USA Today Bestseller!
“Julie Anne Long reinvents the historical romance for modern readers.” —Amanda Quick
From USA Today bestselling author Julie Anne Long comes the second book in an exciting new historical romance series, the first since her beloved Pennyroyal Green series.
He has devil’s blood in his veins. At least, that’s always been the legend. How else could the Duke of Brexford’s … series.
He has devil’s blood in his veins. At least, that’s always been the legend. How else could the Duke of Brexford’s notorious bastard son return from the dead? The brutal decade since Lucien Durand, Lord Bolt, allegedly drowned in the Thames forged him into a man who always gets what—and who—he wants. And what he wants is vengeance for his stolen birthright . . . and one wild night in Angelique Breedlove’s bed.
Angelique recognizes heartbreak when the enigmatic Lord Bolt walks into The Grand Palace on the Thames, and not even his devastating charm can tempt her to risk her own ever again. One scorching kiss drives home the danger.
But in the space between them springs a trust that feels anything but safe. And the passion—explosive, consuming—drives Lucien to his knees. Now his whole life depends on proving his love to a woman who doesn’t believe in it . . . because his true birthright, he now knows, is guardian of Angelique Breedlove’s heart.
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Love Julie Anne Long! An angst-ridden hero (my personal favorite to read and create) and an independent heroine. So well-written and a true page-turner! I loved the cast of secondary characters, too. Witty dialogue and sexy — but not overly steamy. Enjoy!
Do you have those authors who write so beautifully and immerse you so thoroughly in their stories that you wait with bated breath for their next book to be written?! Julie Anne Long is one of those authors for me. Her writing is one of a very few authors that I feel compelled to highlight on my Kindle. She is a master at fleshing out characters…you KNOW them and live with them while you’re visiting their world.
This is the second in series, and I honestly believe Long tops the first one (which was another 5 for me).
This is the story of Angelique and Lucien, two characters who have lived through some tough times and built hard shells to protect themselves from further hurt. I absolutely ADORED watching their growth, listening to their witty repartee and cheering for their slow slide toward love. Loved these characters (and all the secondary ones as well)! So looking forward to the next in series! 5+/5
Lucien trusts no one and is out for revenge since he was thrown into the Thames to die. Angelique trusts no man since she has been thrown over by many of them. They both learn they need to trust each other to love.
A beautiful story of two broken souls mended as they recognize true love. Our hero and heroine, Lucien and Angelique, had been let down and left for dead, or penniless, by the very people who should have seen to their happiness and safety, and even existence. Both guarded and wary, they find friendship and attraction, but resist and even deny, love. Ms Long has an exceptionally lovely way with words, both in dialogue and in narrative. I read and reread several passages and had a good cry on a few occasions. The first book is wonderful too, and those characters make an appearance. I’ve got a soft spot for Dot!
Prepare to be wrapped up in a story written by an amazing wordsmith who is elegant in her prose, describing emotions and characters that make you feel the depth of their thoughts, whether good or bad. It carried me along from the first page to the last wanting to highlight phrases on my ebook. Unfortunately it would have been most of the storyline so I tried to refrain!
As Lucien, Lord Bolt returns from the dead and wants rooms at The Grand Palace on the Thames, the owners, Angelique and Delilah, were astounded. “His eyes were a crystalline green, like moss agate, o mist over a moor. It was as peculiarly difficult to hold his gaze as it was to hold a lit coal. It was far too…alive and complicated.”. The picture that presents if fascinating.
Lucien is back and set on revenge for those who wronged him all those years ago. He had ended up in the Thames but survived, although no one knew it. He has come back after ten years and changed him into a man who gets what he wants. He has an attraction to Angelique which is a dance that takes a journey for the two of them to come together.
Intrigue, secrets, suspense, a consuming attraction off the charts and a great cast of characters drive this story to a satisfying conclusing. Cannot wait to read the next book in this amazing series!
Another fabulous story from Julie Ann Long. Adore EVERYTHING she writes.
I loved the idea of this series from the start. Well, no…scratch that…I loved it from the first few pages when we got to know the (then) Lady Derring, her anything but loyal husband, and all the ensuing “fun” her new life would entail. By book’s end, I was hooked…and READY FOR MORE! The more is this little beauty and first off, I have to say…GREAT job on the COVER! Her dress is fetching, as is the viscount in her bed (*giggle*), and the title makes one wonder exactly why he’s being labeled a devil. I suppose potentially returning from the dead to reclaim your life, set things right (for you and those you hold close), while upsetting a few old chaps (aka settling debts!) along the way is a perfectly good way to gain that moniker…but rest assured, fair readers…he’s not so much a devil as to dissuade your interest…or that of our dear Angelique. Despite her less than amicable introduction to the series (let’s just say the groundwork was NOT set for her to be a longstanding character), I couldn’t wait for her to get her own story and I’m SO GLAD it came sooner rather than later.
