Darcy Burke continues to write poignant stories with imperfect characters who find their perfect match. I have enjoyed this series!

📚Disclosure: I received a review copy of this #book from the author/publisher via #Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, comments, and interpretations of the story are my own and bias free. I did not receive any money in exchange for this review. Thank you to the publisher/author for allowing me the opportunity to review. 🦄
⭐️When possible reviews are cross-posted on the following:
✔️Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/jaime-loves-romance
✔️Bookbub https://www.bookbub.com/profile/2577266404
✔️IG https://www.instagram.com/alphabookclub/
✔️Twitter @alpha_book_club
#ReviewByJaime #BookReview #MustRead #TBR #BookBoost
🦄

I giggled and smiled at times but over all i just dont think this particular one was for me but I’ve heard wonderful things about this author and am more than willing to give her another try! Over all i think it was a bit too slow for me and it felt a teenie bit corny for me but if you’re a historical romance girly you might love this! I’ve found im picky with which historical romances i like. They’re definitely not all qual to me.

Broken beauty heals the beast. Max came back from the war a broken man, snarling and barking at everyone and has been that way for a year. He's been ignoring his tenants and driving household servants away. His friend sends Ada to him to go over his books and try to get him to take care of things. Ada is a happy woman even after her own tragedies, so she decides that she's going to help Max out of his darkness. He just wants to be left alone, too bad Ada is getting him to smile.
I loved how pesky Ada was, flirting with and teasing Max all the time. It makes for an entertaining story that I enjoyed reading.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were well written, and the plot was engrossing. I would recommend this to any romance readers.

I love this entire series and this book didn't disappoint. I know it can't go on forever but I wish it coul

I loved the grumpy and sunshine plot of this book! Max and Ada were both really compelling leads to follow through the story. I loved the nature communication and healthy choice to talk through conflict!

<strong>Grouchy</strong>

I enjoyed this continuation to the series. We saw the other side to Lord Warfield. We also saw into Ada's past. I felt deeply for both of them.

I just love this author and this series. Ada Treadwell was amazing in this story. I loved how she thawed Max's heart and loved him for who he was not how he looked. I also loved the subject matter, PTSD is so real and prevalent in our military present day.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

Ada Treadway loves her job as bookkeeper at the Phoenix Club, and helping her friends, so when her boss/friend, Lucien, asks her to go to the estate of Maximillian Hunt, the Viscount Warfield, and look over his books and ledgers, she agrees. The fact that Warfield has been angry ever since his return from war, and is her best friend's half-brother - who ignored her requests for help - aside, Ada is more than ready to get into her job. But after arriving at Stonehill she realises it's a bigger job than she expected, and Warfield is more damaged too. Max wishes he wasn't he anymore, and his time in Spain has changed him. He never should've been Viscount, and he's definitely not a war hero, so he's pushed everyone away. When Ada turns up, and starts pushing her nose in and changing things, Max starts to consider what life could be like if he opened his wait up to the possibility of the future.

As soon as I realised that this book would be Ada and Warfield's, especially after hearing so much about them in Indecent, I knew I needed to get my copy opened. Ada is a character who seems to always be happy, and not let bad things disturb her. That being said, she's faced a lot in the past, and we see how much those traumas have affected her. Because of that, she doesn't like letting others spiral, and with Max, she sees a sort of kindred spirit who needs help. She was ready to hate him for his actions towards Pru, but being around him, and learning just how much the war had changed him, she wanted to do as much as possible to improve his life at Stonehill, and try and help him too. I loved the scenes when the pair were at Stonehill, and you could see a lightness start to come into Max. He allowed Ada to make repairs on the estate, hire new staff, and even dine with her. When she left, the light went with her, and I could've cheered when Max decided he needed to go to London to see her, and try and mend things with Prudence too. There are some dark themes in this book - mainly all in flashbacks or off the page - but not something I was quite expecting when I got into it. If that could be something which may bother you (CW for PTSD, rape, death, abandonment) perhaps this book is not for you. That being said, I do think this one may be my favourite book in the series, and Max and Ada's romance was phenomenal to read!

