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The Maidens of Mayhem #1
Duchess If You Dare
Fans of Sarah MacLean, Vanessa Riley, and Julia London will adore this modern take on the Regency, filled with tough, empowered women meeting their matches in a sexy story from rising star Anabelle Bryant.
From the glittering ballrooms of the ton to the city's grittiest corners, London has no shortage of wrongs in need of righting—and the Maidens of Mayhem are prepared for the challenge. United by secrecy and sisterhood, these daring women from all walks of life aim to fight injustice wherever it takes them—even into the arms of unexpected love... These Regency Robin Hoods from USA Today bestselling author Anabelle Bryant are destined to storm into readers' hearts!
Scarlett Wynn's tragic childhood taught her that life can be cruel to women with little power. So when a local seamstress disappears, Scarlett vows to find out why. Armed with a weapon and her courage, Scarlett scours London for clues—and crosses the unlikely path of Ambrose Cross, the Duke of Aylesford, at an unlikely place: an upscale brothel. The Duke is trying to solve a mystery of his own, and Scarlett is sure they can help each other—if she can resist the attraction that draws them together...
As Duke, Ambrose is duty-bound to protect his family name from scandal, no matter the cost. But Scarlett's fearless spirit forces him to look beyond his world of privilege. Scarlett is as intoxicating as she is dangerous, igniting a fire in him like no other. But when the pair learn both mysteries they're trying to solve are tied to a string of missing women, the tangled scheme they uncover may put their lives, and their growing love, in mortal danger—and lead them to search their hearts like never before...
From the glittering ballrooms of the ton to the city's grittiest corners, London has no shortage of wrongs in need of righting—and the Maidens of Mayhem are prepared for the challenge. United by secrecy and sisterhood, these daring women from all walks of life aim to fight injustice wherever it takes them—even into the arms of unexpected love... These Regency Robin Hoods from USA Today bestselling author Anabelle Bryant are destined to storm into readers' hearts!
Scarlett Wynn's tragic childhood taught her that life can be cruel to women with little power. So when a local seamstress disappears, Scarlett vows to find out why. Armed with a weapon and her courage, Scarlett scours London for clues—and crosses the unlikely path of Ambrose Cross, the Duke of Aylesford, at an unlikely place: an upscale brothel. The Duke is trying to solve a mystery of his own, and Scarlett is sure they can help each other—if she can resist the attraction that draws them together...
As Duke, Ambrose is duty-bound to protect his family name from scandal, no matter the cost. But Scarlett's fearless spirit forces him to look beyond his world of privilege. Scarlett is as intoxicating as she is dangerous, igniting a fire in him like no other. But when the pair learn both mysteries they're trying to solve are tied to a string of missing women, the tangled scheme they uncover may put their lives, and their growing love, in mortal danger—and lead them to search their hearts like never before...
320 pages, Paperback
First published March 30, 2021
About the author
Anabelle Bryant
28 books411 followersAnabelle began reading at age three and never stopped. Her passion for reading soon turned into a passion for writing and an author was born. Happy to grab a suitcase if it ensures a new adventure, Anabelle finds endless inspiration in travel, especially imaginary jaunts into Regency England, a far cry from her home in New Jersey. Instead, her clever characters live out her daydreams because really, who wouldn't want to dance with a handsome duke or kiss a wicked earl?
Though teaching keeps her grounded, photography, running and writing, counterbalance her wanderlust. Often found with her nose in a book, Anabelle earned her Master's Degree and is completing her Doctorate Degree in education. Thrilled to be an author for Harlequin's Carina line, Anabelle's historical romances are character driven. She strives to provide a heartfelt connection between her hero, heroine, and the reader, believing the emotional journey on the path to true love is the most important bond. Clever secondary characters and lively conversation keep the pages turning.
Author Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AnabelleBrya...
Though teaching keeps her grounded, photography, running and writing, counterbalance her wanderlust. Often found with her nose in a book, Anabelle earned her Master's Degree and is completing her Doctorate Degree in education. Thrilled to be an author for Harlequin's Carina line, Anabelle's historical romances are character driven. She strives to provide a heartfelt connection between her hero, heroine, and the reader, believing the emotional journey on the path to true love is the most important bond. Clever secondary characters and lively conversation keep the pages turning.
Author Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AnabelleBrya...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 282 reviews
Shelved as 'dnf'
February 13, 2021DNF at 25%
The premise of this sounded great but unfortunately it's not really working for me. Duchess If You Dare is supposed to be a fun historical romance about dangerous ladies fighting for social justice. But so far a lot of it is just the main characters moralizing about the supposed horrors of prostitution in a pretty condescending way that lacks nuance.
There's talk of "it's not their fault that they have to do this to survive" which might seem fine at first glance, but there is no distinction between women who are forced into it by necessity and women who might choose this profession for other reasons. And there's the main character who "would NEVER!" *gasp* sell her body, and the hero who wonders why she's in this brothel because she has modest clothes with nice fabric. I just found it all immensely irritating. If you're going to lead into a plot about sex trafficking (which is absolutely horrific) and the potential dangers to women engaged in sex work, then approach it in a way that offers nuance. Don't make all the women involved either victims or villains. Some might be victims, some might be villains, but making it so black and white for every character is disempowering and promotes a problematic savior complex. I find this kind of plot really frustrating because it CAN be done well, and I've seen romance authors tackle this difficult subject with grace and respect. This just isn't it.
Additionally, the hero and heroine so far are a bit bland and lack chemistry. So yeah. Not the book for me. We need to do better in how we portray sex workers. I received an advance copy of this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
The premise of this sounded great but unfortunately it's not really working for me. Duchess If You Dare is supposed to be a fun historical romance about dangerous ladies fighting for social justice. But so far a lot of it is just the main characters moralizing about the supposed horrors of prostitution in a pretty condescending way that lacks nuance.
There's talk of "it's not their fault that they have to do this to survive" which might seem fine at first glance, but there is no distinction between women who are forced into it by necessity and women who might choose this profession for other reasons. And there's the main character who "would NEVER!" *gasp* sell her body, and the hero who wonders why she's in this brothel because she has modest clothes with nice fabric. I just found it all immensely irritating. If you're going to lead into a plot about sex trafficking (which is absolutely horrific) and the potential dangers to women engaged in sex work, then approach it in a way that offers nuance. Don't make all the women involved either victims or villains. Some might be victims, some might be villains, but making it so black and white for every character is disempowering and promotes a problematic savior complex. I find this kind of plot really frustrating because it CAN be done well, and I've seen romance authors tackle this difficult subject with grace and respect. This just isn't it.
Additionally, the hero and heroine so far are a bit bland and lack chemistry. So yeah. Not the book for me. We need to do better in how we portray sex workers. I received an advance copy of this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
May 26, 2021
BOOKSTAGRAM | BOOK BLOG | AMAZON
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Thank you Annabelle Bryant & @NetGalley for the copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was a really cute mystery book. Nothing cliffhangery or nail biting. I knew who the main people in the sex trade scam was early on. This book touches on a topic that I feel most books in the genre historical/romance category don’t touch on-sex trading.
It follows our heroine Scarlett who is part of a group of bad ass women the Maidens of Mayhem who are the female robin-hoods of their time. And of course the Duke (Ambrose.)
It starts with Scarletts seamstress who just vanishes one day-finding out she worked in a brothel-and then the story starts with trying to find this seamstress named Linie.
The story just doesn’t seem completely developed, I feel I knew -just enough- to close out the story. I feel characters could have been explained more. I finished the book not really invested in any of the characters? The romance was great but we never really know what happened at the end. The book did end good with the beginning of the second book. It’s a very light romantic mystery.
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Thank you Annabelle Bryant & @NetGalley for the copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was a really cute mystery book. Nothing cliffhangery or nail biting. I knew who the main people in the sex trade scam was early on. This book touches on a topic that I feel most books in the genre historical/romance category don’t touch on-sex trading.
It follows our heroine Scarlett who is part of a group of bad ass women the Maidens of Mayhem who are the female robin-hoods of their time. And of course the Duke (Ambrose.)
It starts with Scarletts seamstress who just vanishes one day-finding out she worked in a brothel-and then the story starts with trying to find this seamstress named Linie.
The story just doesn’t seem completely developed, I feel I knew -just enough- to close out the story. I feel characters could have been explained more. I finished the book not really invested in any of the characters? The romance was great but we never really know what happened at the end. The book did end good with the beginning of the second book. It’s a very light romantic mystery.
February 12, 2021
SERIES: The Maidens of Mayhem #1
GENRE: historical romance
TROPES: duke/commoner, mystery-solving
CLIFFHANGER: no
RATING: 4⭐
There is something to be said and loved about a woman who makes the best out of the hand she is dealt with. She is also fierce, loyal, and realistic. Scarlett is a heroine I adore to read about. Her impact is even higher as she is a heroine of a historical fiction novel.
The storyline revolves around the mysterious disappearance of Scarlett's acquaintance. She is trying to look for clues that will help her to find her. And all clues lead to a brothel. There she meets duke of Aylesford, who is once again cleaning his brother's mess. It turns out they are looking for the same person. So they join forces. The new partnership leads to new enemies but also to a romance.
There are a couple of twists and turns, heartfelt conversations, and some steamy moments.
If you enjoy the real-life issues addressed, mystery plotline, strong heroine in your historical novel then this is a book for you.
I'm interested in reading more books in this series!
*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy of the book in exchange for an honest review
GENRE: historical romance
TROPES: duke/commoner, mystery-solving
CLIFFHANGER: no
RATING: 4⭐
There is something to be said and loved about a woman who makes the best out of the hand she is dealt with. She is also fierce, loyal, and realistic. Scarlett is a heroine I adore to read about. Her impact is even higher as she is a heroine of a historical fiction novel.
The storyline revolves around the mysterious disappearance of Scarlett's acquaintance. She is trying to look for clues that will help her to find her. And all clues lead to a brothel. There she meets duke of Aylesford, who is once again cleaning his brother's mess. It turns out they are looking for the same person. So they join forces. The new partnership leads to new enemies but also to a romance.
There are a couple of twists and turns, heartfelt conversations, and some steamy moments.
If you enjoy the real-life issues addressed, mystery plotline, strong heroine in your historical novel then this is a book for you.
I'm interested in reading more books in this series!
*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy of the book in exchange for an honest review
April 18, 2021
Blog Review: https://trishadoeseverythingbutstudy2...
I received a free e-ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!
I did not like it.
The sad thing is, I don't even know whether I didn't like it because it was worse than Outrageous, or because it was actually that bad.
So, where to start. the biggest problem I had was the insta-love. Why, just why. And even worse, self-aware insta-love. It's one thing if you incorporate insta-love and then write it into the story as if it was drawn out, at least having the grace to give the reader the impression that they actually know and get each other.
It's a completely different thing if they fall in love and then proceed to wonder about how they fell in love so fast, and surely this was too fast, and this was probably not the correct thing to be doing with your life; regaling with all the reasons as to why they shouldn't be together, and you're nodding along to it all saying EXACTLY you shouldn't be together. And then putting your head in your hands because now you can't even pretend to yourself that this was slowburn and some pages went missing.
The next biggest problem I had with this was that even though the name of the series is Maidens of Mayhem, we got like three scenes of the Maidens total. I get that this is a romance, but if you're going to write it in a way that shows you'll be focusing on plot, and then give the series the name of these supposed badass feminists, at least tell me more about these feminists!??!
