He’s as dangerous as he is irresistible . . . The heir to his family’s fortune, Aidan Wollstonecraft is ready to put his prodigal ways in the past and prove himself worthy of his illustrious name. Going undercover in a factory to expose the wretched working conditions, Aidan believes his noble act will lead him to a better future. Until he’s reunited with the sweet beauty who saw him through … sweet beauty who saw him through his darkest days. Cristyn Bevan stirs him like no other woman before. Makes him yearn to claim her, despite the damning curse that dooms any Wollstonecraft wife to an all-too-early death . . .
To fall for Aidan would be her undoing. Yet, something about the blue-blooded scoundrel draws Cristyn to him like a moth to a deadly flame. Is it a desire to heal him that keeps the lovely nurse close? Or her secret hope that somehow, some way, Aidan can let go of his dark past and see the light—and the love—waiting for him?
“Karyn Gerrard writes very enjoyable, richly textured historical romances.”
—Kate Pearce, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author
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Karyn Gerrard writes very enjoyable, richly textured historical romances.
Looking for a swoon-worthy read? You can’t go wrong with the lovely and emotional romances from Karyn Gerrard.
There is a lot going on in this story and to be honest, a lot of the author’s vocabulary choice and writing style threw me off a bit. We begin with our hero, Aidan, heir to an earldom, recovering from an intense opium addiction and being nursed back to health by the heroine, Cristyn, in her father’s sanatorium. Though the two have a strong connection and become friends, Aidan leaves to rejoin his family and continue his recovery. A short while later, in an attempt to make something of himself and give his life purpose, Aidan goes to work undercover as an overseer at a poorly run mill so he can gather information about the conditions and illegal actions of the owner. It just so happens that Cristyn is working as a nurse with the local doctor there. The two cannot stay away from each other, but Aidan cannot risk his mission or the revelation of his true identity. He is also afraid he will lose Cristyn for good if she learns all the details of his true identity, high social standing, and his very sordid past. Eventually, Aidan decides he has had enough of his pretend role and the cruelty of the cotton mill, and that he wants to be honest with Cristyn then wrap things up and go home. Of course, it’s not that simple and he still has trouble opening up about his feelings, but this is where I finally felt like I was getting into the book.
We also get some scenes told from the point of view of Aidan’s father, Julian, about his own love affair as all the Wollstonecraft men seem to be finding love. Aidan’s grandfather, the earl, also has a love affair, leaving all the men hopeful of finally breaking the family curse.
I would recommend reading the first two books in this series before reading this one. I did not, and while I still enjoyed and understood the story, I think I would’ve gotten more out of it if I’d read the others first, not to mention avoided spoiling some of the previous plot points for myself.
Overall, Aidan is an interesting character and probably one of the most truly flawed heroes I’ve ever read. What’s also interesting is the fact that not only are we told of his flaws and debauched exploits, we are shown them too. He’s definitely tortured and a bit of a beta hero, and while I was rooting for him to be strong and overcome his demons, I still struggled to actually like him until the very last chapters of the book. Nonetheless, he was up against a particularly evil and cruel villain and this story tackles several serious issues that are still relevant today, such as addiction and social injustice. Cristyn’s character was enjoyable in that she was unafraid to own to her true feelings and be her own person. This was a very different story from the typical formula and I would recommend it as an enjoyable read.
I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I love a historical that has romance, intrigue, and characters that I really like. This book has it all, and tugged at my emotions. I received an arc of this book.
You now that feeling when you already like an author’s work and then you read their newest and you’re totally reminded of why you like it? This was a perfect example of it for me.
With a course hovering over his head, Aidan has spent his entire adult life in debauchery. His last stint lands him in the care of Cristyn’s father’s sanatorium, where she acts as kind of a physician’s aid to her father. He and Cristyn form a friendship that eventually transforms into more but because of Aiden’s reservations they end up parting ways.