I've enjoyed all the previous books in this series, and this installment was no exception. It's the story of two people, both damaged by incidents in their respective pasts, who are thrown together in a working relationship. Ada and Max couldn't have reacted more differently to the incidents in their pasts, Ada is determined to see the good in people and the silver lining in all circumstances. Max has come back from war damaged both inside and out. His physical scars have taken a toll, but the emotional ones are far more brutal and he's managed to push away almost everyone who loves and cares about him. Romances are all the same in a sense - we know going in where the two main characters will end up, it's just a matter of how they'll get there. And watching Ada and Max clash and come to an understanding was thoroughly enjoyable. I look forward to reading the next books in this series.
Thanks to Netgalley and Zealous Quill Press for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

This was Max & Ada’s book. Ada Treadway has been in love before, and it brought nothing but heartache. Still, she retains her cheerful optimism and is fiercely protective of the independence and respect she’s earned as bookkeeper of the Phoenix Club. Maximillian Hunt, the Viscount Warfield doesn’t care if he lives to see tomorrow, and he certainly doesn’t want to recall yesterday. The arrival of the meddlesome and effusively positive woman who will put his accounts in order not only reminds him of the past he’s desperate to forget, she sparks something within him he thought dead. This was a fun, entertaining read. Very enjoyable. And am voluntarily leaving my review.

Impossible by Darcy Burke

Book 5 in The Phoenix Club and I probably should have read the others before reading this one as it had quite a bit about background characters, but I felt comfortable to read it as a stand-alone.

I have to admit, being quite underwhelmed by this book and it didn’t really leave a lasting impression on me. I normally love the grump/sunshine trope but for me this was a bit too much. The heroine just seemed to annoy me and the hero was just downright rude. I didn’t feel their chemistry at all.

That being said, I do love Burkes style of writing and I was intrigued enough to want to go back and read all the other books in the series. Maybe it was just this one that didn’t work well for me?

I would give it 3.5 stars.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC. All views and opinions are my own .

***ARC Provided by the Publisher via NetGalley***

I struggled with this one, a lot. Hence the REALLY late review. I kept putting it down, forgetting about it, and picking it back up again.

I ended up only sort of finishing it, as I was never particularly invested in the story. The blurb was really interesting...the execution, not so much.

I usually enjoy this author's title and I look forward to the next as I am sure this was an exception.

I am not able to recommend this title.

This is the 5th book in The Phoenix Club series and I didn't enjoy it as much as the previous ones.
Ada Treadway the cheerful and almost annoyingly optimistic bookkeeper of The Phoenix Club travels to the estate of Maximilian Hunt, Viscount Warfield to help with the estate ledgers. Max is surly to the point of just being downright mean most of the time.
This book definitely has a Beauty and the Beast vibe to it and although I normally enjoy that I had a hard time connecting with this one.
The first and second halves of the book felt disjointed. The first half relied strongly on the Beauty and the Beast format, but by the second half it was nearly forgotten. I did like the second half better.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I usually like the grumpy/sunshine trope, but this time, it fell flat. I feel like the relationship between Ada and Maximillian was forced and they lacked chemistry. Ada herself is cheery to the point of annoyingly so. This book did not quite capture my attention as the other books in this series did previously.

I received an ARC of this novel from Zealous Quill Press via Netgalley in exchange for my review. I love historical novels with their quirky characters and interesting plot lines, but sadly the characters and story line were hard to like. The story wasn’t badly written just very forgettable. This was a pass for me.

I keep trying to delve into historicals and I have yet to find out that really sucks me in. This book was fine, if not a little slow in the beginning. I also felt that there were some potential triggers that should have maybe been listed for those who love historical romances but want to know what they are getting themselves into - since the hero likely has PTSD.

I gave this book three stars, which is my "a pleasant way to pass time" rating. Much of the plot is already forgotten. If you're looking for a new historical romance to read, and you've already gone through much of the canon, give this one a go.

This book started a bit slow, but it was wonderful when it started. Both didn't want to get into a relationship , Ada and Lord Warfeild. I didn't like how long it took for them to get romantic. It was a bit of a drag as they wasn't much chemistry in the beginning. I'm a huge fan Darcy Burke. But this one wasn't up to her normal standards. I guess I'm just waiting for Lucien's story and Evies- hence I was disappointed.

This was a pretty fun historical read, there were parts that didn't really keep my attention and were slow, but over all not a bad read. I would give this author's other books a chance..