The fact is, I wanted to know more about the Maidens, how they operate, who keeps funding them, what all they do, who tells them to do this, what their relationship is with each other, how they hide from the general public, do they hide from the general public (because this was pretty vague), what skills they have, how did they come about these skills, some insight into how they teach each other these skills; anything about their modus operandi really, but instead I was regaled with their undying love for each other, traumatic pasts, and repetitive thoughts about why they won't work.
The saving grace this had was that I was not regaled with too many sex thoughts, and it wasn't as explicit as Outrageous, and that there was only like one scene. And a half maybe.
On the whole, not a good experience. I would recommend it to people who can handle insta-love, and who went into the book expecting it to focus on romance.
I received a free e-ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!
I did not like it.
The sad thing is, I don't even know whether I didn't like it because it was worse than Outrageous, or because it was actually that bad.
So, where to start. the biggest problem I had was the insta-love. Why, just why. And even worse, self-aware insta-love. It's one thing if you incorporate insta-love and then write it into the story as if it was drawn out, at least having the grace to give the reader the impression that they actually know and get each other.
It's a completely different thing if they fall in love and then proceed to wonder about how they fell in love so fast, and surely this was too fast, and this was probably not the correct thing to be doing with your life; regaling with all the reasons as to why they shouldn't be together, and you're nodding along to it all saying EXACTLY you shouldn't be together. And then putting your head in your hands because now you can't even pretend to yourself that this was slowburn and some pages went missing.
The next biggest problem I had with this was that even though the name of the series is Maidens of Mayhem, we got like three scenes of the Maidens total. I get that this is a romance, but if you're going to write it in a way that shows you'll be focusing on plot, and then give the series the name of these supposed badass feminists, at least tell me more about these feminists!??!
The fact is, I wanted to know more about the Maidens, how they operate, who keeps funding them, what all they do, who tells them to do this, what their relationship is with each other, how they hide from the general public, do they hide from the general public (because this was pretty vague), what skills they have, how did they come about these skills, some insight into how they teach each other these skills; anything about their modus operandi really, but instead I was regaled with their undying love for each other, traumatic pasts, and repetitive thoughts about why they won't work.
The saving grace this had was that I was not regaled with too many sex thoughts, and it wasn't as explicit as Outrageous, and that there was only like one scene. And a half maybe.
On the whole, not a good experience. I would recommend it to people who can handle insta-love, and who went into the book expecting it to focus on romance.
February 6, 2021
This was not very exciting. The blurb promised more than the book delivered. The Maidens of Mayhem weren't a very active or interesting part of the story, which, truth be told, didn't bother me much because I'm generally not a fan of these 'ladies protecting London' storylines, but it might bother other readers expecting a female Robin Hood-like situation, as the blurb states.
What did bother me was that the book wanted to be a historical romance mystery, but it was very short on the mystery and the romance was ... tepid. I'll start with the mystery - Scarlett's seamstress goes missing one day and it's revealed that she has a little side hustle at the brothel, where, wouldn't you know it, several other women have gone missing too. Ambrose, the Duke of Aylesford, somehow gets involved in this little mystery plot too, but through circumstances that are, frankly, silly.
Well, now our hero and heroine are involved in a SEX TRAFFICKING PLOT, which is obviously the most romantic subplot, and lo and behold, they have sexual chemistry. I know I always get hot and heavy when I'm investigating the kidnapping and sexual slavery of poor people. Anyway, this is definitely a subplot because Scarlett and Ambrose are more interested in lusting after each other than doing any real investigative work, and as the book neared its end and they'd accomplished nothing really, enter one of my most hated sub-subplots in HR: the kidnapping!
Well, it's over soon, thankfully, and the hero and heroine realize that, hey, they love each other! If this kidnapping hadn't occurred, would the poor sods ever have realized it? Probably not because these kinds of characters are rarely self-aware enough to recognize their own feelings unless extreme circumstances force them to. (This is mostly a dig at everyone who ever introduces a kidnapping at the close of the story, because I HATE IT SO MUCH. Bryant is really unfortunate that this is my second HR in a row with a ridiculous kidnapping-followed-by-please-be-my-duchess-yes-I-will-be-your-duchess, but she's still guilty of the offense).
I think there's potential here, but overall it wasn't for me. I didn't care about the characters, their romantic feelings for one another felt lackluster, I thought the whole sexual slavery thing really put a damper on things, and there's an unfortunate habit of internal monologue being reiterated constantly. There's one scene in particular, where both Ambrose and Scarlett's thoughts are 80% "We only have this one night together." I get it, you only have one night together! Stop saying it! Also, at the end, Scarlett, Ambrose AND Bryant barely seem to care about the seamstress who started it all, and the whole mystery fizzles out with a secondary character just telling Ambrose what's been going on. Exciting stuff.
I received an ARC from the publishers through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
What did bother me was that the book wanted to be a historical romance mystery, but it was very short on the mystery and the romance was ... tepid. I'll start with the mystery - Scarlett's seamstress goes missing one day and it's revealed that she has a little side hustle at the brothel, where, wouldn't you know it, several other women have gone missing too. Ambrose, the Duke of Aylesford, somehow gets involved in this little mystery plot too, but through circumstances that are, frankly, silly.
Well, now our hero and heroine are involved in a SEX TRAFFICKING PLOT, which is obviously the most romantic subplot, and lo and behold, they have sexual chemistry. I know I always get hot and heavy when I'm investigating the kidnapping and sexual slavery of poor people. Anyway, this is definitely a subplot because Scarlett and Ambrose are more interested in lusting after each other than doing any real investigative work, and as the book neared its end and they'd accomplished nothing really, enter one of my most hated sub-subplots in HR: the kidnapping!
Well, it's over soon, thankfully, and the hero and heroine realize that, hey, they love each other! If this kidnapping hadn't occurred, would the poor sods ever have realized it? Probably not because these kinds of characters are rarely self-aware enough to recognize their own feelings unless extreme circumstances force them to. (This is mostly a dig at everyone who ever introduces a kidnapping at the close of the story, because I HATE IT SO MUCH. Bryant is really unfortunate that this is my second HR in a row with a ridiculous kidnapping-followed-by-please-be-my-duchess-yes-I-will-be-your-duchess, but she's still guilty of the offense).
I think there's potential here, but overall it wasn't for me. I didn't care about the characters, their romantic feelings for one another felt lackluster, I thought the whole sexual slavery thing really put a damper on things, and there's an unfortunate habit of internal monologue being reiterated constantly. There's one scene in particular, where both Ambrose and Scarlett's thoughts are 80% "We only have this one night together." I get it, you only have one night together! Stop saying it! Also, at the end, Scarlett, Ambrose AND Bryant barely seem to care about the seamstress who started it all, and the whole mystery fizzles out with a secondary character just telling Ambrose what's been going on. Exciting stuff.
I received an ARC from the publishers through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Shelved as 'dnf'
April 28, 2021DNF at 50%
I had the ominous and disappointing feeling around the 33% mark I might not want to finish this book, but I decided to give it until the midpoint because I was enjoying the mystery element. Unfortunately I should have trusted my gut and moved on sooner.
First off, I agree wholeheartedly with Bethany's review regarding the representation of sex work in this book. It could have been executed much better than it was, as it felt more like a plot device for the mystery aspect and to enhance Scarlett's backstory.
I initially really liked the idea of the Maidens of Mayhem, Scarlett's group of vigilante women who patrol the streets keeping order and ensuring the vulnerable are protected. I was intrigued by Ambrose's role as the dutiful oldest son contrasted with his reckless younger brother Martin, who was actually my favorite character.
However, the circumstances that brought Scarlett and Ambrose together felt a little far-fetched, and I honestly did not feel the chemistry between them. When they shared their first kiss I did not see sparks in the slightest which...isn't usually a good sign in a Romance novel.
The author also had Scarlett regularly spout ideas regarding the unfair treatment of women in society in a clear attempt to be feminist, but it was too on-the-nose. Many of these ideas were implied by the plot and setting, so having Scarlett repeat them ad nauseam eventually became obnoxious.
I gave up when, at the 50% mark, Ambrose became overly protective and territorial of Scarlet at a ball. He acted uncharacteristically feral towards his brother and friend, both of whom were among the many men lusting over Scarlett, who of course was the most beautiful woman in the room. It was disappointing to see Ambrose become such an alpha-hole when he initially respected Scarlett's vigilante, trouser-wearing ways and was not emasculated in the slightest when she was the one who rescued him from danger just a few chapters before. And Ambrose does think at one point how much Scarlett is not like the other girls he's used to meeting in high society.
I did enjoy some of the side characters and thought this premise had a lot of promise, but sadly it was not a winner for me.
Thank you to Kensington Books/Zebra via Netgalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
I had the ominous and disappointing feeling around the 33% mark I might not want to finish this book, but I decided to give it until the midpoint because I was enjoying the mystery element. Unfortunately I should have trusted my gut and moved on sooner.
First off, I agree wholeheartedly with Bethany's review regarding the representation of sex work in this book. It could have been executed much better than it was, as it felt more like a plot device for the mystery aspect and to enhance Scarlett's backstory.
I initially really liked the idea of the Maidens of Mayhem, Scarlett's group of vigilante women who patrol the streets keeping order and ensuring the vulnerable are protected. I was intrigued by Ambrose's role as the dutiful oldest son contrasted with his reckless younger brother Martin, who was actually my favorite character.
However, the circumstances that brought Scarlett and Ambrose together felt a little far-fetched, and I honestly did not feel the chemistry between them. When they shared their first kiss I did not see sparks in the slightest which...isn't usually a good sign in a Romance novel.
The author also had Scarlett regularly spout ideas regarding the unfair treatment of women in society in a clear attempt to be feminist, but it was too on-the-nose. Many of these ideas were implied by the plot and setting, so having Scarlett repeat them ad nauseam eventually became obnoxious.
I gave up when, at the 50% mark, Ambrose became overly protective and territorial of Scarlet at a ball. He acted uncharacteristically feral towards his brother and friend, both of whom were among the many men lusting over Scarlett, who of course was the most beautiful woman in the room. It was disappointing to see Ambrose become such an alpha-hole when he initially respected Scarlett's vigilante, trouser-wearing ways and was not emasculated in the slightest when she was the one who rescued him from danger just a few chapters before. And Ambrose does think at one point how much Scarlett is not like the other girls he's used to meeting in high society.
I did enjoy some of the side characters and thought this premise had a lot of promise, but sadly it was not a winner for me.
Thank you to Kensington Books/Zebra via Netgalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
March 16, 2021
Series: Maidens of Mayhem #1
Publication Date: 3/30/21
Number of Pages: 320
** 3.25 Stars **
Scarlett Wynn, the illegitimate daughter of a London light skirt who was murdered by one of her protectors, grew up to be one of the founding members of The Maidens of Mayhem. She prowls London by night saving the innocent. One of those innocents is her seamstress, Linie. Scarlett requires special clothing for prowling the city and Linie will make her whatever she wants. When Linie goes missing, it turns out that she also worked at a brothel under the name of Daisy. During her investigation, Scarlett learns that several girls have gone missing from that same brothel.