I loved Cristyn’s openness and candor. She still behaved as a proper lady however that never stopped her from acknowledging her feelings, speaking her mind, and demanding the respect she knew she deserved.
I found Aiden’s true feelings touching and the perfect basis for his addictions. There was honesty in what he did and as a character he grew immensely, trying to make up for past mistakes, and by taking up on his family’s radical ideas of helping those in need. He was frank about his mistakes and totally owned them. I particularly loved how he handled his association with an old paramour, which in the eyes of his society would have been total ruin, possibly even worse.
Other characters from previous books make appearances here giving us glimpses of Aidan as part of a loving family. It also provided a sort of epilogue for the other Wollstonecraft men’s love stories, which I always consider a treat. Overall, I thought it was an endearing, charming, and unique story. I would recommend this series and author to anyone that enjoys history along with their romance.
* I received a copy of this story at no cost to me; this is my honest opinion and in no way was it influenced by the author or publisher. *
This is the third installment of the Men of Wollstonecraft Hall series. I recommend that you read the first two, else you may feel a bit lost. I missed the first one, but did read book two in which Aidan’s struggle and Cristyn’s work at her father’s sanatorium was a large part of the story.
I really enjoyed reading about Aidan’s fight with opium addiction and all the accompanying baggage that went with it. It was a nice change of pace to see the hero struggling with a real life problem. It wasn’t pretty, and he wasn’t always particularly likeable, but it was real. The plight of factory workers in the 1800’s, especially women and children, was absolutely heartbreaking and riveting. It’s hard to believe that children were once treated that way in a supposedly civilized nation.
I did have a bit of an issue with the romance between Aidan and Cristyn. I can’t put my finger on it , but I just couldn’t warm up to Cristyn, though I liked her in the previous book. The romance just didn’t ring true to me. Perhaps if there had been a little more focus on their relationship without the side stories of romances of other men in the Wollstonecraft family I would have felt it more. Still, this story is well worth the read for the compelling issues of drug addiction and factory conditions.
I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.
Love with a Notorious Rake by Karyn Gerrard is book Three in the Men of Wollstonecraft series. This is the story of Cristyn Bevan and Aidan Wollstonecraft. I have read the previous books, but feel you can read this as a standalone book.
Aidan is working to better himself after moving past his opium addiction by going undercover to help bust a dangerous working mill. Aidan ends up running into Cristyn who help to nurse him back to health. Aidan and Cristyn become friends during his time with her. Cristyn is a nurse who is working with a Dr in the area. Cristyn doesn’t know his full story but he can’t have her giving anything away about him too. But he is doing a boarder line walk to keep from hurting her and his work.
Enjoyed reading their story.
Step into history and lose yourself in a story that will pull at your emotions. Lady Livia Shaw had secrets that nobody should know. But in a unexpected encounter when she was being attacked by street urchins, none other than Adrian, Duke of Preston comes to her aid. Yes, one of the infamous Shaw’s that she knew from the past when he was at a low point. The worst part is she later discovers she has lost her brooch that linked her past that she had never gotten over. What to do? She has to find it! Of course Adrian found Livia very attractive and was set on helping her find her missing piece of jewelry. As they spend time with each other, the attraction is off the charts.
There was so much to this story that I could hardly put it down. It touched on some subjects that, although very sad, were true for the times and even now. As the tale unfolded, we learn a lot about the past of Adrian and Livia pulled at the heart and I turned the pages hoping they could help each other.
Even though part of a series, this can be read as a standalone. Don’t miss this fast paced read with with humor at times as well as dark and shocking revelations that will have you sighing as you turn the last page.
Aidan Wollstonecraft is the heir to his family’s earldom but has sunk to his lowest eb. Luckily his family rescue him & place him at Dr Bevan’s clinic where over months he’s nursed back to health by the doctor & his daughter Cristyn. The attraction between Aidan & Cristyn is strong but they also like each other & they quietly fall in love whilst he recovers. Aidan feels unworthy of Cristyn & leaves her behind. He is ready to put his prodigal ways in the past and prove himself worthy of his illustrious name so he goes undercover in a cotton factory to expose the wretched working conditions. Fate takes a hand as Cristyn is working with Dr Paris Middlemiss in the very village Aidan is also working.
