SHE’S TAKING CHARGE
Prim, proper, and thrifty, Eve Dinwoody is all business when it comes to protecting her brother’s investment. But when she agrees to control the purse strings of London’s premier pleasure garden, Harte’s Folly, she finds herself butting heads with an infuriating scoundrel who can’t be controlled.
HE’S RUNNING THE SHOW
Bawdy and bold, Asa Makepeace doesn’t have time for a … Makepeace doesn’t have time for a penny-pinching prude like Eve. As the garden’s larger-than-life owner, he’s already dealing with self-centered sopranos and temperamental tenors. He’s not about to let an aristocratic woman boss him around . . . no matter how enticing she is.
BUT LOVE CONQUERS ALL
In spite of her lack of theatrical experience-and her fiery clashes with Asa-Eve is determined to turn Harte’s Folly into a smashing success. But the harder she tries to manage the stubborn rake, the harder it is to ignore his seductive charm and raw magnetism. There’s no denying the smoldering fire between them-and trying to put it out would be the greatest folly of all . . .
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It seems as the series progresses, the author tries to reach a new lever of angst. I like that. As with previous stories, the author built up the set up for the next one, and, OMG, I want to read about Duke of Montgomery and Mrs. Crumb so bad. But back to here and now. I loved bawdy and loud Asa Makepeace aka Mr Harte. Underneath all that bluster and rough manner is such a wonderful man. Asa will do anything to get what he wants. And what he wants is Harte’s Folly’s success and Eve Dinwoody. Admittedly he took a bit of time to warm up to her, but when he looked her past strait-laced appearance and closed off demeanor he became an exceptionally patient and caring man. I loved how he seduced Eve with words, how gentle he was with her.
Eve Dinwoody is way more than what she shows the world. She locked herself away and almost threw away the key. There was a lot of vulnerability in her but also quiet strength to simply not give into panic and fear. Poor lady! I loved the moment when her curiosity got the better of her and she let Asa in. It was so s*exy and heart felt. I really felt for her when she told everything to Asa. The worst part is that in reality nobility due to their elevated status could and did get away with far worse. The law was not kind to women, children or poor in those years. The way the author tackled this matter was considerate as she touched upon the matter.
I really like Jean-Marie Pepin and Tess. They were such loyal and friendly characters. I was really happy with where they ended up by the time the book was over. Asa and the Makepeace family provided relief from tension with their huge numbers and numerous shenanigans, but at least Asa made his peace with them. This was a steadily paced, passionate and angsty historical romance. I am so glad I read it.
I’ll read anything Elizabeth Hoyt writes. The characters are always engaging, and I enjoy revisiting characters from previous books.
A fun and romantic novel.
All of the Maiden Lane books are great!!!
I am a romance writer myself, and I have a select number of books I have on my reference shelf. This is one of them. I have a serious thing for Asa Makepeace, you filthy talkin’ lothario, you. What I find so interesting about this book is the juxtaposition of the characters. The heroine, Eve, who has had such a horrifying and traumatic past, and Asa, who couldn’t be more opposite. And yet, he’s just what she needs to heal and move on with her life. And she’s just what he needs–to care about someone more than himself, and awaken his protective instincts. Every single love scene is unexpected and very authentic, not to mention set the sheets on fire hot. Even the cover is great…and they look exactly as they are described. One of my all time favorites, and I’ve read a LOT of these, honey. Give it a try!
I enjoyed this English historical, which had an original plot and interesting characters. I will definitely read more of the author’s books, now that I’ve enjoyed several of her historicals.
When I started reading there was this image of a hero in my head. An image I did not like. I thought I was so going to hate the story.
Thankfully I managed to put it asside and got awarded by a wonderful story. Cute is the right word for this story.