Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔 (Long has great character depth – especially in this one where they spend so much time focused on each other)
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞💞💞 Sooooooo romantic
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥 if you’re a bit generous. It feels like a slow burn and two scenes I counted are quite close together, so might not actually feel this hot
Humor: Yes
Perspective: Third person from mostly the hero and heroine but also a bit from Ian Eversea’s POV (the heroine’s brother)
More character focused or plot focused? character
How did the speed of the story feel? maybe a bit slow in parts. Slow to medium
When mains are first on page together: Pretty soon in - about 10% or so (Chapter 3)
Cliffhanger: No, this ends with a happily ever after
Epilogue: Yes, not too far in the future
Format: Listened to audiobook from the library (Hoopla)

Should I read in order?
So, ideally, yes? The families are large and you will miss some references here and there if you don’t read the prior ones. There is something really satisfying about learning the whole families stories...but I also feel like this one is okay for a rebel reader to pick up alone. Yes, there’s some characters and plot points mentioned from prior books but they aren’t a big part and really don’t matter. These two spend almost the entire book together and are focused on each other the entire time.

Basic plot:
When Alex finds Ian Eversea naked with his betrothed, he decides to get revenge by seducing Ian’s innocent sister, Genevieve.

Give this a try if you want:
- Regency (my assumption)
- Sussex setting
- elements of revenge seduction
- size difference – hero is much taller
- hero pursues
- hero loves first
- widower hero
- age gap (older hero)
- large family and house party vibes
- lots of playful banter and dialogue
- other man drama
- stargazing cuddles
- medium steam – it’s a slow burn feel with 3 scenes (though 2 are close together)

Ages:
- The hero is ‘near 40’ so 39? And the heroine is ‘just past 20’

First line: (Taken from audio, might have butchered)
From a deucedly awkward crouch between a bird bath and a shrubbery in the back garden of a Sussex manor house, Ian Eversea watched the silhouette of a woman pass tantalizingly once, twice, hallelujah three times before the upper story window.

My thoughts:
Oh my goodness, this book, THIS BOOK!!! I just adored this book. Absolutely LOVED.

My expectations were a touch low because I haven’t really loved this series thus far. Books 1 and 3 were a bit too busy for me and books 2 and 4 were kind of slow and had a few things I was annoyed with. But this book is my romance perfection!

I loved how character focused this one is. They spend so, so much time together and you really, truly see them fall in love. It doesn’t happen out of nowhere. We enter the scene with a heartbroken heroine and a hero bent on revenge. And watching their getting to know each other, in a cautious (perhaps even hostile for Genevieve) way that shifts into a slow opening of laughter, of banter, of flirting, that develops into longing so desperate. I want this in all my romances. This is my favorite thing about romance. This is the butterflies I chase.

The plot was a bit unexpected to me (when I saw revenge seduction, I assumed that would be the ending drama was finding out ‘the truth’. And it delightfully went in another direction) and I just loved that. The humor is subtle, witty, and delightful in so many scenes. The way Alex torments Ian throughout the book was gold. And the heroes love for...horses. I adore how Long really brings house parties to life. This is what I love about house parties. I love the different games, the varying plans the day. Just so, so much fun.

The romance in this book is so swoony. The things Alex says...the references he makes. To the ending that just gutted me. This book stole my heart.

Endearments

Hero calls the heroine ‘venus’ 

Quotes/spoiler-y thoughts:Any mistakes/typos are my own. I would have had so many more but I listened to audio and taking quotes is a pain

Oh, he’d warrant he could make the girl forget Lord Harry Osbourne. And after that, she’d need to spend the rest of her life forgetting the Duke of Falconbridge.
---
She didn’t move to test whether he’d release her. He wondered if he would release her if she tugged. He decided he wouldn’t. But she didn’t tug.
“Genevieve,” he murmured speculatively, landing hard on that first syllable, gliding over the next as though they were soft, rolling Sussex hills. As though each syllable had it’s very own character, and deserved equal attention. He wound more of her hair in his fist again, and again. So soft. And in this manner, he reeled her absurdly closer to him. And she came to him.
 

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

- feelings of infidelity (not between the mains) – the opening scene is the hero being cuckolded by Ian Eversea and his betrothed
- talk of hunting and shooting animals
- death of spouse
- death of infant/child (remembered)

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:

Safe sex: 

hero pulls out 

Hows the consent? 

It’s good – definitely implied at the least – they both are consenting 

56% - kiss
68% - kisses, breast play, light cock touches…
74% - 🔥 kisses, oral for her, missionary

“And so...do you intend to have your way with me, Venus?” he murmured.

79% - 🔥 kisses, spooning in bed sex

“Do you want me again, Genevieve?”
“You will.”

86% - 🔥 breast play in front of the mirror, fingering for her, him standing behind her sex

“Watch,” he ordered into her ear and his rough, ragged breath was a caress too, raising gooseflesh along her arms, her throat. And so she did.