What is my final review?

First off, thank you Penguin Random House-Loveswept and Netgalley for this advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review. I will be using my new way of reviewing books to make it fair for the authors and readers across the board. 

The Characters? Were the characters lovable, likable, or redeemable? Did the author blur the lines with their characters? Yes and yes. The author did an excellent job of blurring the lines with the main characters which are Lady Hestia Cary and Alexander Sylvester Bracken who is the Duke of Bedford. Alexander had demons he had to conquer in order to heal his "dark" heart. And Hestia would be the one to save him. She started off as a weak "damsel in distress," but she turned into a force of nature towards the end. You have to read the book to find out. I gave a 5/5 for this section. The author did create a likable character. 
The plot? Did the other use many plots? Is there a hook into the next book or does it end on a cliffhanger? Were there any plot holes? No plot holes and no cliffhanger. The epilogue sets it up for the next novel. This author used many plots. The plots are: Alexander battling his opioid drug addiction, Alexander avoiding Hestia because he didn't believe he's good enough for her, Alexander battling the demons from the captivity he was placed in, the wicked cousin of Hestia's, Frederick, and Murad. Murad placed Alexander in captivity to be his own little deviant toy in the past. There were many plots swirling throughout this book. At the end of the epilogue, the author sets us up for Stephen, another tortured Duke. You have to solve these plots when you read this book.  Yes, the author nailed the plots. I gave a 5/5 for this section.
The Writing? For the most part, the author did an excellent job. There was a few problems for me. For example in Chapter 25: "He lips curved into that heartbreaking smile of his." And there were a few more sentences that did pull me out of the story. Wrong comma usage and wonky sentences at different times. I gave a 3/5 stars for this section.
Formatting? No issues with formatting. No wonky sentences falling off the page. And I did receive the entire book. A 5/5 for this section.
Book cover? Even though the book cover is delicious to gawk at, he's missing chest hair from what the book stated. And it seems as though the character on the front book cover is a little darker than the character in the book. I was expecting a man with long, fair hair on the front cover. I gave a 4/5 for this section. 
Averaging a total score of 5+5+3+5+4=22/4.4 for a total star count of 4. 



What are my personal thoughts? I have one issue with this book. We can argue that they were both consensual, but I disagree. I believe it's in chapter 18. The first time they have sex. He was not in any shape to have sex if he was drugged up. In a sense, he didn't consent to sex. If the characters were switched, we would be outraged. BUT! This is fiction. Whatever happens in fiction, stays in fiction. Just that part rubbed me the wrong way. That scene had issues for me. But, I enjoyed the ending much better. That was my only complaint out of the entire book. Yes, I'll read more from the author in the future.

--As always, I'm just another asshole with an opinion.

Good setting and strong characters. Helps you understand that moving forward is the best option. No matter what your past you can always continue on and find happiness.

I love this author and have enjoyed all her books. I wish authors would stop making all their heros manwhores though. I still enjoyed this book

Alexander Bracken, Duke of Bedford, escaped captivity from a Turkish pirate years ago. His demons from those days never leave him and the only brightness he can ever recall is the time he rescued Lady Hestia Cary from a similar fate.

Hestia has had hero worship since the day she was saved by Alex and over the years she fell deeply in love with him. He feels he must shelter her from his darkness and shuns her from his life. Fate however intercedes and they are forced to travel back to his nightmares in order to rescue Hestia’s father and to keep her safe from an opportunistic cousin. For Alex, he seeks revenge against the man at the root of his nightmares. Will the time aboard Alex’s ship be enough for Hestia to heal him from feeling he is undeserving of love?

This was not a your typical romance novel. There was so much darkness and pain throughout. Death lurked around every corner, torture abounded and addiction played a central piece to the story. I had no idea how the author would bring any light into such travesties that continually plagued the hero and heroine, but she did.

It was a gripping story and my one complaint was Hestia’s father getting off easy after how he ignored his daughter and kept her always at risk from harm. He should have kissed Alex’s feet for all the times he kept Hestia safe instead of being an obstacle in their relationship.

A different but wonderful romantic read!

What’s it About? Ever since Alexander, the Duke of Bedford rescued Lady Hestia Cary from a Turkish pirate six years ago, she’s been head over heels in love with him. She knows he is the only person who could help her find her missing father AND keep her safe. But she also wants him to see her as more than an obligation or a memory of a past he’s trying to forget. Alex has more than just his past to overcome though and he wants to make sure that he does so that when he finds Hestia’s father, he can ask him for his blessing to marry her. If their enemies don’t catch up to them first.




