Overall: 4.5 rounded to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡⚡ (this is a slower burn, but I thought the kisses and together scenes did so good building tension)
Romance: 💞💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋 (Personally, I found the steamy scenes a bit light – I wanted a bit more explicitness)
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥 (this is a guess because I definitely marked the pages in the book for steamy scenes, then returned it to the library before writing my review….you’re welcome future reader of the book 🤣
Humor: A bit
Perspective: third person from both the hero and heroine, and a small amount from the hero’s brother Julian (who is the hero in the next book)
More character focused or plot focused? character
How did the speed of the story feel? medium
When mains are first on page together: It takes a little bit to set it up, but still pretty soon in (maybe 2-3 chapters? I forgot to note it)
Cliffhanger: This ends with a happy ever after for the couple but the plot is left open on a cliffhanger and continues in the next book
Epilogue: yes
Format: read a physical book checked out from the library
Why I chose this book: I read it years ago and loved it but wanted a more thorough review and steam details for it – I thought adding it to my spooky to be read list would be perfect (and I also never finished book 2 in the series and was curious about that too but wanted to reacquaint myself with the story)
Mains: this is a M/F romance between a cishet hero and heroine

Should I read in order?
This is the first in Medeiros’ Cabot series.

Basic plot:
Caroline means to protect her sister at all costs, even if it means confronting her beau on whether he is a vampire or not.

Give this a try if you want:
- Regency – 1920
- London and country manor settings
- vampire vibes
- Gothic feel
- he’ll watch you sleep
- rescue me
- Vauxhall
- sister’s suitor
- slower burn – there’s some kisses, but all the steam is towards the end of the book. (view spoiler)
- lower steam – 2ish scenes towards the end

Ages:
- heroine is 24, didn’t catch hero but would guess late 20s/early 30s?

My thoughts:
I read this book years ago and really enjoyed it. I decided to round up to 5 stars this read because it still gives me feels! I just love the little kisses and tension building...there’s a scene where she is snooping in his room at night...and I just love it – I remembered it for years and it makes me swoony…

This is just a sweet, easy read. There’s some light mystery and some lovely build up between the mains. Kisses on dark Vauxhall walks and gothic style manors...love!

Few random reading stats for this author
# of books read: 4
Average rating: 3.75 stars
Favorite book: This one!

Quotes

She absently brought her thumb to her mouth, then glanced at Kane, having finally worked up enough courage to gauge his reaction to Vivienne’s words.
He wasn’t watching Vivienne. He was watching her. His hungry gaze was riveted on her lips as she sucked away the welling drops of blood. The polite mask he so often wore had vanished, revealing a naked need that stole her breath away.
She could almost feel his lips curving around her tender flesh. His mouth gently suckling away all of her hurts until there was no pain, only pleasure. Her heart seemed to slow, growing fuller and heavier with every beat until she could feel its primitive rhythm echoing deep in her womb.
Kane slowly lifted his gaze from her lips to her eyes. Instead of breaking the spell, the motion only intensified it.
Come to me.
---
Caroline stretched out her hand, keenly aware that this was no portrait, but flesh and blood, seething with heat and strength and life.
One second her fingertips were grazing the warm golden satin of his back, the next she was flat on her back on the feather tick, both of her wrists manacled above her head in one of his hands, his other hand wrapped around the slender column of her throat.
She blinked up at him, mesmerized by the feral glitter of his eyes. Every breath was a struggle, but she couldn’t tell if that was from being imprisoned beneath his weight or from inhaling the intoxicating aroma of his sleep-warmed flesh. Added to the usual mix of sandalwood and bay rum was a new and even more potent spice – danger.
Recognition slowly dawned in his eyes, leaving them wary and heavy-lidded. His grip on her wrists and her throat softened, yet still he made no move to free her.
 

Content warnings: These should be taken as a minimum of what to expect. It’s very possible I have missed some.

- parental death
- remembered assault kissing
- ‘gypsy’ is used
Author content warnings? Didn’t see any

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes, safe sex aspects, consent, pregnancy/child in the story:

 
Safe sex: 

  No 

 
Hows the consent? 

  It’s okay – technically they both kind of take kisses with questionable consent but being in their heads we experience their longing (the heroine kisses the hero in Vauxhall to hide their presence, and later the hero kisses the heroine after she says ‘Don’t’ but we are in her POV and know she longs for him and is not struggling/upset), but overall it's fine 

 
Pregnancy/children in story? (Please note this is the best to my memory/note taking. If you see something I missed please feel free to message!) 

  No children in the story or pregnancy 

 
Pg 221/370 – kisses

Soooo I definitely dog earred my library book with all the steamy bits and then forgot...and returned it to the library before I wrote this review.

I think there’s 2 steamy scenes???