I really don't remember much about this book, but I do know that it was really hard for me to get into. I think maybe I glazed over a lot while reading, it just wasn't for me.

I really enjoy this surprisingly delightful series with revolving characters who stay at the Grand Palace on the Thames, a rooming house which requires the guests to spend time together at dinner and in the evening. Some of the most amusing parts of the novels in this series are the discussions that the disparate group of people who are staying there get into. The guests always include members of a couple fated to find love while they’re there.

The couple in this novel are a couple who have been estranged since their wedding day. Colonel Magnus Brightwall is one of the most respected men in England for his service during the Napoleonic Wars. It’s a unbelievable that someone could grow from being a mistreated foundling baby into a wealthy, respected military man about to be made an earl, but just go with it. He has been in love with his wife, Alexandra, since he first saw her. But he feels that she betrayed him and so they’ve been estranged for five years and now he’s planning to send her off to New York. How or why he happens to own an estate in New York when England just finished a war with the U.S. is never explained, but just go with it.

Alexandra is a delightful heroine. She is kind and charming and is willing to stand up for herself even when in an uncomfortable situation. I really liked her, much more than I like many heroines. It is believable that the taciturn Magnus would have fallen for her.

Suspend disbelief and have some fun with this novel.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

A heart-wrenching story of a marriage in trouble… or rather, one that was heartbreakingly over before it truly began. Or was it?

Magnus began life as an orphan, an infant in a potato sack left on the doorstep of a wealthy household. He was taken in and raised as a servant, doing slop work. Ridiculed, called ugly, a beast, he felt worthless. Had no idea what it felt like to be loved but yearned for love and belonging.

He was taught to shoot, read and write by the master of the household, and after winning a shooting competition at the age of 16, he promptly bought himself a commission with the prize money, joined the military, and worked tirelessly to became a revered, feared, respected colonel and ultimately a national hero for saving the life of a general on the battlefield. But he never, ever, lost the deep-seated need to be loved, wanted, and not just tolerated.

He met Alexandra, the intelligent, kind-hearted, charming and very beautiful daughter of Lord Bellamy, at a house party thrown by her father. It was love at first sight for Magnus, a desire and yearning so powerful he, being aware of the family’s financial issues, impetuously struck a deal to marry her in exchange for making her father solvent again. He basically gave her no choice, strategically maneuvering to get what he wanted.

One innocent, foolish, impulsive act by Alexandra on the evening after they married, witnessed by Magnus, destroyed him emotionally and he left the following day for a five year diplomatic stint in Spain, leaving his heartbroken wife, and his heart, behind.

The book opens upon his return to England, where he is unwavering in his intent to put plans into motion to banish Alexandra to his estate in America, hopefully closing the door forever on his heartbreak.

Sharing a suite at The Grand Palace on The Thames while his (her) home was being sold brought them in proximity. And their agreed upon mission to briefly play the happily married couple so he could be assured of receiving the courtesy title of Earl which was being considered by the king, saw them sharing meals, attending balls, going to late night donkey races with Mr Delacorte (hilarious), and slowly, truly getting to know one another for the first time.

Their physical relationship (the marriage had been unconsummated to this point) was raw and intense, imbued with yearning, connection, wonder, and the joy of discovery. This connection slowly laid waste to their pride, their past hurts, and simultaneously made them feel safer, and more vulnerable. Such beautifully written, complex emotions.

There were large parts of this book that crossed the line from very angsty to “damn, this is breaking my heart” territory. This wasn’t quite the reading experience I was looking for but no way can I deduct any stars because the author has proven, once again, that she is absolutely brilliant in her ability to Make. Me. Feel. I felt every angsty, heart-wrenching emotion both MCs felt, and more than reading a story, I felt I was experiencing the story. This was definitely not the comfort read I’ve come to expect from the series but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

The further I got into the story, when it became crystal clear that although they very much belonged together, and would make such a fabulous team, of husband and wife, friends, lovers, but were both seemingly still set on the plan of parting permanently, I kept thinking oh, one of you pleaseeee swallow your stubborn pride and lay your heart on the line or you will live a lifetime filled with regret for turning your back on the best thing that will ever happen to you.

“Finally, she laid her head back down on his chest. She listened to the precious, steady thump, thump, thump of his battered, stubborn, vulnerable, flawed, foolish heart.

Her own foolish heart beat in time with his now.”

And damn if the letter he left for her near the end of the book didn’t make me cry. I can’t remember the last time that happened. I can’t remember ever reading a love letter such as his. And yes, I read it several times over, and cried every time.

What a treasure – a story that can do *that* to you.

I love JAL. Truly I do. And almost every book in this series has hit me right in the emotions. And even the one or two that weren’t a series fav were still really delightful, beautiful reads.

