Publishing Date: July 30, 2019
Publisher: Avon Books / HarperCollins
Pages: 400
Historical Romance
The Premise from the Publisher: "The Lady’s Plan: When Lady Henrietta Sedley declares her twenty-ninth year her own, she has plans to inherit her father’s business, to make her own fortune, and to live her own life. But first, she intends to experience a taste of the pleasure she’ll forgo as a confirmed spinster. Everything is going perfectly…until she discovers the most beautiful man she’s ever seen tied up in her carriage and threatening to ruin the Year of Hattie before it’s even begun. The Bastard’s Proposal: When he wakes in a carriage at Hattie’s feet, Whit, a king of Covent Garden known to all the world as Beast, can’t help but wonder about the strange woman who frees him—especially when he discovers she’s headed for a night of pleasure . . . on his turf. He is more than happy to offer Hattie all she desires…for a price. An Unexpected Passion: Soon, Hattie and Whit find themselves rivals in business and pleasure. She won’t give up her plans; he won’t give up his power . . . and neither of them sees that if they’re not careful, they’ll have no choice but to give up everything . . . including their hearts" (Avon).
My overall thoughts and review: It has been a year since the first Bareknuckle Bastards book came out and you can read my full review for Wicked and the Wallflower here! Sarah MacLean's book was my introduction into historical romance, and I will always read anything she's written. I'm still working through her backlog, but she is an insta-buy author for good reason. This story brings us back to the world of Covent Garden, and this time the story follows Dev's brother, Whit AKA Beast. The story begins with him being tied up in a carriage and meeting Lady Henrietta Sedley who is on her way to a brothel to be "ruined" - she has plans for what she deems "The Year of Hattie" - to move past the courtship and get straight to taking over her family's business. If she is "ruined," marriage isn't on the table any longer, and she's hoping her father can take her seriously to take the reins. There's an instant attraction between the two and they come up with an agreement that would help both. Hattie knows of the person who stole from Whit, and Whit promises to "ruin" her. However, it becomes more than the agreement and you see a relationship forming between the two. Things get further complicated when they become business rivals. I loved that despite the back and forth we got at times with the two, they both were incredibly respectful of one another and you can instantly see all the love there. I loved their love story a lot and seeing them become a team together. Everything was just incredibly romantic and I loved seeing how Whit treated Hattie like a goddess AND warrior.
The book also gives us an inside look into Dev and Whit's family history a bit more and we learn more about their 'evil' half-brother, Ewan, who is the antagonist to the story. He is angry and determined to ruin the Bareknuckle brothers because it is his belief that they took Grace away (their sister) and she died (when in reality, not everything is as it seems). I'm so pleased to learn that the next book is Ewan and Grace's story. I just adore this world that MacLean has put together with such charming characters, vibrant backgrounds, and strong relationships. I mentioned for the previous book that upon finishing I just wanted to hug the book, and I can definitely say the same for this one. *cue me hugging all of Sarah MacLean's books* Whit and Hattie's story is a lovely romance read. Sarah MacLean honestly sets the standard for historical romances for me, and you definitely don't want to miss out on this one!
My rating of the book: ✮✮✮✮✮ (5/5 stars)
Available for purchase at:
Indigo, Kobo, Amazon, Kindle, and Book Depository
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