This 2-book box set contains both standalone, full-length follow-up stories to The Villain Duology. While these stories can be understood on their own, they are better experienced after reading the original duet, The Villain Duology: The Villain and The Dove.The ButterflyFrom the moment Niall Gibbs lays eyes on Lady Olivia Goodall he is entranced. Even as a young boy her fragile beauty calls to … a young boy her fragile beauty calls to something deep inside him, making it difficult to stay away from her. And stay away, he should, since she happens to be the daughter of his master: an earl who would not take kindly to the attentions of a stable groom. Yet, as they grow to adulthood, Olivia and Niall’s visceral connection becomes undeniable.
When Olivia goes off to London for her first Season, Niall doesn’t think to ever see her again. However, she returns a year later, ruined with a newborn babe in her arms, and a mind riddled by torment. Following a brutal assault and months spent languishing in an unwed mothers’ asylum, she finds herself plunged into an existence of pain, darkness, and regret. Niall would give anything to bring her back into the light, including descend into the darkness along with her.
The Damsel
After losing the love of his life to another man, he stumbles into a public house looking to drown his sorrows. The last thing he expects is to be approached with a scandalous proposition. When Lady Cassandra Lane offers him one night in an upstairs room with her, he leaps at the chance despite her stipulation that he submit to her every whim. He wants nothing more than to lose himself and forget his pain; allowing someone else control seems a small price to pay for it. Little does he know that one night will have the power to change everything.
After her brutal assault at the hands of a lord, she’s had her name and reputation dragged through the mud. Her family and friends have turned their back on her, and she’s become a social outcast. In the midst of it all, the anger and fear caused by the theft of her innocence rules her existence, and Cassandra has had enough. Deciding to take control of her circumstances, she sets out to find a man with whom she can overcome her anxiety over physical intimacy. Robert Stanley seems like an ideal choice—someone she can use for her own ends and discard once she is done. However, she never anticipates that their one encounter will lead to a craving for more.
more
Two Books, with incredible storylines!
Lady Olivia and Niall, have always loved each other. They grew up together with her older brother. When she is sent to London for her first season, Niall believes he has lost her, but when she returns, she is traumatized by a vicious rape and pregnant with the baby. The author waved the past and present in the storyline in such a wonderful and flowing pace. True love heals, Niall and Olivia!
The Damsel
Lady Cassandra is a victim of a brutal rape by an Earl, but still her family and society go against her. On an encounter with Sir Robert their lives are changed.
This storyline is another well written one. With Lady Cassandra suffering in their own way, all the him lovingher, while she is on a path for vengeance against the men who abused her!
I enjoyed these books and I was given the audibook in exchange for an honest review.
The Butterfly
Saint, plain and simple, Niall is a saint and you would be so lucky to have such a man on your side. Compassion abounds in this story. The two scenes that stand out are when Livvie decides to play the harp the first time and when Livvie retells her story. This story overlaps with The Villian/The Dove and it was interesting to see a different side of what happened. The story of Niall and Livvie as young children to adulthood focuses on their friendship, compassion and love. A beautiful story.
The Damsel
I have read all of Ms. Vale’s stories and a lot of them rip out your heart and leave you in happy tears (some sad tears) and joy that comes with reading the story. I thought that would be in the case in this story with the subject matter that is so intense but that did not happen. Oh yes, there were tears but I feel the real story lies in Robert. He has endured so much and has so much love to give and when the right woman came along he was more than willing, even compelled, to love Cassandra with all of his heart. I would call Robert a beta hero and you know even romance readers sometimes need a beta hero to hold onto and root for and love. Robert you are that person.
The Butterfly
From the moment Niall Gibbs lays eyes on Lady Olivia Goodall he is entranced. Even as a young stable boy her fragile beauty calls to something deep inside him, making it difficult to stay away from her. Yet, as they grow to adulthood, Olivia and Niall’s visceral connection becomes undeniable. The two skirt danger and shun propriety for any stolen moments they can find, even knowing their love can ever be. When Olivia goes off to London for her first Season, Niall doesn’t think to ever see her again. However, she returns a year later, ruined with a newborn babe in her arms, and a mind riddled by torment. Following a brutal rape and months spent languishing in an unwed mothers’ asylum, she finds herself plunged into an existence of pain, darkness, and regret. As Olivia tries to fight her way back, it seems as if they might stand a chance after all.
We first met Niall & Olivia in the Villain & The Dove & I’m thrilled they had their story & boy what a story it was! Enthralling, engrossing, heart wrenching & totally captivating. I could wax lyrical about this brilliant book but suffice to say read it & I’m sure you’ll be as captivated as I was
The Damsel
After losing the love of his life to another man, Robert Lord Stanley stumbles into a public house looking to drown his sorrows. The last thing he expects is to be approached with a scandalous proposition. When Lady Cassandra Lane offers him one night in an upstairs room with her, he leaps at the chance despite her stipulation that he submit to her every whim.
After her brutal assault at the hands of Bertram, Cass’ had her name and reputation dragged through the mud. Her family and friends have turned their back on her, and she’s become a social outcast. In the midst of it all, the anger and fear caused by the theft of her innocence rules her existence, and Cassandra has had enough. Deciding to take control of her circumstances, she sets out to find a man with whom she can overcome her anxiety over physical intimacy. Robert cannot understand why he responds so readily to Cassandra’s dominant nature, or the cruelty fueled by her anger.