Ambrose Cross, the Duke of Aylesford, is very, very correct, uptight, staid, ridged, dignified – you name it. His entire existence is given to the furthering of the family honor – the family name. He would never, ever, do anything that would cause scandal or dishonor to his family or his title. His brother, Martin, on the other hand, is a walking scandal just waiting to undo the family name. When Martin gets embroiled in a to-do at a brothel, the Scarlet Rose, he also gets Ambrose embroiled in it. Martin is sure he heard a woman being abused in the room next to his and he wheedles Ambrose into agreeing to investigate.
Ambrose comes across a woman, hidden in a large black cloak, trying to gain entry into the brothel and assumes she must be a worker. As things progress and they encounter each other again, they realize they are working on the same thing. They agree to share information and work together – but neither seems to do that very well. Their personal attraction also grows, but neither will acknowledge it. As danger dogs both of them, the attraction grows stronger. Can a former street urchin become a duchess?
I think this book suffered from an identity crisis. It couldn’t decide whether it wanted to be a mystery or a romance and so it didn’t do either of them very well. I loved the idea of the book from the book blurb, but, for me, it just didn’t deliver. So many things were never clear – especially about the Maidens of Mayhem. They certainly weren’t a group who worked together to do anything. I couldn’t even determine how or why they came together. How did they come to have the various skills they had – shux – what skills did they have? How were they funded? Then, there was the mystery. It just seemed very, very convoluted with people knowing things they should have known or some fact would just come out of the blue – something there had been no hint of before.
My bottom line is that this was an okay read if you can get past all of the ambiguity. I will probably not read the next book in the series because I didn’t become invested in either the organization or the characters.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Publication Date: 3/30/21
Number of Pages: 320
** 3.25 Stars **
Scarlett Wynn, the illegitimate daughter of a London light skirt who was murdered by one of her protectors, grew up to be one of the founding members of The Maidens of Mayhem. She prowls London by night saving the innocent. One of those innocents is her seamstress, Linie. Scarlett requires special clothing for prowling the city and Linie will make her whatever she wants. When Linie goes missing, it turns out that she also worked at a brothel under the name of Daisy. During her investigation, Scarlett learns that several girls have gone missing from that same brothel.
Ambrose Cross, the Duke of Aylesford, is very, very correct, uptight, staid, ridged, dignified – you name it. His entire existence is given to the furthering of the family honor – the family name. He would never, ever, do anything that would cause scandal or dishonor to his family or his title. His brother, Martin, on the other hand, is a walking scandal just waiting to undo the family name. When Martin gets embroiled in a to-do at a brothel, the Scarlet Rose, he also gets Ambrose embroiled in it. Martin is sure he heard a woman being abused in the room next to his and he wheedles Ambrose into agreeing to investigate.
Ambrose comes across a woman, hidden in a large black cloak, trying to gain entry into the brothel and assumes she must be a worker. As things progress and they encounter each other again, they realize they are working on the same thing. They agree to share information and work together – but neither seems to do that very well. Their personal attraction also grows, but neither will acknowledge it. As danger dogs both of them, the attraction grows stronger. Can a former street urchin become a duchess?
I think this book suffered from an identity crisis. It couldn’t decide whether it wanted to be a mystery or a romance and so it didn’t do either of them very well. I loved the idea of the book from the book blurb, but, for me, it just didn’t deliver. So many things were never clear – especially about the Maidens of Mayhem. They certainly weren’t a group who worked together to do anything. I couldn’t even determine how or why they came together. How did they come to have the various skills they had – shux – what skills did they have? How were they funded? Then, there was the mystery. It just seemed very, very convoluted with people knowing things they should have known or some fact would just come out of the blue – something there had been no hint of before.
My bottom line is that this was an okay read if you can get past all of the ambiguity. I will probably not read the next book in the series because I didn’t become invested in either the organization or the characters.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
April 1, 2021
Regency ladies taking charge
Unusual subject matter here. A group of women calling themselves the Maidens of Mayhem fighting to uplift the plight of women in London including prostitutes. They “had banded together with a vow to right wrongs in London and fight for women who had no voice against male harassment or otherwise unjust travesties thrust upon their gender.“ worthy indeed but to me the women seemed somewhat distant, they’re waiting stage right as it were. I was a tad nonplussed by how flimsy their support for each other appeared. I know this is the first in the series but that part was somewhat lacklustre.
Wycombe House owned by Julia Wycombe is apparently for them a place where in a “society disinclined to allow females to conduct business, own property or invest finances without the consent or participation of a male, the ... building [has] became their fortress of secrets.” Again I loved the concept ... but!
Scarlett Wynn, “illegitimate daughter of a destitute commoner” treads the streets of the darkest alleyways of London by night dressed in trousers made for her by a young seamstress Linie, accompanied only by her strong will and deadly knives.
When Linie disappears and the spectre of young women being lured away to become sex slaves raises its ugly head, Scarlett starts investigating.
That’s when she runs into Ambrose Cross, fourth Duke of Aylesford, watching the same place but for different reasons.
Their searches combine as does their regard for each other, that of course becomes rather more than a few kisses. Alas I felt the pages spent on their trysting was a tad gratuitous and would've been better spent building up other parts of the story. What will their relationship become—this is a girl from the wrong side of the tracks after all and a duke needs more? Scarlett thinking she wasn’t worthy definitely didn’t meet my expectations of a 'mayhemic' maiden.
As challenges are solved and relationships questioned I was not convinced by Aylesbury. He was just too wooden for me. Scarlett I adored, but I didn’t feel she soared as she could have. I wanted her to be more 'mayhemy'. Still her character raised my star allotment from 2 to 3.
Too many subplots and resolutions too quickly come by, hints of things to come (a Wise Woman?Hmm!) hampered things for me. I felt like there was a prelude that I’d missed somehow.
The Bow Street Runner Howell seemed full on in the beginning and then ...
A Kensington Books ARC via NetGalley
Please note: Quotes taken from an advanced reading copy maybe subject to change
Unusual subject matter here. A group of women calling themselves the Maidens of Mayhem fighting to uplift the plight of women in London including prostitutes. They “had banded together with a vow to right wrongs in London and fight for women who had no voice against male harassment or otherwise unjust travesties thrust upon their gender.“ worthy indeed but to me the women seemed somewhat distant, they’re waiting stage right as it were. I was a tad nonplussed by how flimsy their support for each other appeared. I know this is the first in the series but that part was somewhat lacklustre.
Wycombe House owned by Julia Wycombe is apparently for them a place where in a “society disinclined to allow females to conduct business, own property or invest finances without the consent or participation of a male, the ... building [has] became their fortress of secrets.” Again I loved the concept ... but!
Scarlett Wynn, “illegitimate daughter of a destitute commoner” treads the streets of the darkest alleyways of London by night dressed in trousers made for her by a young seamstress Linie, accompanied only by her strong will and deadly knives.
When Linie disappears and the spectre of young women being lured away to become sex slaves raises its ugly head, Scarlett starts investigating.
That’s when she runs into Ambrose Cross, fourth Duke of Aylesford, watching the same place but for different reasons.
Their searches combine as does their regard for each other, that of course becomes rather more than a few kisses. Alas I felt the pages spent on their trysting was a tad gratuitous and would've been better spent building up other parts of the story. What will their relationship become—this is a girl from the wrong side of the tracks after all and a duke needs more? Scarlett thinking she wasn’t worthy definitely didn’t meet my expectations of a 'mayhemic' maiden.
As challenges are solved and relationships questioned I was not convinced by Aylesbury. He was just too wooden for me. Scarlett I adored, but I didn’t feel she soared as she could have. I wanted her to be more 'mayhemy'. Still her character raised my star allotment from 2 to 3.
Too many subplots and resolutions too quickly come by, hints of things to come (a Wise Woman?Hmm!) hampered things for me. I felt like there was a prelude that I’d missed somehow.
The Bow Street Runner Howell seemed full on in the beginning and then ...
A Kensington Books ARC via NetGalley
Please note: Quotes taken from an advanced reading copy maybe subject to change
May 6, 2021
This is a captivating Regency Romance with a little bit of mystery thrown in. I think my only problem with the book was in thinking it was really a mystery. The description on Goodreads definitely led me to that conclusion, so I think that could use an update. I'm not really a romance fan, so I was caught off-guard.
The book does seem to start off as a mystery but quickly drops the pretense. When Scarlette Wynn's favorite dressmaker disappears, she sets out to find what happened to her but is quickly distracted by the luscious Duke Ambrose. In fact, she forgets to look for the poor dressmaker for about 100 pages until she is kidnapped for getting in the way of the wicked human traffickers who apparently thought she and the duke were still on their trail.
It is a good historical romance. The characters are interesting and well-developed. However, don't pick it up thinking it's a mystery or you will be disappointed.
Thank you Goodreads Giveaway for the advanced reader copy to read and review.
The book does seem to start off as a mystery but quickly drops the pretense. When Scarlette Wynn's favorite dressmaker disappears, she sets out to find what happened to her but is quickly distracted by the luscious Duke Ambrose. In fact, she forgets to look for the poor dressmaker for about 100 pages until she is kidnapped for getting in the way of the wicked human traffickers who apparently thought she and the duke were still on their trail.
It is a good historical romance. The characters are interesting and well-developed. However, don't pick it up thinking it's a mystery or you will be disappointed.
Thank you Goodreads Giveaway for the advanced reader copy to read and review.
April 1, 2021
'Scarlett Wynn's tragic childhood taught her that life can be cruel to women with little power. So when a local seamstress disappears, Scarlett vows to find out why. Armed with a weapon and her courage, Scarlett scours London for clues—and crosses the unlikely path of Ambrose Cross, the Duke of Aylesford, at an unlikely place: an upscale brothel. The Duke is trying to solve a mystery of his own, and Scarlett is sure they can help each other—if she can resist the attraction that draws them together...
As Duke, Ambrose is duty-bound to protect his family name from scandal, no matter the cost. But Scarlett's fearless spirit forces him to look beyond his world of privilege. Scarlett is as intoxicating as she is dangerous, igniting a fire in him like no other. But when the pair learn both mysteries they're trying to solve are tied to a string of missing women, the tangled scheme they uncover may put their lives, and their growing love, in mortal danger—and lead them to search their hearts like never before...'
___________________________
2.5 stars, rounded up to 3 stars.
Duchess If You Dare is the first book in Anabelle Bryant's new series, The Maidens of Mayhem, which is a historical mystery and romance series.
I really wanted to like this book, but there were many issues that prevented me from being able to. The author seemed really unclear whether she was writing a mystery, a romance, or a blend of the two. Instead of these two aspects of the plot working together to make the story stronger, one was always being brushed under the rug so the author could dedicate a few chapters to the other. What resulted from this was a real sense of disjointed storytelling.
I was intrigued by the mystery to start, but it progressed very slowly. That isn't always a bad thing if it is gradually building, but this was more a series of starts and stops. But still, I was interested enough to stick with it to see how it would turn out.
This series is called The Maidens of Mayhem and so I assume that each book will be about one of the ladies of this supposedy tight-knit group that works together to fight the injustices of society. But...are they really much of a team? They were barely even in the book, there is really only one scene with all four members and it is short. Their purpose and direction as a group is never really made clear. We don't even know anything about two of the members, aside from their names. Does anyone have skills to lend to this group aside from Scarlett?
