I like Bronwen Evans, while I don’t always like her male leads, I did enjoy this book and felt it was nicely polished.

Drawn to the Marquess, has such a storyline that it was like a movie playing in my mind. So much happening that the story moved along quite quickly.

Though I have quite a number of this author's books, this is the first I've read by her. I was worried about starting with the second book in a series, but this stood alone just fine. (Though it made me SO want to go back and read the first book!) I thoroughly enjoyed this story.

I thought Stephen and Pen were great characters. Stephen was losing his sight, as had his father. He wanted to enjoy the beauty of the world...especially a woman in the throes of passion...before he was totally robbed of sight. Pen was the widow of an abuser, and her brother-in-law was trying to get people to believe she killed her husband so he could take possession of her home and wealth. She believes Stephen can help her to prove she didn't kill her husband. Thus begins a steamy romance filled with untold secrets.

Though it annoyed me that Pen kept secrets from Stephen even after they fell in love-dammit, just tell the man!-I still loved the two of them together. It was beautiful to see two broken people find love with each other. Steamy sex, secrets and an exciting conclusion make this book a must-read.

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

Good book with a flawed hero! Stephen, the Marquess of Clevedon is losing his eyesight but that doesn’t stop him from being a war hero and someone who is respected for his investigation skills. Penelope, recently widowed from a terrible man, is fearful of being accused of her husband’s death by his brother who refuses to believe the death was an accident. Who better for Penelope to “hire” to investigate her husband’s death but our hero, Stephen. As the investigation progresses so do the feelings of Stephen and Penelope. The downside, she trusts no man with her heart and especially her body, and he is afraid of someone loving a potential blind man, so he only wants a physical relationship. Can Penelope learn to trust again? Can Stephen give his heart to someone and realize his sight doesn’t make his less of a man? That is what you will find out after reading this book. I enjoyed the book overall but there were a few things that made me take away a star. First, I understand he likes to watch, but I would rather he only wanted to watch who he was with, not other couples! Also, I get tired of the common plot line of secrets/lies/mistrust. For example: Heroine-‘I lied to you because I don’t trust you, then I trust you but feel bad I lied.’ Hero- ‘I knows she is lying but I’m going to get mad when I find out and will not be able to trust you again until you do something terribly dramatic to change my mind.’ You can interchange the leads for this scenario and it’s exactly the same. I know this gives the drama of will they or won’t they get there happily every after, but sometimes I wish people were just honest from the beginning.

I loved Pen and Stephen. They are both tortured souls that were not looking for love. Pen needs help to keep her ex-brother-in-law from sending her to prison. She seeks help from Stephen. She researched him and found that he was someone who would get the information to keep her out of prison. She did not kill her husband. Stephen is glad to help Pen if she will allow him to try to seduce her. Pen has had enough of men running her life and she just gained her independence, so why would she want a man in her life? Stephen may be going blind so he isn't looking for any kind of relationship. He would not want to burden anyone if he went blind. He will not have children because he could pass the blindness on to a child. What they didn't count on was love. If they can weather the lies and uncertainties, they just might make it together.

Drawn to the Marquess ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️by Brownwen Evans

Stephen Hornsby, the Marquess of Clevedon, has finally come to the realization that he too will become blind like his father who committed suicide. A secret well kept by Stephen and his mother not to spoil the reputation of his father.

Stephen has become obsessed to enjoy all the beautiful sights he can while he still has his sight. A beautiful widow, Lady Penelope Fisherton has done her homework about Stephen and wants him to help her prove her innocence in her husbands death. Stephen being a former government spy.

Stephen takes on the assignment simply because he wishes to seduce Penelope. Penelope despised her husband but loves her home. She learns her brother in law wants to prove her guilty in her husbands accidental death in order to take her home and her wealth.

It is when Penelope observes Stephen as they both pursue to
clear her. She notices his difficulty with his sight. Ms Evan weaves a tale in which two strangers learn to trust both further learn to open their hearts and love each other for better or worse. This is a heartwarming tale every reader will enjoy.

