I wish these things came with a warning. Between the F-bombs and explicit scenes, definitely not for me. The premise was interesting, but the execution... I certainly can't recommend for students!

Book source ~ NetGalley

Charlotte Appleby is living a miserable life with her aunt and uncle. Sure she has a roof over her head and food to eat, but they treat her like crap. So when a Faerie shows up in her room on her 25th birthday and says she has to bestow a gift on her, what’s a woman to do? Pick one and get the hell out of Dodge, that’s what. Charlotte chooses the gift of metamorphosis or shape-changing. The best part is: it’s not just shape-changing, it’s life-changing for Charlotte.

This is one of those books that will grab your fancy and not let go until the end. Charlotte has to pick a gift and the Faerie bestowing it is not like the fairy godmother in Cinderella. She’s like the ones in Grimm Fairy Tales, she may have to bestow a gift, but she’s going to be cruel if she can get away with it. Charlotte is no dummy though and asks questions and carefully weighs her options before choosing her gift.

The year is 1805 and Charlotte’s options are limited. So she decides to shift into a man and apply as a secretary to a Lord from an ad she sees in the paper. She may be a poor relation now, but at one time her mother and father made sure their daughter had a well-rounded education. She’s confident she can do the job. She’s not so sure about being a man. Luckily, Lord Cosgrove takes a chance and hires her, uh, him, uh, Charlotte who is now Christopher Albin. Lord Cosgrove is having some difficulties that a mere secretary would have a hard time helping him to investigate. But Charlotte is in a unique position. She can change into any person or animal and sneak into places neither one could go. The plot is twisty, the characters are wonderful, and Charlotte’s adventures into shape-shifting are fun to witness. Add some romance to the mix (it’s complicated) and it’s the perfect storm. I had a hard time putting this book down. I couldn’t wait to see what was on the next page. Who was the one causing Cosgrove all the trouble? When would he find out about her shape shifting? What would happen when he did? The suspense builds at a steady pace until the big finale. Wonderful!

Not really my cup tea and the style wasnt my taste at all.

After some initial trepidation, I greatly enjoyed this book and admired the author. Though I’m hardly the toughest audience, I typically avoid paranormal romance and am underwhelmed by poorly researched historical romance set in England. Years of reading, traveling, and working in and conducting my own research in archives make me cautious, particularly when historical romance novels touch on the subjects of slavery. I’m a Black American reader of historical romance and nonfiction, including sociology. Therefore, the opening chapter nearly put me off; it wasn’t the hero, but his trusted secretary that believes in “Abolition of the trade, sir, not slavery itself. Slavery will disappear as a natural consequence” -- naive, and not supported by historical realities. Right away I wondered if Marcus, the novel’s hero, a supporter of abolition, would share his secretary’s opinion. Mercifully, he doesn’t, and from that point on the reader is swept into a nicely layered, sometimes eerie, magical romance that will make you want to enjoy the entire series. Charlotte, the impoverished heroine is no plucky stereotype; she has potentially dangerous magical powers, empathy, and a keen sense of self-preservation that allows her to maintain a disguise as Marcus’ new male employee. Larkin describes her shape-shifting adventures so vividly that the reader feels surrounded by the damp chill of London streets at night, and smells gin on the breath of hired thugs. The emotional conflict between the hero and heroine is believable, as is the rapport that Charlotte forms with Marcus while still maintaining layers of disguise (her scenes in which she masquerades as a dog are strangely funny and charming). Larkin’s an engaging writer with an excellent sense for detail and atmosphere. Recommended.

This was not the best story I have read in this genre - it was entertaining but not perfect