Overall the book was alright, but I was disappointed. I feel like it had a lot of potential and could have been so much better, but it suffered from a lack of focus. I wouldn't personally recommend it and I don't believe I'll be continuing with the series because we didn't get to know the other characters enough for me to be interested in reading their own stories.
_____
I would like to thank NetGalley and Kensington Books, Zebra for sharing an eARC of Duchess If You Dare with me.This is my honest review.
As Duke, Ambrose is duty-bound to protect his family name from scandal, no matter the cost. But Scarlett's fearless spirit forces him to look beyond his world of privilege. Scarlett is as intoxicating as she is dangerous, igniting a fire in him like no other. But when the pair learn both mysteries they're trying to solve are tied to a string of missing women, the tangled scheme they uncover may put their lives, and their growing love, in mortal danger—and lead them to search their hearts like never before...'
___________________________
2.5 stars, rounded up to 3 stars.
Duchess If You Dare is the first book in Anabelle Bryant's new series, The Maidens of Mayhem, which is a historical mystery and romance series.
I really wanted to like this book, but there were many issues that prevented me from being able to. The author seemed really unclear whether she was writing a mystery, a romance, or a blend of the two. Instead of these two aspects of the plot working together to make the story stronger, one was always being brushed under the rug so the author could dedicate a few chapters to the other. What resulted from this was a real sense of disjointed storytelling.
I was intrigued by the mystery to start, but it progressed very slowly. That isn't always a bad thing if it is gradually building, but this was more a series of starts and stops. But still, I was interested enough to stick with it to see how it would turn out.
This series is called The Maidens of Mayhem and so I assume that each book will be about one of the ladies of this supposedy tight-knit group that works together to fight the injustices of society. But...are they really much of a team? They were barely even in the book, there is really only one scene with all four members and it is short. Their purpose and direction as a group is never really made clear. We don't even know anything about two of the members, aside from their names. Does anyone have skills to lend to this group aside from Scarlett?
Overall the book was alright, but I was disappointed. I feel like it had a lot of potential and could have been so much better, but it suffered from a lack of focus. I wouldn't personally recommend it and I don't believe I'll be continuing with the series because we didn't get to know the other characters enough for me to be interested in reading their own stories.
_____
I would like to thank NetGalley and Kensington Books, Zebra for sharing an eARC of Duchess If You Dare with me.This is my honest review.
April 3, 2024
Note: Some of my goodreads shelves can be spoilers
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋 (Once we got to the scenes I did like the way they were written, but in this one the build up wasn’t there for me so it just wasn’t as strong)
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥
Humor: A touch
Perspective: Third person from both hero and heroine (And also some minor part from hero’s brother?)
More character focused or plot focused? plot
How did the speed of the story feel? medium
When mains are first on page together: It felt like it took a bit, about 9% (chapter 3)
Cliffhanger: No, this ends with a happily ever after
Epilogue: Yes, 2 months later
Format: voluntarily read an advanced reader copy through NetGalley that is now officially as old as a dinosaur (I’m a few years late...)
(Descriptions found at end of my review)
Should I read in order?
This is the first in Bryant’s Maidens of Mayhem series.
Basic plot:
Scarlett is out to solve a mystery involving missing persons when she crosses the path of Ambrose Cross
Give this a try if you want:
- Regency (my assumption)
- London setting
- mystery focused
- class difference
- duke hero/illegitimate daughter of a commoner heroine
- lower steam – 2 full-ish scenes (the first one is a bit light)
Ages:
- I think the heroine is 20? Didn’t catch hero
First line:
Scarlett wasn’t alone.
My thoughts:
I was so disappointed in this one! I have read one other Bryant and I really enjoyed it – it was sweet and character focused and had a lot of swoony lines for me. But this one I was disappointed because I didn’t find much of that.
It felt like it took forever for the mains to be on page together and then they were repeatedly apart during the story. Number one way to get me grumpy.
This one is very mystery focused, which isn’t really my thing, so if you are wanting a mystery focused Regency with some light steam, you might really enjoy this one.
I would try Bryant again, but I think I might go back to the other series I tried and forego the Maidens of Mayhem.
Quotes/spoiler-y thoughts:Any mistakes/typos are my own
Content warnings: These should be taken as a minimum of what to expect. It’s very possible I have missed some.
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:
Extra stuff like what my review breakdown means, where to find me, and book clubs
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋 (Once we got to the scenes I did like the way they were written, but in this one the build up wasn’t there for me so it just wasn’t as strong)
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥
Humor: A touch
Perspective: Third person from both hero and heroine (And also some minor part from hero’s brother?)
More character focused or plot focused? plot
How did the speed of the story feel? medium
When mains are first on page together: It felt like it took a bit, about 9% (chapter 3)
Cliffhanger: No, this ends with a happily ever after
Epilogue: Yes, 2 months later
Format: voluntarily read an advanced reader copy through NetGalley that is now officially as old as a dinosaur (I’m a few years late...)
(Descriptions found at end of my review)
Should I read in order?
This is the first in Bryant’s Maidens of Mayhem series.
Basic plot:
Scarlett is out to solve a mystery involving missing persons when she crosses the path of Ambrose Cross
Give this a try if you want:
- Regency (my assumption)
- London setting
- mystery focused
- class difference
- duke hero/illegitimate daughter of a commoner heroine
- lower steam – 2 full-ish scenes (the first one is a bit light)
Ages:
- I think the heroine is 20? Didn’t catch hero
First line:
Scarlett wasn’t alone.
My thoughts:
I was so disappointed in this one! I have read one other Bryant and I really enjoyed it – it was sweet and character focused and had a lot of swoony lines for me. But this one I was disappointed because I didn’t find much of that.
It felt like it took forever for the mains to be on page together and then they were repeatedly apart during the story. Number one way to get me grumpy.
This one is very mystery focused, which isn’t really my thing, so if you are wanting a mystery focused Regency with some light steam, you might really enjoy this one.
I would try Bryant again, but I think I might go back to the other series I tried and forego the Maidens of Mayhem.
Quotes/spoiler-y thoughts:Any mistakes/typos are my own
Content warnings: These should be taken as a minimum of what to expect. It’s very possible I have missed some.
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:
Extra stuff like what my review breakdown means, where to find me, and book clubs
March 5, 2021
After a tough childhood with a single mother, Scarlett Wynn knows the world can be harsh and unforgiving, especially for women. When her seamstress disappears without a trace, Scarlett is determined to learn what happened to her. Her pursuit leads Scarlett to cross paths with the Duke of Aylesford at a high-class brothel of all places. The duke is also trying to get to the bottom of a mystery, one apparently linked to Scarlett’s own investigation so she decides they can help each other. She just has to keep her attraction to him tamped down.
Ambrose Cross, the Duke of Aylesford, has always known his duty to the title and has striven to avoid any scandal and maintain a pristine reputation. Scarlett’s determination and drive force him to look beyond his sheltered world and see things differently. He’s instantly drawn to her in a way he’s never felt before, though he knows he can’t have her in the way he wants. When the mystery Ambrose and Scarlett are looking into turns out to be linked to several missing women, they begin getting closer to the truth and into danger themselves. Their connection rapidly grows to something deeper, and with their lives in peril, they soon realize the need to realign their priorities.
This story started off so strong and the setup and plotline have so much potential. Somehow though, the pace was very slow, and it took a lot of effort to keep myself interested at times. The connection between Ambrose and Scarlett is fairly instantaneous, which is fine, but I never really felt that spark of chemistry. This could be due to the fact that both their inner monologues were almost constantly stuck on enumerations of why they could never truly be together. That got old and repetitive very quickly. The character development never really panned out here, especially for Scarlett and the other Maidens of Mayhem. We only got one scene with the ladies all together, which is likely because they each have stories occurring concurrent to this one. Still, I never really understood their goal and we didn’t get any info about how they got started or how they operate now. I just wanted more background about them as a whole and especially about Scarlett. We know she has this terrible past and her mother’s experiences have let her to distrust men, but we know almost nothing about how she got where she is, how she learned her skills, or really anything. Perhaps this is meant to add to the mystery, but I wanted more.
As for the mystery itself, things progressed at a paradoxically slow pace with Ambrose and Scarlett preoccupied with their attraction but also with keeping each other at arm’s length. This just culminated in a couple of rather cringy love scenes which were further undermined by each character’s virtually identical and tediously repetitive inner thoughts on how they had only one night to be together. Even when the mystery was solved, they weren’t there, but instead learned the final details from another character and the whole mystery just fizzled out without any real justice or a clean resolution. Especially for a heavy topic like human trafficking, I wanted more of a wrap-up. Even after they each realized their hearts and that they wanted to be together no matter their class disparity, Scarlett went back to her old fears, her resolution to follow her heart, made only a few pages previously, went out the window, and she went back to pondering about martyring herself by leaving so Ambrose’s reputation would be preserved. Give me a break. This angst was unnecessary and could’ve been derived from the mystery resolution instead if it was that important.
Overall, this story was solid enough, but I don’t think it lived up to its potential. I’d still recommend this as a historical mystery, but I likely won’t read it again. That said, I like this concept and am intrigued to see where the series goes with the next book and hope that provides more details on the Maidens.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Blog link: https://mustreadalltheromance.blogspo...
Ambrose Cross, the Duke of Aylesford, has always known his duty to the title and has striven to avoid any scandal and maintain a pristine reputation. Scarlett’s determination and drive force him to look beyond his sheltered world and see things differently. He’s instantly drawn to her in a way he’s never felt before, though he knows he can’t have her in the way he wants. When the mystery Ambrose and Scarlett are looking into turns out to be linked to several missing women, they begin getting closer to the truth and into danger themselves. Their connection rapidly grows to something deeper, and with their lives in peril, they soon realize the need to realign their priorities.
This story started off so strong and the setup and plotline have so much potential. Somehow though, the pace was very slow, and it took a lot of effort to keep myself interested at times. The connection between Ambrose and Scarlett is fairly instantaneous, which is fine, but I never really felt that spark of chemistry. This could be due to the fact that both their inner monologues were almost constantly stuck on enumerations of why they could never truly be together. That got old and repetitive very quickly. The character development never really panned out here, especially for Scarlett and the other Maidens of Mayhem. We only got one scene with the ladies all together, which is likely because they each have stories occurring concurrent to this one. Still, I never really understood their goal and we didn’t get any info about how they got started or how they operate now. I just wanted more background about them as a whole and especially about Scarlett. We know she has this terrible past and her mother’s experiences have let her to distrust men, but we know almost nothing about how she got where she is, how she learned her skills, or really anything. Perhaps this is meant to add to the mystery, but I wanted more.
As for the mystery itself, things progressed at a paradoxically slow pace with Ambrose and Scarlett preoccupied with their attraction but also with keeping each other at arm’s length. This just culminated in a couple of rather cringy love scenes which were further undermined by each character’s virtually identical and tediously repetitive inner thoughts on how they had only one night to be together. Even when the mystery was solved, they weren’t there, but instead learned the final details from another character and the whole mystery just fizzled out without any real justice or a clean resolution. Especially for a heavy topic like human trafficking, I wanted more of a wrap-up. Even after they each realized their hearts and that they wanted to be together no matter their class disparity, Scarlett went back to her old fears, her resolution to follow her heart, made only a few pages previously, went out the window, and she went back to pondering about martyring herself by leaving so Ambrose’s reputation would be preserved. Give me a break. This angst was unnecessary and could’ve been derived from the mystery resolution instead if it was that important.
