~thank you, netgalley, for the e-arc~


THIS WAS SO GOOD 🤚🏽 The banters here were TOP NOTCHED. The author really did well in writing the characters, especially their traits and colordul personalities, which made it even more fun.

Not to mention the SMUT, WHICH WAS SO SMUTTY 🌶🌶🌶🌶 I definitely enjoyed that one as well.

All characters, the mains, Emma and James, the side characters, Alexandra, Richard, Isabelle, and Challahan were all so well written that they were just permanently embedded into my memory. I love the relation of these characters, especially the siblings, Alexandra, Richard, and James.

I'm also excited in Richard and Miss Anne's story as well as Isabelle and Challahan? I think they will be the pairing.

Overall, this was so good 💕 4.5⭐️

Thank you, Aria & Aries and NetGalley, for the advanced copy of A Touch Wicked.

I love this series! It's such a fun quick historical romance read. This is an updated full-length novel of the authors previously self-published novella of the same name. Whether you are new to Katrina Kendrick/Eliazbeth May or have enjoyed her novels before, pick this one up and give it a go! You won't regret it!

Emma is looking for her sister. Her sister's Paris apartment was broken into and practically destroyed, but Emma found part of an invitation to The Masquerade, a secret exclusive club in London. Emma finds employment as a lady's maid to the Earl of Kent's unruly sister, and the sister is all too happy to help Emma sneak her way out of the house and into The Masquerade. The Masquerade has two rules: leave by morning, and don't reveal your identity. When Emma finds herself in a precarious position, she knows just the man she's dealing with: James, the Earl of Kent. Unable to stay away from each other, will James be able to deal with the fact that she's known who he was the entire time or will the truth be too much for him?

𝐋𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐋𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧.

The story follows Emma Dupont, a girl with a mission, find her sister whatever it takes. After losing their mum, soon she finds herself alone, and so when she visits her sister and finds her little parisian apartment trashed, knows she has to find her, dead or alive. So she starts her journey to find her with only one hint, a Masquerade invitation for a night.

James Grey, is the most eligible bachelor and the Earl of Kent. He needs to find a wife, so when he gets an invitation to the Masquerade doesn’t think too much about it. He needs to be free of his role for a few hours, what possible go wrong?

♡ What did I like about this book?

I liked the siblings banter a lot, it made me laugh a few times. Richard, James and Alexandra, honestly my favorite siblings was Alexandra, she was witty and sassy, quick and iconic. Do I have to say more?
OH, and I loved the way she banter with Callahan, I saw so much chemistry between them! Him being so grumpy and her being a sunshine madness.

And I also loved James. He was super sweet, caring and had a great character development! I definitely will keep reading Katrina Kendrick books!

♡Also a big thank you to Aria or Aries for giving me the chance to read this book in an exchange for an honest review and an edit!

3 stars

The book was entertaining, sure, but I wouldn't necessarily call it great. The characters never drew me in enough to want to read more about them, to want to know more about them. To be fair, it is a spicy romance book and it certainly took a bit longer for the spice to appear than I expected, but it was still just not entirely it. I kept taking breaks because I just didn't feel like contuining which is a shame.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for providing me with the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Having been in a real regency/historical romance kick lately, I jumped at the chance to pick up A Touch Wicked. Unfortunately, this fell into the more porn than plot end of the genre for me (any smut fans out there will love this one), and I felt like the romance was a little rushed, both things ultimately leading to me liking, but not loving, this one.

Emma is a great MC. Someone who has had to struggle for everything in life after her father abandoned Emma, her sister, Isabel and their mother. While Emma stuck to the lawful side of moneymaking, her sister Isabel went the other way. Something that lead to them drifting apart as adults, but when Emma gets what seems to be a final goodbye letter from her sister, she has to investigate. She's someone who will do anything for those she loves, but she absolutely didn't intend to fall for an Earl, her boss. James, The Earl of Kent, is someone who has had to look after his siblings from a young age. Someone responsible, someone who knows his role, that is until he meets Emma and all of society's rules start making less and less sense. I enjoyed these two characters, not only seeing their relationship bloom, but also getting to see them interact with others. However, my favourite character was James' younger sister, Alexandra. She's one of those characters you can't help but fall in love with, a women who scoffs at society's rules, determined to make her own and I loved seeing the equal amounts of love and exasperation she brings out in both Emma and her brother.

