Lt. Gage is out for a good time not wanting to draw too much attention. Getting over his scars and wounds from the war will take much work that he may not be willing to put in.
Marie Cadough has only known her uncle and servitude. But something seems off as she enter into the Lyons den with what Mrs. Dove-Lyon Knows. Just wanting to service the life she is living without much interference from others servants or her uncle.
I found this book intriguiging and somewhat engaging but somewhat choppy. It did not flow as well as other Lyons den books have and As I have known.
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.

A lovely story of Marie Cadeaux, who works with her uncle in the Lyon's den. When she sees a guest, a former soldier suffering from the loud beating of the drums at the Lyon’s den which brings back memories of gunfire, she proceeds to help him.

Lieutenant Samuel Gage is the third son of a Baron who must make his own way in the world and enlists in the army. After an eye injury which leaves him unable to be in the army, he is discharged. This is where Samuel and Marie Cadeaux meet. She sees him in pain and rushes to his aid.

Even though Marie is a servant, Samuel is drawn to her kindness and wants to get to know her. Marie is the daughter of a wealthy couple from France but escaped with the aid of the family's butler, Baptiste Allard who is posing as her uncle. Her uncle is there to keep her safe until such time as they can return to France and be reunited with Marie's parents.

There were lots of characters, most of them are unkind to Marie with quite a few of them playing tricks and getting her into trouble. I liked that Mrs Bessie Dove-Lyon was able to be fair to Marie and even assisted her in locating her family in France.

All in a lovely story that I enjoyed. I received an ARC from the Publishers and NetGalley and submit my honest review voluntarily.

Loving the Enemy

He despises the French; will he allow himself to fall in love with one of them? Does he have a choice?

When Mrs. Dove-Lyon recruits Marie to act the lady so she can be a companion to a French woman in the Lyon’s Den, she has no idea about the monster she creates. The servants are jealous, and they make Marie’s life a living hell.

As Marie navigates her two roles, she gets to know Samuel, the lieutenant she helped on her first day on the job at the Lyon’s Den. She finds herself falling in love with him, but what happens when he learns she is French? Love, friendship, Treachery, and jealousy collide in this entertaining Regency romance. I always think of Mrs. Dove-Lyon as magical, so I am disappointed that it takes her so long to discover her servant's treachery. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the story and would recommend it. Mrs. Dove-Lyon is only human after all.

In Service to a Lyon by EL Johnson is Lyon’s Den story and is a little different as it is about a young woman from below stairs. Marie Cadeaux as been a servant since she arrived in London with her uncle, years before. She is a pretty little thing, but people are not excited about the French at this point, and Marie dares speak her mind to her mistress and is dismissed. Her uncle finds them a place in the household of Mrs. Bessie Dove-Lyon. It is not long before she comes to the attention of that lady and is put to good use, befriending the wife of an army officer who is French and speaks very little English. She does not mention her origins. That will come back to haunt her. She had earlier rescued a young man who was being disturbed by the drums the musicians were using. It reminded him too much of cannon fire and he over-reacted. He knew she was a servant , but a kind one. Things came to a head when the family she had formerly worked for came into the Lyon’s Den and saw her. The husband was a nice man and warned her, but the wife and daughter were not as nice and called her on it as soon as they saw her, publicly.

Samuel Gage got to interact with Marie when she dressed up and came into the den to speak French. He had wounds from the war, including a patch over one eye. Marie didn’t care. But then the worst happened and her former friend and mistress decided he would be good for her and tried to ruin her friendship with him and with Mrs. Allen. It all got to be quite a mess. It also came out that her uncle, Baptiste Allard, was not her uncle at all but a trusted servant who had saved her life. He didn’t know if her parents were still alive. It had been many years. Johnson packed a lot into this novella, which made it highly entertaining.

I was invited to read In Service to a Lyon by Dragonblade. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #Dragonblade #ELJohnson #InServiceToALyon

A wounded warrior is attracted to the angel who helped calm his flashback. Each evening he comes to the Lyon's Den to see her, but it's only when Mrs. Dove-Lyon asks for a favor from the young woman, that he sees her again. Hiding her country of birth is to be safe with the British and French at war. Only love doesn't care which country you're from. Mrs. Dove-Lyon may be doing a little subtle matchmaking, but it doesn't include any games or fees. This is very different from the other books in the series. Mild descriptive sex. I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book from NetGalley.

An interesting plot, but unfortunately, in my opinion, the love story between Marie and Samuel is somewhat lost in comparison to Marie's unjust harassment by the other servants. Both main characters are likable. Samuel is a cinnamon roll hero who is still traumatised by the events of the war and the death of his friend, and Marie wants nothing more than to be allowed to cook and live a life of ease, with friends who accept her for who she is.
There are a few twists, intrigue, suspense and a sweet romance with a bit of spice in the story that has a touching prologue and a heartwarming happy ending.

