Dear Mrs. Van,

You have captured my heart and soul, once again. It is irrevocably yours. Anything you write, I will read. Another Regency or Scottish tale? Yes, please. Contemporary romance? RomCom? Mystery, fantasy, paranormal? Yes, ma'am. Poetry? Gladly. Hand it over. Grocery lists, doodles, accidental ink splatters? Hand them over. All things created by your hand. I am well aware that I am coming on strong here, but this review contains no trace of hyperbole. I am in earnest.

When it comes to this series, I cannot be convinced of anything less than its utter perfection. Every single story hits me in the solar plexus, leaving me breathless, craving more. I finish each one with the insatiable desire to begin it anew. It's powerful storytelling. I am in awe of your ability--and the hard work you put in--to turn a phrase, to evoke an emotion, to light up a place in my mind's eye, so I not only read and enjoy your books, but find myself immersed so deeply in them that I become the characters, and grieve at each The End. Book hangovers after your books are very real and are cured most quickly by devouring another book penned by Nichole Van.

On to this book specifically. From reading the first two books in the series, I already knew I would love Ethan Penn-Leith. And I did. All his charm and smoldering smiles, his inner dialogue, the vulnerable bits of himself he keeps hidden and tucked away, safe from the insincere love of adoring fans. And, oh, how I loved his bits of poetry throughout. But as much as I loved Ethan, I do believe I loved Allegra even more. I love that she cannot be kept down, will not be bullied into compliance. I love that she is versatile and adaptive, decisive, a natural leader, and that she can thrive in more than one situation. She knows how to deliver a barb, a set down, a well-placed and cleverly worded compliment. Her ability to stand up to her brother was probably my very favorite thing.

Ethan and Allegra are both so perfect and delectable, I could read books and books more of them. I loved the grumpy/sunshine trope in this story, and how well-matched they were for each other. And must say how grateful I am that Allegra's grump doesn't come across as mean or harsh. Glory hallelujah for a female grump who doesn't' bite the male lead's head off every time he speaks.
The depth of both characters is incredible. I sincerely love that both Allegra and Ethan have deep scars from the emotional upheaval and wounds of their pasts, and that they learn to begin to let the scars begin to heal through each other's strengths. They each develop as a person, and grow as a couple, and I love that dynamic.

Their love story is beautiful, and the ending made me smile throughout. In fact, I am quite certain I didn't stop smiling all through the last several chapters. Those chapters! My heart was fair to bursting. They are chapters I would gladly read over and over and over again. I love them!
Also, after finishing this book, I can say, with zero hesitation, that I am unbelievably excited for the Duke of Kendall's story. How could I possibly want the story for the austere, commanding, autocratic, manipulative, self-important, pompous, insufferable Duke? I shall not vocalize my reasoning regarding the matter, lest another unsuspecting person should happen upon this missive, and be unfairly forced to learn what I now know through a spoiling. But oh, ho, ho! It is going to be good. I can taste it already. (This part of the letter really must be read with the image in mind of my hands hovering before my face, alternately tapping my fingers together, with a slightly evil grin, and a delightedly mischievous cackle.)

Really, my dear Authoress, I find myself enchanted, delighted, inspired by your book. Thank you for gifting the world--and, by extension, me--with these beautiful words and stories. The alternate worlds you create are truly a source of light and joy to my soul.

Ever yours,
Jessica

Audiobook Review: Narrated by Mhairi Morrison -- I love this narrator! Her Scottish accent is so delicious (and she is a native Scot, so one would expect no less), and she is really good at laying it on thick as the need arises. She also offers up a good English accent, and the voices and emotion she offers are excellent. I couldn't imagine anyone else narrating these books.

