Member Reviews
Thank you Net Galley. Juliette Can't remember her past before three years ago. She has made a new life for herself. She had a bag of money and setup her modiste shop. She looks like Captain Castlebury's fiancé but she is dead. He can't stay away and helps her all he can until the past comes after her.
In this addition of the Castlebury family, we meet Catamount (big Cat) who is the Chief Inspector of the Bow Street Runners and is trying desperately to find the Revivalists group that caused the awful catastrophe three years ago when not only were several innocent members of the public killed but also the love of his life, Julie, a woman he planned to propose to. Catamount still thinks of his Julie and is determined to bring these perpetrators to justice.
Juliette Toussaint is the owner of a successful modiste shop on Bond Street with many members of the ton patronising her shop where she creates some of the most beautiful gowns and day dresses. Unfortunately for Juliette, her memories only go back three years as prior to this period she draws a blank.
One day while walking down the street, she feels someone is watching her, so she decides to approach Catamount Castlebury for help. She feels herself drawn to him, although she does not have any memory of him. When Catamount sees her, he is struck by the similarities between his Julie and Juliette and he is certain, even if she does not recognise him, that they are the same person. Things start to heat up when Juliette's shop is targeted by the revivalists and things gets extremely dangerous for Juliette.
A good story that kept me interested and engaged. I received an ARC from the publishers and NetGalley and submit my honest review voluntarily.
This is the first book in the series that I've read and I must say though the premise and the setting was great, the book didnt gel well as a whole. Maybe If I had more context with the previous books in the series, I would've been able to engage with the story better.
Juliette is a french modiste who cannot remember her life from three years ago. Cat, short for Catamount, is the leader of Bow Street Runners, a Baron by title. Their shared history, burgeoning love - catapulted by the fleeting feelings of the past, how they navigate the mystery of lost memories, and the fast approaching danger of the revivalists - the story should have written itself but somehow it felt short. The main characters were written flat and in a two dimentionsal fashion and the FMC's dialogue felt like it was written with no personality at all - almost robotic.
Regardless, the plot points were interesting enough that I will go back to the other books in the series. 2/5 stars for this one though.
3,5 stars
An intriguing story! The plot itself was good. It was suspenseful, emotional and touching, with a few unexpected twists, danger and a few steamy love scenes, although some scenes were described repeatedly, which I found a little irritating. I would have liked the finale to be a bit more exciting, but the following epilogue with all the characters from the previous books was very touching and beautiful. Cat and Juliette were mostly likeable and it was nice to see that they found each other again. Unfortunately, there was little insight into their shared past.
Three years ago, Bow Street Runner Catamount Castlebury lost his beloved fiancée Julie in an attack by the Revivalists in Seven Dials. Since then, he has made it his life's work to expose the criminal gang of young aristocrats and bring them to justice. When a young woman suddenly turns up in his office who looks just like his fiancée and who is allegedly being pursued by the Revivalists, he can't believe it.
Three years ago, Juliette woke up with no memories of her previous life, but with a bag full of money. She then created a new life for herself as a successful modiste and has led a private life in seclusion ever since. Her memory still hasn't come back, instead she is being plagued by nightmares and incoherent fragments of memories. However, thoughts of the Revivalists send her into a panic and when she realises that she is being followed, she turns to the famous Bow Street Runner Catamount Castlebury.
Even though Cat is initially unsure that Juliette is really his Julie and she obviously can't remember him or their past together, he doesn't want to lose her again and decides to protect her from the Revivalists...
