Book II in The Academy of Love Series.These 7 Regency Era teachers are searching for work but what they get are some serious lessons in love. . . .Gareth Lockheart is one of the richest men in England, but it will take more than money for the reclusive eccentric to gain entrée into the corridors of power; it will also take a proper country estate and an aristocratic wife with impeccable … impeccable connections. Gareth is determined to find the right woman the same way he does everything in his life: using logic and mathematics.
Serena Lombard might be the widow of a duke’s son, but she’s always existed on the ton’s fringes. The unconventional French émigré has worked hard to create a secure home for her son and has struggled to establish herself as a respected sculptor and landscape gardener.
Gareth should have known doing business with a woman would be a mistake, especially an unorthodox, opinionated, and far too appealing French widow who manages to destroy his iron-clad ability to concentrate without even trying.
Serena loves the project the wealthy industrialist has hired her to do; it’s too bad the man himself is so remote and unreadable. Not to mention distracting, gorgeous, and utterly captivating.
The only thing the two opposites can agree on is that they should avoid becoming entangled with one another—no matter how difficult that proves to be. But when Serena’s dangerous past catches up with her, it is Gareth she turns to for help and he doesn’t hesitate to give it. But can a man who needs order like other men need air give himself up to the most unpredictable emotion of all: Love?
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Emotional Depth:
Tension:
Romance:
Sensuality:
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Steam Scale (Number of Scenes):
Humor: I don’t recall much.
Should I read in order?
This one is fine to pick up as a stand alone novel. The heroine from this book is friends with the heroine from the first book, but any reference to or page time of is minimal. (Also the character development for this heroine in book 1 is quite minimal. She’s barely mentioned)
Basic plot
Gareth has made himself one of the richest men in England, pulling himself up from nothing. He is working through creating a proper country estate and is in need of a gardener to finish the beauty of his home outside. This leads him to Serena. She is working to create a name for herself as a gardener and sculptor to support herself and her son.
Give this a try if you want:
– Mid to high steam – this book has 4 on page scenes that are quite explicit
– Artist heroine, autistic and mathematics loving hero
– Children in the story (heroine has a son – he’s 9 or 10)
– Experienced heroine
– Regency time period
– You are okay with content warnings, including remembered rape
My thoughts:
Sadly, this one was also not for me. I’m not sure what’s happening. It could totally just be me. I usually adore Minerva Spencer. I love her character depth and the sexual tension that forms and the detailed sex scenes that I found in The Outcasts. I am not finding that in this series. I’m finding hot sex, yes, but I’m not really sure how or why we get there. So I end up not caring about the sex.
This book had a bit of a slow start. I just wanted them to be on page together doing anything! And when they are together, I found myself enjoying it more. But the book is sprinkled with frequent separations. Also lots of drama. So the ending kind of spun out of control with lots of danger and drama and intrigue and the relationship was developed enough at that point for me to get enjoyment out of it.
I do plan on trying another SM LaViolette, but I think I may give it a bit of a break. Also, reading books 1 and 2 right after each other, I found so many similarities with the heroines. As their problems weren’t things I love in a romance (blackmail, past coming to haunt you) it didn’t endear the book to me 🙁
That’s just me – I definitely think this book can work for many. Especially if you love an action packed novel with a hot steam level, neuro-diverse hero and creative heroine.
Figure Of Love is the 2nd book of the Academy Of Love by Minerva Spencer, writing as S.M. LaViolette. Gareth Lockheart is one of the richest men and a reclusive eccentric. His goals: own a proper country estate and marry an aristocratic woman with impeccable connections. He expects to find the right woman the same way by using logic and mathematics. Serena Lombard, a widow of a duke’s son. exists on the ton’s fringes. To support herself and her son, she struggled to establish herself as a respected sculpture and landscape gardener. She loves the project Gareth hired her to do, but she finds him distracting, yet gorgeous and utterly captivating. Gareth should have known better than to hire a woman, especially one who is unorthodox, opinionated, and far too appealing.
Gareth is an intriguing character whose genius puts him at odd with people. He doesn’t understand jokes, retreats in his mind when things bore or overwhelm him. He knows he’s flawed but speaks his mind. His orderly world is turned upside by Serena which makes the story more interesting. And there is her son who is a sweet and respectable lad who connects with Gareth through their love for mathematics.
I enjoy the intrigue among certain characters and romance between Gareth and Serena. Their chemistry is like two locomotives heading toward each other. It is explosive. Minerva Spencer goes in great depth to create strength and weakness of her characters by having them survive a horrendous life that enable them to grasp their happily ever after. The twist and turn of the plot captivate me page after page, throwing out few unexpected surprises. Figure Of Love is a phenomenal book, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is a must-read book. This is my honest review.
