At Half Moon House, any woman can come to Hestia Wright for help. She’ll move heaven and earth to make things right for the downtrodden women of England—but she’ll never give her heart to another man.The Earl of Stoneacre has long admired Hestia. He can’t help but be smitten with a woman with her strength, honor and purpose—not to mention her legendary beauty. But she’s made her indifference … indifference plain, and Stoneacre is not a man to push in where he’s not wanted.
Now they’ve been ordered to work together to defeat the Wicked Lord Marstoke once and for all. As the uneasy allies face untold peril and confront their pasts, trust and passion grow . . . but the greatest danger of all might be succumbing to a love that could never survive the obstacles in their way.
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I love all the books in the Half-Moon House series, but the final one was spectacular. Deb Marlowe wraps up all the threads from the other three and gives us more insight into what makes Hestia who she is. Plus, we get the sexy spymaster, Lord Stoneacre, falling head over heels! It’s truly a wonderful end to an amazing series.
The Marquess of Marstoke has escaped from Newgate and is once again reeking havoc for the Prince Regent. The Prince wants Hestia Wright stop him once and for all and insists that she works with one of his most trusted men. Hestia is not happy with this turn of events, but agrees. Hestia has a long and ugly history with Marstoke and she will do whatever is necessary to stop him, even work with the Prince’s man. She returns to the Half Moon House to plan. Half Moon House is a home that Hestia has set up to take in women and help them start a new life – most of the women are from brothels and all have been touched by Marstoke’s evil in some way. After her own abuse at his hands and having no one to help her after, the house and it’s inhabitants are precious to her.
John Everett, Earl of Stoneacre is the man the Prince has assigned to help Hestia. They have worked together before and he both admires and desires her. He knows that Hestia has made her disinterest clear and that his family would never accept the former “Queen of Courtesans in Great Britain and Beyond” as a bride – a fact made clear by the choice of young women his mother the Marchioness of Woodbury keeps throwing in his direction, but there is something about Hestia and Stoneacre is not ready to give up.
They come up with a plan to learn where Marstoke is hiding. They visit a brothel and Hestia puts on a grand show, but when she kisses Stoneacre to avoid discovery – she knows everything between them is changing – can she trust this man with her true self?
Their journey to capture Marstoke and to their own HEA is wrought with peril, betrayal, secrets, pain and more than one twist. The book is well written and is paced well. The characters are wonderful, the love scenes steamy, the suspense builds slowly and then explodes in a jaw dropping final confrontation. The ending is sweet and the author offers instant access to an epilogue if you sign up for her newsletter. There are a couple of minor formal address errors and even though the author gives enough backstory that you will not feel completely lost, but I think I would have enjoyed this book much more if I had read the series in order. That said, if you have been following this series, you will definitely want to read this book, but, if like me, this is your first foray into the Half Moon House, I would recommend starting at the beginning of the series for maximum understanding and enjoyment.
*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an e-ARC that was provided to me.*
Hestia Wright has turned her life around after her treatment at the hands of the Marquis of Marstoke.
The Earl of Stoneacre has long admired Hestia. Now they’ve been ordered by no other than the Prince Regent to work together to defeat the Wicked Lord Marstoke once and for all.
This is the final instalment of this brilliant series, it could be read on its own but to fully appreciate it I recommend reading the whole series. Strong characters & a story that leaves you breathless at times. I’ve wanted Hestia to have her HEA from the very first book , the road isn’t easy but it makes for a page turning, enthralling read. Suffice to say there are twists & turns along the way as well as surprises that I didn’t see coming. I’ll be sad that Hestia’s world has drawn to a close but it was a very satisfying conclusion
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
I had the opportunity to read the ARC of this book, and jumped at that chance! I have been an admirer of Hestia since the Half Moon House Series began. Knowing this was the final book in that series, I couldn’t wait to discover the end. I can’t spoil it, because it is important for you to experience the good vs evil. Hestia has remained strong for herself and others for so long. It is important for you to know that there is a separate epilogue, and that both are totally worth reading. Deb Marlowe, this makes me sad to say goodbye to Hestia. However, you have done your job empowering the women in the stories, and giving others a strong female lead to read about and remember for a lifetime. One scene will never leave my mind, and it makes me wonder if you will feel the same when you read this.