In the end, this was the story we were waiting for, the story we needed to set things right for a woman who’s past wasn’t exactly squeaky clean, with a man who could care less about the advantages others may have seen and taken of her predicament, and who’s only desire (well, eventually) was to make sure nothing ever broke her heart or trust again. It all built towards the desired HEA readers adore…readers like you and me…and I’m not saying it’s smooth sailing because yeah, no, but then the course of true love never did run smooth….
**copy received for review; opinions are my own
Absolutely loved it! From the start I kept snickering at the clever, witty and intelligent banter between Lucian and Angelique. (I had to stop and share some of the clever passages with my husband) Can’t remember when I enjoyed a historical romance more this year. This book is going on my 2019 Favourites List. Really enjoying this series.
Angel in a Devil’s Arms: The Palace of Rogues by Julie Anne Long is book Two in The Palace of Rogues Series. This is the story of Angelique Breedlove and Lucien Durand, Lord Bolt. I have read the previous book which I do feel helped me to fully enjoy this one since we meet Angelique in that book but I do feel you could make this a standalone book if you wish to do so. Angelique is a former mistress of Lord Derring but now has become a new co-owner of The Grand Palace on the Thames. Lord Bolt thought to have died is back with revenge on his mind for everything thing that was taken and for being wronged. But what he didn’t count on where the feelings that Angelique brings out in him and how smitten he is. Both have to overcome their past feelings to move forward into their happy future.
Lucien Durand, Viscount Bolt, illegitimate son of the Duke of Brexford has always been rather notorious and said to have the devil’s own blood. He’s also been believed to be dead, drowned in the Thames, for ten years, so his reappearance in London society sets tongues wagging once more. Lucien is much stronger now and determined to have his revenge and maybe also get closer to Angelique Breedlove, one of the proprietresses of the boarding house where he’s staying.
When Lord Bolt arrives at the Grand Palace on the Thames, Angelique is immediately drawn in by his charisma and presence, but she also recognizes his pain. Despite the connection she feels, Angelique wants nothing to do with emotions and refuses to risk her heart. But the passion that eventually explodes between them sees Lucien’s priorities swiftly realigning and he throws everything he has into showing Angelique that his love is true and worth the risk because he will never hurt her.
I loved Lucien. He was such a vulnerable hero with so much pain to deal with and it was so charming to watch him develop as a character. Without that vulnerability I don’t think Angelique would’ve grown close to him or shown her own vulnerabilities. That whole aspect really made this work and made for a very emotional read. These two were perfect for each other and this story was lovely and made you really think about the true priorities in life.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I adored the first book in Julie Anne Long’s Palace of Rogues series, but somehow the second book, “Angel in a Devil’s Arms,” managed to be even better. It was humorous and charming with endearing, well-developed characters, and I didn’t want to put it down.
Lucien, Lord Bolt, is one of my new all-time favorite historical romance heroes. He’s very witty and intelligent, and his banter with Angelique was quite amusing. Given the circumstances of his youth, I expected Lucien to be something of a dark and brooding hero, but instead, he had a fantastic sense of humor and almost seemed cheerful a lot of the time. I particularly loved that Lucien was so open about his plan to seek revenge upon his return to England after nearly a decade away. Even though his attitude sometimes made it seem like the idea of revenge was a joke to him, he was quite determined, and had clearly spent a lot of time putting his plans into motion. Despite that, he did not hesitate to give up his revenge when he realized how it might affect his young half-brother and his burgeoning relationship with Angelique. His character grew tremendously over the course of this book, and it was nice to see him finally find the love he deserved.
I loved Angelique too, especially after having gotten to know her a bit in the first book of this series. Lucien seemed like a perfect match for her, and it was wonderful to watch their relationship slowly blossom. Their chemistry was off the charts from the beginning, but it took a while for trust and a deeper emotional connection to develop. Given Lucien’s reputation and Angelique’s past bad experiences with men, it was easy for me to understand why she wanted to take their relationship slowly. I was so happy when she finally let her guard down, and I cried right along with her when it seemed as if the relationship was over. (Fortunately, this being a romance novel complete with HEA, love found a way!)
Overall, “Angel in a Devil’s Arms” was a wonderful book and certainly one of my favorites of 2019. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series!
*ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss. All opinions expressed are my own.