Lorraine Heath is one of my favorite historical romance authors and once again doesn't disappoint. I was so excited to see more children of the characters from St James, especially since Langdon has been in the background of the other series books. The romance was perfect, the ending wonderful and everything I treasure about Lorraine Heath.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book.

In true Lorraine Heath fashion, this book delivers historical romance in an engaging and unique way that only Heath can accomplish. I enjoyed Marlowe and Langdon and the circumstances in which they first met and how their relationship unfolded! This book is another great journey and I look forward to what she writes next!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early copy of A Tempest of Desire by Lorraine Heath! I couldn’t be more excited to dive into this one because, let me tell you, Lorraine Heath has solidified her spot as one of my all-time favorite historical romance authors. Why? Because she delivers completely bonkers romances grounded in rich historical accuracy—and I’m obsessed.

This book? Oh, it’s a wild one. It centers around a female hobbyist aeronaut (yes, you read that right) who crash lands on a not-so-deserted island. Who does she find there? An Earl recovering from a devastating railway accident. Like, y’all. Would that have been your first idea for a historical romance plot? Because same.

Instead of waltzing through ballrooms during the height of the London Season, we get to watch these characters navigate isolation, confront their traumas, and heal each other’s souls. It’s such a refreshing twist in the historical romance genre—a unique blend of the obscure and the absurd that I can’t get enough of.

This one is for all my fellow bonkers-loving romance readers out there. If you’re into historicals with an imaginative twist, A Tempest of Desire is an absolute must-read. Lorraine Heath, you’ve done it again. 💕

Lorraine Heath never fails to deliver complex characters, and the trials and tribulations that shapes them. Marlowe, the heroine, leads an unconventional life as a courtesan. Langdon, is hiding from his troubles, keeping secrets from his family. How can two so very different people fall in love? Take some tropes of forced proximity, only one bed, lack of clothing and add in a dash of deep conversations and you will have your answer. While Langdon is a bit of a dunderhead about wanting Marlowe as his mistress, this is a romance novel of the very best kind. Spoiler Alert: they get together at the end. I never miss a Lorraine Heath novel, and love the continuation of this series!

Will share review on Amazon when published.

When aeronaut Marlowe's hot air balloon goes down in a storm off the coast of Cornwall, she washes up on the solitary island of the one man in London who seems immune to her courtesan charms, Viscount Langdon. Langdon, however, was taken by Marlowe the first time he saw her, and is just too noble to poach another man's mistress. They get to know each other, and each other's secrets, as they stay stranded on the isle together through the storm, and then have to figure out a way forward once they're back in London.

I loved this book so much I've already read it twice. The first half of this book is so deliciously intimate while it's just the two of them on the island. There's no side characters to come in and interfere (or support) and so the build of the relationship truly relies on what they're willing to share with each other. It also means that they're almost always on page together, which is always the preference. I love that Marlowe thought he wasn't interested in her, and when she confronts him about it he absolutely does not try to play it cool and tells her that in reality, he didn't want to disrespect her and also decided that never having her was better than only having her for one night. I've really enjoyed the Scandalous Lords of St. James series, but this is by far my favorite one. A Tempest of Desire is a great read for fans of historical romance who are looking for a strong female main character with male main character who supports her decisions and dreams.

When Langdon decides to look for a mistress he is immediately attracted to the elusive and exclusive courtesan Marlowe. Shocked by how much he craves her, he decides not to give in. When she lands injured at his secluded island in a storm, all bets are off. They both try to deny their passion. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Avon for my honest review.

One of my favorite Lorraine Heath series is The Scoundrels of St. James. The series highlights a group of swindlers, pickpockets, and theives who are launched into London society. Each book in the series is an absolutely fantastic read and some of my all time favorite Heath novels. Heath then graced us with The Scandalous Gentleman of St James series featuring the kids from our scoundrels. When I saw that Heath was returning to this series to give us Viscount Langdons story I couldn't help but hit that request button! Catherine and Claybourne are one of my favorite couples so I couldn't wait to see what kind of situation our young Langdon got himself into.

This book is a delicious slow burn. Langdon previously had a chance for a night with Marlowe, another man's mistress, and didn't take it. Now hiding away in an old keep off the coast of Cornwall, he gets a second chance when her hot air balloon crashes and washes up on shore during a storm. The forced proximity on a more or less deserted island created the perfect intimate setting for them to really get to know eachother. Both of them are healing in their own way and the openness and trust they build with each other is refreshing.

I really like that Marlowe's protector didn't become the bad guy in the story and that the main conflict came from fighting societal norms and marrying her regardless of the scandal it would cause. Heath mentioned it in her authors note, but second gen stories really need to have different challenges so you don't mess with the parents HEA and I think she did a wonderful job with that in this book. Overall, I loved it. I hope she continues to expand this series in the future!