I recommend the book to anyone who has read the earlier books in the series and wants to know how the story with the Revivalists ends.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Bow Street Baron by Jennifer Seasons takes us back to the Castlebury family, Catamount in particular, where he is busy chasing the Revivalists, a frighteningly violent group. He is a Bow Street Runner and he and his compatriots have been chasing them for three years, following a particularly nasty battle in Seven Dials, during which he had lost Julie, the woman he intended to marry. She still occupied his thoughts. Juliette Toussaint owned and operated a very successful modiste shop on Bond Street, but the fact she could not remember her past still haunted her. She had woken up in an alley with a satchel full of money and had no idea how she got there or where the money came from. She used it to open her successful shop.. The Revivalists were back and she was frightened. She went to Bow Street for help. She had changed but Cat was struck by her resemblance to his Julie. He protected her. She fell in love. He already was in love and had been for years. This was Julie. Only when she had another fall did it all come back to her.
Cat is a strong character, needs to be as a Runner. His family is supportive, although had not been about Julie those years ago. Having seen what her loss had done to him, they were better prepared this time. Juliette was an excellent modiste. This was a frightening time and Seasons was able to portray it on paper. These people meant business and when they discovered Juliette was the woman who had made off with their money they were hot to retrieve it. There was violence but there was also love and they seemed to balance one another. Juliette hatched a plot and it seemed to be working. This was a terrific novel, full of angst. Thanks, Jennifer Seasons!
I was invited to read Bow Street Baron by Dragonblade. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #Dragonblade #JenniferSeasons #BowStreetBaron
Juliette Toussaint only remembers the last three years of her life. Nightmares and threats bring the Revivalists back into her life, but she doesn't know why. Captain Catamount Castlebury is a Bow Street Runner. He lost the woman he loved, Julie, three years ago and is determined to stop the Revivalists. Seeing each other again they feel a connection, but is it Julie? As the Revivalists target Juliette, Catamount must protect her, even if she's not Julie. Will he feel the same when she remembers the night she was attacked three years ago? What happened to her shop?
A fast paced romance.
Mild descriptive sex.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book from NetGalley.
This was an interesting and complex series. Each book can be read alone however they are tied together based on a group on revolutionaries that are terrorizing the city. In this last book we get to follow the path backwards to unravel the mystery of who is in charge of this group of villains and how they keep escaping the authorities. Cat, the head Bow Street Runner, is determined to bring them to justice after the love of his life is killed. Juliette, an excellent modistist, has lost her memory and due to flashbacks is terrified of these terrorists. Well written with plenty of clues to unravel this deep mystery as well as great character depth. Add the twists, turns, steam and secrets to it, that gives it more depth. Surround it with moral dilemma with both characters struggling against right and wrong and you have a very engaging story.
This is a historical romance with a mystery to solve. Our heroine has secrets that she is hiding, even from herself it seems. Our hero is the Captain of the Bow Street runners. There has been a particularly violent gang terrorising London. It's his job to catch and stop them.
Plenty of excitement and danger for our characters. It's time for the past to come into the light.
This is part of a series but each book can easily be read on it's own.
Good fun.
The novel opens on a suspenseful note as news of the Revivalists once again emerges. Juliette had been suffering from total amnesia, apart from the last three years of her life. The only things she is sure of is that the Revivalists arouse terror in her and Captail Catamount Castlebury represents safety. As protective of Juliette as the Captain is, he nevertheless senses that there secrets locked up in her memory and when they do come out, he is devastated. Despite not remembering the love between The Captain and herself, Juliette recognizes the feel of his arms and his kisses. She is equally appalled when she finally recalls the events from the attack three years previously and it almost seems that she will lose everything that is most important to her. The novel is a standalone and comes to a gentle conclusion. I received a copy of this romance as a gift through Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.
I’ve never read other books in the series but this one for me was just ok. A few things I didn’t like about the book was to me the plot just wasn’t realistic in the least.
Juliette Toussaint cannot remember anything before three years ago when she woke in an alley covered in blood. Determined to bury that nightmare deep in the recesses of her mind, Juliette builds a vibrant new life as Madame Toussaint, the chicest and most popular new modiste in Mayfair. Bow Street Runner, Captain Catamount Castlebury lost his love Julie three years ago, she disappeared, presumed dead in the Revivalists’ attack on Seven Dials, his heart stops completely when a Frenchwoman rushes through the front door of the Runner’s headquarters, looking remarkably like his Julie.