Since she was sent to England as a small child with the loyal servant Baptiste to escape the French Terror, Marie Cadeaux lived and worked as a servant. Despised by the other servants and her employers because of her French origins, she was bullied her whole life. Her only joy is cooking. When she once again angers her employer, she and her "uncle" Baptiste are thrown out on the street, but find employment in Mrs. Dove-Lyon's Lyon's Den. But here, too, she is soon ostracized and bullied by the other servants, even though she keeps her French origins a secret. When Mrs. Dove-Lyon gives her the special task of keeping company with a French woman and, disguised as a lady, mingling with the guests, she meets Lieutenant Samuel Gage.

Samuel was injured in the war and sent home. During a visit to Lyon's Den, he meets Marie, who rescues him from a difficult situation and seems to be the only person who sees the man behind the scars.

They soon fall in love, but the situation escalates. As Samuel seems to hate French people, Marie must hide her origins. When she becomes friends with her assigned French guest, she doesn't tell her that she is just a servant and the other servants, who are jealous because of her special position in Lyon's Den, keep getting her into trouble and even into danger...

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

In this visit to the Lyon's Den historical romance series, we see a very different part of the Widow's business.
Our hero is a soldier suffering the aftereffects of his service. Our heroine is a displaced French woman with a passion for cooking. There are secrets being hidden and jealousy causing problems. An emotional, but enjoyable story.
Good fun.

Marie Cadough and her “uncle” were sent to England by her parents to escape La Terreur & they’ve worked as servants in a London household. But when she is dismissed at the hands of an unreasonable mistress, they find new positions in the household of Mrs. Dove-Lyon, the Black Widow of Whitehall. Lieutenant Samuel Gage is scarred by war. Having lost his closest friend to a duel and seen hearts broken by heartless Frenchwomen, he has developed an irrational dislike of all things French. But when he suffers painful memories from loud music at the Lyon’s Den, a kind servant takes pity on him. He never expected her to be French. When Mrs. Dove-Lyon asks Marie to pose as a lady and act as a French-speaking companion to a Mrs Martin, Frenchwoman, she agrees. She never expected to fall for an Englishman in the process.
A well written book which had me firmly in Marie’s courting & up in arms at her treatment by not only the Lyon’s Den servants but also the Campbell females, not all of them got the comeuppance they deserved! I love Marie who was hardworking & unassuming & I also loved Samuel, the fell for each other as they truly saw each others worth. Their road to a HEA had obstacles in its way but where there’s a will there’s a way, which they found after a near disaster struck. An engrossing read , the bullying made me uncomfortable but the chemistry between Samuel & Marie sizzled & Mrs Martin also showed what a good friend she was
I voluntarily read and reviewed a special copy of this book; all thoughts and opinions are my own

I found myself brisling at the treatment Marie received at the hands of jealous co-workers, highlighting that when the spotlight is put on a person, there will be those who would try to bring them down to the lowest common denominator. Having fled for her life with a trusted servant from France, Marie has little memory of her own family. Unfortunately, jealousy follows her wherever she goes, so that when she and her “uncle” land up at the Lyon's Den, Bessie Dove-Lyon does her no favors by singling her out for a special task. When Samuel has an episode of PTSD, Marie recognizes it for what it is and goes to help him, thereby breaking all the rules of the house. However, the Lieutenant is drawn to her despite her being French, and when the bullying she receives at the hands of the other servants reaches an apex, he goes after her, bringing this novel to a sweet conclusion. I received a copy of this book as a gift through Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

The Dove-Lyon series is a continuous series incorporating the talents of many authors, some you may extremely fantastic and some just good. In either case, I recommend you read the series in any order you wish as for the most part each story is a stand alone. This particular story is a bit different than others as it's main characters are a soldier, Samuel and a servant girl, Mary AKA Marie. Set during the Napoleonic War, these two characters come together from England and France. The author has incorporated the French Revolution into the story as well, which weaves a tale of how some of the nobility survived the guillotine. Interesting, well paced and unusual. Very enjoyable.

Thank you Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley for the arc of "In Service to a Lyon" by E.L Johnson.

Noblewoman Marie and her "uncle" are sent into hiding to England during the French Revolution. There they pose as servants in a London household. When Marie is unfairly dismissed from her mistress, the find new positions in the household of none other than Mrs. Dove-Lyon. When she helps a soldier suffering a war flashback, he is immediately drawn to Maries kindness not realising she is French... who he despises.

