Is he a changed man?

As a young, engaged man, Gerald was trying to be a rake and got caught. Thankfully, his father set him straight and banished him to a crumbling estate to get his act together. Which he did, though I would have liked to see that character arc on page. Selena was young and in the time after Gerald was caught in a scandal and banished, she had her own troubles and issues to deal with. On the run, she ends up at Gerald's but with unnecessary memory loss. They quickly go from virtual strangers to all coupled up. Drama is chasing Selena, though.

I had actually read the short story with Anna and Percival before having read this so I knew some of the plot going in. That made me curious to find out more about Selena and Gerald's story. Overall, this was a very enjoyable romance - the characters are both interesting, the plot moves at a good pace, and there are a few twists to keep things interesting (having read the short story I already knew what one of those twists would be). There were just a few minor things I would have liked to have had done differently. The first has to do with Gerald's growth from spoiled young man to responsible adult. We just small snippets about what that personality transformation included but just a little more about his journey from first arriving at the rundown estate to making it into what it was once the story really got underway would have been good. The second is that I thought Gerald and Selena falling deeply in love happened way to quickly. They go from being practically strangers (especially with her memory loss) to utterly devoted to one another in what feels like the span of a week. I don't think the memory loss part of the story was really necessary, it could have been equally interesting for her to start not fully trusting him because of his past behavior to him proving how much he had changed. A little more with Kat and Paul would also have been nice (like maybe even just one scene where they interact with Selena). I don't have a problem with anything that happens in the story, just the speed at which it happens. Having read the previous book in the series it was also nice to see how Christopher and Diana were doing.

Unfortunately, this was a bit of a lackluster read. The writing was the first thing to put me off, then came the pacing and the overall plot.
I'm sorry that it was a real misery to finish reading.


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A sweet story with a childhood betrothal, a young man who changes his life around, a brave heroine, a villainous villain, horses and a dog named Dutch.
How nice to read a book where a hero is disciplined by his father and makes himself a better man. With regard to the incident in the prologue, I'm not sure how Selena was persuaded to come to terms with it in the past, nor why she was happy to go to his estate for Christmas, though I can see why she was travelling to him for help/safety when she escapes from the villain.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Gerald is a guy who messed up and is sent down to the country to figure out how to run an estate and become a responsible man in the process.
Selena has endured abuse by the villlian of the story and bravely escapes on horseback to find Gerald.
They've been betrothed since they were children. Now they have lots of life experience, good and bad, and learn how to have a real relationship.
I liked the mmcs and the notable children and pets. The bad guy of the story really lowered my enjoyment of the story. Too much villiany.

I received the book as a gift from netgalley and the publisher. Opinions are my own.

A lovely, sweet romance with engaging characters and a wonderful story. It starts with a scandalous past and leads to a dangerous present for Gerald and Selena, heading towards forgiveness, trust and a worthy happily ever after.

To Win a Viscount’s Heart by Anna St. Claire
The Rakes of Mayhem #5

Sweet second chance romance that allows Gerald and Selena to mature and come into their own before meeting that second time.

What I liked:
* Viscount Gerald Lawrence: sowed his wild oats, caught in flagrant delicto, banished, worked hard, made big strides, matured, found success, meets Selena and is charmed
* Lady Selena Bowles: loving daughter, lost her father, worries about her mother, fears for her life, strong, resilient, affinity with animals, sweet, giving, forgiving, charming, trust Gerald…and more
* Angus Connery: estate manager, tutored Gerald as he rebuilt Bellwood, Scottish, a good man
* Fleure Bowles: Selena’s loving mother, widow, protective, still young, attracted to Angus
* Dutch: a dog with heart, protective, fun addition to the story
* Azure and the other horses that will provide much to the couple in the future
* Anna: maid, under the protection of Angus, seamstress, may end up with Selena’s relative
* Being able to see the blackguard of the story twirling a mustache as Dick Dastardly once did – though this baddie was a bit more deadly and despicable
* Finding out what Grom’s backstory was after disliking him originally
* The thread with Paul and Kat and the happy landing they found
* That it was a standalone story
* The various threads coming together neatly at the end

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* Thinking about how difficult it was for so many in this era – wealth didn’t save women and being poor and a woman an even greater hardship

Did I like this book? Yes
Would I read more by this author? Maybe, I liked her short story in a collection better than this sweeter one

Thank you to NetGalley and Dragonblade for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3-4 Stars

This is a sweet romance between Gerald, Lord Lawrence and Lady Selena Bowles. Being betrothed since they were children, they actually fall in love when circumstances force Selena to flee from her house and find safety at Gerald's estate. The plot of the book moved at a sound pace, with quite a few twists and turns. The romance and dialogues on the other hand seemed stultifying to me. I was given an ARC of this book by NetGalley, and this is my honest review.

A sweet romance between two people betrothed for years because their families were friends.
Gerald is older and a little wilder, actually being caught in a terrible situation on Selena’s special come out day.
Consequences ensue and five years later both of them are different.
Selena and her mother struggle to survive and Gerald must come to the rescue while falling in love.
Some twists and turns that add to the action and suspense.
Enjoyed reading their story.

A clean , sweet story of a man forced into a betrothal by his parents to a little frightened bird of a daughter of his parents best friend. What Gerald doesn’t realize is that little frightened bird has turned into a beautiful swan. Though the author tended to repeat herself quite a bit, and though it was a bit distracting at times ( as I kept thinking maybe she forgot she wrote that already), the story line was good and original. There are a few twists and turns to keep one guessing and the characters were, for the most part well developed. I especially loved Connery and Dutch! Not sure where Paul and Kat fit in either, almost an afterthought, but all in all a good story.

Received this tale for free and these are my own opinions.

Viscount Gerald Lawrence never imagined having a bet with his friends would result in banishment to his family’s crumbling estate in Derbyshire. Now, four years later, Gerald is a man transformed, his estate is there’s a thriving and a successful horse-racing venture. But on a stormy night, the past returns with a vengeance when a half-frozen, injured Selena appears on his doorstep. On the run after her mother is poisoned by a ruthless relative, Selena has no one else to turn to but the very man she never thought she’d face again. Traumatized and suffering from memory loss after a fall, she has no recollection of Gerald’s past betrayal.
The fifth book in the series & it could easily be read on its own. A delightful mix of mystery & romance. I loved both Gerald & Selena, he paid a heavy price for a bet that went wrong but his banishment but instead of wallowing he made the estate profitable & a jewel in the Earldom, he did have help from his estate manager Connery. Selena was a revelation & a delightful mix of innocence & strength. I loved how the pair were attracted to each other from their meeting after the storm but their feelings deepened as they spent time together as she recovered. There are twists, turns & surprises & also a secondary romance. The villain is horrid. A very well written, fast paced book, which I read straight through
I voluntarily read and reviewed a special copy of this book; all thoughts and opinions are my own

Selena escapes in the night to get away from a relative who has poisoned her mother. He is also threatening to take her to Greta Green to marry her for her inheritance. She ends up at the home of her old fiance Gerald. Feeling guilty he brought scandal on them when he broke their childhood engagement, Gerald feels he must protect her. When she stays with him, sparks fly and he wonders how he never saw how wonderful she really is. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Dragonblade Publishing for my honest review.