Challenge Corner discussion

A twist of fate.

Devon Ravenel, London's most wickedly charming rake, has just inherited an earldom. But his powerful new rank in society comes with unwanted responsibilities . . . and more than a few surprises. His estate is saddled with debt, and the late earl's three innocent sisters are still occupying the house—along with Kathleen, Lady Trenear, a beautiful young widow whose sharp wit and determination are a match for Devon's own.

A clash of wills.

Kathleen knows better than to trust a ruthless scoundrel like Devon. But the fiery attraction between them is impossible to deny—and from the first moment Devon holds her in his arms, he vows to do whatever it takes to possess her. As Kathleen finds herself yielding to his skillfully erotic seduction, only one question remains: can she keep from surrendering her heart to the most dangerous man she's ever known?

I'm going to join this one! I recently bought the first book!

I started off with the third book lol!



Chapter 1 - 5 : (view spoiler)[Historical romances are quickly becoming my favourite honestly, they have so much angst and quarrel between the main characters, plus there is no *ravishing* until the very end which creates a very amazing atmosphere for me. I am liking both Pandora and Gabriel currently plus they clearly have chemistry, now the forced proximity trope is about to come into play and I AM EXCITED! (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 6 - 10 : (view spoiler)[THAT KISSS!!!! Omg how can a simple kiss invoke so many feelings within me!???? There was a moment that I started getting frustrated by Gabriel’s way of thinking but I LOVED how Pandora didn’t give up or agree with him for the sake of it, the debate between them alone made the book worth it for me. Maybe it’s because I relate so much to these topics that I just end up loving everything where it’s focused on (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 11 - 15 : (view spoiler)[I didn’t even know there used to be so many restrictions on women in the 1800s…I like this aspect of the book so much, it’s not ALL about romance and the author has given much information about how things used to be in the past. I also like how Gabriel understood Pandora’s needs and suggested best possible solutions under given circumstances. Their sudden wedding was a surprise though. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 16 - 20 : (view spoiler)[Uhoh….I didn’t expect the plot to move in this direction, I mean it’s still interesting and all but sometimes I really just want a cute and a bit steamy romance without all the serious bits and especially action? That seriously came out of nowhere. The author has written it off really well which doesn’t make it dragged but I would have liked to read more about the romance itself. Though bonus points to Drago (hide spoiler)]

Finished: (view spoiler)[I was irked at some points because of Gabriel's "protective" behaviour towards Pandora, I know he was being caring in his eyes but it would have infringed upon her freedom. One detail that I totally loved in this book that Pandora didn't suddenly become homely or started revolving her whole life around her husband, she's still as fierce as ever and achieved her dream of financial independence after all. (hide spoiler)]

hello! i'm gonna join this! starting off with the first book

chapter 3
(view spoiler)[ “If that were true, you would understand that Lady Trenear and I are correct in our assessments of each other. I am a scoundrel, and she is a heartless bitch who’s entirely capable of looking after herself.”
JAW DROPPED. heartless bitch??? in the nineteenth century?? my boy devon is way ahead of his time (hide spoiler)]

chapters 16 and 17
(view spoiler)[to be honest, while i was reading chapter 16 i was running on 3 hours of sleep in the middle of the night and comprehended 3 words for every 3 sentences. i was a little bit confused, but i managed to grasp the situation. just woke up and read chapter 17 and oh my god. kind of like percy and annabeth in mark of athena. although i can't say i'm swooning/screaming at the moment, since i don't really like the characters that much, it was still really cute (hide spoiler)]

chapter 18
(view spoiler)[“My life . . . didn’t pass before my eyes. All I saw was you.” His lashes fell and his hand slipped from her face. He managed one more whisper before he fell asleep. “The last moment, I thought . . . I would die wanting you.”
JAW. DROPPED. (again) I TAKE IT BACK I'M SWOONING. SHUT UP. SHUT UP OH MY GOD HE'S SO ADORABLE I'M CRYING (hide spoiler)]

chapter 20-23
(view spoiler)[rhys and helen are more interesting than kathleen and devon. the latter are honestly so boring and bland (to me, at least). i hope we get to see way more of rhys and helen in this, since i don't plan on reading any of the other books. (hide spoiler)]

chapters 24-29
(view spoiler)[i have nothing of significance to say except i hope this is over soon. don't want to sound rude or anything but it's so so so so boring and i would dnf it but i'm already this far. can't wait for it to end (hide spoiler)]

Started

Chapters 1-6 (view spoiler)[I loving this one so far! I love the banter between the two main characters, and I love that she convinced him to not sell the property. (hide spoiler)]

Chapters 7 - 12 (view spoiler)[The bathroom scene was a little predictable, but I still thought it was cute. I love their banter! (hide spoiler)]