Stephen Hornsby, the Marquess of Clevedon, has one goal: to see every exquisite thing he can before he goes blind. His greatest joy, watching a woman shuddering in the throes of passion, will be gone. But before the darkness descends, he is determined to seduce a magnificent widow, Lady Penelope Fisherton. Unfortunately, his rakish reputation has preceded him; Lady Penelope spurns his advances. Being a man who relishes a challenge, however, her reluctance adds only luster to his desire for the last beautiful sight he’ll ever see.

Considered the belle of London society, Lady Penelope was married to a scoundrel who cared for no one but himself. Now that she’s free, she wants nothing to do with love, passion, or desire—emotions that abandoned her with a cruel husband. So why does her body react when Stephen smiles? As much as she’d like to avoid the rogue, her brother-in-law wants her fortune, and he’ll kill to get it. Stephen is willing to help, but he’ll take only one thing in return: Her. In his bed.

Penelope Fisherton’s husband died under suspicious circumstances. His brother, the one who will inherit the title, is saying that Penelope had a hand in it. He’s mostly saying that because if Penelope is found guilty, he will inherit all the money that was left to her and not him. Penelope enlists the assistance of Stephen Hornsby to investigate.

Stephen is a man who is tormented. He is slowly going blind and hates it. He wants to appreciate all of the beauty he can before he can’t see any longer. When he sees Penelope he’s intrigued by her. When he finds out that she’s bidding on a painting that he wants, he’s even more intrigued. When they finally meet Stephen is besotted with her beauty. He agrees to help her investigate her husband’s death if she will allow him the opportunity to seduce her. She feels that she can never be seduced but she’s wrong.

I was pretty excited to read this book because, flawed hero, right? Sadly, I didn’t like it as much as I wanted to. There were many things about the book that I didn’t care for, but the main issue was that I felt nothing for the heroine and the hero together. There was no spark, not emotion – even when they were supposedly falling for each other. I have a big problem with emotionless romance books – it can’t be just me. I also had issue with the fact that the big conflict in the story was that Stephen knew that Penelope was keeping something from him and lying to him, but when he gets proof that she lied he’s totally upset and pissed off. Why was he so shocked? He knew she was lying all along. Sure, you probably hoped she wasn’t but come on, you kept thinking it, why would you be so pissed off when you get proof positive? It was ridiculous.

The story took a turn that I wasn’t expecting, and I didn’t care for it. I’ve read a string of books lately where the previous husband was a control freak and/or an abuser of some sort – emotional/verbal as well as physical. One of the parts of this book was that Penelope was set on having her independence and therefore didn’t want to get caught up with Stephen. She wanted her independence because her dead husband was such a shit. Makes sense, but I felt that the author made the dead husband way worse than he needed to be only to justify the heroine wanting her independence. There are lots of ways to make a heroine a strong, independent woman without making her an abuse victim. Maybe it’s just me who thinks that.

In the end I just didn’t care for the book. It dragged at times and I couldn’t like it in the end.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

This will post as a guest review on Book Binge.
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I was intrigued by the synopsis of this book. I can't describe what I thought of Stephen when I first started, but as I read on my views changed. There are many secrets and lies for Stephen to uncover, that I began to believe the worst of Penelope. These two bring out the best in each other and change how they see their futures turning out. I found it well written and it held my interest till the end.

I'm a fan of Ms. Evans and was so excited to read this book. Stephen Hornsby, Marquess of Clevedon, is the epitome of a perfect man's beauty, but just because his outer shell is perfection doesn't mean he's not without flaws. His flaw is a big one--he's slowly going blind. He has tried to "see" everything beautiful before he loses his sight completely. He also carries around a lot of guilt from the war when his best friend was captured by the Turks. If he'd seen the enemy, Alex would never have been captured.

Lady Penelope is another flawed character and though she is beautiful, she has trust issues. When her brother-in-law accuses her of having a hand in her husband's death, she needs a champion and chooses Stephen, but she doesn't tell him the full truth. Both have secrets and that is a big problem throughout the book. Can these two overcome their trust issues and work together to shut down a horrendous smuggling ring?