**thanks to the author for the copy. I loved this book with all of me. ( )

Dear Mrs. Van,

This book. Oh, this book! Really, just this entire series. Every single story hits me in the solar plexus, leaving me breathless, yet craving more. I finish each one with the insatiable desire to begin it anew. It’s powerful storytelling. I am in awe of your ability—and the hard work you put in—to turn a phrase, to evoke an emotion, to light up a place in my mind’s eye, so I not only read and enjoy your books, but find myself immersed so deeply in them that I become the characters, and grieve at each The End. Book hangovers after your books are real.

Ethan and Allegra are both so perfect and delectable, I could read books and books more of them. I have to say I love the grump/sunshine trope in this one, and how well matched the two of them are for each other. But also that Allegra’s grump doesn’t come across as mean or harsh. Glory hallelujah for a female grump who doesn’t bite the male lead’s head off every time he speaks.

The depth to both characters is incredible. I sincerely love that both Allegra and Ethan have deep scars from the emotional wounds their pasts forced upon them, and that they learn to begin to let the scars go through each other’s strengths. I love how they each developed as a person, and how they grew as a couple.

Their love story is beautiful, and the ending made me smile throughout. In fact, I’m quite certain I didn’t stop smiling all through the last chapters. Those chapters! My heart was fair to bursting. They are chapters I would gladly read over and over and over again. I love them!

Also after finishing this book, I can say, with zero hesitation, that I am unbelievably excited for Duke of Kendall’s story. How could I possibly want the story for the austere, commanding, autocratic, manipulative, self-important, pompous, insufferable Duke? I shall not vocalize my reasoning regarding the matter, lest another unsuspecting person happened upon this missive, and were unfairly forced to learn what I now know through a spoiling. But oh, ho, ho! It is going to be good. I can taste it. (This part of the letter really must be read with the image in mind of my hands hovering before my face, alternately tapping my fingers together, with a slightly evil grin, and a delightedly mischievous cackle.)

Really, my dear Authoress, I find myself enchanted, delighted, inspired by your book. Thank you for gifting the world—and, by extension, me—with these beautiful words and stories. The alternate worlds you create are truly a source of light and joy to my soul.

Ever Yours,

Jessica ( )

“I want tae be the man ye let inside the armor ye don tae fend off the world.”

Bravissimo! Just when I think I’ve found a new favorite Nichole Van book, she goes and writes another masterpiece. Ahh, this book! It’s witty, achingly beautiful, smolderingly romantic, and the epitome of brilliant lyrical writing. Poet Ethan Penn-Leith and his soul twin Lady Allegra Gilbert are the opposite sides of the same coin. Their fiery, forbidden romance grabbed me from their explosive first meeting to the emotional ending.

Ethan is “charisma in a kilt.” When he adopts “The Swooner” Highland poet persona, it’s easy to see why women faint. But, he’s met his match in Lady Allegra. She doesn’t fall at his feet and doesn’t seem to want anything from him other than friendship. She’s a feisty, half Italian with enough passion to spare. Both exist in a sort of cage. Ethan is trapped by his uncle’s expectations, and Allie is literally imprisoned by her high handed twin brother, the Duke of Kendall.

A relationship between them is strictly forbidden, especially because of their scandalous first meeting. Yet, Ethan and Allie have a powerful connection they both need. As they battle their attraction, their feelings become even more intense. Ethan knows just what Allie is yearning for if only he can convince her. I loved watching their relationship grow from friendship to more. Though as Ethan says: “Well, ye clearly have never been friends with the right gentleman then. I couldn’t stop flirting with your fair self even if I tried.” Their chemistry is off the charts and I love how they were able to be vulnerable with each other.

It’s definitely a must read! The passionate yet clean romance, delicious Scottish brogue, and gorgeous settings of Italy, England, and Scotland make this irresistible. Do yourself a favor and grab this book. I can’t wait for the next book in the series and for the chance for a possible redemption arc for one of the characters.

All the stars for this one! I received an advanced complimentary copy from the author. All opinions are my own and voluntarily given.

Content: a few biblical swears, closed door romance, passionate kisses. ( )