I do think the synopsis is a little miss-leading in parts, which might be why I didn't love this one as much as I'd hoped. Emma hasn't pined over the Earl of Kent for years, rather it's less than a few weeks between their first meeting and their first anonymous night together, anonymous on Emma's side anyway because she knows who James is. It just moved a little fast for me, and I felt like the smut scenes, as much fun as they were, took up far too much page time and actually detracted from the mystery surrounding Emma's sister. There was even a certain part of the book where Isabel was at deaths door, but Emma still found time for a quickie, and it just seemed against her character in a lot of ways. It's 100% more porn than plot when it comes to Emma and James, the pretty much meet and then fall into bed with each other and the romance scenes are very descriptive, just a warning if that's not your kinda thing. But for those of you out there who are here for the smut and the smut alone I would highly recommend giving this one a go... you will not be disappointed.

The mystery surrounding Isabel, Emma's sister, was actually my favourite part of this book so I was obviously disappointed when it got so little page time. It was a part of the story that really allowed Alexandra to shine and I think I could read 100 books with her as the MC. She was the one side character that was actually somewhat developed, and I enjoyed her 'before her time' attitude to things. But there were huge parts of the book where this just seemed to fall to the back burner, mostly when Emma and James were at the masquerade, something that annoyed me, but also meant the pacing of the story was all over the place. The romance felt rushed and dragged out at the same time, whilst the mystery was big at the start and took up most of the final few chapters, but not much in between.

Overall this was an enjoyable read for me, but one where I did find myself more interested in one of the side characters than the two main ones... give me an Alexandra book asap.

Let me break this book down into the good and the bad.

The good: the mystery concerning Isabel was really good and kept the reader guessing for quite a while. It was nice the story was written from dual viewpoints. The hero’s sister was such a good character, and I hope a follow up book is written about her. She was ahead of her time, and just really hilarious, for running wild. The overall storyline is something I’ve not seen before, so it was good for its originality. An epilogue is always good.

The bad: the language style makes it seem like it was written by a teenager. There was altogether too much modern vernacular, which made it distracting, to the point I wouldn’t have been surprised if someone said riz. There multiple very explicit sex scenes, to the point probably 1/3 of the book was comprised of them, and they added nothing to the story, just gratuitous sex scenes, probably because the author was working under the principle “sex sells”, but made it come across like a mills and boon or bridgerton type novel. I wish the author had done this book with closed door sex scenes as I feel this would’ve better balanced the book so that rather than sex scenes being the main focus, the storyline and romance could take centre stage

The only reason this book gets 4 and not 5 stars is that the ending felt rushed. Most of the book proceeded at a languid pace and could have picked up a little to make the ending not feel that way, but that also may just have been me.

I really loved both of the main characters (and the side characters) and the plot was one that I haven't seen much of before. Their banter and relationship was great up until the MMC decided he loved the FMC. It seemed out of nowhere since he still didn't know she was the woman he'd been having a tryst with and then the rest of the book snowballed from there.

This book is SPICY, but delicisously so. Their entanglements are so well done and not overwhelming.

I would definitley read other books by this author and in this series.

I love this genre, and the premise was great. But I found it utterly unbelievable that two people could have sex on multiple occasions in masks - what, they stayed on the whole time??? AND even though those masks showed eyes, that those same two people would not recognise one another despite LIVING in the same house. Hmmmm. I couldn't get past that.

Really enjoyed this story! The author was able to pack in a lot of drama in such a short story. It was an intriguing plot a little out of the norm of most historical romances and the characters were fresh and exciting. The characters were well developed, pacing was good, and the writing was skilled. My only issue was the end felt a tad dragged out, I thought Emma could have come around a bit quicker.

Once you get past the fact that the hero in this historical fiction was essentially fooled by a mask, a wig, and an accent, even while being intimate with someone over a few days, this romance's adventurous side is a fresh variation on a traditional historical fiction! I love the idea that back in the
day, you could literally be whoever you wanted to be and make it happen simply by showing up!

Our heroine is also of the industrious.. 'do whatever it takes to get the job done' sort, and I love these kinds of characters. A must-read for your historical fiction romances TBR!

**Thank you to Ballantine Books & NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. I received this book for free, but all thoughts are my own. – SLR 🖤

An enjoyable read with a bit of mystery and steam. It was a quick read and well written. The pace was fast and it didn’t get bogged down and the characters and interactions were really fun to read. I haven’t read any other books by this author but will definitely look out for her now. Would recommend if you enjoy regency romances. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me access to an early copy of this book.

I recently had the pleasure of delving into this book, and I am beyond impressed with the mesmerizing world that the author has crafted. From start to finish, the intricate plot weaves a tapestry of suspense, emotion, and unexpected twists that kept me eagerly turning the pages.