Overall, this story was solid enough, but I don’t think it lived up to its potential. I’d still recommend this as a historical mystery, but I likely won’t read it again. That said, I like this concept and am intrigued to see where the series goes with the next book and hope that provides more details on the Maidens.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Blog link: https://mustreadalltheromance.blogspo...
April 22, 2021
The name of this series made me really curious, I've enjoyed it, the author expertly depicted the less shining part of London but I expected more mayhem from these ladies.
Scarlett Wynn joined a group of women who watch and protect the most defenseless and try to fight the abuses of the powerful. When her seamstress goes missing she begins to look for her getting involved into something very dangerous, fortunately she also finds the unexpected help of the Duke of Aylesford. Ambrose Cross, fourth Duke of Aylesford, has to save once again his younger brother but this time things are pretty shady so he decides to investigate some more, but he is too flashy on the bad streets of London so he finds an ally in an intriguing woman. Will they solve this mysterious disappearance or will they get hurt trying?
I liked the mystery plot even if at the end it feels rushed. I'm not too convinced about the romance between the two main characters because I see a too big economic and social gap between them, but in the end I'm still a sucker for romance so I want to believe in their happily ever after.
Duchess If You Dare was easy to read and overall a nice one.
November 7, 2020
I've just finished Duchess If You Dare with mixed feelings. I enjoyed parts of it, but there were a few things that bothered me a little here and there. It reminded me a lot of Bringing Down the Duke, both novels deal with a huge class divide between the heroine who is a nobody and a duke who shoulders many responsibilities and values his family name above all things. The whole novel revolves around Duke of Aylesford, Ambrose becoming involved in the mystery of missing young women who work in brothels because of his debauched brother. I must say that I found this premise a little far fetched, because I fund it hard to believe that a man of his day and age let alone his station will be troubled by the fate of a few sex workers.
While the plot seemed too contrived, the characters were not bad. Ambrose was very noble and steadfast, and Scarlett is the quintessential strong heroine, ahead of her time in many ways. She has a dim view of men due to tragic fate of her mother and she values her freedom and independence. She seems to traipse around London in areas that are not safe even for Ambrose. She also doesn't need saving but quite the other way around she has a tendency to help and rescue the duke, which I rather liked. All in all this was a quick and enjoyable read.
Thank you Net Galley for supplying this copy for me to review. #DuchessIfYouDare #NetGalley
While the plot seemed too contrived, the characters were not bad. Ambrose was very noble and steadfast, and Scarlett is the quintessential strong heroine, ahead of her time in many ways. She has a dim view of men due to tragic fate of her mother and she values her freedom and independence. She seems to traipse around London in areas that are not safe even for Ambrose. She also doesn't need saving but quite the other way around she has a tendency to help and rescue the duke, which I rather liked. All in all this was a quick and enjoyable read.
Thank you Net Galley for supplying this copy for me to review. #DuchessIfYouDare #NetGalley
January 20, 2022
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Thank you to NetGalley and Zebra Books for inviting me to read Duchess If You Dare and for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
A review will be up on my blog on January 20, 2022 at 10 am CST on Honey Roselea Reads for you guys to check out!
My review on Duchess If You Dare will be accessible using this link from January 20, 2022 at 10 am CST and onward.
For now, here is a preview to what the review will look like:
❀❀❀❀
Scarlett Wynn is an independent strong fighter who fights her own battles, but when her best friend goes missing, she stumbles upon the Duke of Aylesford, Ambrose Cross, a handsome duke who, coincidentally is looking for the man who has taken Scarlett’s best friend. Now they find that they must work together and fight off the attraction that pulls them together.
Duchess If You Dare was a fun and cute historical romance and I had such a great time reading about Scarlett and Ambrose’s relationship. I loved how independent and strong Scarlett was and to be completely honest, she could absolutely beat me in a fight. I loved that she was someone who took her own risks and fought her own battles. Duchess If You Dare also really captures the notion of women not having to have men to protect them or fight their battles for them. Although Ambrose offered to help and... [ continue reading ]
February 8, 2021
As soon as I saw this cover, I knew I wanted this book. It was gorgeous, and the title made this look like it would be a fun read. Sadly, it's one of the books that you read and then immediately forget, there's nothing special about it.
Considering one of our main characters is a Maiden of Mayhem, I expected there to be mayhem. I wanted to see her disturbing things, to cause problems. Instead, she was pretty stationary. The few scenes we got with the Maidens of Mayhem were rushed, and very little happened. This was super disappointing, because I was totally down for a book about women owning it and solving mysteries.
I also just found our main character bland. I kept waiting for her background to be revealed, as most of the novel I'd spent referencing how traumatic and terrible it was. I wanted to know what happened to her mother, and what pushed her to be so passionate about defending women. She didn't have much else, so I wanted to at least know something about her.
Even though the mystery was pretty disappointing, I was hoping that we'd get a romance I could root for. That wasn't the case here. We got terrible insta-love, an instant connection, and lukewarm chemistry. We're constantly told how attracted to each other these characters are, but I couldn't feel it. I just didn't care about either of them.
Although I didn't enjoy this book, I think there's definite potential in this series! The setting was fun, but the execution could've been better...
Thanks to Anabelle Bryant and Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review
Considering one of our main characters is a Maiden of Mayhem, I expected there to be mayhem. I wanted to see her disturbing things, to cause problems. Instead, she was pretty stationary. The few scenes we got with the Maidens of Mayhem were rushed, and very little happened. This was super disappointing, because I was totally down for a book about women owning it and solving mysteries.
I also just found our main character bland. I kept waiting for her background to be revealed, as most of the novel I'd spent referencing how traumatic and terrible it was. I wanted to know what happened to her mother, and what pushed her to be so passionate about defending women. She didn't have much else, so I wanted to at least know something about her.
Even though the mystery was pretty disappointing, I was hoping that we'd get a romance I could root for. That wasn't the case here. We got terrible insta-love, an instant connection, and lukewarm chemistry. We're constantly told how attracted to each other these characters are, but I couldn't feel it. I just didn't care about either of them.
Although I didn't enjoy this book, I think there's definite potential in this series! The setting was fun, but the execution could've been better...
Thanks to Anabelle Bryant and Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review
March 30, 2021
Immediately the reader is attracted to Ambrose Cross, Duke of Aylesford, distinguished, imposing, powerful, and a hero that will steal your heart.
But to this reader, Scarlett Wynn is my favorite, a heroine like none other. She is a strong, street smart and skilled fighter who has spent her life surviving in the slums of London while also championing those women less fortunate who are preyed upon by the thugs of the streets as well as the rich nobs of London. Her interest is sparked when a seamstress friend goes missing, along with other girls employed by a brothel, The Scarlet Rose.
While lurking in the shadows on her search for information, Scarlett’s path crosses with that of the Duke of Aylesford, who due to his younger brother’s actions, has also become involved with the mystery surrounding the brothel. As things progress, the two join forces, and it’s not long until an attraction forms, and feelings develop. Not only will they struggle with the evil forces they battle in their search, but also the sharp differences between their worlds, his structured by society and hers of little consequence and in the shadows.
Wonderfully written, it’s so easy to envision every scene, every situation, every struggle and triumph. The delivery is so smooth and flowing, the story captivates the reader, making it difficult to break away. Filled with mystery, tension, romance and love this writer weaves an awesome story you don’t want to miss.
I received an ARC for my honest opinion. Let me say that I absolutely loved Ambrose and Scarlett! Touching and fiery love, great storylines, and many interesting characters I hope to see more of in The Maidens of Mayhem Series.
But to this reader, Scarlett Wynn is my favorite, a heroine like none other. She is a strong, street smart and skilled fighter who has spent her life surviving in the slums of London while also championing those women less fortunate who are preyed upon by the thugs of the streets as well as the rich nobs of London. Her interest is sparked when a seamstress friend goes missing, along with other girls employed by a brothel, The Scarlet Rose.
While lurking in the shadows on her search for information, Scarlett’s path crosses with that of the Duke of Aylesford, who due to his younger brother’s actions, has also become involved with the mystery surrounding the brothel. As things progress, the two join forces, and it’s not long until an attraction forms, and feelings develop. Not only will they struggle with the evil forces they battle in their search, but also the sharp differences between their worlds, his structured by society and hers of little consequence and in the shadows.
Wonderfully written, it’s so easy to envision every scene, every situation, every struggle and triumph. The delivery is so smooth and flowing, the story captivates the reader, making it difficult to break away. Filled with mystery, tension, romance and love this writer weaves an awesome story you don’t want to miss.
I received an ARC for my honest opinion. Let me say that I absolutely loved Ambrose and Scarlett! Touching and fiery love, great storylines, and many interesting characters I hope to see more of in The Maidens of Mayhem Series.
March 12, 2021
Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Another day, another historical romance that leaves me feeling underwhelmed due to a lacking execution. After a promising start with both the heroine and the hero investigating the disappearance of some prostitutes, as soon as the main characters get together the mystery plot is almost forgotten and the plot starts to drag endlessly.
Both the hero and heroine inner monologues are repetitive AF, dwelling on and on about how they are from different worlds and they can never be together. We also have a good dose of miscommunication and not sharing with each other whatever facts they discover during their investigations despite the fact that they are after the same goal. The third act conflict is pretty ridiculous IMO and never properly explained, with the resolution to the mystery almost an afterthought (Scarlett’s lack of interest about Linnie’s fate is baffling seeing it was her disappearance that started the whole plot). And I also don’t get Ambrose’s obsession with protecting Scarlett when in fact is she who saves his ass from getting kicked more than once and I think Scarlett’s final decision goes against everything we’ve been told about her.
This is the first book in the Maidens of Mayhem series and I’m not sure I’ll come back for the next book.
Another day, another historical romance that leaves me feeling underwhelmed due to a lacking execution. After a promising start with both the heroine and the hero investigating the disappearance of some prostitutes, as soon as the main characters get together the mystery plot is almost forgotten and the plot starts to drag endlessly.
Both the hero and heroine inner monologues are repetitive AF, dwelling on and on about how they are from different worlds and they can never be together. We also have a good dose of miscommunication and not sharing with each other whatever facts they discover during their investigations despite the fact that they are after the same goal. The third act conflict is pretty ridiculous IMO and never properly explained, with the resolution to the mystery almost an afterthought (Scarlett’s lack of interest about Linnie’s fate is baffling seeing it was her disappearance that started the whole plot). And I also don’t get Ambrose’s obsession with protecting Scarlett when in fact is she who saves his ass from getting kicked more than once and I think Scarlett’s final decision goes against everything we’ve been told about her.
This is the first book in the Maidens of Mayhem series and I’m not sure I’ll come back for the next book.
March 9, 2021
It has been a rough year and a new Anabelle Bryant series was just the thing I needed to get me out of the doldrums. Ambrose and Scarlett were such an interesting and clever couple. I couldn’t help comparing them to the PBS Miss Scarlett and the Duke series. But these two characters proved to be so much more than the PBS characters. Both were so resourceful, strong, and determined. And the attraction between these two was positively off the charts.