Chapters 13 - 24 (view spoiler)[The train wreck was just everything! I loved how Devon saved everyone he could. Now it's starting to get boring though. (hide spoiler)]

Finished (view spoiler)[I feel like Kathleen knowing she was pregnant took away from her saying yes to Devon. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 1 – 4 : (view spoiler)[Interesting so far! I was a bit irked by Devon at first but all his backstory with his mother melted my heart and I am absolutely loving Kathleen. The dialogues between these two are super entertaining and I like how the female MC is not shown to be submissive and doesn’t scare away from speaking what’s on her mind. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 5 – 11 : (view spoiler)[I’ll be really honest here, the chemistry and the feeling of want that a author is able to achieve in a historical romance is nowhere near to the present romance novels. I just love the tension between main characters and that whole scene in the bathroom was super hot. I can’t wait to see this tension growing now that Devon is going to stay at the estate (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 12 – 20 : (view spoiler)[Oooof, their chemistry is off the charts, that accident definitely acted as a catalyst and brought them closer in every way. I am finding myself even more excited for Winterborne and Helen though and I am sure I am going to dive into the next book as soon as I am done with this. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 21 – 27 : (view spoiler)[Kathleen is headstrong, I LIKE THAT. I am awed by how she put down her foot and set the terms of her relationship with Devon rather than taking whatever he was offering meekly. The author has done a great job with her but I am a bit bothered by Devon’s attitude ngl, I know that’s how men are supposed to be in historical pieces but still. (hide spoiler)]

Finished : (view spoiler)[ARGGHHH Helen and Winterborne are overshadowing Kathleen – Devon’s story for me, I felt for the first time more interested in side characters rather than the main ones. Devon’s character didn’t stay as appealing as it was at the start and sadly I was a bit annoyed as well but I am holding out hope for the second book still. (hide spoiler)]

Kira wrote: "

Chapter 1 – 4 : [spoilers removed]

Chapter 5 – 11 : [spoilers removed]

Chapter 12 – 20 : [spoilers removed]

Chapter 21 – 27 : [spoilers removed]

Finished..."

I agree about the ending. I just got book 2 in the mail, so hopefully it’s better.

I'll be starting book 2 soonish! (As soon as i am done with all my currently planned reads lol)

I’m planning on book two next week. I am still trying to catch up on some ARCs and buddy reads.

Chapter 1 – 5 : (view spoiler)[THIS was all kinds of uncomfortable, I am sure the author intended to make this tender and appropriate to the historical times but all I could think about while reading the part where Rhys explains sex to Helen is…please just get it over with lol, safe to say I am not a fan. Conversely, I do like Rhys and Helen together as a couple because the spark between them is fabulous (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 6 – 12 : (view spoiler)[Helen’s mother had an affair…that came as quite a shock, I can’t imagine how she must have felt when she found out. The connection between Rhys and Helen is growing stronger and I am getting annoyed by Devon’s hypocrisy, he himself behaved the same way as Rhys when it came to Kathleen (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 13 – 20 : (view spoiler)[Damn, that was some heavy backstory with Rhys and Vance, although Rhys’ anger seems pretty reasonable atm I am afraid for what his reaction would be to finding out that Helen is really Vance’s daughter and not the Earl’s. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 21 – 28 : (view spoiler)[Helen searched for her half sister, sweet…but what is she even going to tell Rhys? Maybe I am putting too little faith in him and he’d turn out to be an understanding person and they’d adopt Charity? I still can’t fathom how awful must Helen be feeling through all this (hide spoiler)]

Finished: (view spoiler)[wow, there was absolutely no tension upon such a huge reveal, I am a tad bit disappointed. Everything that happened was sweet and all but I had been anticipating a drama or something tbh. But HEA is what these books entail so I guess it’s all good (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 1 – 5 : (view spoiler)[The characters in this one are SOOO likeable right from the start. I am liking seeing how their connection developed, Garrett and Ransom compliment each other well well and my favourite thing about this book is how independent Garrett is for a woman in Regency air, it’s a refreshing plot (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 6 – 9 : (view spoiler)[Ransom’s job is scary but I also kind of admire him for it, the way he is pushing Garrett away from himself in order to keep her safe is breaking my heart. Garrett’s medical practice on the other hand is absolute bomb on the other hand, I can’t imagine being a woman in that era tbh (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 10 – 16 : (view spoiler)[Damn I was totally not expecting that to happen to Ransom, Garrett is handling the situation bravely and I am in awe. I have no doubt that she’d be able to nurse him back to health, now I am waiting to see what’s gonna happen with the Ravenels, some sort of reconciliaition perhaps? (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 17 – 20 : (view spoiler)[LOL Ransom trying to get frisky with Garrett is just adorable, the way Garrett bosses over him and the whole seduction scene was the best! I am a bit confused about what’s happening with the Ravenels though (hide spoiler)]

Finished: (view spoiler)[Seems like Ransom gradually warmed up to West and vice versa, good enough. The killing attempts towards the end got a bit ridiculous towards the end imo and I missed more romantic element in the book overall (hide spoiler)]

Going to start the next book tomorrow!