Following is a whirlwind of emotions due to plotting servants and conspiring former employers as well as the strict confines of the aristocracy.

Another banger from the Lyons Den world. I loved the story as it is different to the usual books in this series with Marie being a French woman. I enjoyed the chemistry between Samuel and Marie a lot and I loved the slow blossoming romance between the two MCs. I also enjoyed Marie standing up for herself to her bullies. The last third of the book kept me on my toes and the ending was very rewarding.

This is a different story from the Lyon’s Den about a french woman, Marie, and her “uncle” hiding in plain sight. I loved the prologue that read like a children’s fairytale…that was refreshingly different. Mrs. Dove Lyon didn’t seem her perfect “knowing all” self as she doesn’t see what is going on below stairs with the bullying. I loved how Marie stood up for herself and the chemistry between her and Samuel was sweet and swoon worthy. I enjoyed how the “villains “ got their due. The writing is at times choppy, but not filled with a lot of unnecessary description, which I loved. The epilogue was VERY satisfying, though would have loved to seen the reunion. A refreshing twist on romantic tales.

I received this story for free and these are my own opinions

Tropes: wounded warrior; Cinderella homage; opposites attract
Steam level: 2ish

3.25 stars. This entry in the long-running "Lyon's Den" series has a fairy tale-ish vibe which I admit isn't always my thing; your taste may vary. The premise drew me in and the world building and research are good. I liked the theme of not judging a book by its cover. But, the characters and dialog just didn't engage me as much as I was hoping; they seemed rather flat. I did like how Dove-Lyon was presented in this book more than in some of the more recent series entries, though.

Overall: not really my cup of tea, but readable.

Lies, Jealousy, Mystery, Romance:
A gruesome beginning sets the basic reason for this intriguing tale of romance, finding love between different stations and ethnicities.
Fast forward many years where a wonderful new plot and romance will soon take place.
The Lyon's Den with Mrs. Dove Lyon plays a different role in this story; she actually made me angry at times
Marie a lowly servant girl sees Samuel the handsome Lieutenant in a stressful situation, and she offers to care for him and makes sure he is a good space
How they come together and find love makes for a wonderful story with a very terrifying ending that does finally come to a happy ever after conclusion.
This story had me on the edge of my seat and swearing sometimes at some of the horribly cruel characters
My first time reading this author, and I enjoyed her writing very much. The story had all of the elements I enjoy in romance story.
Wonderfully interesting characters, lots of tense, some terrifying moments, and just enough passion to give this a good rating

Good book. It opens with a prologue that tells of how Marie came to leave France for England as a small child, then moves on to the current day. She and her "uncle" work as servants for a London family. Unfortunately, the lady of the house is not nice and fires Marie. Her uncle finds them new positions working for Mrs. Dove-Lyon at the Lyon's Den.

Marie, who has a flair for cooking, gets off on the wrong foot with the other servants when she comments on the soup. Their jealousy increases when Mrs. Dove-Lyon asks Marie to pose as a lady to keep a French-speaking visitor company.

Marie also aids a soldier who suffers from a flashback while at the Lyon's Den. Samuel was badly injured during the war, and combined with other unhappy experiences, he dislikes anything French. He doesn't realize she is French and is drawn to her kindness. He returns to Lyon's Den, looking for her several times, not knowing she is a servant.

I enjoyed watching the relationship between Marie and Samuel develop. He meets her again while she plays her companion role, and he continues to be fascinated by her. I loved seeing them together. Samuel is kind, honorable, and smitten with Marie. Marie is equally smitten with him but knows that anything between them is impossible because of their class differences. However, Samuel is persistent and hopes for the outcome he wants.

Life isn't easy for Marie. While she enjoys her time spent with Mrs. Martin, she is continually harassed by some of her fellow servants. Items go missing and Marie is blamed, putting her job in jeopardy. She enjoys Mrs. Martin's friendship but fears what might happen when she reveals her servant status. The ups and downs of the last third of the book kept me turning the pages to the end. I loved the twist at the end.

I enjoy the variety of characters in the Lyon's Den series. It is a welcome change to read about ordinary people whose lives are touched by Mrs. Dove-Lyon and not just the members of the nobility.

I enjoyed the story and the two main characters, Samuel and Marie. This story does not have Mrs. Dove-Lyon acting as the matchmaker like in most of the other stories yet she has a large role in this one. There are secrets surrounding Marie which even she is not aware of. The story is well written and scenes drawn out until the last couple of chapters and they seem to have a lot of information revealed in a very short time frame. I enjoyed the story and would recommend it.
I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley and are voluntarily leaving a review.