She’s the unlikely wallflower of the extraordinary Shaw family. A woman who will never marry, but not for the reasons you might think . . . Attacked on the streets of London, Lady Livia Shaw is relieved when a gentleman comes to her aid—and startled to discover her rescuer is Adrian, the Duke of Preston, a notorious rogue. But their association—and instant attraction—does not end there, much to … attraction—does not end there, much to the Shaws’ distress. For Livia was robbed of a memento—one that is both her most precious possession and a reminder of a shameful secret. It is a secret she knows will cause her to lose Adrian forever, yet he is determined to track down the thief . . .
Adrian never wanted to be anyone’s hero, but now he’s finding the prospect as pleasing as he does Livia’s company, and her beauty. Certainly he wants her in his bed, but what surprises him is how much she comes to mean to him. Which is why the revelation of her scandalous past is nearly his undoing. Arrogantly, he had assumed only he had the power to shock. But it is too late to turn back, and now Adrian may have to risk everything for Livia, even his heart . . .
“Lynne Connolly writes Georgian romances with a deft touch. Her characters amuse, entertain and reach into your heart.”
—USA Today bestselling author Desiree Holt
“With plots, deviousness and passion galore, Temptation Has Green Eyes by Lynne Connolly is a truly enjoyable read.” —Fresh Fiction
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So I came in at the end of this series, so I was at a disadvantage. But there were so many twists and scandals it made me want to go back and fill myself in on this wild family’s antics! Livia and Adrian had so many secrets to wade through to get to each other it was shocking the both of them weren’t social pariahs! Being together really did make both of them better people. It had a perfectly sweet “awwwww” sort of ending! I’ll be looking for more Lynne Connolly in the future!
Lady Livia Shaw has secrets, secrets that very few people know and that would destroy her if they were ever revealed, secrets she believes even being a “Shaw” won’t save her from. She meets Adrian Stirling, the Duke of Preston when he saves her from being attacked by a gang of street children. He fights them off and takes Livia to his former mistresses house to tend her injury. He then causes a bit of a scandal by kissing her on the street in full daylight. Livia is outraged and happy that she never has to see him again. But later, she learns that her brooch is missing and knows that either it was left at his mistress’ house or was taken by the children. She has no choice, she will have to ask Adrian for help.
Adrian is a walking scandal with secrets of his own and he seems to relish his very tarnished reputation and questionable birth. Widowed with no plans to remarry, he usually stays away from “good” society, but something about Livia intrigues him and he ventures out in hopes of seeing her again. He finds Livia at the ball and she tells him that she needs to talk to him. They meet later and she tells him of her lost brooch, he knows she is hiding something and agrees to find her brooch – mostly because it means that he will see her again. Relieved, Livia returns to the ball and is approached by Sir Jeffery, a childhood sweetheart, a man she thought she loved and who loved her, but he broke her heart by marrying someone else and leaving. He is back in England and widowed, he makes his interest clear, but Livia is surprised to discover that she is no longer interested.
Adrian begins his quest for the brooch and gains a protege in the process, Mickey is a street child and may be able to help him find the missing jewerly, he hires the boy to be his page and sees his potential. Mickey informs him that Livia was targeted for the brooch and while he doesn’t know the man’s name, he would know him by sight.
Adrian ends up finding her brooch and returning it to her, but that is not the end of the story, they will have a lot to overcome, including a forced betrothal, a spurned former lover, shocking secrets, hurtful rumors and a terrifying ordeal before they get their hard won HEA.
I really loved this installment, I have a soft spot for “bad boy” heroes and Adrian certainly fits the bill, Livia was a little harder to warm up to, but she won me over in the end. The book has a little bit of everything, action, secrets, shocking revelations, steamy love scenes, wonderful secondary characters, a truly demented villan and a very sweet epilogue. I couldn’t have asked for a better ending to the series and would happily recommend this book! It is the last book in the series, but it can definitely be read as a stand alone title with no problems – but be warned, the “Shaws” are addictive and you will want to read previous titles!!
*I am volunarily leaving a review of an eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher.*
Adrian, the Duke of Preston, had just broken up with his mistress when he sees a woman being attacked by street urchins, and he runs to her rescue. Lady Livia Shaw was not too badly hurt, her purse was stolen, but her most precious possession, a brooch, was taken. Adrian takes Livia to his former paramour’s house; he recognised Livia almost immediately, and he cannot resist adding to the already scandalous situation. To put it mildly, Adrian’s reputation precedes him: his birth was a disgrace, so why pretend? He has devoted his life to living up to his scandalous name. But he is intrigued by Livia’s determination to find her sentimental memento; he senses there’s more to it than she’s letting on. Livia has spent years keeping a low profile; her family, the notorious Shaws have endured their share of unwanted attention for years. Livia is past the first bloom of youth, she knows she will never marry, but could the Duke make her rethink her stance? He certainly is reconsidering that there could be worse things than marrying Livia. But life as a scandalous duke can become tedious, so Adrian will see to recovering Livia’s brooch first and see what happens next.