The fifth book in the series & it could be read on its own. I really liked both Cat & Juliette the chemistry between them sizzled but she’s suffering from amnesia & as her memory gradually returns she also has secrets. Cat is determined not to lose his love again but can he live with what she reveals? A well paced romance with strong characters & plenty of danger. Quite a quick read as I read it in an afternoon
I voluntarily read and reviewed a special copy of this book; all thoughts and opinions are my own
Such a good book. Jennifer Seasons is an amazing author. Her characters are enchanting but strong. This book is fantastic!
I don't like giving anything away. Just read it and enjoy!!
I know I will recommend this book to friends and family.
I have not read the other books in this series, however I found the premise of this one to be intriguing so I requested it.
Bow Street Baron is filled with mystery, romance and steam. I had a blast while reading this. Trying to figure out who hurt Juliette kept me on the edge of my seat. I needed to know who it was. I also found the romance to be fantastic. I enjoy the amnesia trope and I think it was done well here. Because of Juliette's amnesia this was also a second chance romance. I loved how passionate Caption Catamount was for her! He loved her with all his heart and he wasn't afraid to let her know it. I really enjoyed their relationship and watching their love blossom again. Plus the chemistry the couple had was unbelievable. The sex scenes were really hot!
A great read filled with mystery and romance. Would recommend!
I really, really wanted to like this, but Juliette's actions and motivations just _made no sense_. There were quite a few times I said, "Um, what?" I can't say more without spoiler territory, but by about 30% into this book I was yelling at the characters out loud while I read.
Otherwise, the writing is extremely florid, the male character an alpha male to end all alpha males, the plot is pretty predictable and the sex scenes are quite hot. I have to admit that this is the first book I've read in this series and it's entirely possible that I'm missing something because of this.
If you like traditional romance with all the trimmings, I would try this series, but start at the first book "Mayfair Misfit".
The book did my head in. The writing was so flowery that sometimes I got lost in what was happening. Overly poetic language to describe everything, The woman Juliette woke up three years ago in an alley with amnesia and a bag of money. She opens a modiste shop (she is French). There are bad men terrorizing London. And every time she hear about it shivers down her spine (enough times I thought she had a cold) anyway, she meets up with a Bow Runner named Cat and he notes that she looks EXACTLY like his love that was killed three years ago (body not recovered definitely). And her response is “no I am just a simple seamstress!! My issue was her stubbornness was not particularly realistic, but it felt like a plot device. But consequently, I didn’t trust th characters’ emotional lives. And the writing style? It was not something I enjoyed. (I read an ARC)
Catamount is a bow street Captain mourning the loss of his beloved Julie three years ago at the hands of the terrorizing Revivalists.
He pursues justice relentlessly when he comes across a fearful Juliette who has visions of chaos and bloodshed but finds it difficult to remember concrete facts.
He struggles to put all the misleading pieces together as Julie comes to the forethought of the issue.
Twists and action fill the story as emotional struggles abound.
An engaging addition to the Castlebury series.
The Bow Street Baron is an absolutely captivating read that left me spellbound from beginning to end. The author masterfully creates a rich, immersive world and the depth of detail in the world-building is truly remarkable.
The protagonist, is a beautifully complex character whose journey of self-discovery and courage resonates deeply. Her growth throughout the story is both believable and inspiring, making her a heroine you can’t help but root for. The supporting characters are just as well-crafted, each bringing their own unique charm and depth to the narrative.
The plot is filled with twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat. Just when I thought I had figured out what would happen next, the author skillfully surprised me. The themes of friendship, sacrifice, and the fight between good and evil are woven seamlessly into the narrative, adding layers of meaning that will leave readers pondering long after they turn the last page.
Overall, this book is a must-read for fantasy lovers. I can’t wait for the next installment!