FINAL DECISION: My favorite book of the series! This is an amazing book that leverages the relationships the series has already developed into a wonderful story of two people who meet by chance, pretend to be married, learn about one another, and fall in love.
THE STORY: On a dark and stormy night, Lorcan St. Leger walks through the London dock areas as a man who has accomplished so much. He managed to raise himself from the slums of St. Giles to become a privateer for the Crown (with some questionable choices along the way), and things seem to be going well. Until he spies a woman climbing out of a window and dangling in the air. That is how St. Leger meets Lady Daphne Worth. Daphne is as desperate as St. Leger is self-satisfied. Forced to take employment due to her family's reversal of fortune, Daphne had to save herself from assault. When a major storm forces Daphne and St. Leger to take refuge at Grand Palace on the Thames, the two masquerade as a married couple to get a room. It turns out the owners of the Grand Palace are not strangers to either Daphne or St. Leger, which makes their fake marriage even more complicated.
OPINION: I loved this book. It has some great tropes, including forced proximity. So much of the story takes place within the rooms that Daphne and Lorcan rent at the Grand Palace. I'm a sucker for two characters who can talk their way through the book. But don't be fooled, this book is hot. Nothing is better than sexy talk that just explodes on the page by the end of the slow burn.
I liked these characters. Both Daphne and Lorcan have depth and are just decent people. The story avoids all the cliches and easy answers that I expected in the story. Relationships are messy and complicated, and this book doesn't shy away from that messiness, whether it be romance, family, or friendships.
Daphne is a woman who has taken on so much burden of caring for her family. No one has taken care of her, and Lorcan, who could have been only concerned with himself, always has a community behind him, whether it be the slums of St. Giles or his crew, always looks out for others even while he tells himself another story of his life. Her strength allowed me to believe the circumstances that surround this book. Daphne is not sheltered even though she has pockets of innocence and naivety. Lorcan is a man who needs to care for others, and his encounter with Daphne gives him something to care about even while he fights those instincts. The decency of these characters and the avoidance of the obvious romantic situations kept me engaged in the book. I was rooting for these two on every page of the book.
While the story takes place primarily within the walls of the Grand Palace, the vibrant community that has been built throughout the series blossoms in this book. The arrival of Daphne and Lorcan causes (or exposes) problems in the household. This book felt so vibrant with all the relationships shifting and being renewed.
I think this is the best book in the series, but it relies upon all the previous books to have so much depth. There is one night in the book that might be the funniest sequence I've read in one of Long's books. It felt like an old sitcom or a 1940s movie comedy. I don't want to give anything away because it is structured so well, but I loved the entire evening, which was funny but also served as an important catalyst in the book.
We get to see a lot of the people in the Grand Palace, which I really enjoyed because I do love the characters, and I like to see how the Grand Palace is changing and how these people are growing together.
I can't say enough about this book, and it is definitely my favorite book of the year so far. My last note is that his book has a perfect epilogue that left me feeling so happy about the book.
WORTH MENTIONING: Who knew that spillikins could be so sexy?
CONNECTED BOOKS: HOW TO TAME A WILD ROGUE is the sixth book in the Palace of Rogues series. The romance here is self-contained and thus can be read as a standalone; however, the other characters matter in this book, and a richer experience awaits those who read the series in order.
STAR RATING: I give this book 5 enthusiastic stars.
NOTE: I received an eARC of this book via Netgalley. I was not required to write a review or to write a positive review. All opinions contained herein are my own.
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Reviews with images
Enjoyable, well-written historical
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨4.5 rounded to 5𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗧𝗼 𝗧𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗮 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗥𝗼𝗴𝘂𝗲𝘉𝘺 𝘑𝘶𝘭𝘪𝘦 𝘈𝘯𝘯𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘯𝘨 👇I think that Julie Anne Long is one of the best writers in historical romance today. Her writing itself is skilled, and her sentences are beautiful. I highlighted more passages in this book than in any other book I’ve read this year. I really enjoyed this story, and found that Long did an excellent job guiding the reader along the journey of these two characters finding a way to the other’s heart. Their trajectory required tearing down the fences they had built inside themselves, each there for different reasons yet somehow also similar. Lorcan, the male main character, is easy to love and crush on. 😍 He’s a beast in body but tender in substance. I also liked Daphne (not quite as much as Lorcan), the main female character, whom it felt easy to root for as you watched her evolve from a woman with a greater commitment to others’ happiness than her own, to a woman rooted in confidence in her own character and abilities. For me, I wish there had been a bit more spice. 🔥 But the intimate scenes that are included are still well done. This book didn’t quite make it to a 5 for me because it didn’t have that “unputodownable” quality. However, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a well-written historical romance. 💘
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2023
Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2023
4.5 rounded to 5
𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗧𝗼 𝗧𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗮 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗥𝗼𝗴𝘂𝗲
𝘉𝘺 𝘑𝘶𝘭𝘪𝘦 𝘈𝘯𝘯𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘯𝘨
👇
I think that Julie Anne Long is one of the best writers in historical romance today. Her writing itself is skilled, and her sentences are beautiful. I highlighted more passages in this book than in any other book I’ve read this year.
I really enjoyed this story, and found that Long did an excellent job guiding the reader along the journey of these two characters finding a way to the other’s heart. Their trajectory required tearing down the fences they had built inside themselves, each there for different reasons yet somehow also similar.
Lorcan, the male main character, is easy to love and crush on. 😍 He’s a beast in body but tender in substance. I also liked Daphne (not quite as much as Lorcan), the main female character, whom it felt easy to root for as you watched her evolve from a woman with a greater commitment to others’ happiness than her own, to a woman rooted in confidence in her own character and abilities.
For me, I wish there had been a bit more spice. 🔥 But the intimate scenes that are included are still well done.
This book didn’t quite make it to a 5 for me because it didn’t have that “unputodownable” quality. However, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a well-written historical romance. 💘
Enjoyable, well-written historical
Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2023
4.5 rounded to 5
𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗧𝗼 𝗧𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗮 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗥𝗼𝗴𝘂𝗲
𝘉𝘺 𝘑𝘶𝘭𝘪𝘦 𝘈𝘯𝘯𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘯𝘨
👇
I think that Julie Anne Long is one of the best writers in historical romance today. Her writing itself is skilled, and her sentences are beautiful. I highlighted more passages in this book than in any other book I’ve read this year.
I really enjoyed this story, and found that Long did an excellent job guiding the reader along the journey of these two characters finding a way to the other’s heart. Their trajectory required tearing down the fences they had built inside themselves, each there for different reasons yet somehow also similar.
Lorcan, the male main character, is easy to love and crush on. 😍 He’s a beast in body but tender in substance. I also liked Daphne (not quite as much as Lorcan), the main female character, whom it felt easy to root for as you watched her evolve from a woman with a greater commitment to others’ happiness than her own, to a woman rooted in confidence in her own character and abilities.
For me, I wish there had been a bit more spice. 🔥 But the intimate scenes that are included are still well done.
This book didn’t quite make it to a 5 for me because it didn’t have that “unputodownable” quality. However, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a well-written historical romance. 💘
Images in this review
Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2023
Top reviews from other countries
Andy in Canada
Another Grand Palace series winner
Reviewed in Canada on July 28, 2023
Happily Hopeless Romantic
Just love a rainy night!
Reviewed in Australia on July 27, 2023