Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥
Humor: Yes
Perspective: Third person from both hero and heroine
More character focused or plot focused? A mix
How did the speed of the story feel? To me, it felt medium to fast without feeling too rushed (keep in mind it’s a short story)
When mains are first on page together: Quite soon in (about 9% of the short novel, the end of the first chapter)
Cliffhanger: No, this ends with a happy for now
Epilogue: No
Format: voluntarily read an advanced reader copy from the author in e-book form

Should I read in order?
This is the first in Pier’s Ashbourne Legacy. I think all her books take place in the same world, but didn’t notice references here and it’s fine to start here.

Basic plot:
A collision leads to love at first sight. Well, for Arthur anyway.

Give this a try if you want:
- Regency (1816)
- London setting
- science loving and inventor heroine
- love at first sight
- Duke hero
- hero falls first
- hero blushes!
- bespectacled heroine
- medium to higher steam for the page count – 2 scenes
- shorter novel (novelette?)

Ages:
- heroine is 25, didn’t see hero mentioned

First line:
It was considered prudent for a lady to fastidiously contemplate the art of securing a husband at the age of five-and-twenty.

My thoughts:
I loved this short story SO much! It was so adorable, funny, and sweet right from the collision meeting.

This has so many of my favorite things wrapped up within it. I adore a collision first meeting, I prefer when the characters don’t know each other before the book start (which isn’t as common in short stories/novellas I feel like), and so much humor and sweetness. I found myself laughing out loud at some parts.

Being a short story, I felt the ending was just a touch rushed, but the pace overall of the story was really great. (I think too, with having a sample of another story at the end, I had in my head the story would be longer with the percentage in the e-book). I loved this quick read! These characters were delightful.

I will say the glider threw me for a loop for a minute. I was definitely picturing Bridget running and jumping and sailing down the road with a contraption over her head 😂 But it’s like a balance bike (a bike without pedals)



Quotes/spoiler-y thoughts:Any mistakes/typos are my own. More quotes under steamy scenes.

After he collides with the heroine

Combined, those were the sounds of Arthur tumbling and falling. In more ways than one. And as he tumbled, thoughts of spectacles, a pale face, and freedom fell into place.
---
“I wasn’t following you.” Not intentionally, anyway. “But said genius would be yours truly, Arthur.” He had not meant to say that. His Christian name. Of all things. But something in his gut, or perhaps lower, convinced him that he needed to steal closer to her. Closer than bodies pressed together, that is.
Her eyes flew wide in surprise. His would have too, save all the years of training himself to remain composed in the face of any and all circumstances.
“Well, Arthur, do you think you can do your protecting from an upright position.”
Upright. Ben over. Sideways. Upside down. From behind. He was pretty sure he could do it from any position.
---

While the heroine is hiding under his desk

“Arthur? Did you hear me?” Isaac, a family friend spoke up.
“Mmm.” He hoped the groan was the encouraging sound he intended it to be and not the reaction to a deeper rub. “Make it quick.”
The rubbing quickened. “Not you,” he said to his lap.
---
“I have to admit my surprise. But I will also confess that I’m a determined man. When I see something I like, I do persist. I fear I shall send you flowers and gifts until you change your mind.”
 

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

- brief mention of parent’s marriage being cut short (I’m assuming the father passed)

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes: These percentages are a bit deceiving because there is a sample from the next book at the end (so move the percentages up)

Safe sex: 

Hero withdraws

Hows the consent? 

It’s pretty good! The first scene the heroine does undo the hero’s pants under the desk without asking him but we know he’s pretty into it.

34% - 🔥blow job with the heroine under the desk (incomplete), fingering for her, hero comes in his pants

He sighed. Surely she was finished now.
“Arthur, are you alright?”
“Yes, yes. I’m-” and then those fingerings reached for his falls and unbuttoned them.

59% - 🔥 her on top

“Undo these,” Bridget pointed to his falls and before she could make her next request, he was jutting out to greet her.
“Yes, that looks good.” She said as she licked her lips. “I think I must have that.”