First, an editing error. 69% through the book, Prudence is mentioned when the author means Ada. A great next chapter for this series, liked it very much. I felt the author leaned a little TOO hard on the sunshine/grump trope, it got shoved in our faces a little too hard. Warfield makes a good vcharacter and it was good to watch him go from villain to besotted.

I've been loving this series and book 4 (Indecent) is the frontrunner for my favorite. Impossible comes close but is a solid second best. I really liked Ada from what I saw of her in previous novels so I was really excited to read her story. It took me longer to come around to liking Max and feeling he was worth the work she was putting in to helping him. I give Ada a lot of credit, had I been in her position I would have told Max how awful he was and thrown a ledger at his ungrateful head. It's good that he had a friend like Lucien who was willing to stand by his side no matter what. Max's transformation was well crafted and didn't come too quickly or drag on forever. Ada's relationship with Jonathan was really interesting because there are so many other romance novels that would have had them as the main couple getting their happy ending. I would have liked Prudence to have given Max a slightly harder time over his previous poor behavior toward her, but he was pretty remorseful by then so I guess it's good that she didn't make him suffer too much. Very much looking forward to getting Dougal's story in the next book!

Maximillian Hunt, Viscount Warfield, neglects his country seat and tenants and doesn't care about anyone. He has suffered grievous wounds both emotional and physical in the war and he wants nothing to do with anyone. When his friend sends Ada Treadway to help with the estate ledgers, Max does his best to drive her away. Ada has suffered in her young life first by her family's rejection and then by her former lover, but she's determined to look on the bright side of every situation. She wants to help Max, but he's reluctant to let her in. Can these two tortured souls find love?

This book may be my favorite of the series so far. I felt bad for Max for what he suffered in the war even though he was acting like a complete bear on the estate. Ada's innate goodness shines through in the story and I love that she never gives up on trying to help Max see that there is still goodness in the world and it's worth living. The PTSD and guilt Max suffers from are quite traumatic and I liked how Ms. Burke didn't instantly fix him. The slow-burn romance between Ada and Max is well done. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

4.5 stars

Its a good story with some strong issues. Max, hero of this book and Lucien, overaching hero of the series, had dark times in spain (some readers may want to check out other reviews just in case of triggers) and hence he is a recluse. Ada, heroine, has also had many difficulties to tackle but she is endearingly positive. Lucien send her to sort out Max's accounts and estate and in the process she tackles his tenants and his grumpiness.
Good addition to the series.

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

Maximillian Hunt, Viscount Warfield and Ada Treadway when they meet sparks fly! Max was set in his ways, didn’t want the title, wasn’t happy with what life had dealt him and was running his estate down to the ground. Ada, as bookkeeper of the Phoenix Club had previously had her share of unhappiness and heartbreak but had decided that life would not get her down, always had a smile and a happy disposition had been asked by the owner of the Phoenix club Max’s friend to look over his ledgers and estate.

A beautifully well written passionate story about a man struggling with his past and finding love again with a woman who had overcome her past. Well written steamy moment compliment the story leading to a happy ever after. Well worth a read!

If you love a scarred hero, beauty and the beast, grump/sunshine, then look no further than this new installment in Darcy Burke's The Phoenix Club series! This engaging, delightfully paced, steamily sensual novel is a perfect fifth edition to a really solid series. Darcy Burke gets better and better, each novel ups the steam and character development, while creating a beautiful new romance, and teasing future novels, that I am left in want of the next installment immediately!

In this novel, we get Ava, the Phoenix Club's bookkeeper, and Max's, a friend of the owners and war scarred marquess, love story. The action of the novel opens up with Ava coming to Max's estate to get his books and household in order. Max does not look kindly on Ava's appears but with tenacity and good will she breaks down his walls and shows him its time to step up and take care of his estate, employees and tenets.

