Super! Shades of Heyer!

I really enjoy books by Emma Orchard and The Viscount and the Thief was no exception! Great plot, interesting characters, real villains, real heroes, a bit of spice, what's not to love. Well, if you prefer your romances with no sex or 'closed door' maybe not for you. However, for me, just the right mix and I highly recommend this book!

Thank you to the publisher who lent me an e-arc with no obligation via Netgalley. This review is optional and my own opinion.

I do enjoy historical novels!

I have a confession to make, though. I didn’t catch this. it was a spicy one. I don’t mind, I just felt that someone fell in love awfully quickly compared to what I am used to reading these historical stories.🤭


We travel back in time to the early 1800’s.
Sophie Delavallois, our Lady du jour, gets a job as Dowager Marchioness maid.
Sophie might have a secret or two. One of them being that she has a particular reason for this specific position.

She starts falling for Lord Drake, with is not according to plan and certainly not convenient of her plans.
He is a Wyverne, after all, with all kinds of rumours.

Lord Drake, on the other hand, not trusting the newcomer, keeps an eye on her.
Well, you can probably guess where this is going.😉

Our Sophie is not evil in any way. She just wants back what was taken. We get to read her thoughts along the way.
Finally, the day comes to set the best part of her plan in motion.
And when that is done, she wonders what is going to happen now. She had not thought about what to do when she was done. For the last eight years, it has all been about getting ready for her revenge.

It was not only a historical novel, it was also genius in the way of robbery, funny in the way of the Dowager Marchioness and feisty in the way a girl had become to prepare for real life and survive on her own in the 1800’s.

The Viscount and the Thief is a delightful Regency romance that’s perfect for fans of Jane Austin and Bridgerton. It’s romantic, steamy and wonderfully entertaining, but there are darker moments. This isn’t a negative but rather a warning to anyone who thinks this is light and fluffy. It’s a properly adult story and I loved it.

Clemance is a fabulous character, a strong woman in terms of her strengths and weaknesses, and driven by revenge. Obviously, falling for the patriarch’s son makes her question just how far she can go, because she does have a conscience and a heart. She’s very Lizzie Bennett coded, and I loved her deeply.

Rafael – or Rafe – is a deeply damaged love interest. He’s avoided the toxic family home, leaving his family to the machinations of his awful father. I understood this, though it was a disappointment. He does, however, redeem himself.

I can’t go into why I adored this book without spoilers, though I can say that the prose flows so well, the descriptions are lush, and the story pulls you in completely.

Love, love, love.

Diamonds are a girl’s best friend!

Sophie Delavallois (Clemence de Montfaucon) a French emigre and daughter of a Duke, was reduced to living by her wits when her father traded the family diamonds, including the famous Montfaucon pink diamond with the Marquess of Wyverne. Actually Wyverne walked off with jewels. He stole them and told the Duke to try and prove it. Wyverne would spread despicable rumors about the Duke.
Sophie’s father, already a broken man after narrowly escaping the Terror, distraught, killed himself (so he leaves his wife and child to what? well that’s a cowardly action!)
Sophie’s life has not been easy.
Seven years later, under the guidance of a powerful underworld figure Nate Smith, Sophie is working in a bar in Seven Dials. Nate had created Sophie Delavallois. Clemence was gone. Sophie is all set to go to the avarice Wyverne’s castle to steal his jewels in the guise of the Dowager Marchioness of Wyverne’s new companion.
The Dowager liked to speak in French and have naughty novels in French read to her.
It’s here Sophie meets or rather re-meets Rafael, Viscount Lord Drake, the Marquess’s son. Rafe can’t stand his degenerate father and lives seperately, especially after his equally as debauched third wife, an actress, had tried to seduce him at Wyverne’s bidding.
Sophie had danced with Rafe eight year before, when her parents were still alive. He recalls her, although Sophie has no idea.
Of course there’s a wonderful frisson between the two, and of course their meetings race ahead.
I must admit the pontificating in the last part of the book was a challenge.
A wicked father, a disgusted son, the French connection, injustice and diamonds all combine to give a Regency romance that travels a well and truly rocky road.

A Boldwood Books ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

I don't want to be too spoilerish, but I was really impressed that the author resolved the great misunderstanding so early. I thought I knew how the story was going to play out, but, reader, I did not. The Viscount and The Thief working together?? Yes please!! The rating is for pure originality.
Thank you to netgalley for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

The Viscount and the thief by Emma Orchard is a perfect book for forbidden love reader.

✅ forbidden love
✅ plot twist
✅ family issues
- Rafe’s broken family
- Sophie’s true identity
✅ lies and secrets
✅ high sexual tension
✅ plenty of spicy scenes: explicit and intense 🔥🔥🔥

I’ll definitely read the next book by Emma Orchard.

This was an incredibly exciting and well written love story. It told of terrible and huge loss, evil and wicked minded bad human beings, theives and plots, illegitimaency, and many other dramatic and emotional issues. The main characters were complex, strong-willed, and interesting. I enjoyed this intense story of how a beautiful and passionate love was found despite every obstacle. I was really happy with the delightful ending. I highly recommend reading!

What a romp! We have Sophie, pickpocket and thief, finagling her way into the Marquess of Wyverne's estate to steal back some of her family's jewels. Here she meets Drake, son and heir of the Marquess, when she becomes a companion to his grandmother.

Drake and Sophie connect very quickly (instalove perhaps?) and there's a delicious rooftop scene before Sophie blows her own cover. I won't detail the plot because it's complicated and salacious but there's plenty of action and suspense, as well as family drama. The Marquess is evil and deserves his comeuppance - such as it is. He's largely off page, which works well, as it's more effective to imagine his depravity, than to see all of it. Drake is a softie, nothing like his father and he completely falls for Sophie. There’s a dance between Sophie‘s loyalty to all that her own family has lost, and her growing affection for the Drake's grandmother, and her attraction to Drake - and of course the job she has taken on. Her background is murky, she's had a tough time since her parents died, and it's not socially easy for her to marry into this dysfunctional family.

