This entertaining volume in the „The Strongs of Shadowcrest“ series contains the two love stories of the twin sisters Allegra and Lyric Strong. The plots run parallel and take place at the house party in Shadowcrest, which Dinah Andrews, the former Duchess of Seaton, is hosting in honor of her nieces.
The stories are sweet and easy to read, with endearing protagonists, a great cast of likeable supporting characters and a few steamy love scenes. As always, I am impressed by the strong bond and support between the Strong family members.

The book can be read as a standalone, as the events of the previous books are well summarised, but it still makes more fun and sense to read the books in order.


TEMPTED BY THE EARL

Sterling Ayles, Earl of Carroll, has been on his own since childhood and enjoys his self-indulgent life to the full. He is not interested in a committed relationship and certainly not in love. When he is unexpectedly invited to the Duke and Duchess of Seaton's house party, he accepts out of sheer curiosity. But from the first sight of Allegra, he feels attracted to her and soon realises that he wants to marry her, even though he is incapable of love and she wants nothing to do with a rake...

Ever since she witnessed her relatives falling in love and getting married one after the other, vivacious Allegra Strong has been determined to marry only for love. The house party is the perfect opportunity to make new friends and perhaps find the man of her dreams. But even though she feels attracted to Sterling from the very first moment, she decides to stay away from him, because a notorious rake who won't love her is the last thing she wants...


THE VISCOUNT‘S HEART

Ever since her cousin Georgie's wedding to Viscount Blankenship's best friend August, Lyric Strong, the more reserved of the twins, has felt attracted to him. She is more than happy to discover that he has been invited by her Aunt Dinah to the house party held in Allegra's and her honor.

After a loveless childhood and a few wild years as a rake, Silas Chase, Viscount Blankenship, is ready to fulfil the wish of his late uncle, the only person who loved and supported him, and settle down. That's why he gladly accepts the invitation to the house party in Shadowcrest to find a wife. He is immediately drawn to Lyric, but unlike her, he strives for a relationship based on passion and friendship, because he doesn't believe in love...

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This set of twins has decided that a season is just too expensive but a house party is just the thing to find a husband and their aunt/adoptive mother agrees.
I was so excited to see this book as a package deal. No longer wondering what happens to the twin sister. Brillant and wonderful intertwined tale of the Blackhaven adopted twins.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with guidelines.

Twins, Allegra and Lyric Strong, are looking for a marriage based on love. Instead of a season in London, they agree on a house party at the family country estate. Invited are a small group of single ladies and gentlemen. Of course the cousins are attracted to the two gentlemen with rogue reputations and know nothing of love. Panic of losing something they will always regret maybe just the push these gentlemen need to confess to the twin that owns their heart. Two stories overlap with each twin who will marry for nothing but love.
The books in this series may be considered standalones, but it's nice to know the Strong family backgrounds and revisit them as they continue to grow in each book. Epilogues are always appreciated.
Mild descriptive sex.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book from NetGalley.

Two fast-read happily-ever-after novellas in one! 

Part one of the book features one of the two Strong twin sisters, Allegra Strong, and her romance with Sterling Ayles. I especially loved this first part of the book due to the banter between the two characters. The chemistry was explosive! Sterling’s reputation as a rake and his hesitation to commit and admit to the growing intensity of the feelings he had toward Allegra made it all the more enjoyable. 

Part two of the book features the second twin, Lyric Strong, and her love interest. Silas’ character isn’t really fleshed out, and I feel like that was the main key factor that made me not enjoy this half of the book as much. I feel if there had been a bit more focus on his inner struggles and thoughts, it would’ve made me enjoy the second half of the book just as much as I had enjoyed the first. I also feel as if the conflict was a bit too similar to the one that Allegra and Sterling faced, so it was a bit repetitive in that aspect.

Overall, this was a quick and enjoyable read! Alexa Aston really never misses in delivering just that. She did a really good job balancing both romances and giving both of the twins their rightful time to shine. I also really adored the brief interactions between the twins and them confiding in each other as their storylines intermingled.

What can I say? I loved this book! Loved the characters. I really think this author's writing flows well. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a great intriguing and heartfelt romance story.

Courtship at Shadowcrest is the fifth book in The Strongs at Shadowcrest series. Lyric and Allegra are twins who fall in love in separate stories at the same time in this book.

While at a house party Lyric and Allegra find the two most unlikely men and fall in love but are devastated when the men are unable to say the words they need to hear.

Sterling and Silas find love but are unable to express themselves to Allegra and Lyric which puts their love stories at risk. The twins will settle for nothing less than love. Sterling and Silas will have to find different ways to declare themselves or lose the women they love for ever.

This was a fast fun afternoon read. Love the Strong family.

I received an ARC from NetGalley for an unbiased review.

We are back at the Shadowcrest estate for a house party in this historical romance. We have met most of this family in the previous books in the series, this time it's the twins turn to shine. They are part of a large, happy family that marries for nothing less than love. This book has an exceptional amount of romance. The characters are fabulous and we have more of the family to find their own happiness in the next books. I look forward to reading them.
Great fun.

