ANGEL IN SCARLET - Lavinia Kent

Great characters - 4 stars

#4 in the Bound and Determined series

Plot - 4 stars - Angela is a somewhat unconventional woman, and that is what attracts Colton in the first place. But when they begin a relationship, she tries to follow the usual rules of society, and that's what turns him off. When she seeks revenge, asking for Madame Rouge's help, Angela goes through a lot of soul-searching to discover what she really wants from/with Colton.

Writing - 4 stars - I was caught up in the story right from the first page. I thought the initial plot line was a little lame--Angela wants revenge against Colton for not following the usual societal routine for relationships (according to her preconceptions), but since that quickly developed into something else, then it didn't bother me too much after the beginning. Kent always creates such appealing characters, and it is easy to like them and become involved in their lives, rooting for their success.

Characters - 4 stars - The main characters are certainly warm and appealing. Colton is handsome and titled, which is pretty standard for this sort of book. But he's searching for more in his love life, but is also honorable enough to let a woman go if he thinks he's pushing her too far. Angela, the reader can see, is his perfect match. She's bold enough to ask Madame Rouge for help (since she's a good friend of Bliss from a previous book, then this actually makes sense), and she soon realizes that she also wants what Colton does in a relationship. I loved their camaraderie, and their hesitance and on-again-off-again relationship made sense as they felt each other out about their desires since, of course, they couldn't right away come out and talk about them. It was great to revisit with previous characters, including Bliss, Duldon, and Madame Rouge.

Title - 4 stars - Nice title. Our heroine is named Angela, and her potential lover thinks of her as his Angel. When she wears a scarlet dress, he is immediately caught and decides she perhaps has more to her personality than he originally thought.

Cover - 4 stars - This cover is nice because the main character in this instance certainly the woman who is battling with her own instincts against the accepted practices of a gently-raised woman of the day. She's beautiful and yet shows elegance, not a smutty picture at all.

Overall - 4 stars - Not being interested in BDSM in real life, I am definitely impressed with Kent's ability to make this sort of relationship seem attractive. She builds the sexual tension and subtly releases hints about what to expect from their relations. This is certainly very mild BDSM, so there's much more exploration than actual action, and that makes it all seem much gentler. The characters are attractive and friendly, and it's very enjoyable to watch them deal with such modern-seeming needs in an old-fashioned era. I suppose it's not a modern lifestyle at all, but it's unusual to read a series about Regency characters in this sub-genre. I'm looking forward to continuing with this series.

DNF @33%

Book source ~ NetGalley

Miss Angela Ripon thought Matthew Harkness, the Earl of Colton, was going to ask her to marry him. Instead he dropped her like a hot potato. Now she wants revenge. She wants to seduce him until he can’t live without her and when he asks her to marry him, she rejects him. Seeking the advice of Madame Rouge, or Ruby as she’s known by her patrons, Ruby warns Angela that the game she’s playing will most likely not end up the way she hopes. Angela forges blindly on anyway. Matthew is newly intrigued by this change in Angela, but he’s wary. He’ll not be trapped into marriage. When Angela insists that she’s not looking for marriage he cautiously decides to play along and see where it goes.

The writing isn’t bad, but the characters are horrible. Neither one is honest with the other and neither thought or had the balls to just come out and say what they want, so they circle endlessly in a continuous loop of lies and prevarications and at 33% I just could not stand it anymore. I just couldn’t face another 67% of these two dipshits never coming out and saying what was actually on their minds. So, they are dead to me. Moving on.

Colton was courting her and then suddenly stopped and now Angela wants revenge. She goes to Ruby for help on how to seduce Colton and then she plans on dropping him. She didn't count on falling in love with him in the process.

I really enjoyed this story. I loved watching Colton and Angela evolve as their relationship progresses. Colton comes to realize that the woman he was first attracted to, was the true Angela. She was adventurous and not your ordinary society miss. Angela had never lost her attraction Colton, but soon realizes that the passion they share is also tied to her heart.

I look forward to the next book in the series, A Very Ruby Christmas.