A Figure of Love
The Academy of Love Series #2
Minerva Spencer as S.M. Laviolette
https://m.facebook.com/MinervaSpencerSMLaVioletteAuthor/
Release date 03/03/2020
Publisher Crooked Sixpence press
Blurb :
Gareth Lockheart is one of the richest men in England, but it will take more than money for the reclusive eccentric to gain entrée into the corridors of power; it will also take a proper country estate and an aristocratic wife with impeccable connections. Gareth is determined to find the right woman the same way he does everything in his life: using logic and mathematics.
Serena Lombard might be the widow of a duke’s son, but she’s always existed on the ton’s fringes. The unconventional French émigré has worked hard to create a secure home for her son and has struggled to establish herself as a respected sculptor and landscape gardener.
Gareth should have known doing business with a woman would be a mistake, especially an unorthodox, opinionated, and far too appealing French widow who manages to destroy his iron-clad ability to concentrate without even trying.
Serena loves the project the wealthy industrialist has hired her to do; it’s too bad the man himself is so remote and unreadable. Not to mention distracting, gorgeous, and utterly captivating.
The only thing the two opposites can agree on is that they should avoid becoming entangled with one another—no matter how difficult that proves to be. But when Serena’s dangerous past catches up with her, it is Gareth she turns to for help and he doesn’t hesitate to give it. But can a man who needs order like other men need air give himself up to the most unpredictable emotion of all: Love?
My review :
When two damaged persons with a high chemistry must find a way to trust one another with their secrets …
I would normally had read this book faster as eager I was to go through the pages but alas a cold blurred part of my brain so I needed to slow down a bit my reading to not miss anything. And it would have been a shame as Mrs Spencer/LaViolette has a way with words and to bring to life larger than life characters.
Mrs Minerva Spencer likes her heroes and heroines to have lived quite an horrendous life before getting the happy ever after they rightly deserve.
And this one book does not go out of this pattern.
Gareth’s past is only revealed by some input this and there and until the very end when the ugliness of it is truly disclosed. Awkward among people, he appears as being a misunderstood genius, more like an autistic savant.
He does like to be touched, he does not understand jokes, retreats in his mind when things bore him or when he feels overwhelmed by the outside world.
Still he is a very moving character aware of his flaws but also talents, he is not afraid to speak his mind until his interactions with Serena unsettle his well organized and arranged world.
Serena has fled France and thought she has left her painful past behind until it caught up with her and it seems she will never be free of it. Her history is bit by bit told and it is no less horrible. She is a survivor like Gareth, and still she is able to function and love with her whole heart what ever she endured.
Because of she still being bind to her dreadful past, she tries at her best to establish a new path for herself and her son, but each she is a step forward, something reduces it to ash.
I am no writer so it is difficult to express how I loved this book, while they are both disabled, from their past and present, she running away and he avoiding others, by some happy luck, they cross path and each will help the other to reconstruct oneself, they will never be perfect and fully healed, but they will have a shoulder on which to lie on.
5 stars as there is no higher rating for this wondrous tale of finding one’s home.
I now do wonder if Declan will have his own story.
I was granted an advance copy by the author and prior to it preordered my own. Here is my true and unbiased opinion.
https://www.facebook.com/429830134272830/posts/579843312604844/?d=n
I stayed up all night to read this one until I was cross-eyed. An absolutely phenomenal book in an absolutely phenomenal series. Serena is a sculptor and also designs gardens. Commissioned to design the grounds of one home of one the richest men in England is a dream come true. Gareth is closed off where Serena is vibrant. A little boy and ihs mother bring joy to a man who never thought he could open his heart. Into their budding relationship is a secret that will test their relationship. Spencer’s unusual hero carries the story. Waiting impatiently for the next book. Gifted a copy of this book.
Gareth Lockheart is one of the richest men in England, but it will take more than money for the reclusive eccentric to gain entrée into the corridors of power; it will also take a proper country estate and an aristocratic wife with impeccable connections. Serena Lombard might be the widow of a duke’s son, but she’s always existed on the ton’s fringes. The unconventional French émigré has worked hard to create a secure home for her son Oliver and has struggled to establish herself as a respected sculptor and landscape gardener.
Gareth has bought the country estate & now needs the gardens landscaping & hires Serena to carry out the work. Serena loves the project the wealthy industrialist has hired her to do.
When Serena’s dangerous past catches up with her, it is Gareth she turns to for help and he doesn’t hesitate to give it.
This is the second book in the series & is easily read on its own. A very well written page turning read. The characters are well fleshed & complex. The pace flows effortlessly & for a book of over 350 pages it never lagged & to be honest felt as though it was shorter! It took me on a roller coaster of emotions from tears to sitting on the edge of my seat. I was drawn in from the start & loved the enigmatic Gareth & how his backstory was gradually revealed. Serena was a strong woman who also had her secrets, which were also gradually revealed. I loved the chemistry between the pair & how their relationship developed. I also loved Oliver who whilst a typical boy was caring & loving. Declan intrigued me & I hope he has his story, he deserves a happy ever after. An engrossing captivating read that whilst I was happy at the end I also hungered for more & look forward to the rest of the series.
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read