Ambrose and Scarlett came from two very different worlds. That culture clash makes for all sorts of wonderful conflict. Ambrose lived in a world of lineage and reputation. He’d been trained his entire life to protect his family from scandal. Responsibility of his title and heritage composed the core of his being. Scarlett had survived on her own most of her life. In her life she’d seen little proof of love and deep emotion. She’d witnessed first-hand the price her mother paid for love. And she’d learned at an early age what many women endured for food and shelter. She’d dedicated her life to righting the wrongs of London. When these two characters meet, it’s as if their paths were fated to intersect. Their effect on each other was undeniable. As was the change they made in each other. Ambrose realized he had allowed his world to be microcosmic. He began to examine his own life and privilege. Scarlet made him aware of the insecurities and challenges of those who lived lives so unlike his own. Especially women. He wanted to do more. Be more. “She brought out qualities in him he didn’t know he possessed, or at the most, they’d been long forgotten, buried under duty and obligation.” Because of Scarlett, Ambrose learned to embrace life rather than just march through it. For Scarlett, Ambrose somehow brought her peace. Love didn’t make her weak but empowered her. Love didn’t clip her wings and cage her but lifted her up so she could fly higher. I loved the metamorphosis of these two characters. It was gradual and believable, and a true pleasure to watch.
I’m so excited for more of this series. Anabelle Bryant writes intense drama with banter, passion, and characters who capture you with their humanity. I love that she doesn’t follow a mold but creates such different characters and scenarios. There was a real breathless quality to this story and the mystery they were trying to unravel. This story is filled with passion, danger, and secrets. Readers will be captivated from the start.
Ambrose and Scarlett came from two very different worlds. That culture clash makes for all sorts of wonderful conflict. Ambrose lived in a world of lineage and reputation. He’d been trained his entire life to protect his family from scandal. Responsibility of his title and heritage composed the core of his being. Scarlett had survived on her own most of her life. In her life she’d seen little proof of love and deep emotion. She’d witnessed first-hand the price her mother paid for love. And she’d learned at an early age what many women endured for food and shelter. She’d dedicated her life to righting the wrongs of London. When these two characters meet, it’s as if their paths were fated to intersect. Their effect on each other was undeniable. As was the change they made in each other. Ambrose realized he had allowed his world to be microcosmic. He began to examine his own life and privilege. Scarlet made him aware of the insecurities and challenges of those who lived lives so unlike his own. Especially women. He wanted to do more. Be more. “She brought out qualities in him he didn’t know he possessed, or at the most, they’d been long forgotten, buried under duty and obligation.” Because of Scarlett, Ambrose learned to embrace life rather than just march through it. For Scarlett, Ambrose somehow brought her peace. Love didn’t make her weak but empowered her. Love didn’t clip her wings and cage her but lifted her up so she could fly higher. I loved the metamorphosis of these two characters. It was gradual and believable, and a true pleasure to watch.
I’m so excited for more of this series. Anabelle Bryant writes intense drama with banter, passion, and characters who capture you with their humanity. I love that she doesn’t follow a mold but creates such different characters and scenarios. There was a real breathless quality to this story and the mystery they were trying to unravel. This story is filled with passion, danger, and secrets. Readers will be captivated from the start.
February 4, 2021
The blurb was intriguing (as is the cover), but this didn't live up to the promise of the premise for me. "Maidens of Mayhem"/Robin Hood type vibes sounds great, but there's no mayhem and we don't even see much of a Robin Hood premise either. I guess they're subversive, but we don't get a lot of time with the maidens to understand how they were formed, what they do, and what their overall mission is. And sure, Scarlett can fight and use knives, but what else does she do with her day? Her hero isn't terribly exciting--he's a duke who talks all the time about his power to do things because he's a duke, but he also thinks that he can't marry Scarlett because she's a commoner and it's not done (but it's totally fine to sleep with her and ask her to be his mistress). Neither of them felt fully formed, and as a result, their chemistry is lacking.
The story itself is a blend of mystery and romance, but they aren't intertwined properly so it feels disjoined. Also, the mystery feels incomplete-- I just couldn't get on board with this one.
Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington for the ARC.
The story itself is a blend of mystery and romance, but they aren't intertwined properly so it feels disjoined. Also, the mystery feels incomplete-- I just couldn't get on board with this one.
Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington for the ARC.
February 2, 2021
Synopsis:
What do a Duke and a Maiden of Mayhem have in common? Absolutely nothing, so when Ambrose and Scarlett start running into each other everywhere they quickly realize they are investigating the same mysterious disappearances. Despite their drastically different backgrounds, Ambrose and Scarlett begin to work together toward a common goal. Falling in love with each other was not part of the plan to solve the mystery and their new found romance could put them both in peril...
What I liked:
-When the mystery finally unravels it was fast-paced, complex, surprising, and intense... everything you could want in the climax of a case
-I loved how fiercely independent Scarlett is to the point that she is able to rescue Ambrose in one of their early meetings (reminded me so much of Drew Barrymore in Ever After saving the prince from pirates). I also enjoyed watching her learn to accept love and help from Ambrose while realizing that doesn’t make her less self-sufficient.
-I really liked how this book tackled real issues: living conditions of the poor, women’s rights, and the socio-economic class divide were all explored thoroughly in an interesting and informative way that still felt real for the time and context of this story.
-Martin... He is hysterical and his scenes always made me chuckle. Would love to see more of him next book.
-The large cast of characters kept this book interesting and left plenty of room for red herrings for Scarlett and Ambrose as well as the reader.
What I didn’t like:
-I would have really liked to see more interaction between the Maidens of Mayhem... hoping we will see more of their relationships and backstory of their group in the next book
-the pacing for the first 60% of the novel was a little slow... I started to wonder if this was going to be one of those annoying books that leave you on a ginormous cliff hanger by the time I hit 70% because I had no idea how the author was going to wrap everything up (but she did and did a great job at it so do keep reading).
Overall thoughts:
I really enjoyed this book. I loved the story, the elements of mystery weaved in with the romance, the “club” of strong, independent ladies striving to make London safer for the weak, and how the book neatly wraps everything up leaving room to explore another Maiden of Mayhem with a new storyline in the next book. I will definitely be reading future Maiden of Mayhem books.
Read if you liked...
Bringing Down The Duke & A Rogue of One’s Own by Evie Dunmore
Who’s That Earl by Susanna Craig
Notorious by Minerva Spencer
What do a Duke and a Maiden of Mayhem have in common? Absolutely nothing, so when Ambrose and Scarlett start running into each other everywhere they quickly realize they are investigating the same mysterious disappearances. Despite their drastically different backgrounds, Ambrose and Scarlett begin to work together toward a common goal. Falling in love with each other was not part of the plan to solve the mystery and their new found romance could put them both in peril...
What I liked:
-When the mystery finally unravels it was fast-paced, complex, surprising, and intense... everything you could want in the climax of a case
-I loved how fiercely independent Scarlett is to the point that she is able to rescue Ambrose in one of their early meetings (reminded me so much of Drew Barrymore in Ever After saving the prince from pirates). I also enjoyed watching her learn to accept love and help from Ambrose while realizing that doesn’t make her less self-sufficient.
-I really liked how this book tackled real issues: living conditions of the poor, women’s rights, and the socio-economic class divide were all explored thoroughly in an interesting and informative way that still felt real for the time and context of this story.
-Martin... He is hysterical and his scenes always made me chuckle. Would love to see more of him next book.
-The large cast of characters kept this book interesting and left plenty of room for red herrings for Scarlett and Ambrose as well as the reader.
What I didn’t like:
-I would have really liked to see more interaction between the Maidens of Mayhem... hoping we will see more of their relationships and backstory of their group in the next book
-the pacing for the first 60% of the novel was a little slow... I started to wonder if this was going to be one of those annoying books that leave you on a ginormous cliff hanger by the time I hit 70% because I had no idea how the author was going to wrap everything up (but she did and did a great job at it so do keep reading).
Overall thoughts:
I really enjoyed this book. I loved the story, the elements of mystery weaved in with the romance, the “club” of strong, independent ladies striving to make London safer for the weak, and how the book neatly wraps everything up leaving room to explore another Maiden of Mayhem with a new storyline in the next book. I will definitely be reading future Maiden of Mayhem books.
Read if you liked...
Bringing Down The Duke & A Rogue of One’s Own by Evie Dunmore
Who’s That Earl by Susanna Craig
Notorious by Minerva Spencer
March 16, 2021
Duchess If You Dare: A Dazzling Historical Regency Romance
Maidens of Mayhem Series #1
Anabelle Bryant
https://www.facebook.com/AnabelleBrya...
Release Date 03/30/2021
Publisher Zebra Books
𝗕𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗯
From the glittering ballrooms of the ton to the city’s grittiest corners, London has no shortage of wrongs in need of righting—and the Maidens of Mayhem are prepared for the challenge. United by secrecy and sisterhood, these daring woman from all walks of life aim to fight injustice wherever it takes them—even into the arms of unexpected love...
Scarlett Wynn’s tragic childhood taught her that life can be cruel to women with little power. So when a local seamstress disappears, Scarlett vows to find out why. Armed with a weapon and her courage, Scarlett scours London for clues—and crosses the unlikely path of Ambrose Cross, the Duke of Aylesford, at an unlikely place: an upscale brothel. The Duke is trying to solve a mystery of his own, and Scarlett is sure they can help each other—if she can resist the attraction that draws them together . . .
As Duke of Aylesford, Ambrose is duty-bound to protect his family name from scandal no matter the cost. But Scarlett’s fearless spirit forces him to look beyond his world of privilege. Scarlett is as intoxicating as she is dangerous, igniting a fire in him like no other. But when the pair learn both mysteries they’re trying to solve are tied to a string of missing women, the tangled scheme they uncover may put their lives, and their growing love, in mortal danger—and lead them to search their hearts like never before . . .
𝗠𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄
Will they let society’s expectations run them down ...
I have been very curious about this book, having liked my two previous reads by the author.
And what’s better than a group of amazons fighting for their fellows at a time when they were mistreated and discredited as unworthy.
Scarlett is that kind of woman, jumping straight into a fight because she has to. She with her meager means tries to right some wrong done.
She uses her past as the justifications for her actions and her rejection of the Duke’s suit.
Having been first witness of the weight prostitution put on the soul, and the often dramatic outcome, she battles for them, yet she should also fight to help them find an other path. It is nice to be kind with them, but they should also have the choice of their trade.
When she first encounters the Duke, she has a kind of insta awareness of him. It soon turns to lust and then to more. Yet she keeps repeating to herself, this could go to nothing because of who she is. She might not need saving, but she needs to see past her own beliefs.
Ambrose has lived his whole life in his gilded tower, never really going down, except to scold his brother for his excesses. So he is effectively lost the first time he sets foot in the slums of the city. Only thinking about his pristine reputation, he tiptoes, afraid to attract his peers’ scorn.
Why he is so high handed, making mistake after mistake, he believes he has everything mapped out, his lofty title offering him all the right answers when it much leads him on a merry chase. He is in fact the damsel in distress in this story. Scarlett rescues him from his golden cage, she shows him what truly living is, how to step out of his usual path, that not all is white and black, how he could live in shades of grey.
They are so sweet together but for two persons who fell quite instantly in lust-love, they rant again and again about how they would never be able to be together, never trying to imagine how and if they could make it works. It eats up the pages. It is also what hold them back from progressing in their inquiries, when others lives are at stake.
After what I found dubious is the name of the series made me expect a group working together, but here it is Scarlett against the world. They are four, and we see them all together only one or twice in the whole book, why did they not band together, they would have worked more efficiently and much faster.