But something about this one felt more contrived when it came down to the conflict. I understood (and respected!) that our FMC felt trapped by marriage she didn’t have a choice in. But what she does after the wedding which ultimately causes our big rift and the years long separation between our MCs felt….sort of silly. Or too silly and juvenile to cause such a degree of separation between the main characters. I didn’t fault her for what she did. It just caused the rest of the angst and drama between her and her husband for the rest of the book to feel contrived.

Sadly, my least favorite in the series. JAL is still and will forever be a favorite, one click author for me. But this one just missed the mark for me.

This series continues to be so much fun! The Grand Palace on the Thames is such a good setting for some really funny, heartwarming storylines.

Magnus and Alexandra are a well matched couple, but I can’t say this was my favorite story in the series because all of their issues could have been solved with one conversation. They both bury their feelings too much, and some honesty would have cut the book’s length in half. Still, when they finally do start spending time together, their chemistry is really lovely to witness. I liked see tough Magnus be softer and genial Alexandra stand up for him and others. Overall, still a really fun book.

And I will def still read the next one because I need to know what finally happens with Dot and Ben Pike.

Alexandra and Magnus have been estranged the entire five years of their marriage but reconnect when Magnus is back in England and needs to spring Alexandra out of jail. He insists that they make some strategic public appearances to maintain their reputations and then separate permanently. We slowly learn about how they came to be married in the first place and what caused their estrangement, but these two are essentially strangers to each other. I enjoyed seeing these two get to know each other in the present and realize that they have a simmering attraction to each other. The setting of our favorite boarding house also provided moments of levity and humor to balance the heartbreak and angst of our main couple. Another great book in this series.

Thank you NetGalley, Avon Books, and Harper Voyager for an ARC of this book! All opinions are my own.

I’ll admit that I read this book based on the title and cover alone.

What can I say?! I’m a sucker for a historical romance with the title “beast” in it.

If I went off the synopsis of the book I probably wouldn’t have picked it up, as this features a couple of tropes (second chance romance, and slow burn) that I’m not usually a fan of..

BUT - I actually loved them in here. Why? Because the second chance between Magnus and Alexandra made sense. There was no miscommunication, or drama drummed up just for the sake of it. There was just perfectly written, complex, emotions put into a thoughtful plot to give the reader a perfect slow burn with tons of electric chemistry, and character growth leading up to the steam.

I will say that this is the 8th book in The Palace of Rogues series. You usually don’t have to read every book in this type of historical romance series (since each focuses on an individual couple) but as someone who hasn’t read the previous books, I did feel like I was missing out. We got POVs from previous couples, and since I wasn’t attached to them it really took me out of the story, and I felt myself itching to get back to Magnus and Alexandra. You can absolutely read this without committing to the 7 previous books and understand what’s going on… just know going in those segments featuring the previous cast of characters may be a bit tedious.

PUB DATE: October 22, 2024

Rating: 3.75 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

SUGGESTED SNACK PAIRING: scones and coffee

Triggers: abandonment, sexual content, brief mentions of war, brief mentions of imprisonment

This is the first book in this series that read like any of it was starting to feel a little phoned-in to me, possibly because I'm not as huge a fan of the beauty and the beast trope as others, but the Palace of Rogues is still hands-down the best currently running historical romance series out there and one of my overall favorites of all time (like up there with Desperate Duchesses and the Bedwyns and honestly higher on the overall list than either Pennyroyal Green or Bridgerton). I am also living for Dot and Pike and while I understand why those two probably can't have their own book, I really want more of their story! So getting more developments with them in this installment was great and I can't wait for the next book.

I love a marriage in peril/ desperate pining story.
A young woman, who is to be married off to a man she barely knows. Finds herself in an untenable situation that ruins the marriage before it starts.
They apart for 5 years and then must make nice for him to be made an Earl.
The writing is spectacular and I loved watching Ching these two figure things out.

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of "The Beast Takes a Bride" by Julie Anne Long in exchange for an honest review.

Long ago, after a brief acquaintance, Colonel Magnus Brightwell asked for and was given permission to marry Alexandra Bellamy. Alexandra, who whose affections were otherwise and hopelessly engaged, accepted because the offer would bail her family out of financial trouble. The night of their wedding, she made a mistake, one that would haunt and potentially doom the marriage. It resulted in a long separation between husband and wife.

Five years later, Magnus needs to repair his reputation among the Ton. Unfortunately, when he returns to London, he discovers that a very unfortunate misunderstanding has actually landed his estranged wife in prison. This setback not withstanding, he bails her out and informs her that she'll help him with his reputation problem. Then she's going off to live in the Americas and they'll never see each other again. Alexandra, for her part, isn't exactly thrilled with the plan but her lingering sense of guilt compels her to agree.