Chapter 1 – 6 : (view spoiler)[I am finding is okay mostly except for the fact that Phoebe’s brother basically absolved West of any misdoings regarding bullying Henry at the boarding school stating that Henry shouldn’t even have been sent to the school if he was this sensitive. There are so many issues with this sentiment that I can’t begin to unpack it (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 7 – 14 : (view spoiler)[Oooof West and Phoebe kissed! It was really well written imo. Sebastian wants Phoebe to marry West but I really hope that he doesn’t meddle like Evie warned. Phoebe really is bullheaded and I don’t see her agreeing to marry West IF it’s her dad broaching the topic (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 15 – 20 : (view spoiler)[I can understand why West feels like he doesn’t fit into a married life but the gesture with the cat was so damn sweet, how can someone NOT fall in love? Edward is most definitely greedy for Clare estate by the way he acts around Phoebe and I won’t be surprised if it’s revealed that he has been swindling her and Henry since long ago (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 21 – 27 : (view spoiler)[Yep I was right. I am guessing the loan is a bogus and Edward pocketed all the money for himself. I am not ready to believe that Henry would have meant for Phoebe to marry Edward, it’s highly probable that she misunderstood. I like how Phoebe is so sure about what she wants unlike most historical romances where women shy away from desires (hide spoiler)]

Finished: (view spoiler)[I was not expecting Edward to have a son already and to have named him Henry! Surprising. Phoebe was such a headstrong character in this book that I enjoyed it much more than I had hoped. I loved how she was the one who took the relationship forward and the chemistry she had with West was surely something. (hide spoiler)]

Going to read the next book tomorrow!

Chapter 1 - 5 : (view spoiler)[I am so glad this doesn't read like the typical good girl/bad boy romances so far. Cassandra and Severin's kitchen interaction was strong enough to make me start rooting for them and I liked that Devon didn't readily say yes to Severin's marriage offer without Cassandra's approval (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 6 - 10 : (view spoiler)[Tom is most definitely a big softy underneath his hard shell which is probably because of the harsh circumstances he faced since childhood. I hope he realises soon that Cassandra is attracted towards him as well and they both have another heartfelt conversation (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 11 - 15 : (view spoiler)[Lord Lambert turned out to be such a scoundrel. I wish Cassandra was able to get out of this situation sooner than she did. But atleast no one in her family blames her for anything. I liked how Tom handled everything PLUS he proposed! I wonder what would Cassandra say (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 16 - 21 : (view spoiler)[Cassandra is breaking Tom's hard shell little by little and I am just loving every moment of it. I am glad that they got married without any further complications and Lambert is out of the picture as well (hide spoiler)]

Finished: (view spoiler)[Yayyy! I loved the conclusion. This book was so much better than all the other books in the series mostly because I absolutely adored Cassandra and Tom together. The epilogue made the book even sweeter and made me feel giddy within (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 1-6 (view spoiler)[ I love that Helen is standing up for herself, especially with the ring. (hide spoiler)]

Chapters 7-16 (view spoiler)[ Helen’s dad is Vance! I’m positive this will get back to Rhys somehow. (hide spoiler)]

Chapters 17-24 (view spoiler)[I can’t believe Vance is blackmailing Helen! (hide spoiler)]

Finished: (view spoiler)[I actually liked this more than I thought I would. I wasn't sure how much I would like Rhys, but I ended up liking him. I thought there would be a little more drama with Rhys finding out who Helen's dad was, but I'm glad that he was accepting of her. (hide spoiler)]

Now off to buy book three lol

Chapters 1-4 (view spoiler)[ I love Devon so much in this one! He is so sweet and caring for Pandora! (hide spoiler)]

Chapters 4-11 (view spoiler)[I’m right there with you Gabriel! I want to slap her father for what he did. No one should hit a child like that. (hide spoiler)]

Chapters 12-14 (view spoiler)[ I love this book so much! When Gabriel taught Pandora how to waltz was just perfect. And they are getting married! So exciting! (hide spoiler)]