Then, about the villains, except for one, there is no comeuppance for their evil deeds, none is to be worried. It is a fiction, I would have loved to see get their right retribution. And last, what of the poor girls trapped in the clutches of ugly schemers.
I much enjoyed them getting to know one another, yet they could have worked their investigation a different way.
3.75 rounded up to 4 stars
𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 onscreen detailed foreplays and a long lovemaking scene.
I have been granted an advance copy by the publisher and Rachel’s Random Ressources. Here is my true and unbiased opinion.
Maidens of Mayhem Series #1
Anabelle Bryant
https://www.facebook.com/AnabelleBrya...
Release Date 03/30/2021
Publisher Zebra Books
𝗕𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗯
From the glittering ballrooms of the ton to the city’s grittiest corners, London has no shortage of wrongs in need of righting—and the Maidens of Mayhem are prepared for the challenge. United by secrecy and sisterhood, these daring woman from all walks of life aim to fight injustice wherever it takes them—even into the arms of unexpected love...
Scarlett Wynn’s tragic childhood taught her that life can be cruel to women with little power. So when a local seamstress disappears, Scarlett vows to find out why. Armed with a weapon and her courage, Scarlett scours London for clues—and crosses the unlikely path of Ambrose Cross, the Duke of Aylesford, at an unlikely place: an upscale brothel. The Duke is trying to solve a mystery of his own, and Scarlett is sure they can help each other—if she can resist the attraction that draws them together . . .
As Duke of Aylesford, Ambrose is duty-bound to protect his family name from scandal no matter the cost. But Scarlett’s fearless spirit forces him to look beyond his world of privilege. Scarlett is as intoxicating as she is dangerous, igniting a fire in him like no other. But when the pair learn both mysteries they’re trying to solve are tied to a string of missing women, the tangled scheme they uncover may put their lives, and their growing love, in mortal danger—and lead them to search their hearts like never before . . .
𝗠𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄
Will they let society’s expectations run them down ...
I have been very curious about this book, having liked my two previous reads by the author.
And what’s better than a group of amazons fighting for their fellows at a time when they were mistreated and discredited as unworthy.
Scarlett is that kind of woman, jumping straight into a fight because she has to. She with her meager means tries to right some wrong done.
She uses her past as the justifications for her actions and her rejection of the Duke’s suit.
Having been first witness of the weight prostitution put on the soul, and the often dramatic outcome, she battles for them, yet she should also fight to help them find an other path. It is nice to be kind with them, but they should also have the choice of their trade.
When she first encounters the Duke, she has a kind of insta awareness of him. It soon turns to lust and then to more. Yet she keeps repeating to herself, this could go to nothing because of who she is. She might not need saving, but she needs to see past her own beliefs.
Ambrose has lived his whole life in his gilded tower, never really going down, except to scold his brother for his excesses. So he is effectively lost the first time he sets foot in the slums of the city. Only thinking about his pristine reputation, he tiptoes, afraid to attract his peers’ scorn.
Why he is so high handed, making mistake after mistake, he believes he has everything mapped out, his lofty title offering him all the right answers when it much leads him on a merry chase. He is in fact the damsel in distress in this story. Scarlett rescues him from his golden cage, she shows him what truly living is, how to step out of his usual path, that not all is white and black, how he could live in shades of grey.
They are so sweet together but for two persons who fell quite instantly in lust-love, they rant again and again about how they would never be able to be together, never trying to imagine how and if they could make it works. It eats up the pages. It is also what hold them back from progressing in their inquiries, when others lives are at stake.
After what I found dubious is the name of the series made me expect a group working together, but here it is Scarlett against the world. They are four, and we see them all together only one or twice in the whole book, why did they not band together, they would have worked more efficiently and much faster.
Then, about the villains, except for one, there is no comeuppance for their evil deeds, none is to be worried. It is a fiction, I would have loved to see get their right retribution. And last, what of the poor girls trapped in the clutches of ugly schemers.
I much enjoyed them getting to know one another, yet they could have worked their investigation a different way.
3.75 rounded up to 4 stars
𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 onscreen detailed foreplays and a long lovemaking scene.
I have been granted an advance copy by the publisher and Rachel’s Random Ressources. Here is my true and unbiased opinion.
April 19, 2021
Duchess If You Dare is a well -written historical fiction romance and mystery with a head strong and courageous heroine, Scarlett the Maiden of Mayhem, who was investigating the disappearance of an acquaintance. The mystery leads to a brothel where she runs into Ambrose, who was also investigating the disappearance to protect his family's reputation after his brother's shenanigans and indiscretions. I found that the mystery and the build up a slow burn that lead to a romance neither expected.
I found the read to be exciting and I was invested in the characters as well as seeing how the other lives lived who are not a part of the ton. I thought that part of how the horrific conditions of women and those who are not part of the society lived were very well researched.
I thought the pacing though slow build, was great and I did enjoy this read. I had been looking to reading more Regency era books in both romance and mystery, and this definitely delivered for me. I look forward to the next book in the series, and learning more about the backgrounds of the characters.
Anabelle Bryant did a phenomenal job in this first book in the series that left me wanting more - more mystery, more sleuthing, more romance, and definitely more mayhem!
Historical Fiction readers, do not miss this one.
I found the read to be exciting and I was invested in the characters as well as seeing how the other lives lived who are not a part of the ton. I thought that part of how the horrific conditions of women and those who are not part of the society lived were very well researched.
I thought the pacing though slow build, was great and I did enjoy this read. I had been looking to reading more Regency era books in both romance and mystery, and this definitely delivered for me. I look forward to the next book in the series, and learning more about the backgrounds of the characters.
Anabelle Bryant did a phenomenal job in this first book in the series that left me wanting more - more mystery, more sleuthing, more romance, and definitely more mayhem!
Historical Fiction readers, do not miss this one.
March 9, 2021
So much potential, fell so flat. I was really excited about this book in the beginning but somewhere near the middle everything was starting to get dull, repetitive and I lost interest. There is some insta-love. I didn’t feel much for the romance or writing. Characters were kind of bland too. A plot that grabbed my interest in the beginning but fell so flat by the middle. I’m not even sure how wrapped up the plot actually was in the end. I wanted to really get onboard with these Maidens but my expectations were set too high.
*Received via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
*Received via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
August 1, 2022
Scarlett Wynn, one of the Maidens of Mayhem (a group of ladies that are trying to right some of the wrongs in London) had a hard upbringing, but it prepared her for what she does. What it didn't prepare her for was Ambrose, the Duke of Aylesford. Ambrose is trying to help his brother when he meets Scarlett, and is also unprepared for the feelings that arise when he keeps finding her in all the wrong places. Loved these characters and appreciated their struggles. The intrigue will have you holding your breath. Part of a series, but I read it out of order with no problems.
March 9, 2021
Thank you so much to Kensington for sending me this DRC via NetGalley! My review below is honest as always.
This book was a solid mystery with a compelling romance. Both plots seemed pretty reasonable and I had a solid grasp of each. Scarlett is a vigilante sort, working as part of the Maiden’s of Mayhem. Ambrose is a Duke and suffers from major first-born-son syndrome—aka a very heightened sense of responsibility, propriety, and dedication to his duchy. The two are initially at odds, but when both realize they’re intent on solving the same mystery, they’re forced into close proximity. ~wink wink~
I enjoyed Scarlett and Ambrose’s relationship and liked how it was coupled with the mystery. I’d have liked at least one more spicy scene, because I was invested in their chemistry and wanted more. That being said, I got tired of the relentless need for the two to be constantly at odds about their feelings. I think the denial happened one too many times for me to buy the sudden shift at the end. I just got annoyed at the tenth mention of it “only being one night” or “it will hurt to say goodbye but I must.”
I would also like to learn more about the Maiden’s of Mayhem and the individual characters. I think the story would have been enhanced by a deeper dive into their personalities so the reader could feel more connected to the world as a whole.
I did hope the sequel would have a character from this first book, but from the teaser chapter it doesn’t seem like either MC was in book one. There was a friend (Townshend) with a broken engagement who was intriguing and I’d totally sign up for a Martin book.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and read it in a few sittings! I liked Ambrose and Martin’s relationship growth, and I appreciated Scarlett’s bold character. I will hopefully be approved again for book two when it hits NetGalley! I look forward to hearing more about this series and reading more from this author.
**spoilers below please take caution**
Linie’s ending was so vague. Should’ve she be held accountable? Was she the woman that Welle’s was with at the end scene or was that another woman? I would say maybe she comes back in book two but after reading the teaser chapter, I doubt it.
I also don’t quite know why it faded to black when Scarlett clobbered Howell with the lantern. The abrupt stop just severed the tension and confused me. I wanted to see her be badass! I was happy she saved herself, rather than have Ambrose do it.
I would also have liked for the series to take a different turn and have Ambrose and Scarlett turn into a crime fighting duo and track down the women sold through the trafficking ring. I dunno it just made me sad to think that none of them were saved.
I wanted the last few paragraphs to be from Scarlett’s point of view. We got Ambrose’s but I’m more invested in how Scarlett is faring! Hopefully she makes a cameo in book two. Willie was good, but still, more Scarlett!
**TW: Sex Trafficking**
⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/5 | 🌶🌶🌶/5
This book was a solid mystery with a compelling romance. Both plots seemed pretty reasonable and I had a solid grasp of each. Scarlett is a vigilante sort, working as part of the Maiden’s of Mayhem. Ambrose is a Duke and suffers from major first-born-son syndrome—aka a very heightened sense of responsibility, propriety, and dedication to his duchy. The two are initially at odds, but when both realize they’re intent on solving the same mystery, they’re forced into close proximity. ~wink wink~
I enjoyed Scarlett and Ambrose’s relationship and liked how it was coupled with the mystery. I’d have liked at least one more spicy scene, because I was invested in their chemistry and wanted more. That being said, I got tired of the relentless need for the two to be constantly at odds about their feelings. I think the denial happened one too many times for me to buy the sudden shift at the end. I just got annoyed at the tenth mention of it “only being one night” or “it will hurt to say goodbye but I must.”
I would also like to learn more about the Maiden’s of Mayhem and the individual characters. I think the story would have been enhanced by a deeper dive into their personalities so the reader could feel more connected to the world as a whole.
I did hope the sequel would have a character from this first book, but from the teaser chapter it doesn’t seem like either MC was in book one. There was a friend (Townshend) with a broken engagement who was intriguing and I’d totally sign up for a Martin book.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and read it in a few sittings! I liked Ambrose and Martin’s relationship growth, and I appreciated Scarlett’s bold character. I will hopefully be approved again for book two when it hits NetGalley! I look forward to hearing more about this series and reading more from this author.
**spoilers below please take caution**
Linie’s ending was so vague. Should’ve she be held accountable? Was she the woman that Welle’s was with at the end scene or was that another woman? I would say maybe she comes back in book two but after reading the teaser chapter, I doubt it.
I also don’t quite know why it faded to black when Scarlett clobbered Howell with the lantern. The abrupt stop just severed the tension and confused me. I wanted to see her be badass! I was happy she saved herself, rather than have Ambrose do it.
I would also have liked for the series to take a different turn and have Ambrose and Scarlett turn into a crime fighting duo and track down the women sold through the trafficking ring. I dunno it just made me sad to think that none of them were saved.