Hestia’s story is finally here, and wow what a story! Best series finale ever! I believe Marlowe has written her best book to date. She literally had me hooked on page one while reading Hestia’s journal entry. “…I fear that I am about to disappoint you further…” My heart dropped wondering if she would get her happily ever after AND take down Marstoke, the evil man from her past. No spoilers here, but I will say that this book has many twists and turns, excellent character development, hot sexual tension, and even hotter sexual encounters. The dialogue between Hestia and Stoneacre was fun and very well written. Both are a little hard headed and very intelligent which made for fun banter and intense scenes. I hated that her story ended but after reading this final book in the series, I wanted to reread each and every story from book one of Half Moon House.
Hestia Wright is infamous. Her life and that of so many women was destroyed by the evil deeds of Lord Marstoke and his cronies. She and the Earl Of Stoneacre have been tasked by the Regent to capture Marstoke and dismantle his evil organization. It won’t be easy. He is watching and planning their demise. I admired Hestia. She won’t give up. She has worked hard to help others who have faced similar indignities. She is a champion of the downtrodden. Hestia and Stoneacre work well together, but she isn’t comfortable with their partnership. Hestia is drawn to the Earl and she can tell that he feels the same. I liked seeing these two together. They are mature intelligent characters. Their dialogue helps advance the story and highlights what’s in their heart. I was ready for Hestia and Stoneacre to get the HEA that they deserved. Both had been through hell. They have endured pain and heartbreak. Thank goodness they found each other. Deb Marlowe has written a compelling story. It’s a perfect conclusion to the Half Moon House series.
I received a copy of this book which I voluntarily read and reviewed. My comments are my honest opinion.
Hestia finally gets her happily ever after in more ways than one! There’s always been something between them waiting to bloom and she can no longer ignore it when they are forced to work together. The longer they were together the closer they got and it was just a matter of time before they both realized it was forever. When she believed that letter I wanted to scream!
I did not see who was giving the info to Marstroke coming at all. None of my guesses were close even after the story of the person was told. It was a shock from the time that person was revealed to the end of everything. The ending was absolutely perfect!
Hestia has spent years putting others first and living behind a mask, but Stoneacre makes her want to drop the mask and live again. I’ve loved getting to know her throughout the books and this one just makes me love her more. She survived so much but was never broken. The scene with Stoneacre’s mother was another shock and so good!
Stoneacre has never hid his feelings when it came to Hestia and he sees through her mask like no one else. I loved that he never pushed her about the past, but pushed her to feel again. He would never give up on her are judge her for anything.
Copy provided for an honest and voluntary review.
WOW! Another great Romance from the talented Deb Marlowe!
While, Book 4 in her fabulous “Half Moon House”, but it can be read as a stand alone. THE LADY’S LOVER is the finale of this series, and what a finish.
I love Hestia and Stoneache, they were great characters, engaging and enduring. Well written, and well crafted, with Ms. Marlowe’s usual riveting storytelling. I have enjoyed this series, a very satisfying ending sad to see it finished!! I can hardly wait for Deb Marlowe’s next riveting adventure! A must read Historical Romance with love, romance, HEA, and were the bad guys gets their just ending. Awesome read!!!
Rating: 5
Heat rating: Sweet
Reviewer: AprilR
Hestia Wright has lived a troubled life and now strives to help other downtrodden women at Half Moon House. She’s fulfilled by her work and is determined she’ll never want another man. John, the Earl of Stoneacre, is under pressure from his parents to marry a young debutante and secure the succession of their marquesate. But he’s too busy with his work for the Prince Regent to settle down just yet, despite his prevailing loneliness, and even if he were, Hestia is the only woman he wants. He admires not just her beauty, but her strength and resilience. Unfortunately she’s made her indifference perfectly clear and Stoneacre is determined not to push her.
The Prince Regent has now directed Stoneacre and Hestia to work together to recapture the patently evil and treasonous Marquess of Marstoke and ensure he doesn’t escape this time. They’re unsure of each other at first but trust begins to develop between Hestia and Stoneacre during their dangerous mission and, given the many obstacles between them in the real world, the greatest risk could be to their hearts.
It has taken me a shamefully long time to get around to this ARC, but I’m so glad I finally did. This was a new to me author and I loved her writing. This book had suspense and a lovely couple in the main characters. Stoneacre was just so pure and sweet in his determination to be with Hestia and despite being scarred and afraid of her own vulnerability, Hestia was a mature heroine and their relationship was handled very well and without angst. I enjoyed this book as a standalone, but I was definitely missing a lot from the previous books. This was a lovely book and I now plan to go back and check out the rest of the series and more of this author’s work.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.