I received an advance reader copy from Netgalley for an honest review.

4.5 ⭐️

Lorraine Heath is back after a brief pause on her Scandalous Gentlemen of St. James series, and I couldn't be more happy and excited! I've been such a fan of hers since I started reading historical romance and am endlessly impressed with the world and universe she continues to build on. This novel picks up with the eldest son of our first MCs in the Scoundrels of St. James series, Viscount Langdon (aka Oliver).

The premise of this story is so far-fetched and wild but so classic Heath: Viscount Langdon has secluded himself on a private island when during a storm, he discovers a woman lying unconscious on the shore. After bringing her into safety, he realizes they've met before- a famous (and taken) courtesan he's had his eye on, named Marlowe. And Marlowe is honestly SUCH A TREAT! Like most women in this series, she's not at all what she seems on the surface and is actually an aeronaut who was caught in the storm on her hot-air balloon. Now, these lusty, angsty "enemies" are stuck on an island together until the storm recedes, let the pining, sexy secret-keeping begin!

These two characters were so nicely fleshed out and multidimensional that I was always intrigued to learn more about them as I kept reading. Plus, they were loads of fun. Marlowe's first POV scene is literally her lusting over Langdon's bare bum, and I have such respect for that, that she's instantly likable. Her quest for freedom and using flight to escape her harsh realities is something I think all women, even today, can find understandable. Langdon is also so wonderfully tragic and sweet it's heartbreaking to read how he sees himself and his struggles after his accident. They both have such great heat and early on, you can tell that although there's a hefty amount of lust involved, there's also something deeper there. The two of them seem to really see each other in ways the outside world doesn't. But they also are just so reluctant to fall for each other that it kept me on the edge of my seat reading.

Overall, I loved this book so much and was crying by the end (as per usual with a book by Lorraine Heath). She has such a way of weaving in tragedy with hope and I'm always shocked by the twists and turns she throws. And then how those twists always leave me DEEP in my feels. This gets a 4.5 only because I found myself frustrated toward the later half of the book when it came to the reasons they "couldn't be together." Regardless, this was still such a great story and I hope Heath continues to write more with these characters. This reminded me how much I loved this series and found family!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

A Tempest of Desire follows Marlowe, a notorious mistress, and Langdon, the eldest son of Lucian and Catherine, who are stuck together on an island after a storm knocks Marlowe's hot air balloon out of the sky. I adored Marlowe as a character and understood at every turn the trouble that she faced and the struggles that she was going through. She is a mistress and well aware of the life that she chose for herself, but she also made the decision when she was only nineteen and didn't fully comprehend how it would continue to shape her life. I especially appreciated that Marlowe's protector was not some mustache twirling villain in the corner, but a man that she loved as a friend and continued to care for throughout the book. She's one of those fantastic characters that breaks your heart and was my favorite part of the book.

I didn't love Langdon quite as much, but that's because he mostly needed Marlowe to knock some sense into him a time or two.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first Loraine Heath's book but it won't be my last. This was absolutely fantastic and there was so much to like on it. I was captivated by the book from the moment I read the blurb about a courtesan who can fly her on balloon but ends up caught in a storm and ends up stranded on an almost deserted island where a very grumpy Lord is hiding from society. The book takes its time developing the story and the relationship between these two and I had such a great time watching these two main characters interact and trying really hard not to fall in love. They both have their faults and that made them even more precious and there was so much hurt/comfort from both sides.
I was initially worried about how these two would end up together when they come from such different social circles but I shouldn't have worried. I will also mentioned that I haven't read the prior books on this series so it stands alone on it's own pretty well.
You should read this book if you like grumpy/sunshine, class difference, strong female characters, only one bed or hurt/comfort.

Love Lorraine Heath, love the Scandalous Gentlemen of St. James series, love a strong heroine who is courageous and confident and a hero who ultimately can't live without her.

It did take me a bit of time to warm up to this one (things got better after they'd gotten past the initial prickly attraction), but by the end, there were wonderfully angsty moments that had my heart aching for these two to resolve the conflict keeping them apart. So many small moments in this that made their love feel substantial long before they admitted it to one another.

As always with Lorraine Heath, this one is worth the read!

I adored this historical romance so much. It was a slow burn which I appreciated because I wasn’t expecting it, given the heroine being a mistress.

I really felt like this book was original in the way it introduced the characters to each other and spent a lot of time discussing their personal backgrounds and how they got to the point they were in rather than simply another "forced proximity" romance.