Courtship at Shadowcrest, a Regency duet by Alexa Aston is really two shorter novels, each recounting the story from the viewpoint of twin sisters. They are part of The Strongs of Shadowcrest series and are entertaining enough but not nearly as good as the first two books with the duke returning after many years gone, thought dead, and his stepmother, the Dowager Duchess, marrying a sea captain. These were two relatively young women looking for love. One was attracted to a known rake and the other to a reformed rake. Their aunt, the Dowager had put together this house party and planned very carefully, attempting to find possible matches for her darling nieces. They didn’t know if they wanted a season, primarily because of the expense, knowing their father had stolen all their own money and their cousin shouldn’t have to lay out money for them. It was two love stories with many of the situations being told from a different perspective. That was entertaining.

The most interesting of the characters was Sterling Ayles, the Earl of Carroll, who was a dedicated rake and intended to stay that way for many years to come. On the day the book opens, Sterling is notified his parents have both died and he was the new earl. He didn’t intend to change his lifestyle at all and so he didn’t. He knew he would eventually need an heir but that was years in the future. Then two things happened: He went to the house party, having no idea why he was invited, where he met Allegra Strong. Then, the Dowager told him she had always seen more in him and he should look within himself. Sterling tried and came up empty. It was really a fun read, as Aston’s always are. The tropes are tried and true and she put a different spin on them. It was a fun read. Not deep and full of meaning, but fun. Thanks, Alexa Aston.

I was invited to read this duet by Dragonblade. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #Dragonblade #AlexaAston #CourtshipAtShadowcrest.

This is a set of two charming novellas that feature Allegra and Lyric Strong, the twin nieces raised by the Dowager Duchess of Seaton. In lieu of a season, the twins agreed to their aunt hosting a house party as their entry into Society. Allegra and Lyric hope to find the kind of true love other members of the Strong family have found. Among the gentlemen guests are Sterling Ayles, Earl of Carroll, and Silas, Viscount Blankenship. These two are, or have been, well-known rakes. In the overlapping stories the twins fall in love, Allegra with Sterling and Lyric with Silas. The house party is fun and the romances lovely, until marriage is proposed, but no love declared by the gentleman. What will it take for Sterling and Silas to find the courage to put their true feelings into words? The stories, separately and together are fun and entertaining. The twins and the rest of the Strong family are strong, supportive and endearing. Sterling and Silas grew up in completely different circumstances, and long for the kind of family they see in the Strongs. A lovely pair of stories and a truly wonderful ending.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via Net Galley and voluntarily reviewed it.

Trigger: extremely graphic sex scenes No indication given on the synopsis.

I could not read as this was entirely too graphic for me. From the first sentence to various pages throughout as I skimmed through to see if it would get better. Nope!

Released July 25th. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book and this is my freely given opinion.

This continues the romances of the Strong family at Shadowcrest and this is a set of two stories, following concurrent timelines, and centers around the houseparty hosted by the Duke and Duchess, for their twin cousins, Allegra and Lyric, at the country estate, Shadowcrest.

It literally opens with a bang (excuse the pun), showing the careless rakehell ways of a young Sterling Ayles. He grows up rich, handsome, but charming, but lacking in any role model as to what family is or a loving relationship, being ignored by his parents. So he seeks to fill the void by living a superficially carefree life with fleeting liaisons and not engaging in any deeper relationships and hiding his true self. Even after gaining the title of the Earl of Carroll, he has no intention of marrying, even to continue his line. He does not understand why he is invited by the former Dowager Duchess to join the house party, since it is to launch her marriageable nieces in Society. But once he is there, he finds himself striking sparks with one of the young nieces, Allegra, until he finds he wants her for his countess.

Allegra cannot imagine why a rake like the Earl would want to be at her house party, full of marriageable misses and wife-seeking bachelors. It is nowhere near his normal speed. Despite trying very hard to withstand his charm though, Allegra finds herself falling for the charming rake. Except when he declare his desire to wed her, the reformed rake bollocks things up when he is initially unable to be honest with himself and Allegra and show his true self and his true emotions to her.

Concurrently, Allegra's twin, Lyric, finds herself enthralled by Lord Blankenship, Silas, whom she met too briefly previously when he stood up for his friend, August when he wed their cousin, Georgina. She is thrilled when he returns as part of the house party, giving them a chance to get to know each other better and she finds herself falling for the handsome young man quite quickly. Silas was friends with Sterling, having grown up in similar circumstances, with neglectful parents, and was just as much of a rake as Sterling. However, he turned over a new leaf in losing his only remaining family, a beloved uncle who showed more faith, and care in Silas than his own parents, and who exhorted Silas to seek marriage, and hopefully love, before he passed. Silas has turned away from his rakehell past and is seeking to fulfill his uncle's wishes by finding a wife. But having grown up as he did, he thinks love is a foolish belief, and seeks to form a marriage based on respect, friendship and attraction, and finds all this in Lyric. He, like Sterling, refuses to look deeper and be honest with himself and her about his own feelings, and like Allegra, Lyric refuses to wed for anything but love.