It's vivid and clever - I loved some of the minor characters who all had a role to play in Sophie's revenge plot - especially Rafe. Author Emma has a lovely way with language, although everyone talks too much and not enough is left unsaid.

Rounded up to 4 stars. Thank you Emma Orchard, NetGalley and Boldwood Books. Opinions are my own.

Seeking retribution against the marquess who ruined her family, Sophie becomes companion to the dowager marchioness. Her plan is complicated by the marquess’s heir, Lord Drake, who doesn’t recognize her as the young debutante who once danced with him. As their her undeniable attraction grows, Sophie must choose between revenge and a dangerous love.

This book is full of intrigue and sensual tension. I wish it had been a slower burn, given that Sophie’s dalliance with Drake could have ruined the plan she spent years devising. Still, it’s a clever story, and I loved the ending.

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

A rom com that is also a historical cozy mystery and also a story about a thief out for revenge? Say less. This cute story was a quick read filled with just enough mischief and a touch of spice to keep me entertained.

3.5/5 The Viscount and the Thief is a standalone regency romance.

Sophie escaped from Paris during the Terror with her parents and younger brother. Sophie met Rafe and shared a dance when she was a debutante but thanks to Rafe’s father Sophie was soon left destitute and alone. In the intervening years, Sophie was taken in by Nate Smith who taught her skills to survive and pick pocket. But the long game that Nate has been playing is finally ready to enact the plan for the end game. Both are set on revenge with Rafe’s father and Sophie is more than determined to see it through.

This book started out intriguing and fast paced introducing characters and their back stories. I liked that so much of the plot was laid out in the beginning and didn’t keep it all a secret until the end. The tension between Rafe and Sophie built quickly too due to the forbidden nature of a relationship for them.

However, once her revenge has been had the story slowed and it was hard to stay engaged in the story. The second half dragged and while new events occurred, it felt anticlimactic. I was rooting for the MC but the indecision on the heroine’s part grew tiring. Other readers may enjoy it but this one wasn’t for me.

There was four encounters and several others that were alluded to. The first encounter occurs early and was right up my alley.

I received an advance ecopy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I love regency romances, but this one just wasn't my cup of tea. The buildup in the initial chapters wasn't engaging enough and I sort of forced myself to get through those chapters. I like to read books that hook you from the start.
This book is not my cup of tea.

The first quarter was a lot of telling us the main leads had chemistry and not much showing it. They barely spoke before the first intimate scene, which is fine, but not for a convincing romance read. I want to care a little by then. I liked the writing and banter but it wasn’t enough in this case.

Emma Orchard always creates compelling stories with interesting conflict, and this is no exception. Sophie Delavallois earns a job as the companion of an elderly Marchioness, but she's secretly undercover, looking for her own revenge on a corrupt noble family. Lord Drake struggles against his father's evil reputation and dark desires, trying to protect his younger siblings and his grandmother, as well as the people of his estate. When he meets Sophie, for the first time ever, he's tempted to throw caution to the wind.

Orchard creates a quick chemistry between the leads and builds the relationships slowly, ensuring readers are invested in their success. She also weaves a dark mystery through the story, hinting at Sophie's past long before revealing why she wants revenge on Lord Wyverne in the first place.
The characters were fun, the dialogue was light and engaging, and the action kept the story moving along. This was an entertaining romance and I will look for Orchard's books again!

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I love a good regency romance whether historically accurate of with modern take and of course heroines who rescue themselves and sometimes even solve crimes/mysteries etc. I was excited for to read this based on the description, however it didn't quite satisfy. There was so much backstory -- so many coincidences and character revelations that tied them all together. The pacing was at times excruciatingly slow and other times quite fast paced. There were several elements of the plot that were just too coincidental or at other times too convenient for the story. Overall, the story was kind of dark for a regency romance.

The Dowager was a funny and unexpected character and I liked Sophie and Lord Drake and their banter, however Wyverne and his wife are just such over the top villains that it really lacked credibility. They weren't believable characters and their actions seemed to be all about shocking readers and less about plot.

This book was a delight. It was a fun twist on a historical romance which included elements from the French Revolution and reluctant heir. I loved how the tension played out, and the author did a great job leaving me in suspense about how exactly the two MCs could resolve what separated them until the very end.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
3.5 stars
This was a fun story and I am a sucker for a historical romance. I enjoyed the revenge plot and liked that part of the plot. I enjoyed my time with this book and was rooting for our FMC and our MMC. The villain was outlandishly evil almost to the point of unbelievable. The other side characters made for a fun and unique novel.

It was hard for me to really get into the story.

Sophie is out for revenge, she gets hired as companion to the Dowager Marchioness in order to steal the Wyverne family's jewellery, but she didn't account for the son of her targets. Lord Drake has come to dote on his grandmother, the dowager, and takes a shine to her new companion. He is certain he has met Sophie before, but it takes him a while to figure it out.

I liked the relationship between Sophie and the dowager, those two were made for each other. So, no wonder the doting grandson fell in love with Sophie.

This is not your usual regency romance, but focuses on the prospects of a lady whose family was swindled out of a huge sum of money and so is intent on revenge. unexpectedly she falls in love with the son of her mark and together they execute their plan. The two leads are great characters and the novel ramps up the tension as the denouement is reached making this a highly readable, enjoyable book.

I really enjoyed this historical romance! It has mystery, romance, and so many feels! This one kept me turning pages.