Overall reaction to the story? Addicted to the Duke had a great backdrop for a romance to happen. I liked the idea that Alex struggled with opium addiction due to his years as a slave and the darker theme of the plot BUT to me the execution of the story, the characters’ development, and even the romance fell a little flat. There was so much potential for a fleshed out story but instead it felt repetitive and the heroine felt more like a child than an adult woman. The story itself took awhile to really get going and there were too many moments of inner dialogue that could have been left out and made the story flow more smoothly.



Describe the hero in five words: Tortured. Desperate. Caring. Difficult. Survivor.

Did you like him? Yes.

Why? Alex survived being kept as a slave for 2 years but as a result he became addicted to opium. Throughout the book, he’s trying to beat that addiction and I felt he was going about it honestly. There were good days and there were bad. I liked that it wasn’t easy for him, addiction never is and I felt for the most part that Bronwen Evans was honest about that. Alex was easily the character who had the most growth throughout the story.


Describe the heroine in five words: Difficult. Childish. Naïve. Caring. Patient.

Did you like her? I should have, but I didn’t.

Why? I was never convinced that Hesita had more than a strong case of hero worship of Alex and that had to do a lot with the fact that she didn’t come off as an adult woman. At times I felt she was still the same 16 year old girl that Alex rescued years ago. Hestia wanted to be a strong character but she didn’t quite pull that off. Granted, she had her redeeming qualities: She was beyond patient with Alex which is what a struggling addict needs, and she was caring. Hestia was a nurturer at heart and that was something that Alex also needed. However, I felt that she wasn’t as fleshed out as she could have been.



Let’s talk about the romance: There was A LOT of inner monologue going on, particularly with Alex that it slowed down the romance and while I get that Alex had some huge obstacles to overcome, I felt that more time was spent on his and Hestia’s inner musings than on them actually working on their relationship. They didn’t lack in the physical chemistry area though but I felt their emotional connection need more than just the basics to be believable.


Click It or Skip It? Addicted to the Duke could have been much better than it was. I was all in with the darker tone and Alex’s demons being part of the conflict but Hestia fell too close to the annoying side and the abundance of unnecessary monologue and misplaced information stalled me time and time again and kept me from enjoying the story.

Alex has been looking for revenge against Murad, the Turkish pirate who captured him and kept him captive for two years. He had never thought it would be the beautiful Hestia who presents him with that chance.
Hestia has loved Alex from the day he freed her from the hands of Murad. When she finds herself in a difficult situation that threatens her life, she asks Alex for help.
I love Bronwen Evans’ books but this one is totally different from the others I’ve read by her. Although I enjoyed reading it, I found it very repetitive and full of inconsistencies. However, I loved Hestia. Her love for Alex is so great that no matter what people think about it, no matter Alex’s behavior towards her, or her father’s attitude for him. I liked Alex as well, although he was so damaged because of the things he was forced to do under the influence of opium that he was not able to see how much he loves Hestia.
As the book I read was an advanced copy and I consider that it was not totally edited, I have decided to give it a four stars rate.
I received a free review copy of this book by NetGalley

Turbulent seas of love and danger!

A terrible burden sears the soul of Alexander Sylvester Bracken, Duke of Bedford. Driven by guilt and the fear of opium addiction, Alex will sail into danger taking his past and future with him. Death seems sweet but maybe not as sweet as Lady Hestia Cary.
Six years ago Alex rescued Hestia from his deadliest enemy, the Turkish pirate Murad. Hestia fell irrevocably in love with Alex. Alex needed to steer clear of Hestia. He is a danger to both her and himself. Now Hestia's father is seemingly dead. Hestia is in danger from her father's heir and her heart is in danger from Alex. For her safety Hestia will accompany him on the voyage. The journey to the Mediterranean will test Alex's resolve with every league sailed.

A NetGalley ARC
(July 2017)

I love Bronwens books! I just love them! Her style of writing is so easy to get lost in and really enjoy the characters. I can never wait for another one!!