This is the final book in the series & what a series, absorbing, enthralling & powerfully written. I’ve loved all four books. Yes the sex is hot but there is so much more to the author’s books. There is a story & there are strong characters who are very well portrayed. Both Robert & Cassandra have suffered in different ways & how they coped & survived, very differently, has shaped who they are. I loved that Millie featured & so hope that she has her own story as more of her past was revealed. A fitting finale to a stunning series
Just as a note. I’ve already read both of these stories when they were published separately. I’m going to condense my reviews of both into this one so anyone reading those reviews will understand that this ebook combining the two stories is an over-the-top way to get to read two extremely heated, steamy, and sultry books from Victoria Vale in one fell swoop (and no, don’t ask, I have no idea what a fell swoop is, never did, and gave up asking a long time ago).
I’ll do the Butterfly first since this was, of the two, my favorite. This book is the sequel to The Villain Duology, which consisted of The Villain and The Dove. The book centers around two characters I met in previous books, and yes, you definitely have to read The Duology first. Without the background of the other two books, you won’t appreciate the story’s point of view and you will be lost within the references of all that went before.
Niall, who began in the old Earl’s employ as a stableboy (working for and with his father), and Olivia who was the step-daughter of the old Earl, and step-sister to the man referred to in the title of The Villain, the new Earl Of Hartmoor, have been in love nearly all of their lives, having been children together at Dunnotar. Olivia grows up loving Niall, but in Regency England, no permanent connection can be made – that just isn’t done. Eventually circumstances in the form of the old earl interfere and off she goes to London for the first “season” and experiences a violent attack and horrible events following it (none of these events will be noted here because I’m not going to post one spoiler – this book was so different than the first two, I want you to read every single word without knowing what’s going to happen – and if you’ve read the first two, then you already know what I’m referencing). The Butterfly brought back a time in my life where I read romances – didn’t matter what era, didn’t matter who wrote it – and loved being teary eyed when the Happily Ever After rolled around. I found myself in more than one place tearing up, not only for Livvie, but for Niall and Adam and Daphne, as well as the other women who have an important place in this book. I always cry at happy endings, but I cried for Livvie in places too. She withstood many horrors before finally coming back to Niall, but she comes out of the depths of hell to survive and to grow stronger, basking in Niall’s love. And when you read the book, you’ll find that is the absolute best ending for them. And one added note: BEST EPILOGUE EVER !!!!!!!
And now the Damsel – Justice. That’s a word that applies to the heroine of this story – Cassandra. And the word I would use to describe Robert Stanley, our hero, is steadfast. But that’s enough of that for now, I will come back to them later. Once again, the Queen of Regency Smut has written a book that combines every single technical point that can be included in a novel, and then she put the icing on the cake by adding the scenes that she loves so well, the hot, steamy, erotic scenes between Cassandra and Robert. Victoria Vale writes erotic scenes as if she were born to it. She holds nothing back, and whether you liked the idea of domination and submission when you began reading this book, the story will convince you that you should like them a little, maybe a lot, in fact you should love them. If you appreciate GOOD erotica, this book brings it all home. By GOOD erotica I mean honest, earthy, downright hot sex, written with emotion and charm. Because if the emotion isn’t there, then all it is, is sex.
The book is a continuation of The Villain Duology, which consisted of The Villain and The Dove and the book that followed, The Butterfly. At the end of The Dove, we see the foundation upon which this book, The Damsel, was built. And in The Butterfly, we see more and more of the background of the book. But when we open the pages of The Damsel, we discover that there is far more to Cassandra Lane than we knew already. She carries the guilt, the angst, the hatred, and the PTSD (although they wouldn’t have used that term then) from the attack that we read about in The Duology. And we also met Robert Stanley there as Daphne’s boyhood admirer, and a man who believed himself in love with Daphne until he helps her chase after Hartmoor in The Dove and actually delivers her to him, despite his love for her.
Stanley is still in the throes of heartbreak (he thinks) over Daphne when he is approached by Cassandra in a pub, aptly named, The White Cock. 😉 It is then that Robert discovers what Cassandra wants from him, and we find out that he is more than willing to give it to her. But there’s much more to this story. It is a story of a man who has suffered more pain from loss than any one person should have to suffer. It is a story of a woman’s struggle to accept her past and accept the love of a man, despite thinking that she isn’t deserving. One of the reasons I have been enamored of Victoria Vale’s writing is that she hates weak women almost as much as me. And if a woman starts out weak in one of her books, she won’t stay that way for long. Her women are fierce, warriors. Cassandra starts out strong and gets stronger. I loved her in this book. Absolutely loved this character. And Robert Stanley is the perfect foil for that strong woman.
I don’t cry when I read books. It takes a powerful story and powerful characters to make me tear up. And you’ll never get me to actually cry out loud. Nope. Not happening. I love it when I’m wrong. This is the SECOND story in THIS book to make me cry. This one managed to wring me out and hang me out to dry while I read it. The characters have gone through so much in this story that it was impossible not to feel sad when they recounted their past. So from now on, I guess I have to keep tissues nearby for Mistress Vale books also.