A Matter Of Temptation by Stacy Reid
Miss Wilhelmina "Mina" Crawford is desperate. Having been ruined in the eyes of society years ago for one foolish, starry-eyed mistake, she spends her days secreted away at her family's crumbling estate, helping her brother manage the land but not able to truly live life the way she's always dreamed. When her brother admits to just how dire their finances have gotten, she takes it upon herself to procure employment...but the only one who will even consider the scandalous idea of a female secretary is the brilliant, ruthless, and infuriating Earl of Creswick.
Simon Loughton, the Earl of Creswick, needs help if he wants to finally pass the reform bill he's been championing for years and secure the vote for England's most vulnerable constituents. Too bad help comes in the form of a woman with breathtaking nerve, fiery red hair, and a sense of humor to match.
Now temptation--disguised as a lovely, clever-mouthed devil--lives and works under Simon's very roof. And Mina finally feels as though she's truly living life to her wildest dreams. But even the most incendiary of kisses can't incinerate Mina's past...or the shocking secret that could ruin them both.
I had so much fun reading this one. I don't think there's a Stacy Reid
book that I ended up not liking 🤔 She's one of my recent fave HR
authors that I've discovered in the last few years. I'd been reading a
string of fantasy romance books back to back, and this one was a nice
treat to break that up 😆
In this book, we have Mina Crawford, who ends up disguising herself as
her twin brother to duel with the Earl of Creswick - Simon. She bests
him but he quickly discovers that she's a woman - and admires her for
it.
There's nothing too sinister, he just wanted to correct Mina's brother
and teach him a few things. While Mina and her brother, Anthony have
quite a few problems - debt and many other things - they have each
other's backs too. And Simon, who's admired(and hated) by many in the
political field, ends up hiring Mina as a secretary while he works to
bring about certain social reforms.
Mina and Simon were a great pair and I loved how their relationship
slowly developed! She made a mistake a few years back and is now
'ruined' according to society, but that doesn't stop her from doing the
things that she wants to do now. And though Simon is focused and
strait-laced, he's not an unfeeling robot. He's such a softie inside 😂
I love watching these two discover things about each other that they
didn't show to everyone else easily! There's a lot of witty banter
between that made me smile(though Mina wasn't allowed to 🤣). I don't
think I need to say much about the steam, it was amazing as always!
There's also a little bit of angst due to Mina's secret and Simon's
work, but it was handled well. I just don't know what happened to those
threats against Simon? It just faded to the background in the latter
half.
Anyway, this was a lovely historical romance with a swoon-worthy
relationship that you'd definitely enjoy reading!
You can also find my review on bookstagram here
*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest
review*
You can also find my reviews of the author's other books here
USA Today Bestselling author Stacy Reid writes sensual Historical and
Paranormal Romances and is the published author of over twenty books. Her
debut novella The Duke’s Shotgun Wedding was a 2015 HOLT Award of Merit
recipient in the Romance Novella category, and her bestselling Wedded by
Scandal series is recommended as Top picks at Night Owl Reviews, Fresh
Fiction Reviews, and The Romance Reviews.
Stacy lives a lot in the worlds she creates and actively speaks to her
characters (aloud). She has a warrior way “Never give up on dreams!” When
she’s not writing, Stacy spends a copious amount of time binge-watching
series like The Walking Dead, Altered Carbon, Rise of the Phoenixes, Ten
Miles of Peach Blosson, and playing video games with her love. She also
has a weakness for ice cream and will have it as her main course.
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