I was eagerly awaiting BOUNDLESS, because the three previous books were so outstanding, and this fourth instalment of The Shaws surpasses my greatest expectations. The story is, in itself, rather tragic: Livia is in a serious pickle, but I laughed more than I would have thought possible because of the stellar dialogues. The verbal exchanges between Adrian and almost anyone are simply amazing: there is one instance involving Darius (one of Livia’s brothers) which is remarkable. And when it comes to Adrian and Mickey – one of the best secondary characters ever – the banter is at times hilarious, always clever, and fit the characters perfectly. And what stupendous characters they all are! The joy, the elation of being shown and not told: I could see for myself how scandalous and outrageous Adrian was! Livia was even better than I hoped for. And what a romance it was: no misunderstanding, no silliness. For readers who haven’t read the three previous books – after this, you will want to! – Ms. Connolly gives all the pertinent details in a few concise and crystal-clear sentences.
The numerous plot twists were so exciting and totally unexpected, and better yet, some depended entirely on historical reality. Those who read my reviews know how sorely disappointed I have been recently with the endings of some books. A work of pure genius collapsed due to a bungled ending; one plot twist was based on inaccurate facts; a problem with continuity removed all credibility to another. There is none of that here: Lynne Connolly has crafted a story whose foundations are so solid, no argument could possibly make them crumble; where historical accuracy reigns supreme and adds depth, texture, and drama to the plot. A story with a superbly defined – and described! – antagonist who kept me guessing for most of the book, and Adrian’s extraordinary presence: he lives on the page. BOUNDLESS is one of this year’s most outstanding historical romances; it never let me down, it has it all: a fabulous romance, a stunning ending and a glorious epilogue!
I have not read Ms. Connolly before and found this book to be very interesting. I need to go back and read her other books! The relationship between Adrian and Livia develops slowly but when it comes to fruition, it explodes. Adrian is a great character who does not let the gossips pull him down, he goes with it and even helps where he is needed. Livia and her relationship with her family is what I like to see in historical romances. She is a fantastic character who embraces what she is even though she keeps it close. A fantastic, steamy love story that will have you sighing at the end. Great epilogue.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through NetGalley.
Rcvd an ARC at no cost to author..(netalley) I love the Shaw’s and the Emperors this family was the best. They may have a scandalous background but what I enjoyed the most from them was the loyalty they always stuck up for each other or didn’t judge. This was Livia’s book and her love interest Adam, can I say how much I loved Adam, well I did he became my favorite. Adam was known as the blackamour Duke and as scandalous as they come he even beats the Shaw’s and Emperor if you could believe that, so saying that he fit right in with this family. Livia was carrying a secret and due to it she felt she could never get married, but thanks to Adam she could he didn’t care about her background and he proved it more than once and he was great..Her young love interest returns from the army and was a horrible person and a liar to boot and you know he is here to cause problems but again Adam is not going to let him…No more details my friends grab a copy and Enjoy!, because you will.
** spoiler alert ** Both our hero and heroine are quite scandalous. Adrian Sterling, Duke of Preston, is a widower, considered to be scandalous because of his rakish behavior and unconfirmed (and undenied) rumors about the truth of his birth. Lady Livia Shaw is already rather scandalous simply because of her family’s reputation, but she keeps a scandalous secret of her own and because of it has determined that she can never marry. The two meet as Livia is being attacked by a gang of street thieves and Adrian comes to her rescue. He brings her to what is soon to be his mistress’ house to recover, then after she makes a comment he disapproves of, he kissers her out in the street where everyone can see them, thus causing more tongue-wagging scandal. Her mother determines that she should make it appear as if she and the duke were courting, then she can give him the cut direct when the family leaves for the country in a few short weeks. However, Livia soon realizes she has lost a precious memento somewhere during the encounter and enlists the duke’s help in recovering it. In this process, the two spend a good deal of time together and Adrian begins to consider developing something serious, meanwhile Livia is wholly committed to ending their relationship.
Both Adrian and Livia initially struck me as typical pompous aristocrats. Even Adrian’s taking in of a thief to train as a page was handled rather sloppily and in a condescending manner. Once her secret was revealed, I also found the heroine to be rather melodramatic and her reason for determining to remain unmarried to be feeble. Her determination to keep distance between herself and Adrian was downright hurtful to him and I felt like at many times she was really just using him and toying with his feelings, when he was considering being truly vulnerable with her. He mostly treated her with respect and kindness and didn’t deserve that. Her insistence on continuing to mention an old flame and toy with the idea of being with him instead of Adrian, despite the fact that said old flame has clearly proven himself to be a terrible person, was just ridiculous and made me lose respect for the heroine. I just found her to be inordinately insipid and it took her entirely too long to see the truth of her childhood love. It seemed like she just created a lot of problems unnecessarily. Thankfully, her twin sister had some sense and helped her see it too. However annoying, this is oftentimes how people behave and treat one another, so it gives this book a realistic air. At least Livia finally did see sense and begin to forgive herself and move on.