In this book, Viscount Langdon is hiding away on his private island, trying to hide from his family that he is still having issues after being a part of a huge train derailment. One day he finds a woman washed up on the shore and recognizes her as a locally famous courtesan, Marlowe.

During her convalescence, they discuss at lenght a time a year or so ago where Marlowe was with her benefactor, "Hollie" Hollingsworth at a gaming hell. Hollie and Langdon were playing cards and Hollie offered an evening with Marlowe if he loses. Marlowe is upset, and Langdon purposely loses in order to keep from having an unrequired affair with her.

A good portion of the book is hearing about both characters' backstories. It was a slow burn, but I really enjoyed hearing about these characters and how they got to that point. They fall in love, but Langdon still has his medical issue, and Marlowe is still with Hollie, though he has recently become engaged to a debutante he is actually in love with. This begins the issues of Langdon and Marlowe not easily being able to be together because he is the heir for his family, and Marlowe is a courtesan and not the right class to marry him.

There have been many ways I've seen this sort of relationship work out in novels, and this ending is pretty similar but overall I just really liked the characters and the lenght of time dedicated to getting to know them versus the standard "forced proximity - they get togther - society keeps them apart - everything is solved" theme. Great book.

I received an advanced copy and am giving an honest review.

Holy smokes SO MUCH ANGST! In the best way of course. But truly, moments when I worried it really wouldn't be all right in the end. So much desire, so much tension, and both characters have to see through their past to get to their future. Heath just won't let you go in this one. Don;t need to have read the series, just dive in here. So worth it.

I was thrilled to see Lorraine Heath return to the *Scandalous Gentlemen of St. James* series after seven years. One of my all-time favorites is *In Bed with the Devil*, so I was excited that this new book focuses on the son of Lucian and Catherine. It was great to revisit those characters and see their story continued through their children.

That said, I found the book lacking. With the plot centered around a lord and a courtesan, the focus leaned heavily on their physical desire for each other, often at the expense of a deeper narrative. The first half primarily revolves around their attraction, which makes sense given her background, but it left the male lead feeling somewhat superficial. While he does have moments of depth, I ultimately wished for more substance in the story. The best parts for me were still those connections to Lucian and Catherine, but overall, I hoped for a richer experience.

I loved how different this book is from other historical romances coming out right now. Marlowe is a courtesan who washes up on shore of Langdon's private island retreat in a storm. He takes care of her and proximity has it's way with the story. They both have their own private struggles but the tension between them was great.

I felt like the connections and the romance were less than what I usually expect from Heath, but the torture and the angst was up to par. Also note that I am a HUGE fan of her early work and love the way she tortured her characters in those books. Many things fall flat in comparison. This was really good. It wasn't AMAZING like I wanted it to be.

Beautifully written and full of emotion, as with all of her other books. This author is so talented at evoking very real feeling and making you feel completely immersed in the characters’ world. It was chock full of angst (my favorite) and such a great read.

Thank you Netgalley and Avon for letting me read A Tempest of Desire by Lorraine Heath! I consider Heath a pillar of historical romance, you simply can’t go wrong with her books, and I appreciate how she’s willing to explore stories that most other authors won’t, such as having a mistress be a heroine (and not someone who was tricked into being one either). She knows how to bring drama and trauma and still tie it together with a happily-ever-after.

After a railway accident, Viscount Langdon has hidden himself away on an island near his family's estate when, during a storm, he sees a woman washed on the shore of his hideaway. He quickly realizes the woman is Marlowe, an infamous courtesan. In classic Lorraine Heath fashion, Marlowe wasn't in a boat. She was out in her hot air balloon and got caught in the storm - crashing into the water and washing ashore.
What unfolds is a passionate journey filled with angst and repressed emotions. Marlowe, feeling rejected by Langdon after a previous encounter, struggles with her feelings. Langdon, on the other hand, battles with his attraction to Marlowe, knowing she is the mistress of another man in the ton. The storm forces them to confront their emotions, leading to a compelling and empathetic narrative.

A Tempest of Desire is another excellent novel by Lorraine Heath. This book doesn't rely heavily on the other books in the series, so you can read it as a standalone.

This is my favorite Lorraine Heath book since "The Notorious Lord Knightly." The romance is between a courtesan and a viscount with an affliction, and my heart warmed at the MMC’s plight and his caring family. This also has the “stranded on an island together” trope, always a favorite. There’s plenty of tension as the romance is forbidden, and the happy ending is well-earned. I’m also someone who usually skips the dedication, but I found the one in this book to be very touching. I’m eagerly looking forward to whatever the author writes next as she’s undoubtedly one of the best in the Regency romance game.