Henry and Katie together from the jump and wasn't afraid to put her thoughts out there.

I loved watching both of these characters grow, and you could truly see that they were better together. They made each other stronger.

Rory's book is up next, and I can't wait to read it. He certainly has the most tragic backstory of the three. I also can't wait to see how the witchy issue gets resolved.

I received an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Cursed and cursed again! Henry, a duke, loses his country estate in a gamble. Foolishly, he then loses his town house as well. Being one of the three boys in the series that were cursed by a witch during their youth, this covers Henry's bad luck. Except Henry likes to gamble and has a gambling addiction. While I like Henry, I really hated the gambling. Then we have Katie, She is hidden away by her horrible father until she meets Henry.

Overall, it's an interesting plot and story with very colorful characters. I like this author's writing style and her ability to banter in the stories. Can't wait to read the last book in the series as it should tie up all the outstanding questions and complications.

My recommendation is to read the first book if you haven't yet, as these two books are running simultaneously at the same time and with add to your overall enjoyment.

Henry Lewis, the Duke of Carlisle, has lost all that he loves when he pays a game of cards with the devious Marquess of Shrewsbury. It is at this game that he realises that the curse by a witch at the age of thirteen has come to fruition and that at age 30, he is doomed. Shrewsbury is a man who in his determination to ruin the Carlisle family, has left Heny penniless and in need of a home. So he returns to the dowager house, and finds that Shrewsbury’s daughter, Katherine Malfort lives in his home. Born with a birthmark on her face, her father has sent her to Carlisle Hall, in order to hid her from society. Yet Katie finds comfort in her friendship with the Duchess of Carlisle but is determined that she hates the duke for his neglect of his tenants. Henry is determined to uncover the reasons for Shrewsbury’s hatred and enlists Katie’s assistance in unravelling the mystery. As they spend time together, their feelings for each other begin to grow.
Both Henry and Katie are such delightful characters. Despite Henry’s weakness for cards, he sees only the good in Katie and defends her against anyone who dares slight her. Katie is strong-minded and loves Henry almost from the start. It was so sweet to see their relationship blossom and for Henry to gain strength from Katie, whilst she gained confidence from his true regard of her. A wonderful addition to a fascinating series. I can’t wait for the last book in this series.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Unlikeable character Carlisle, a gambler and difficult man after he believes he was curse by a witch.
Katie is a devoted woman who will stand by him through all his rough times.
Second book in a series of three men facing adverse circumstances.
Unique storyline and will be interesting to read the next book.

Carlisle has been a gambler most of his life. He lost everything he ever loved but that is when he finds his true love. Katherine has always been neglected by her father. She has been sent to the country to live. She meets and falls in love with Carlisle whom is her family’s archenemy. They learn to give past misdeeds and help each other through each of their own pain.
I really loved the story and HEA. I can’t wait for the next installment.