This is a fun, sexy book. Sabrina and Constantine have been married for two years, but living apart for most of those. Sabrina has always suffered from social anxiety, while Constantine has grown up with a dominating father who has shaped his life. After two years, Sabrina decides that she will approach her husband so that they can resume marital relations - for the sake of a child. Constantine also wants to make changes in his life, but he's not sure how to do it.

Sabrina and Constantine work through their issues with a little misguided help from their friends. What we most appreciated about this book was how the 3rd act conflict was handled: although there was a(n almost inevitable) fight, our MCs were able to take what they had learned about communication and work through their disagreement together. Also since there was the setup and potential for major angst through misunderstanding, it was great to have a couple work together to address their concerns.

Sabrina and the Earl of Aldington, Constantine, have been married for two years but might as well be strangers. Theirs was an arranged marriage and Sabrina spends her time at their country home until one day she shows up unexpectedly at their London townhouse demanding her marital rights.

Constantine has been groomed his whole life to be Duke. He is somewhat aloof and cold, especially when compared to his lighthearted and frivolous brother Lucien, the owner of the Phoenix Club. I love seeing a woman find her strength and go after what she wants. There were times that I wanted to kick both Constantine and Sabrina in the head, but that only goes to show that Darcy Burke's writing envelops the reader into this world.

Darcy Burke is an autobuy author for me and this book is no different than what I have come to expect from her. Fun characters with depth, wonderful descriptive plots and the escapism of Regency romance. This was a fantastic story of two people forging their own future with steamy, descriptive love scenes. The character development is one of my favorite aspects of Burke's writing and I cannot wait until Lucien finds his happy ending because it will take one helluva woman to keep his interest (and maybe we have already met her in this book?)

Thank you NetGalley and Zealous Quill Press for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

When passionless Constantine’s wife, Sabrina, comes to town demanding he fulfill his marital duties he is shocked. Finding he likes this uncharacteristically aggressive side of his wife, he turns to his scandalous brother for advice. Sabrina and Constantine both learn to communicate their desires. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Zealous Quill Press for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Zealous Quill Press for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

4/5 stars

This was a steamy romance read that was a page turner from the beginning. Con and Sabrina had a fun relationship to explore. As Sabrina got to know Constantine we also got to know him. It was nice to learn about him as Sabrina did. I also enjoyed that they were both out of their element. We normally don’t see the male main character struggle with seduction. It was a fun plot line to explore.

I enjoyed watching Sabrina come out of her shell and into herself. She was aware of her insecurities and embraced them. I also enjoyed how she chased Con almost as much as he chased her. It was a fun romantic dynamic.

I think it would have been cool to see some more flashbacks of Sabrina and Constantine younger. Just to get a little bit more of an understanding of them. Or even have a prologue from their wedding day. I also would have loved to see some scenes at Hampton Lodge. As it sounded beautiful with the gardens she created. I loved the watercolor book description.

Overall really enjoyed it!

The romance of Sabrina and Con is different from most HR books in that the couple are married and their sex life is nonexistent. How they grow from this into a marriage of passion and communication makes for a great story. The only reason I am giving it 3 stars is because I found myself skipping sections and I am not fond of novels that spend a great deal of time in ballrooms.

Two people forced into a marriage they didn’t really want, learn to love each other, they are both novices in the world of sex and procreation, this is their journey of discovery of both their own and each other’s minds and body’s.

I received an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review

Sweet and spicy, with one of the more affable heroes and daring heroines I’d seen in a while. Can’t wait to read more from this author

I really enjoyed this! Earlier this year, I'd read Improper from the same series, and I wasn't impressed. When I noticed this was the same author, I'll admit I was a little wary. Thankfully, this ended up exceeding my expectations.

I think my favorite thing about this has to be the romance. I can't even describe why, I just loved it. At times, it was hard to read because both of our characters liked to sabotage themselves, but it definitely kept things entertaining. I also loved that our characters didn't just jump into bed together, they did get to know each other first.

I also really loved our characters. It was so nice to have two inexperienced/nervous characters. So often, we see the "rake" figure and the naive heroine in historical romance. I loved that Constantine definitely this stereotype, it kept this feeling fresh.

After thoroughly enjoying this one, I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for the rest of the books in this series! The plot for the next one already has me intrigued, so I can't wait to see what it brings.

Thanks to Netgalley and Darcy Burke for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was an awkward historical romance with barely any real explosive chemistry. The hero desires his wife but thinks she doesn't want him. Then one day she decides she wants to be different and attempts to seduce her husband although it becomes these weird scenes where he barely touches her and miracously orgasms. Just not what I expected from this author. A disappointing read.