I absolutely adored Ava, she loves her job, she loves finding the good in people, and she loves to help others. She is the perfect foil to bring sunshine back into Max's life. She is kind and the perfect listening ear, she does not judge others or jump to conclusions and she has the perfect calm demeanor to bring Max out of his shell and show him that he is worthy of the life he has. There are some content notes around wartime, ptsd, illusion to rape/murder of a loved one, and talk of cheating (outside of the hero/heroine's relationship) and Darcy Burke explores this with care and understanding. Watching these two come together, learning to understand the other, and willingly opening themselves up to love is really endearing and I was charmed by their relationship. They have a really lovely chemistry that softly grows as they get to know each other, and then sizzles off the page when they enter into the physical side of their relationship. Another beautiful strength of this novel is in the secondary characters of this series, think that Burke does a wonderful job showing male friendships, and female friendship, and providing the hero and heroine with people who care about them and want the best for them.

Another fantastic book in this series that I can not recommend highly enough! I am now awaiting the next installment with anticipation! Darcy Burke is definitely a must read author if you love a sensual and steamy historical romance with wonderful characters.

This is the second book that I've read from the Phoenix Club Series. I enjoyed this book much more because most of the action took place away from the club.
Lucian, the club owner, sends his bookkeeper Ada to the country estate of his friend Max. Due to his war injuries, both emotional and physical, Max has neglected all of his personal affairs. He has been living like. a hermit but luckily Ava is capable of setting everything to rights. Inevitably the two of them fall in love but it is impossible for either one of them to admit it because they are both overcome with guilt from the past. This was a good book and I really liked the character of Max. I was less thrilled with Ava however. I normally don't do spoilers but I sort of feel like I need to in this case...

Spoiler/Trigger Warning:
Ava had an abortion. This never happens in HR--at least not to the heroine! It would have been so easy for the author to avoid this--miscarriage, stillbirth, SIDS etc. Or, the baby could have been adopted and Max could have worked on finding her child--either in this story or it could have been mentioned in a future book.
I was also surprised that Jonathan, Ava's Ex, was actually a nice guy. He didn't have any villainous qualities. I actually felt sorry for him. It would be interesting if he were to be the subject of a future book (hint-hint).

I received a free ARC from NetGalley and this is my honest review.

A nice storyline and plot which happens to have my favourite genre damaged hero. The characters are well described and develop through the book showing us what tough times they have had and how they overcome some serious challenges. A steamy read not for you if you want clean this is steamy but my favourite out of the one's in this series I have read. I received this in exchange for an honest review as given above.

Ada Treadway is the bookkeeper of the Phoenix Club. At the request of one the owners, she travels to the estate of the Marquess of Warfield to bring his ledgers up to date. Suffering from wounds from the war, Max does not care about his estate, he just wants to be left alone. His physical wounds have healed and left scars, but his mental heath leaves him with nightmares and little appetite. Ada decided not to live her life in despair from the past. To be happy and positive everyday is her attitude. She is just the person to bring Max out of the darkness and back into the light. He does not make it easy, but Ada is not giving up. When her heart becomes involved, she sees no happy ending, unless Max is willing to trust and give his heart. What about forgiveness? Another successful book in the series with a lot of angst and a little bit of flirting. 🔥🔥🔥🔥
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

Ada’s mission, as bookkeeper for the Phoenix Club, is to get the ledgers in order for Lord Lucien’s (owner of said club) close friend, Lord Warfield (Max). Normally that wouldn’t be an arduous task, however, Ada has been warned that Warfield was wounded from the war and totally apathetic towards the running of his estate. Ada finds her mission almost impossible with almost nonexistent servants and a totally uncooperative Lord.

Everyone Max has loved died so he thinks he should care for no one and makes him a nasty beast. He’s going to fight Ada’s positive attitude and charming beauty with full force. Ada has had an awful past, but would rather look to the future now she has a good job.

I love Warfield’s housekeeper Mrs. Bundle. She holds out hope for him because she knows there’s a better man underneath Max’s cold exterior, which gives Ada hope in turn. Nightmares, guilt, and regret are hard to overcome.

I really admired Ada and all she had to overcome in her life. Her good friends at the club are more like family. Also loved the sexual connection Ada and Max had.

Can’t wait for book 6 to come out this summer.

I was given an advanced copy for my opinion.