I wanted the last few paragraphs to be from Scarlett’s point of view. We got Ambrose’s but I’m more invested in how Scarlett is faring! Hopefully she makes a cameo in book two. Willie was good, but still, more Scarlett!
**TW: Sex Trafficking**
⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/5 | 🌶🌶🌶/5
April 8, 2021
This historical romance had all the ingredients I needed and then some. A feisty, independent, altruistic woman and a handsome grumpish Duke. A slow burn and steamy conclusion. A very worrisome plot by a number of men with the bawdy house women who have gone missing, ugh some men are the worst.
I read this one very fast and I definitely recommend, I couldn't put it down. I just loved the attraction and magnetism these two had towards eachother. I also loved that she was the bad ass fighter in this pair.
Scarlett is part of The Maidens of Mayhem with a interesting collection of women across the spectrum of society. I can't wait to read the next in this series!
This book was out yesterday! March 30th!
Thank you @netgalley and @kensingtonbooks for my e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.
I read this one very fast and I definitely recommend, I couldn't put it down. I just loved the attraction and magnetism these two had towards eachother. I also loved that she was the bad ass fighter in this pair.
Scarlett is part of The Maidens of Mayhem with a interesting collection of women across the spectrum of society. I can't wait to read the next in this series!
This book was out yesterday! March 30th!
Thank you @netgalley and @kensingtonbooks for my e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.
November 10, 2020
DNF at 70%
I don't think I ever dnfed a historical romance because they are so light and fluffy that they tend to read easily, even if I'm not crazy interested in the story. This one proved to be the exception. Let's start with the things I liked. There are two. 1) The cover is very pretty. Love the illustration. 2) the female Robin Hood vibes were cool. I enjoyed the whole heroine saving the duke for a change dynamics.
Now for the things I disliked. My main gripe was with the writing. It is so very convoluted and repetitive that it made the reading experience ridiculously tedious. The dialogues didn't feel like real people speaking, not even people in the Regency era. Additionally, anything conveyed in the dialogue was reiterated by the characters' inner ramblings, sometimes multiple times. This might just be a personal issue because repetition in texts is one of my biggest pet peeves but I found it really off putting. The main characters were also lacking finesse and seemed to operate in a way that was utterly unrealistic. Everyone was shining their halo left and right and while it is important in historical romances for the main pair to be likeable, the Mary Sue vibes were just a tad too strong. And to crown all this, I just had the pleasure of reading one of the cringiest sex scenes of my life and that's saying something because I have encountered plenty.
Overall, a fairly solid idea with a less than ideal execution. I could probably finish it but I can't find it in myself to care enough.
Thank you for Netgalley for supplying me with an ebook in exchange for an honest review.
I don't think I ever dnfed a historical romance because they are so light and fluffy that they tend to read easily, even if I'm not crazy interested in the story. This one proved to be the exception. Let's start with the things I liked. There are two. 1) The cover is very pretty. Love the illustration. 2) the female Robin Hood vibes were cool. I enjoyed the whole heroine saving the duke for a change dynamics.
Now for the things I disliked. My main gripe was with the writing. It is so very convoluted and repetitive that it made the reading experience ridiculously tedious. The dialogues didn't feel like real people speaking, not even people in the Regency era. Additionally, anything conveyed in the dialogue was reiterated by the characters' inner ramblings, sometimes multiple times. This might just be a personal issue because repetition in texts is one of my biggest pet peeves but I found it really off putting. The main characters were also lacking finesse and seemed to operate in a way that was utterly unrealistic. Everyone was shining their halo left and right and while it is important in historical romances for the main pair to be likeable, the Mary Sue vibes were just a tad too strong. And to crown all this, I just had the pleasure of reading one of the cringiest sex scenes of my life and that's saying something because I have encountered plenty.
Overall, a fairly solid idea with a less than ideal execution. I could probably finish it but I can't find it in myself to care enough.
Thank you for Netgalley for supplying me with an ebook in exchange for an honest review.
March 31, 2021
I really like the premise of this series about the Maidens of Mayhem, four Regency-era women doing their best to right wrongs in London. In this first book, Scarlett Wynn is looking for a missing friend when she runs into the Duke of Aylesford… in a brothel, searching for the same woman on behalf of his brother, whose mistress the missing woman was. Soon the pair of them are running all over London together, from society balls to the dangerous streets of Seven Dials, falling in love along the way.
Human trafficking is a pretty tough subplot to build a romance around, to be honest, but Bryant does a fair job of it here and things hold together reasonably logically. The plot hole for me is exactly what Scarlett was doing before she got involved in the trafficking mystery, as we never really did get an answer as to exactly why she was running around the streets in trousers and with knives up her sleeve. Was she doing something in particular? We were never told, so it looked like she was basically out there looking for trouble to get into… which seemed reckless, and Scarlett wasn’t reckless. She stumbled into the trafficking case, and it seemed pointless; for me I’d have had a friend or relative of the missing woman approach the Maidens to ask for help, and for Scarlett to take the case. It sets up the rest entirely naturally without leaving the gaping plot hole of what was she doing in the first place.
There’s some intriguing social commentary here as the Duke realises his privileged position and eventually decides he has to take steps and use his influence to make a difference. I’d have liked to see his brother Martin get more involved, as Martin did seem to have a conscience, just needed a purpose. Ambrose didn’t seem to have any awareness that he had created the problem of Martin’s wasteful lifestyle by not giving his brother any meaningful role to play, and I’d have liked to see that resolved, but possibly Martin will get a role to play in a future book in the series.
The enormous social gulf between Scarlett and Ambrose was never really addressed - yes, there was a small amount of angst, but eventually they both decided that love conquers all and handwaved away the problem. Honestly, there were things that would have been obvious that weren’t mentioned - Scarlett’s speech would have marked her as someone who grew up in a Southwark tenement (has the author never seen My Fair Lady?) but it’s never mentioned, either that she doesn’t speak like one of the ton, or acknowledged by Scarlett herself that she has learned to mimic their speech in order to fit in.
I’m being a bit nit-picky here, because overall this is a really solid story and I liked the romance part of it, but there were several areas where it juuuuust missed the mark and which I found a bit disappointing. I will definitely be looking for more books in the series though because I very much like the premise. I’ll give this four stars.
Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this title via NetGalley.
Human trafficking is a pretty tough subplot to build a romance around, to be honest, but Bryant does a fair job of it here and things hold together reasonably logically. The plot hole for me is exactly what Scarlett was doing before she got involved in the trafficking mystery, as we never really did get an answer as to exactly why she was running around the streets in trousers and with knives up her sleeve. Was she doing something in particular? We were never told, so it looked like she was basically out there looking for trouble to get into… which seemed reckless, and Scarlett wasn’t reckless. She stumbled into the trafficking case, and it seemed pointless; for me I’d have had a friend or relative of the missing woman approach the Maidens to ask for help, and for Scarlett to take the case. It sets up the rest entirely naturally without leaving the gaping plot hole of what was she doing in the first place.
There’s some intriguing social commentary here as the Duke realises his privileged position and eventually decides he has to take steps and use his influence to make a difference. I’d have liked to see his brother Martin get more involved, as Martin did seem to have a conscience, just needed a purpose. Ambrose didn’t seem to have any awareness that he had created the problem of Martin’s wasteful lifestyle by not giving his brother any meaningful role to play, and I’d have liked to see that resolved, but possibly Martin will get a role to play in a future book in the series.
The enormous social gulf between Scarlett and Ambrose was never really addressed - yes, there was a small amount of angst, but eventually they both decided that love conquers all and handwaved away the problem. Honestly, there were things that would have been obvious that weren’t mentioned - Scarlett’s speech would have marked her as someone who grew up in a Southwark tenement (has the author never seen My Fair Lady?) but it’s never mentioned, either that she doesn’t speak like one of the ton, or acknowledged by Scarlett herself that she has learned to mimic their speech in order to fit in.
I’m being a bit nit-picky here, because overall this is a really solid story and I liked the romance part of it, but there were several areas where it juuuuust missed the mark and which I found a bit disappointing. I will definitely be looking for more books in the series though because I very much like the premise. I’ll give this four stars.
Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this title via NetGalley.
March 27, 2021
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review!
When one of her friends goes missing, Scarlett sets out to find out what happened. Her search has her crossing paths with Ambrose, the Duke of Aylesford, who’s on a mission of his own. Finding unlikely allies in each other, the pair find themselves embroiled in a plot that goes deeper than they imagined. Together, they must battle the odds in an attempt to put a stop to this plot before any other women meet the same fate.
I actually really loved this overall plot. It drew me in and kept me guessing, and all the little twists throughout were well paced and exciting. The last twist at the very end had me gasping—up until the end the plot continued to take me but surprised. So when I tell you I really wanted to like this book, I mean it.
Where this book went awry for me was the writing itself. It was very wordy at times, and there were several tangents that were just paragraphs of detail about something that wasn’t relevant to the story. While I enjoyed both of the main characters, and wished any of the secondary characters had been developed more (I’ll admit that I’ll probably be reading the next book in the series just to learn more about Martin and the other Maidens of Mayhem), the way they were described often was at odds to how they actually spoke or acted. Without delving into spoilers, this came up the most with the romance plot itself, which then took away from my enjoyment of that love story. Again without spoiling anything, some of Scarlett’s choices in the end, made in the name of love, felt incredibly out of character and cheapened so much of how the author had spent most of the book building up for who she was as a person.
What really got to me, more than anything, was how often this book toed the line—or crossed it—into slut shaming. I commend the inclusion of such a strong female character like Scarlett and I love the idea of women fighting for the rights of other women, especially when set in the Regency era. But there is a way to do this that doesn’t look down on every woman in the time period who chose to have sex. It really felt at odds to the powerful feminist message underlying everything.
When one of her friends goes missing, Scarlett sets out to find out what happened. Her search has her crossing paths with Ambrose, the Duke of Aylesford, who’s on a mission of his own. Finding unlikely allies in each other, the pair find themselves embroiled in a plot that goes deeper than they imagined. Together, they must battle the odds in an attempt to put a stop to this plot before any other women meet the same fate.
I actually really loved this overall plot. It drew me in and kept me guessing, and all the little twists throughout were well paced and exciting. The last twist at the very end had me gasping—up until the end the plot continued to take me but surprised. So when I tell you I really wanted to like this book, I mean it.
Where this book went awry for me was the writing itself. It was very wordy at times, and there were several tangents that were just paragraphs of detail about something that wasn’t relevant to the story. While I enjoyed both of the main characters, and wished any of the secondary characters had been developed more (I’ll admit that I’ll probably be reading the next book in the series just to learn more about Martin and the other Maidens of Mayhem), the way they were described often was at odds to how they actually spoke or acted. Without delving into spoilers, this came up the most with the romance plot itself, which then took away from my enjoyment of that love story. Again without spoiling anything, some of Scarlett’s choices in the end, made in the name of love, felt incredibly out of character and cheapened so much of how the author had spent most of the book building up for who she was as a person.
What really got to me, more than anything, was how often this book toed the line—or crossed it—into slut shaming. I commend the inclusion of such a strong female character like Scarlett and I love the idea of women fighting for the rights of other women, especially when set in the Regency era. But there is a way to do this that doesn’t look down on every woman in the time period who chose to have sex. It really felt at odds to the powerful feminist message underlying everything.
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