Lady Gillian Marlowe knew among these dirty soldiers was her bridegroom- The Earl of Manchester known as the Panther. Gillian’s father had suddenly got ill and passed away. The wedding was planned. Gillian did think about running away but her home and village depended on her. She only found a small comfort in taking her hawk Ares out to the valley. Anne was Gillian’s stepmother and yelling at Gillian for the way she looked right now as she had borrowed a shift from one of the maids to take Ares out. Anne went out of her way to make Gillian’s life miserable.Royce who was the Earl watched Gillian not knowing it was his future bride. And felt intense desire for her. This stunned Royce to react so strongly with just the sight of a woman. Usually his first thought of females was distrust. Royce did not want to marry but it was necessary to get more land and have an heir. Royce felt Anne required close scrutiny. Something about Anne set off a lot of warnings.Simon was her illegitimate brother that few knew about. Both Simon and Gillian felt Anne was the reason their father had died. Royce was one of the few men the King truly trusted. Gillian had yet to meet a man - besides her father- who cared for the women they married rather than her lands. Gillian was determined her husband would not be able to just dismiss her. The Panther would not take her down. Deep inside Gillian was attracted to Royce and wanted him to care about her even if only a little. Gillian had slapped Royce when he suggested maybe she was a traitor he then kissed her in a very rough manner but then Gillian's body warmed and she started responding to his kiss then the kiss softened some. Then a strange calm came over Gillian as his lips moved gently over hers. Royce is sure Gillian has her secrets and he is determined to find them out especially if she was a traitor. Royce had the alpha master in him and has to make Gillian bend to him but in a pleasurable way. Gillian is surprised she enjoys being controlled by her husband.
I liked this story a lot. I liked how Gillian was determined to be more than a woman in Royce’s bed and a manager of his home. This was a fast read with a lot of hot sex in it. It is well written and has a good plot. I had no problem keeping my attention on this story from beginning to end. But it didn’t completely WOW me . I really liked the characters and the ins and outs of this story and I recommend.

I really enjoyed this book, enough so, that I went out and bought two more titles! That's probably the best recommendation you can get!

A very well written book. Hot hot hot-engaging and very readable.

A good solid story. Unique plot. I enjoyed this story.

Still not sure how I feel about this novel. On one hand, it was well written in terms of style with some steamy erotic scenes. On the other hand, it’s one of those historical novels where the male lead literally does whatever he wants to the female lead because “that’s just how it was back then.” And the heroine just accepts it because the sex is so good.

I hate being that person, but the feminist in me was highly annoyed that the female leads turns into a sex craved airhead. I loathe slut shaming and believe women should be embrace their sexuality, but that’s not what happened here. I was excited that this was supposed to be a historical erotica that involved bondage. However, I felt it had more a Stockholm Syndrome feel

That being said, if you can get past that annoying aspect, it’s can be an enjoyable novel with a fairly decent storyline. The mystery aspect added another dimension to the story and it was interesting watching it play out. The female lead was strong up until she became a sex crazed. Honestly, the best part of this novel is the cover.

This was a fun read. I really enjoyed the tension between the characters throughout the story. Even though they're forced to marry in the beginning and there is a definite connection, there still are doubts within the marriage that lead to this delicious tension. It was fun being in both characters' heads and watching the feelings they have for each other evolve. I thought the story realistically showed how an arranged relationship can turn into something beautiful. The story was hot and steamy and I definitely recommend this for fans of historical erotic romance. I received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.