Another installment of the Phoenix Club. Ada is the bookkeeper of the club and is sent as a favor to her boss to his friend Max for two weeks to straighten out his ledgers. Ada loves a challenge and even though she has been forewarned of the Viscount disagreeable disposition she will do her best. Known for her sunny, positive attitude she does whatever she can to get the grumpy Max to smile.
Max is suffering from several tragedies, lost love, death of father and his brother the heir. He has many scars, inside and out. The last thing he needs is Ada trying to help, it’s annoying, she is annoying!
Another fast read, enjoyed the characters and the storyline of why they are who the are.
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. I am voluntarily posting an honest review after reading an Advance Reader Copy of this story. #NetGalley #Impossible

OMG this series keeps getting better and better! I think this one is my favorite so far (I clearly remember saying the same thing about Indecent)
When the owner of the Phoenix Club enlists Ada Treadway´s help to organize his friend’s estate ledgers, she’s eager to prove her expertise and her worth. But his friend turns out to be a disagreeable, unpleasant beast, and Ada works to find the warm-hearted gentleman she’s sure lurks beneath.
Maximillian Hunt, Marquess of Warfield doesn’t care if he lives to see tomorrow. 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. Tempted by a future he never imagined, he must do the impossible: convince her that he’s worth risking her heart.
This book is beautiful. Both characters are really well developed and have all this interesting layers. It’s so beautiful to peel each one of them along the book. Ada has loved before and it ended with heartbreak and destitution. Max lost the love of his life during the war and has many scars in and out of his body. Even tough is a book full of aghast and emotional moments, there a lot of funny ones. The dialogs are intelligent and sincere. They opened to each other. And there are great sexy times along the way too.
This is a deep, sweet romance, perfect for tender hearts with a bit of spicy souls.
I highly recommend this story.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Ada is sent the get Lord Warfield’s ledgers up to date. She has 2 weeks. He is nasty and bitter from the war. Ada is a very cheerful person. She gets under his gruff exterior. He doesn’t want to like and need her. He hasn’t left his estate in years. After she leaves he decides to follow to London. He still fights against his attraction to Ada. She thinks he doesn’t love her. It takes a lot to get them to admit their feelings.

At her boss's request, Ada goes to help Max, Marquess of Warfield, with his ledgers. His estate is going to ruin. At first, he wants nothing to do with her. Or his estate. Or his life. Gradually, her cheerful disposition helps him out of the despair that war and loss have sunk him into. Can he convince her that he's changed?

If you like steamy, beauty-and-the-beast, grumpy/sunshine stories, then this book is for you. The plot is more complex than it first appeared to be, with a couple of twists. In her own way, Ada has suffered as much as Max has, yet she chooses happiness—helping him find faith that he, too, can heal.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I say this every book but i love this series! This was no exception and i really had looked forward to seeing how Ada would handle the beast of a man who had been so cruel to Prudence in the past. What she found was a man wounded inside and out who was barely living and neglecting everything and everyone. She certainly got the estate whipped into shape, and while she was at it she got Max halfway there too. Their romance was a slow burn that sizzled and finally burst into flames. I thought their relationship was quite beautiful, a mutual experience of learning to let go of guilt and the past, and welcome hope and the future. #netgalley #Impossible

Loved this one! We have hermit Viscount Warfield who has been sent assistance with his book-keeping. Ada is cheerful and helpful and slowly breaks Warfield out of his shell. He's suffering from both emotional and physical traumas from his time in the war and dealing with the fallout of his father and older brother dying, plus that his father was unfaithful and he has a half-sister. Ada tries hard to resist Warfield and not fall prey to romantic notions. They both need to learn to cope with their past fears and come together.

4.5
Impossible by Darcy Burke is book 5 in The Phoenix Club series. This story is a grumpy/sunshine, beauty and the beast trope. Max was badly injured while serving in Spain and doesn’t want to live, while Ada is a very optimistic, happy person despite her past. She is sent by Max’s best friend to organize his estate books and maybe the estate along the way. They spend 2 weeks together on the estate during which time they have an impact on each other and then the story moves to London where the most significant changes to both characters and their relationship happens.

These characters together are truly magical and jump off the page. Their banter was good and there were some amazingly sweet moments between them. Burke wrote some very poignant scenes in the story – which were at opposite ends of the spectrum – that were powerful and encapsulated the characters’ journey as individuals and a couple. I found them to be very relatable characters.