These were a cute set of stories, about the twins and their two suitors and circumstances mirroring each other. But after the passion and romance of the preceding books, I found these to be a bit tepid. They were sweet and pleasant reads, but the two stories mirrored each other a bit too much, and lacked some of the dramatic romance of the other stories, so I did not find myself as drawn into their stories.

3.25 stars out of 5

Another delightful HR from Ms. Alexa Aston!

I am not new to Ms. Aston and honestly she's fast becoming one of my go-to authors. I have read other works from her and I must say that I truly liked her writing. Her prose flows very well, there is romance, mystery, angst and some emotional bits in her writing and it really turns out so good, this book was no exception.

This book has two stories, yes two, because this book tells about the story of the twins, Allegra and Lyric and the two men who took their hearts. These two men happened to be Sterling and Silas and these two are renowned as the notorious rogues of London. However, the twins would only marry for love as all Strongs only marry for love, the problem is that both the heroes didn't really have the best family life so they don't really believe in life, having not been able to experienced that with their parents in the firsthand.

I loved the two romances, the chemistry between the characters was really there, also I liked the setting Shadowcrest, and how it was a house party. I also very much loved the fact that there were so many couples made out of the house party and that all people in the house party really ended up with their love matches and all had HEA at the end. Only thing I didn't like was the almost copy-paste situation and past of both MC's, also at some point I just wanted to smack their heads together, they were being so stubborn and just can't say the words. However, the two epilogues was chef's kiss. It was so sweet and a truly satisfying HEA.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dragonblade publishing for providing me with an ARC.

I am so pleased that Allegra and Lyric had their chance at love, especially given their background and the rejection that had suffered at the hands of their despicable father. Having witnessed their cousin's marriage, the twins are determined to settle for nothing less than true love. Former best friends, known for their rakehell ways, discover themselves traveling to a country house party, where they meet the lovely twins. In both cases the attraction is instant, but neither of them bargained on the twins being stubborn about wanting a love match. Fortunately, the two young lords manage to overcome their reluctance to declare themselves and the novel comes to a happy conclusion. I received a copy of this book as a gift through Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

A quick and easy read. Two novellas tied together in one book, each one describing the relationship development between Allegra and Sterling as well as Lyric and Silas.

Each one overlaps and occurs at the same time, during a house party and we get to see the side characters develop and find their own happiness as well.

Overall

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

A double novella. First one featuring Allegra and Sterling. The second featuring Lyric and Silas. I love this family, they're just so genuine. The best rakes are the one who discover that they DO indeed have a heart.
I want to say that I can't wait until Effie's book because I absolutely LOVE a main character who loves animals.
Thank you to netgalley for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

Two novellas for the twins...

We met the rest of the family, now the twins get their stories in this duet.
I did not care for the pairing of Allegra and Sterling. Probably because they were the most shallow couple in this whole series.

But I did really enjoy Lyric and Silas' story. Their characters were much more relatable and enjoyable to read.
Recommend.

Starting with a positive note, this book included ample details of life during the time period. But as the story goes on, the plot gets lost or is it just weak? The timing is off, the characters 'meh', I had to bail shortly into the second story. This author has written other books that were much better.

Lovely story of two reformed rakes who meet their perfect match at Shadowcrest house party with the Strong twins, Allegra, and Lyric. They have seen their cousins and their aunt marry for love and are determined to have the same with any marriage they undertake.

Sterling Ayles, the Earl of Carroll and his friend, Silas, Viscount Blankenship are birds of a feather; both heirs of their parent's respective titles, lands, and all that entails, both ignored by their parents and brought up by others, have grown weary of their hedonistic lifestyles and are looking for something new. Silas has already come to terms with his responsibilities; however, Sterling is still struggling but does not yet know what he needs.

At the house party, held by the twins' Aunt Dinah, The Dowager Duchess of Seaton, there are several others hoping to make their match as well.

While Sterling and Silas are each is attracted to one of the twins, neither feels they can give them the love match they are looking for, having never seen it in their own parent's marriages.

Two stories in this novel with some overlap and a HEA at the ending. It was a nice, easy read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I received an ARC from the publishers and NetGalley and submit my honest review voluntarily.

A beautiful story of the twins in the Strong family. Allegra and Lyric are the nieces of Dinah and are having a house party. If you know anything about twins, you know that they have a special and invisible bond together that can't be broken. As usual, this highly talented and creative author has penned their stories into one book. Come journey along with them as they enjoy the special ness of this party and seek a loving match with two of the most notable rakes. The characters are full of depth, beautiful and strong. The other house guess are not left out and have artfully been woven into these stories. This book can surely stand alone, yet I'm sure once you have read it you will want to go back and read about the entire family. There are still three children left, so I'm following behind imagining their hea.

This is an easy to read two part romance novel. A few relationships are blooming in the stories. it was really great to catch up with all of the Strong family and the ones that they love.