One of the standout features of this book is undoubtedly its characters. Each one is meticulously developed, breathing life into the narrative with their unique personalities, motivations, and flaws. The protagonists are not just names on paper; they are relatable, complex individuals with whom readers can form a genuine connection. The antagonist, too, is not a mere foil but a multi-dimensional force that adds depth to the story. The author's ability to create such well-rounded characters is a testament to their storytelling prowess.

The plot unfolds seamlessly, drawing the reader into a richly layered narrative that expertly balances tension, drama, and moments of poignant reflection. The pacing is impeccable, maintaining a perfect rhythm that keeps the reader engaged without sacrificing the depth of the story. The author skillfully navigates through various plot arcs, interweaving them with finesse to create a cohesive and satisfying whole.

What sets this book apart is its ability to tackle profound themes while maintaining an accessible and engaging narrative. The book seamlessly combines suspense and emotional depth, making it a truly immersive experience. The author's prose is both elegant and evocative, painting vivid imagery that lingers in the reader's mind long after the final page is turned.

As I reached the conclusion, I found myself yearning for more from this talented author. Their ability to craft a gripping plot and bring characters to life is truly commendable. I eagerly anticipate future works and would wholeheartedly recommend this book to any reader who appreciates a masterfully told tale. If you're searching for a book that seamlessly blends captivating characters with a compelling plot, this is a shining example. I can't wait to explore more literary worlds crafted by this exceptional storyteller.

I loved this book. It was such a good read for February. The story was so intriguing that it hooked me immediately. I'm pretty picky about historical fiction but this was one of the best historical fiction books I have read.

wow! i am blown away by this book!! it was just so fun and exciting and thrilling and wonderful!! thank you so much to netgalley for letting me have an early copy!!

3🌟

A short, sweet and scandalous period drama set in London 1872.

This was a fun little book, short and sweet with just 231 pages. It had a whole mix of elements, including a little bit of a mystery.

This is a very spicy, historical romance, so for fans of Bridgerton, this one is for you.

The only things that I didn’t particularly enjoy was that it was so short it felt very rushed at times. It also felt like we could’ve gotten a bit more information in there and a bit less spice. But for a short novel, it was still pretty good.

A regency romance with a masquerade ball is a win for me. I loved this so much. I’m not normally one for a novella but I did enjoy this. The spice was great and I loved the characters. I just wish I knew the book was part of a series before I read it so I could fully sink into the world and appreciate it.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me this earc! All reviews are my own.


This novella was beautifully written. My only complaint was that I was left wanting MORE! I will definitely be checking out more books from this author because their writing was amazing. I felt a connection to each character in this book and it is truly amazing to accomplish that in such a short span of a book!

Thank you Aria & Aries for providing the ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, A Touch Wicked was not for me. The writing was decent and I liked the set up of the plot initially. I can even overlook the historical inaccuracies. But after reading all these pages I could not describe the characters if my life depended on it. Also they fell in love and lust immediately, but he still could not recognise the woman he was "romancing" weekly was his maid that he was also attracted to because... she was wearing a mask and speaking French when they were doing the nasty. Don't know about that.

I understand this book has been rewritten and edited into a full-length novel from a novella, and I could kinda tell, some parts were puzzled together incoherently and seemed rushed.

I definititely enjoyed the beginning of the novel more than the rest. Also I loved the character Alexandra and will check out if there's a book about her.

4.5 stars

I’d read the original novella of this story and enjoyed it. This version is fantastic; we get more character development, more spice, and more intrigue. I particularly enjoyed the extra spicy scenes!
The main story has our main characters falling in love without knowing each other’s true identity and as themselves. We have sparkling banter and a slow burn in real life, and scorching chemistry in secret. We also have a side story line with lots of danger involving Emma’s missing sister and the life-threatening situation she’s gotten into. Plus we get great introductions to Alexandra and Richard, each of whom get their own book and romance.
Overall, really enjoyed this again and appreciate the editing and extra story we got.
I am however taking off 1/2 star for the fact that the characters never talk BC which is a pet peeve, especially in a historical romance.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the preview. All opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley, publisher Aria, and author Katrina Kendrick for providing an ARC in exchange for a review! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3 stars

A short, fun and steamy murder mystery. The premise of this book really called to me and I was quite excited to start reading, but it wasn’t what I was expecting. The relationship between our main characters was a bit off and very insta-lovey, and basically fell in love with each other without really having an actual conversation (I know we see this insta-love/lust trope in most romance books nowadays, but it just isn’t for me). Moreover, I wish we could’ve known more about Emma’s sister and their real participation in the late Victorian Suffragette movement.