I love Max (new book boyfriend), when we get to see even glimpse of his heart/vulnerability, it touched my heart. His change, for me most of all, was impactful and significant. His character development comes from love, forgiveness, and acceptance of himself. He is the character of the two that I connected with the most. I really liked Ada and her journey was more about trusting herself and her heart. The theme that stands out in this book for me was accepting and forgiving oneself for their past and learning to move forward, while living with their past.

This is a really good book and I highly recommend it. It is not a 5-star read for me because it’s a bit too much of a modern historical for my tastes and there are a couple of plot points that didn’t feel right/I didn’t connect with. While this is part of a series, I did read it as a standalone and it works – do know that there are secondary characters that appear from previous books in the series.

After reading a couple of books in this series and not being impressed, this one took me by surprise. Max and Ada were the perfect compliment for one another. It was a little reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast, but without the kidnapping and Stockholm syndrome.

Max came back from war injured both physically and mentally to only find out that his older brother fell tragically from his horse and now Max is the Viscount. He was never meant to inherit and wants nothing to do with his inheritance. He’s willing to let it, and all his relationship rot.

Ada ensure the books at the Phoenix Club are maintained and her employer, Lucian, has sent her to her his best friend get his books in order. Ada knows that Max will not be receptive to this, but her persistence and optimism wear him down eventually. She not only get his books, but his estate in order, hiring needed help. In the process, she accepts her attraction to Max and decides to act on it.

What I liked is that while Max and Ada both have tragic pasts and things they want to keep to themselves, the eventually confide in on another. When one secret comes to light and there are hurt feelings and even a good bye, it doesn’t take days for them to reconcile. I loved their banter and seeing the light come back to Max’s personality.

*copy provided for review consideration

Ada is a woman with a past - a past she’s determined she will never allow to get in the way of her happiness and independence. When she’s sent to help her employer’s friend, Max, sort out his crumbling estate, the last thing she expects is Max to be one of the rudest, grumpiest men she’s ever met. It becomes apparent that Max is a deeply traumatised man, struggling to get over a series of terrible events that occurred in rapid succession. Ada makes it her mission to try and return him to some semblance of a normal life as well as save his estate, but Max isn’t going to make it easy for her. And as they get closer together, it becomes apparent they may have more in common than they first realised.

I really, really enjoyed reading this. The writing was just very good, and I adored the dynamic between Ada and Max from their very first meeting. He was so grumpy and growly compared to her calm, steady determination. Their characters were both very distinct and I liked both of them, but particularly Ada. The way their romance developed was just lovely; they were just very well-matched, and it was lovely to see them both break down the other’s barriers and get to know one another - especially with regards to Max, who softened in a way that was almost touching. I really liked seeing glimpses of his cheeky fun side as the story progressed. They also had great chemistry - the love scenes were very well-written and sexy in a way I hadn’t expected.

I also thought the way their respective backstories were covered was well-done. Max’s grief and trauma felt very real - I felt so upset and pained for him at points in the novel. Ada’s storyline was less emotional for me but there were some interesting angles to it and there was a particular part of her history that I thought was handled very well - it’s a sensitive topic but the novel treats it very practically and without sentimentality, and I appreciated that.

However, I will say I found the end of the novel a bit rushed. I would have liked a little bit more conflict between them. Other parts of this book were very angsty in a way I enjoyed and I felt like the ending lacked some of that. But overall I just really enjoyed reading it. It was an entertaining read, the pacing was good, there was a lot of angsty stuff that I could sink my teeth into, as well as a really solid, sexy romance between Ada and Max. I would recommend it if you’re looking for an angsty, steamy grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity romance. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy of this book.

Content notes: Death of a parent (in past), death of a sibling (in past), PTSD, abortion (in past), violence, sexual harassment, rape (in past, side character), murder (in past), mention of death in childbirth (side character), on-page sex, mentions of infidelity / cheating (side characters).

Physically and, more importantly, mentally scarred during the war, Max feels guilty for surviving and does not care what happens to his estates. Sent by his best friend Lucien, Ada goes to the estate to help balance the books and to start putting things right again. Despite themselves, they find peace and happiness together. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Zealous Quill Press for my honest review.