Finished (view spoiler)[I loved this book so much! It was honestly my favorite so far in this entire series. I cannot wait until the next one, and I somehow need to order it now even though I'm not supposed to buy more books. But I am here for Ransom and Dr Gibson getting together. Especially that we know he is somehow a Ravenel. I thought the ending was very interesting with Pandora getting stabbed and then showing her and Gabriel getting through him trying to control her. And the bomb just made me think of the Hell's Bells series by Sarah MacLean. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 1 - 6 : (view spoiler)[This is surely quite different from the other books in the series - for one there is not a single Ravenel so far, and the heroine of the book seems quite confident and self sufficient for historical romances. It is definitely a breath of fresh air. I was not expecting the romance to bud so soon as well. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 7 - 13 : (view spoiler)[There is so much action going on! Merritt and Keir's romance sure progressed quickly but there was definitely some steam there so no complains.The Duke seems like he knows something about the attacks but is keeping it a secret. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 14 - 23 : (view spoiler)[Oh damn, I did not see that coming! He is Kier's biological father? It all makes sense now weirdly. I want to see that sizzling hot chemistry between Merritt and Kier again!!! Thankfully, it looks like Kier is recovering well (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 24 - 32 : (view spoiler)[EEEEE Kier and Merritt get so cheesy at times!! I am honestly in awe by the way the Duke's character grew on me. He really ended up redeeming himself in this section and I am so glad that he is making up for the lost time. Also, "we live in modern times" had me chuckling lol! (hide spoiler)]

Finished: (view spoiler)[This was the perfect ending to the series, a heartwarming romance with feel good elements and a whole lot of sizzling hot chemistry. I absolutely adored both the mcs and their relationship, but most of all I loved Phoebe's wisdom of love not happening in such a short time but rather attraction (hide spoiler)]

I'm actually hoping to start the first book tomorrow.

Oh yay! I'm hoping to start book 4 next week.

Later than I meant to but I finally started the first book.



Chapters 1-6
(view spoiler)[
Devon did not give off a good first impression, he very much came across as a jerk. His first meeting with Kathleen also didn't go well.

I'm liking the banter between them though and that she changed his mind about the estate.
(hide spoiler)]

I am going to read one other physical books then start book 4.

Finished book 1 tonight.



Chapters 7-12
(view spoiler)[
I love the back and forth between them in their letters.

Devon's plan doesn't sound like a bad one. I get that it's bad for those 4 families but when he has 200 to look after, he needs to do something to save them all.
(hide spoiler)]

Chapters 13-24
(view spoiler)[
That train derailment was terrifying. That's amazing that Devon managed to save multiple people.

I'm loving the connection between Devon and Kathleen. Once they got past their dislike of each other, they're great together. I'm also really liking Helen and Winterbourne together.
(hide spoiler)]

Chapter 25 - Epilogue
(view spoiler)[
Kathleen has no right to be so mad at Devon. She frustrated me a bit in this book.

I have to say I'm so much more interested in Helen and Winterbourne's romance. I did enjoy Kathleen and Devon's but theirs really pulled me in.
(hide spoiler)]

I'll be picking the next book up in a few days.

Chapters 1-6(view spoiler)[ I'm really enjoying this one so far! I'm liking both Ransom and Garrett. And while we met them in the last book, and I knew it would be about them together, I feel like this book is very well written so far. And I love the Garrett is a female physician. (hide spoiler)]

Chapters 7-12 (view spoiler)[Well this is about to get interesting. I'm enjoying this so far, but I'm not loving it as much as the last book. But I still like both of the characters a lot. (hide spoiler)]

Chapters 13-18 (view spoiler)[OMG Ransom was shot! I love that Garrett refused to let him die though! (hide spoiler)]

Finished (view spoiler)[The ending was cute how he asked her to marry him. And I'm glad that Random is getting a new job. Hopefully you won't get shot at as much in this one. I'm looking forward to Wes's book. I think he's been my favorite character so far. (hide spoiler)]

Started today.

Chapters 1-6 (view spoiler)[I’m really enjoyed this one so far! I have been waiting for Wes’s book for so long and now I’m excited to be reading it. And I love Phoebe! (hide spoiler)]

Chapters 7-12 (view spoiler)[I love how he kept the book all these years because he felt something when he read it. I’m loving these two characters together!! (hide spoiler)]

Chapters 13- 22(view spoiler)[The job application for the cat was hilarious! I’m loving these too together and I wish West knew his worth. I loved Justin’s response to West’s beard! (hide spoiler)]

Finished (view spoiler)[This was so good! I loved them together. I need to read Phoebe’s Dad’s book now because I need his story. I thought it was so quick how they got together at the end, but it was perfect. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 1- 6 (view spoiler)[OMG Devon and Tom’s conversation where Devon told him he would have to kill him then revive him so West could kill him was hilarious. (hide spoiler)]

Chapters 7 - 9(view spoiler)[Justin calling West “dad” just made my heart melt. That was so sweet. The tension between these two is perfection. (hide spoiler)]

Starting the next book shortly.