Overall: 3.5 rounded to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔 (I was left wanting to know Viktor a bit better)
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋 (The language is very light and not very explicit. I want to note that this does not mean it’s ‘bad’ in any way – it’s just lower on my personal scale of what I find sensual in a bedroom scene)
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑 (they are very short – a few have some more details but especially once the full act is started, it’s over fairly quickly)
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥 (there are a plethora of sex scenes, but the language is so light and many are very short so I settled at a 2 steam – basically you will get a decent amount of open door scenes but not enough that it’s going to feel really steamy)
Humor: Not much
Perspective: Third person from hero and heroine (mostly heroine)
More character focused or plot focused? a mix but maybe more character focused?
How did the speed of the story feel? slow to medium
When mains are first on page together: It felt like it took a bit – about 14% in (chapter 8)
Cliffhanger: No this ends with a happily ever after
Epilogue: Yes, 6 months or so in the future
Format: bought e-book

Should I read in order?
This is fine alone! There is follow up novel titled Widow Wilkes where this hero and heroine are supporting characters.

Basic plot:
Viktor and Reissa must navigate getting to know each other after being forced into an arranged marriage.

Give this a try if you want:
- medieval – 1359
- England setting
- arranged marriage
- old school vibes
- size difference – hero is over 6 feet and heroine is petite and 5 feet
- you want a hero turn around but are okay without a grovel

hero sleeps with tons of women and says he’s not going to stop once married (he does) and hero is cruel on multiple occasions at the beginning. There is turn around of his character but I didn’t feel a ton of remorse, nor is there groveling or acknowledgment of it

- disability rep (heroine) 

heroine broke her leg in the past but hides her limp for the most part 

- lower steam – there’s a number of scenes but the language is quite light

Ages:
- Hero is around 27, heroine is 21

First line:
Lord Viktor Colville was awakened from a deep sleep by the sound of a scream ringing in his ears.

My thoughts:
First of all, don’t read this one if you need consent in your romance – there’s definitely a few rough scenes here (you can check out content warnings below).

I really loved the set up of this one. I love the tropes at play here and the arranged marriage. I can love jerky heroes that are super arrogant and basically the only direction they can go is up after getting to know them initially. But, I was left wanting a bit more from Viktor in this one. There were small things that show us he has feelings but overall I wanted a really good grovel. Crawl Viktor! Crawl for her! 😆 I am okay with those consent problems in the beginning of the book because I cut my teeth on toxic relationships like this – Duke of Claymore anyone (by McNaught)??? But I was left feeling he was still one temper tantrum away from cheating and treating Reissa like he did at the beginning of the book so that didn’t solidify their HEA as much as I wanted to feel at the end. (I think reading Widow Wilkes will probably give me those feelings though, I think it takes place after this novel and these mains are supporting characters.)

I loved Reissa and her love for children. Her story is hard to read with the abuse she’s experienced and you just want to take her away and protect her. I enjoyed watching her growth through the story.

A few minor complaints:

There were a few things that confused me. I wasn’t sure how the step mother had such control over the hero’s marriage ability? I also was confused why the heroine’s father wanted her to have an heir so badly. I was also really frustrated with Reissa for being mad at Viktor for removing her abusive father from the castle.

Overall, I wanted more from Viktor in the apology department, but it did give me some nostalgia feelings of my early romance years. I think those wanting that old school dynamic in a new historical romance voice should definitely give this one a try!

Quotes/spoiler-y thoughts:Any mistakes/typos are my own

This really shows what kind of hero you are getting from Viktor at first – I know this type of hero is definitely not for everyone.

“I will not tolerate disobedience, disrespect, possessiveness, or jealousy,” he continued his dictating tirade, causing her to feel smaller and smaller within her seat. “I expect promptness in my requests and a tight lip to my faithlessness. Do you understand?”
---
“The wench is terrified of me, and I do not have any patience for her fear.” He was blunt as a spoon.
---
“Eat, Reissa, you are far too thin. A bag of bones fails to ignite my desires,” he drawled with harsh honesty.
---
“You must discard this fear you possess in my presence, Reissa. I cannot abide such foolishness every time I look upon you crossly,” he grated, presenting the frightening image of his words.
---
As his mind continued to dwell on their situation, his mood grew increasingly foul. He was furious that he felt such guilt. She was his wife, and he had the right to treat her in any fashion he chose, yet he could not dismiss the self-resentment, no matter how hard he tried.
---
Yes, she was terrified of him, but it was possible for lust to exist along with fear.
However, that was not true in this case. His wife was an exception to the countless women who desired to be bedded by him. That thought was accompanied by an unusual surge of anger, but he suppressed it because other matters needed tending.
---
“You have a marital duty to accept me into your body, Reissa,” he hissed. “You will not deny me.”
 

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

- murder/death on page
- parental death
- hero is a bit of a man whore (no cheating in this novel)
- scenes of abuse and domestic violence on page from the heroine’s father to the heroine, remembrance of child abuse
- rape – I’d consider the first scene rape, even though she’s ‘consenting’ – the heroine is scared and we know she’s terrified and doesn’t want to do it, he’s drunk and being a jerk and he does it cruelly and doesn’t stop when she’s crying. It is on page, but not overly long or detailed.
- brief mention of hunting fox
- possible disordered eating – the heroine is very thin and frail and the hero wants her to put on weight (ex So, he kept watch over her meals, refusing her to leave the table without eating all that was given to her. He was determined to put some weight on the girl. His wife complied without complaint, and for that he found himself feeling admiration for the woman he had wed. It’s not a long part or repeated really but I wanted to mention it for those sensitive.
- there is a punishment spanking scene (not bdsm) where he spanks her for disobeying him
- a scene of a villain drugging the pregnant heroine
 

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:

 
Safe sex: 

No, but they are married. 

 
Hows the consent? 

  I think people that desire strong consent in their books should avoid this one. The heroine is consenting the first time, but it’s obvious she’s scared and doesn’t want to and he does it anyway, in a painful way, and doesn’t stop even when she’s crying. 

 
19% - the wedding night (rape)
33% - start of a scene but the hero stops it
39% - another rape scene – she is clearly not interested but he does it anyway. I don’t believe pleasure for her is mentioned, but she does feel violated.
57% - kiss
63% - 🔥 kisses, oral for her, missionary
65% - 🔥 missionary
67% - mention of sex
72% - sex
79% - brief mention of sex
84% - kiss
97% - mention of sex