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the whole series & think this final book is the best of the three, it could easily be read on its own. A well written book with characters who are very well portrayed. Aidan was totally lost but had matured enough to realise he wanted to change & wanted to make people be proud of him. I loved Aidan but then I love a redeemed rake & he certainly redeemed himself. Cristyn is a strong independent woman who truly loved Aidan. The pace of the book is very good & I was engrossed. Carter & Lottie of course pulled at my heart strings. The author painted a very harrowing picture of life for mill workers all the more so as based on facts.
There are misunderstandings that threaten to derail Aidan & Cristyn’s romance, the journey to their HEA wasn’t easy. There was also the curse of the Wollstonecraft men in the background. I found the epilogue to be a lovely ‘round up’ of the series & left me with a smile on my face
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
This book is an emotional roller coaster that will take you into our past and even present working conditions.
First off I want to say kudos to the author for the amount of research that she had to have put into writing this book. People tend to think child labor was thousands of years ago, but it really wasn’t and even in the 1920’s America corporations was still using child labor and even today several countries including China still uses child labor so keep that in mind while you are paying for cheap goods.
I have loved Cristyn’s character since I first meet her, I knew she was a strong willed and minded woman of her time and she just proves this in hers and Aidan’s story. These two go into horrible working conditions to help those that don’t have the means to help themselves and before you know it they are working together to fight for those less fortunate, this is true romance at its best.
Warning this story is not for the faint of heart if you love kids, but for those of you who buy cheap goods, you really need to read this to find out what real child labor is all about and this is why I look high and low for made in the USA or any country goods that don’t have child labor and I will pay more for these goods because of things such as this.
I recommend this to everyone, you need to remember our past and present in child labor and you get a good romance story along with it.
Unusual romance of a recovering addict trying to overcome his demons and become worthy of his family title. Owing thanks to the sanitarium doctor and his beautiful daughter, Cristyn, Aidan leaves on shaky ground. Fate intervenes and brings Aiden’s angel, Cristyn, back into his life when he is working undercover to bring reform to the working conditions in the cotton mills. No smooth sailing, but a constant temptation of backsliding due to frustration and anger, his only constant is Cris, the woman he loves. Some references to dark sex, addiction and cruelty reflecting the Victorian period.
(reference to Elizabeth Gaskell’s North and South cotton mills)
Love with A Notorious Rake is book three in The Men of Wollstonecraft Hall series. I struggled through this book. Aidan Wollstonecraft starts off as a total jerk. He meets our heroine Cristyn Bevan while recovering from opium addiction in a sanatorium. Cristyn is his nurse and proves a life line through dark days. But once he recovers, Aidan leaves her behind without a backward glance. For most of the book I struggled to even like Aidan. He is completely self centered and debauched. That honestly doesn’t change much throughout the story. He does set a goal in front of him and he tries to achieve it. But he oversteps boundaries of respect over and over with Cristyn. And she allows it. I also wasn’t a fan of the bad language. The “F” word just isn’t necessary. I’m afraid I can’t give this book more than three stars.
Love with a Notorious Rake by Karyn Gerrard is an absolutely incredible story. It makes the list of one of my favourite books that I have read this year. The story itself, is very well written! You can feel the emotion in every word. At times it is heartbreaking and other times heartwarming. To me this story and the emotions felt real, it was not far fetched. The author did her research! There are subjects in the story that may not appeal to all but that was not an issue for me. The characters were amazing!! Despite Aidan’s past, I loved his Character every bit as much as the heroine did! Cristyn was a very easy character to like. There is a few happy endings in this story and one that surprised me. I throughly enjoyed this story, it was a complete page turner. I wouldn’t hesitate to pick up another novel by this author and read it!