Addicted to the Duke by Bronwen Evans has an interesting twist in an historical romance. The two main characters are Alex and Hestia are well defined characters and struggle to get their happily ever after. The journey these two had was full of action and adventure. This book had romance, intrigue, action, heartache, pirates, ships and great locations. The story was interesting as it dealt with addiction to opium in a time when it was not readily recognized. The only negative to the story was that it sometimes was repetitive and just a bit too long. But overall, it was an interesting book and I enjoyed it.

Alex & Hestia were awesome! I absolutely loved these characters. The sparks between them every minute of the books were explosive. I couldn't wait to see what happened next. The way they loved each other but were denied was so exciting and challenging that I wasn't able to put this book down. The series is titled Imperfect Lords and couldn't be more accurate. While Alex wasn't perfect he was absolutely amazing and such a good person, who could blame Hestia for falling in love with the rogue!
I can't wait to read more in this series!!!

I really tried to hate this book by Ms. Browyn Evans because I don’t like the idea of the main male protagonist having a drug addiction. I think it’s just too close to home for me even though it’s Regency and not really in modern times but I just don’t like to read about drug addiction. I don’t mind the occasional use of it and to be used in emergencies but then I laugh at my silly ideas to judge the hero. There is always a reason and in the hero’s case I could forgive his human failings and even fall for him but I will get back to that in a moment. Since I am new to Ms. Evans beautiful writing style it really stunned me to not only discover another great Regency romance author to read but one that I will definitely read more of even if the heroes or heroines make mistakes and dare I say it are human. In fact I couldn’t stop reading this amazing adventure filled dazzling romance until the very end and loving the characters too.
Alexander “Alex” Sylvester Bracken the Marquess of Tavistock heir to the Duke of Bedford years ago in August 1811 in the Greek isle of Mykonos was supposed to be a hero and rescue a young girl the Lady Hestia Cary the Earl of Pembroke’s daughter from a cruel man. Four years later when Alex meets Hestia again he finds not a young girl but a beautiful woman. Hestia can’t help but still feel attraction to Alex in reality she has secretly loved Alex since he saved her from Murad the cruel man that took her. Alex has always been Hestia’s protector but knows he can’t be hers. Alex hears that Hestia’s father the earl has been declared dead but Hestia doesn’t believe it. Can Alex and Hestia find her father before others and Murad catches up before it’s too late?
As I said before I didn’t at first like the imperfect drug addicted hero Alex because it just hit to close to home. Of course the more I read into the book I just slowly fell for him. So he had problems which I didn’t expect he’s a lord so is supposed to have a perfect life not be addicted to drugs but in a sense this really made him who he was. I admired his struggle I couldn’t help but not only sympathize with him in his addiction but know that he was going to fight it all for love. Hestia was a strong willful feisty heroine. She wasn’t going to let Murad taint her even if he took her innocence but would stand strong no matter what happened to her. I couldn’t help but like her for strength and her personality. I can highly recommend this book to any Regency lovers that want something different and can’t wait to read more from Ms. Evans!

I very much enjoyed the relationship between Hestia and Alex. His revenge plot combined with the relative trying to murder and or kill Hestia made the entire mid section of the book seem a little overdone. The addiction issues were addressed in what seemed to me to be an historically accurate fashion, and I appreciated that. I was glad that her father had a change of heart at the end, but it seemed to happen with very little drama or persuasion. Overall, I'd like to read more in the series and I've enjoyed books by Bronwen Evans before, so this one being not quite as realistic doesn't bother me much.

1 helm

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Mmmm not a good book for me :( I struggled to get into the story and started skim reading from 30%. One of my favourite tropes in romance is the forbidden trope, where the H/h is expected to keep away from the other for whatever reason but they still end up together. The blurb was quite appealing as it had an adventure on the high seas as well as, touched on a few sensitive topics of drug addiction, abduction, slavery and rape so this book may not be suitable for those who are sensitive to these issues. Major kudos to Bronwen for venturing into these sensitive issues, as I do appreciate this isn't an easy feat.

Alexander Sylvester Bracken, Duke of Bedford, was captured when he was twenty-one and held captive as a slave by Murad - a Turkish pirate. Alex suffered many atrocities at Murad's hands and also picked up an addiction to opium. Alex manages to escape and forge a life for himself but is filled with many demons which he tries to exorcise by losing himself in numerous, countless, faceless women. Lady Hestia Cary was kidnapped by this same pirate when she was sixteen and if it wasn't for Alex coming to her rescue she would have suffered a fate worse than death at the hands of Murad.