Overall, Livia and Adrian finally learned to be honest with one another and grow together to build a solid and believable relationship and ignore scandal and rumors. I found this to be an enjoyable read that held my attention and now I want to go back and read the other installments of the series.
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Boundless Lynne Connolly is book Three in The Shaws Series. This is the story of Adrian, the Duke of Preston and Livia Shaw. I have read the previous book, but feel you can make this a standalone.
Preston turns into Livia hero when he helps her after being taken upon when leaving a orphanage in a bad area. But Livia has secrets that she can’t let out. Secure in the thoughts to never marry due to her secretes she doen’t plan on having feelings for Preston. But his reputation might not be what everyone thinks. Livia needs Preston help again in finding what she had lost or was taken during the indecent. Preston never caring what people thought of him or what they though he did, finds himself caring about Livia. But they both do a dance around their secrets and feelings.
Really enjoyed 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.
Boundless by Lynne Connolly
The Shaws #3
Secrets, scandals and serious issues abound in this book. Lady Livia Shaw is saved one night by Adrian Sterling, the Duke of Preston and when she realizes she has lost something precious when she was attacked on the streets he offers his assistance in finding the missing object. I don’t want to give away the secrets or tell too much about this book as it all weaves together in a way that kept me interested from beginning to end. I loved the growing relationship between Livia and Adrian and the people they both were. I enjoyed the supportive family Livia was blessed with. At times I felt sad, angry and happy for the couple and also was angry that they had to suffer so much. They seemed to suit one another to a T and so deserved the happiness they achieved together.
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the ARC – This is my honest review.
5 Stars
Attacked on the streets of London outside an orphanage, Lady Livia Shaw is relieved when a gentleman comes to her aid and startled to discover her rescuer is Adrian, the Duke of Preston, a notorious rogue. But their association and instant attraction does not end there, much to the Shaws’ distress. Livia was robbed of a brooch one that’s her most precious possession and a reminder of a shameful secret.
Adrian never wanted to be anyone’s hero, but now he’s finding the prospect as pleasing as he does Livia’s company, and her beauty, but what surprises him is how much she comes to mean to him.
Livia is the final sibling to have her story, although this book is part of a series it could easily be read on its own. I love the author’s books not only are they very well written but the accuracy is what raises them above the crowd. She doesn’t overload facts but throughout her books are tidbits of facts. The characterisation is always very good & the story flows effortlessly. I really liked Livia but adored Adrian, I love a redeemed rake but he won my heart when he rescued Mickey. Their attraction was there from the start but they came to like each other & also learned to trust each other. Secrets threaten their happiness. An engrossing captivating read whilst I’ll miss the Shas I look forward to the authors next books
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
Two people with deep dark secrets find their HEA in this excellently written third (and final) entry in the Shaws series. With many books, when the secrets are revealed, you wonder why it was a big deal to anyone. That isn’t the case with this book. You can see why both will go to almost any lengths to maintain their secrets. The characters are likable and relatable and the situation will make your heart bleed for each of them. While it is a bit slow paced, it is an excellent read.
Lady Livia Shaw is the last unmarried child in her family – and she intends to keep it that way. She can’t marry because she has a deep, dark secret that she would have to reveal to the man she marries, and she just cannot – will not – do that. She’s a beautiful woman, wealthy in her own right and has had many suitors, but she rebuffs them all.
Adrian, the Duke of Preston is the subject of many rumors and he’s never cared enough to refute any of them even though most of them are untrue. He doesn’t care what others think of him – even though they call him the Blackamoor Duke. He knows the truth and that is good enough for him – after all, he is a Duke and can do what he likes.
Livia was set upon by a group of street urchins just after she left an orphanage in an unsavory part of London. She had actually fled the orphanage – alone. When she is rescued by a tall, handsome man she is very grateful. However, when she realizes who he is and that he has taken her into the home of his mistress – alone – she is ready to leave immediately. Then, as she is leaving, he kisses her – deep and long – right on the street. That sets tongues to wagging!
Livia vows never to interact with the Duke again – not in any way. Adrian is intrigued by Livia and is determined to encounter her again. Livia’s plans are thwarted when she realizes that she’s lost her most precious possession – a small brooch. She doesn’t know if the urchins stole it or if she lost it inside the home of the duke’s mistress. She has no other choice, she must approach him to ask if it is inside the home. When he doesn’t find it at the home of his mistress (actually ex-mistress), he vows he will find and retrieve it for her.
Adrian and Livia have begun a long series of interactions and encounters that bring them closer and closer and make Livia more and more fearful for her secrets. She instinctually trusts Adrian in spite of his reputation, but she cannot share her secret with him. Actually, for someone from a family filled with rogues and is supposed to be totally non-judgmental, I think Livia did a lot of judging of Adrian. She believed rumors much too quickly and easily and didn’t compare them with the man she had actually come to know.
The pace picks up toward the end of the book when the bad guy is identified, secrets are revealed and love is acknowledged. I loved the Shaws and am looking forward to seeing what happens next since this is the last book in the series.
I can happily recommend this book because I think you will enjoy the read.
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“I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.”