For various reasons, they end up staying at the Grand Palace on the Thames, wherein we are reunited with our favorite cast of innkeepers and guests. A new, stodgy guest disrupts the flow of mild conversational scandal. Dot continues to fight/pine for her footman nemesis. Delacorte brings guests to his beloved donkey races and it's one of the best parts of the whole novel.

As for the central pair, it seems like a difficult setup to overcome. Both of them have made mistakes. But the magic of Julie Ann Long is that she can take characters, flawed and fragile, and make them astoundingly relatable. Noble even. So, although there are times that Magnus could be called a jerk, it all arrives at a satisfying conclusion. As always.

It's a great read. Long's novels always are. Recommended for readers who enjoy a smitten, though stoic hero and anybody who wishes the Grand Palace on the Thames was a real place.

This book is part of a series, with such a fun cast of characters that you will want to read every single one of them. But you do not need to have read all of the series to understand this book. I loved the relationship of Alexandra and Magnus. They got off to a rocky start, but they’re happily ever after in the end. Almost brought a tear to my eye.

There were some parts that I did think needed to be flushed out a little bit more primarily Magnus and his time away if you know you know, but I loved how faithful and caring they were to each other all the while.

The grand Palace on the Thames is such a great place that I wish it was real and that I could stay there. The conversations that happen in the drawing room were my favorite part but sometimes they did take away from the main character relationships. I know that the other characters were prominent in previous books, so it is fun to see where they have ended up but they had their time I now care about Alexandra and Magnus.

🌶️ Spice Meter 🌶️ : 3 out of 5 Peppers

Final Thoughts: You should totally read this if you like a historical romance with some spice but mainly love a whole cast of kooky characters like in Gilmore Girls

Disclaimer: Thank you Netgalley and Avon for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Admittedly, Beauty and the Beast is my favorite story so I was really excited for this one. I enjoyed it a lot! Love the Grand Palace but so nice to see these characters interact outside of it and with others.

I completely understood Alexandra’s position and how she felt. I did find Magnus to be a bit … petty? I know he’s a man of the time but even he saw for himself that it had been a surprise to her in the moment. I do understand why he felt betrayed but, felt a bit unbalanced in the groveling, too punishing for her and not at all for him. His punishments were all self-inflicted. I love a written declaration but maybe I feel he wasn’t verbally apologetic enough?

Every installment I’m wanting Dot to find love too and when Mr. Pike was introduced I’ve been so patient!! Scraps, Julie. You’re giving me scraps. And I’m enjoying them!

This may be my new favorite Julie Anne Long book! I loved the characters, I loved their story, and I loved reading this. Well done!

This story is about Magnus and Alexandra and having a second chance at marriage and making the right decisions while staying at the Grand Palace on the Thames.
After a disastrous beginning to their marriage, Magnus and Alexandra haven't seen each other for 5 years. Their first time seeing each other is when he is getting her out of Newgate.
Alexandra is shocked to see her husband, not realizing he had just returned from Spain . Instead of taking her to their town house, he takes her to the Grand Palace on the Thames. There he asks her for three weeks to help him secure his appointment to being an Earl and then they can go their separate ways.
What results is a lot of eye opening moments for each of them as they finally get to know each other the way they should have before they were married.
I loved this story. It was fast moving and it seemed like you were always learning something new about the two main characters.
Of course you had the regular cast at The Grand Palace on the Thames to visit with as well. I'm waiting for Dot and Mr. Pikes story.
What I like most about Julie Ann Longs books is that she does a very good epilogue. Not only do you hear they live happily ever aftbur you see how happy and how long that is
5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I want to thank Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book.

The is a tender, introspective, POIGNANT second-chance romance that's actually so erotic in that specific way only Julie Anne Long can accomplish.

Our characters meet five years prior to the start of the story; Alexandra is young, beautiful, and the family caretaker, while Magnus is older and self-made, a stoic soldier with an *icy heart*. It shouldn't work (and Magnus is painfully aware of this, very much a "I don't deserve to put my *enormous filthy paws* on her" situation) but Alexandra's family is in debt so Magnus asks her dad for her hand, knowing Alexandra wouldn't refuse him because she loves her family. And here's the thing: their first interactions are ELECTRIC; their chemistry is insane from the start (you thought untangling a gal's bonnet strings couldn't be hot? WELL YOU THOUGHT WRONG) and it feels like they could have a happy marriage.

But then Alexandra does something on their wedding night, and Magnus leaves the next morning. On its face, the situation seems minor and resolvable, but what I loved is how JAL wrote both of them are flawed individuals who don't necessarily act logically all the time, and it's clear that the hurt goes beyond the actual incident itself.

And that's what made reading their (slow) reconciliation so fulfilling. The majority of the plot takes place during Magnus and Alexandra's one-week stay at the Grand Palace on the Thames boardinghouse. The close proximity and final attempt to sell their relationship to the public because Magnus is on the cusp of being awarded an earldom do their part in bringing them back together, but they also have to reconcile with how their relationship began, and the lack of communication that brought it to a stand-still.