Fast forward six years and ever since Alex saved her life, she has never stopped loving or yearning for Alex but Alex keeps his distance even though he loves her too. Unknown to Hestia, Alex has promised Hestia's father than he would never court her or seek her hand in marriage. Now Hestia's father is missing and Lady Hestia has sought out Alex to help her find him and bring him back home. It would have been an easy mission to accomplish if he didn't have to take Hestia along with him for her own safety. Away from home and stuck on a ship together, awareness of each other runs high and inhibitions and promises are not heeded and Alex and Hestia cannot deny each other any longer.

What a great adventure it sounded like! And really the storyline and plot had great potential, but Bronwen's writing style was difficult to get into and didn't flow well in my opinion. There were lots of anachronistic phrases and words and also many repetitions of inner thoughts of the H/h which I found really jarring. Hestia was too whiny and lovestruck in a childish way and I wasn't enamoured by her at all. She came across as rather silly to me. Alex is definitely a very very tortured hero who is battling an addiction, but I just couldn't muster a kinship with him no matter how hard I tried. The addiction was mentioned numerous times which was repeated too much and I felt like it took away from the intensity of Alex's suffering rather than enhance it. Both Hestia and Alex fighting their feelings for each other was annoying and haphazard, rather than heat filled yearning. I really liked the fact that, Bronwen was brave enough to touch on sensitive topics and it definitely is highly commendable, but sadly it just didn't do enough for me to not be bored.

*Thank-you Bronwen Evans, Netgalley & Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept for the ARC.

Thanks Random House Publishing Group - Loveswept and netgalley for this ARC

I wanted to whack some sense into the Duke. The tables are turned in this romance- it's a perspective you don't see everyday. The chemistry, passion, and adventure make this a thrilling read.

A few years ago Alexander Bracken, now the Duke of Bedford rescued a young girl from a man he knew all too well .
Now she needs his help again. Can he return to face the darkness of his past ?
Lady Hestia Cary is used to life without her father, the Earl of Pembroke, but when her distant cousin declares the Earl dead and himself the heir Hestia knows she is in trouble.
Our hero is a recovering addict forced to take a hard look at himself and how he is dealing with the past. The islands in the Mediterranean hold lots of danger and extremely unpleasant memories. Our heroine knows how dangerous the Mediterranean can be, but England could be just as bad for her. There is only one man she can turn to.
A difficult and emotional journey for our characters. You can't help but feel for them, even if you want to tell the hero to get his head out of his butt.
A story that will catch your attention straight away and keep it all the way through. A thoroughly enjoyable story.

Even when the historical romance brings similar characteristics of others, there is always some twist that can improve the story.
Hestia asked to the Duke of Bedford for help to find her father. She herself was in a dangerous position since she was without a protector.
Six years ago, Bedford had already helped rescue her from the hands of a pirate.
Detail: this same man had captured Bedford and done horrible things with him.
So now, even knowing that Hestia was in love with him-and he for her-Bedford didn't feel worthy of her.

Adventure, romance and an unconventional heroine.
5 stars

Alex and Hestia's story is surrounded by the complications of opium addiction. In today's culture and the heroine epidemic that's is overtaking many of our young people, this is a timely story that takes the same complications and gives a mirror to them. Alex is fighting his attraction to Hestia, as he feels he's not good enough for her due to his opium addiction and struggling sobriety. He loves her and feels responsible for her, which drives them both into some dangerous & life threatening situations. Hestia's belief in Alex and second chances eventually saves them both, and her addiction to him turns out to be all that's needed to bring him around to her thinking.

Loved Alex & Hestia's story, it was heart wrenching and wonderful. The characters were well written and the addiction story line was a crucial part to the way this story played out.

A terrible past haunts Alex and he must face his demons when he rescues Hestia. She knows her heart belongs to Alex, but it takes a lot of faith, patience, and strength to help him find his way to his own heart. Alex is a very tortured soul, physically and emotionally, and I wanted to help him see the light. Hestia is young and honest, but learns and accepts the bad in the world, and I applauded her strength. I highly recommend this story and give a mild warning about the dark aspects of this story. It kept me reading whenever I could. I enjoy Ms. Evans stories, and look forward to more in this series.

I received a copy of this story through Netgalley, and this is my unsolicited review.