Love Katrina Kendrick books and this was no exception.
Very much looking forward to the rest of the books in the series.
THank you for the early copy!

The cinderella style plot line of secret identities at a masquerade club was what ultimately drew me in to this novella. In addition to the cute covers (I find that historical romance is, how else to put this, behind the times when it comes to swearing away from shirtless men on the covers and oddly sensual scenes with real people). However, the nature of the relationship (and the wait progressed) was of the insta-lust variety and not based in enough love, connection, and friendship.

To put it lightly, I did not particularly care for the nature of the spicy scenes. There were a lot of them, and I promise I am not one to complain about the frequency if it fits amongst the plot events and serves a purpose. I understand that the entire plot is based on the characters hooking up at a club, but this brought down my reading experience substantially. You know, I think my primary issue was not the elevated frequency alone but the added aspect of them being written not to my standards. Listen, girl power and all, but it seemed strange and out of character for this woman to act as the supremely dominant one in the bedroom, not to mention a tad historically inaccurate. Let's put it this way: the first scene was not particularly...focused on female pleasure. Not being sold on the first scene really caused me to check out form this book. Plus, the usage of some cringy sexual terminology during those scenes really put me off.

I'd like to mention that people in the reviews for this book kept noting that the heroine is active in the late Victorian Suffragette movement. I wouldn't say that. Other than, after being directly asked by the hero's sister, revealing that she is in favor of women's suffrage (in addition to a few more mentionings), that was practically the extent of her "participation."

Ultimately the ending left much to be desired. This book claims to be a feminist/progressive historical romance, but I did not have that experience. I think that type of story would be possible with the duke's sister as the main heroine. Unfortunately, I have little faith in this author's ability to carefully craft a plot and pursue adequate character development, so I will not be sticking around to find out.

I really liked this book a lot. I feel like their was so much excitement from start to finish & was not hard to immediately get into ! An I was honestly surprised to have such a big story fit in such a small amount of time ! I do wish there was a little bit more expansion on characters though. But I absolutely love the different point of view perspectives. This was a very well written historical romance but also had a modern vibe to it that it made it easy to put myself in the book ! This book absolutely will be among my favorites reads for 2023!

I had to DNF rather quickly. I couldn't get on with the writing style at all, it read like fanfiction or a creative writing project to me. It just didn't flow.

grumpy Earl x mysterious lady’s maid

Reasons why you should read this book:
✔️ scandalous 🌶️ masquerade
✔️ fmc who takes charge in bed
✔️ grumpy Earl obsessing with his mysterious lady’s maid
✔️ strong female characters all rebelling against societal norms & driving men crazy

Wonderful historical romance that weaves together the story of young Emma lost in London and a stern Earl of Kent who is resigned to a dull life of aristocracy. When their worlds collide there are sparks ✨ and some bangs 🌶️🌶️

Don’t be fooled by the cover! This book is extra spicy 🥵 with heroine taking charge in bed and not being shy about it! Even though this is a historical romance the author used ‘modern’ words to describe all bedroom activities which I really appreciated.

I just loved how obsessed James was with Emma. Both the Emma he knew as a lady’s maid as well as the anonymous seductress Emma he met at the Masquerade 🎭

“We all have our ghosts. Would you like my help with yours?”

“She wanted him to forget her? God, but he wished he could. If only to reclaim some scrap of sanity.”

This is the first book I’ve read from this author and I will definitely add the rest of the series to my TBR.

grumpy x sunshine
boy obsessed
anonymous 🌶️ escapades
forced proximity
interesting side characters

I loved this book and i loved the title thats what grabbed me to apply for it. thanks to netgalley to give me this book to read and review.

I love how the mc is a maid and she gets a job at this wealthy place with her boss being this woman who has a brother and the brother is like going after her knowing she isnt titled just a nobody. the sex scenes were fire!! this book is super steamy so trigger warnings when you read it.
Loved how the story ended and i just couldn't stop turning the pages. 5 stars!

3.5 🌟
First read by this author. Set in 1872 with mystery, suspense and spice. There are secret identities, nobility, banter and employer vs employee role. This book had a nice story line while giving you the steam you also want to read.

The next story in this series is about Richard and Anne. I’m not sure his character stood out enough for me to want to continue the series. Alexandra was the star for me, hopefully her story hasn’t come to an end.

I picked this one out because it was an interesting premise. I wished there were more interactions between them as the employee and boss. The buildup of their relationship was mostly lust. Which was okay but I needed more love. Also, the sister plot of the story was a bit disappointing. I needed more of what was going on and felt that part of the story was rushed. The ending was cute. Overall, it was okay. Would I buy this book, probably not but I encourage others to read it.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my arc.

James is the the most eligible bachelor but he's enchanted by Emma- a penniless nobody at a masquerade.
Will true love save all?

Love James and Emma together. Wonderful dialogue. Great characters. Love the swoon and steam.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

I grew up reading Regency era romances - I actually started reading modern romances pretty recently, like within the last 3-4 years. I received an ARC copy of this book and fell right back into the era like chatting with an old friend. This had everything I loved about the Regency books I used to read - the clothes, the manners, the flowery language - and nothing I didn't. I stopped reading Regencies because of the misogyny and weirdness surrounding sex (weird for a "sex book" as my husband likes to tease me) A Touch Wicked by Katrina Kendrick had none of that. The FMC and all the female side characters had fully built personalities and had thoughts beyond finding a husband and what to wear to the next ball, and the MMC and the other men in the book loved that for them. I adored Alexandra and really want Isabel to have her own story. The reason I read romance is because I know I'm going to get a HEA - but the journey to HEA in this story was unexpected and delightful. 5/5 from me!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

Although this is a prequel, some minor spoilers for the next few books are present. Unsure if this will be kept in the official publishing but always a fun read!

This is a really quick fun read. First of all - the spice is amazing. There were words I would have chosen differently but my heart definitely skipped a beat a couple times. The characters are all so well written and well fleshed out despite it being such a short book. And the women supporting women energy is amazing in this one. I do think the end was dragged out just a little longer than it needed to be but overall the pacing was also really great. Would highly recommend if you're looking for a fast adventurous romance.