Of course, the zany Grand Palace cast returns, including former heroes/heroines, with a notable subplot involving super horny newlywed guests that somehow have everyone else getting super introspective about their own relationships (and banging. introspection and banging).

The sex:

Gorgeously erotic, also quite fraught initially just because they're trying to fuck without feelings, and in one scene I particularly loved, without any words at all. It's super hot and tense, and they do it believing they'll never see each other again after the week ends.

Also, what you see happening on the cover of this book? THAT HAPPENS. In public!

Overall:

This was such a beautifully-written second chance romance that, for me, hit upon why miscommunication as a trope works— because people are flawed, and from a romance novel perspective, it makes their reunion all the sweeter.

Thank you to Avon Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 4.5/5
Heat Level: 3.5/5
Publication Date: October 22nd

Rating: 5/5 stars
Steam level: Open-door scenes

Thoughts:
I love this book for many reasons. The characters are complex, the pacing is great, and the angst is riveting. Magnus and Alexandra's story is entirely special because it presents a delicate combination of personal growth, marriage conflicts, and the absolute agony in making a mistake due to fears and insecurities.

Magnus and Alexandra have complex individual and shared histories that contribute to their unique relationship dynamic. Alexandra is loving and kind. She grew up as a mediator and often sacrificed her own needs to placate those around her. Magnus is a persistent and strategic self-made man. His upbringing was rough, and he relied on himself to forge his own honorable path.

What happens when the cold, ruthless Magnus, who is soft and hopeful on the inside, struggles with communicating? What happens, then, when he wants to marry Alexandra, who needs to be handled with care? They both make hurtful mistakes and wrong each other in ways beyond ugly words and blatantly cruel actions; they hurt each other in ways that trigger their deepest insecurities.

Given that Magnus and Alexandra's marriage has many layers of bitterness, they are put through seemingly insurmountable emotional trials to untangle their past and truly earn their happily ever after. The gorgeously rendered complexities of their history made their eventual reconciliation deeply romantic and satisfying.

Finally, this book is personally special because it addresses realistic concerns related to control, resentment, and how their combined interactions can impact a marriage. It relates to other couples in the book, which paves the way for poignant discussions of genuine fears regarding marital closeness and strife. The delicate, hopeful, and ever-changing nature of a long-term commitment is depicted well and without an ounce of shame, which made this a very human and validating reading experience. It's easy for me to find characters in a book to love, but to fully relate to entire discussions and themes is a priceless experience.

I would recommend this book to all fans of historical romance and the marriage-in-trouble trope.

A solid entry in the series and well worth reading. I do think this series is getting to the point where the amount of time spent explaining the past characters and their foibles is taking up a little too much space in the book, but I liked Alexandra and Brightwell and their fun times at the boardinghouse.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I always look forward to another visit to The Grand Palace on the Thames and this one did not disappoint. In an unusual opening, Alexandra is in jail and her estranged husband shows up to get her out. They strike a deal (or rather he commands it). He's selling her house, they'll stay at the boardinghouse while she acts the doting wife to repair their reputation. He's a war hero with the chance to become an Earl and can't have a scandal. After that, she'll leave for America and they'll continue living separate lives. They've never lived together as man and wife since an incident drove them apart on their wedding day 5 years ago. Sometimes funny and other times poignant. Alexandra is a people pleaser willing to sacrifice herself for her family while Magnus is a damaged orphan always told he was worthless and a "Beast." The other residents of the Grand Palace are entertaining as usual. You can read this book as a stand alone but I would recommend reading the series because you are really missing out if you don't!

A marriage-in-trouble romance which is my favorite trope. Julie Anne Long skillfully gives both parties the nuance and depth to feel betrayed by the other. Neither of them were wrong in their refusal to forgive the other, which is rare in a second chance. I like the equal weight of the blame was attributed to both Magnus and Alexandra, and it was a justified anger / betrayal. Y

I will say most of the tension is hinged on them not sitting down and talking after 5 years. Because if they did, they’d know the depth of the other’s feelings.

3.5

***ARC given in exchange for honest review.

Bought and Paid For:
A most unusual and intriguing beginning to this incredibly emotional love story with a huge secondary storyline.
I did enjoy Magnus and Alexandra plight which was like a twisting road that made this an unpredictable as to how it was going to turn out.
There is a large cast of characters that revolve around the Grand Palace of the Thames boarding house. These characters add much to the story along with some humor.
I considered this story too long with a lot of events that were unnecessary. I found myself skimming quite a bit.
The last several chapters brought this story to most thrilling and enjoyable happy conclusion.
📖Rating 3.6 rounded up to 4 stars
💋Mature rating🔥+