I really enjoyed this book. Flawed characters are so much more interesting to read about especially watching how each of them learned to trust again. Regency romance fans will definitely enjoy this book.

Lord Stephen Hornsby is going blind, but before he does he's determined to enjoy all of life's best sights. He's especially keen on watching Lady Penelope Fisherton in the throes of passion, passion he knows he can give to her.

Penelope agrees to allow Stephen to try and seduce her, if he'll help clear her name of her terrible, abusive husband's death. She needs someone with good standing in society by her side, as her former brother-in-law is determined to prove she pushed her husband off that cliff. If found guilty, she will lose everything.

What follows is a suspenseful romance with very dark themes. Content warnings for off-page spousal abuse, physical abuse, pedophilia, rape, and sex trafficking.

From the description, I wasn't fully aware of how much the central mystery of the story would be, and I felt to the detriment of developing the relationship between Penelope and Stephen. I wanted more time with them on-page and not in bed then I was given. I also do not like stories where the woman convinces the man that he truly wants babies, when it is clear from the beginning he does not.

As for Stephen's "blindness," I wish he had in fact gone blind. Or that Penelope could not in fact have children (six years married and not one pregnancy?). But, fans of this author will find much to enjoy here.

I've read and enjoyed many of Bronwen Evans’ books in the past and so I was eager to read this, her newest book.

Drawn to the Marquess brings together Lady Penelope and Lord Stephen Hornsby, two characters with different ideas on what they want from life. As the story progresses, they develop feelings of love one for the other, only to have them face doubts and mistrust as they are led to believe that they have been "played" by the other. There are several cleverly plotted twists and turns and red herrings that leave the reader wondering what really happened the night Lord Carmichael died.

Taking a page from her Disgraced Lords series, Ms. Evans has Penelope and Stephen facing a situation of intense danger before they can finally realize that their feelings for each other are real and true. The "imperfect lord" who will be the protagonist of the next novel in this series is introduced by fleeting mention. I also noticed a brief tie-in to the Libertine Scholars series when Penelope references the Duchess of Lyttleton's orphanages.

Ms. Evans has a style of writing that presents well-developed characters with dramatic action. Drawn to the Marquess is a delightful and fast read!

Thank you to Loveswept/Random House and Net Galley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book gives you a small glimpse into more than just the lives of Ton, but how gossip so easily can fracture lives. No different than today with all out technologies like with Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Very interesting all the many layers the writer slowly reveals to the reader as to how we are all intertwined. The relationship between Stephen and Penelope was complicated. You never knew what her secrets were or how he would react nice he found out. And what will she do when she finds out about his physical problems. Their fragile, blossoming love, and even more fragile trust in each other, is severely tested. They learn a lesson we all should abide by: don’t live in the past.

I am giving this novel 4 stars. I really enjoyed it. I loved how there was a main character that had to deal with a disability and how he was constantly questioning life and the love of others. I loved how there was a character with a stutter because you never see that in romance novels. One part that really stuck out to me was that sex was embraced in this novel. Even though all romance novels have sex, this one truly embraced the beauty and passion of it which I thoroughly enjoyed. And the last aspect of the book I loved was the main female character. She was strong, witty, and brave. She constantly was pushing herself and others to find out the truth. I could not recommend this novel enough.

Secrets, lies, intrigue abound in Drawn to the Marquess. Penelope, a Duke's sister with a rich dowry, married for love but found out it was for money. Now widowed, her brother-in-law wants what's her by trying to pin the murder of her husband on her. She goes after Stephen, Marquess of Clevedon to help her prove her innocence. Pen and Stephen both have secrets and lies, with intrigue surrounding her husbands death. You will enjoy the unraveling of it all.

This is not the first book I read by this author and yet it still amazes me that I always get swept up in her books.

Drawn to the Marquess is no different. From the very first page to the last, I was completely wrapped up and invested in the characters and plot.

The writing is amazing. It had me falling in love with the Marquess from almost the very beginning.

Lady Penelope Fisherton is a widow and is glad to be so. She lives away from society due to the scandal of her marriage. She must somewhat re-enter it to seek the help of Stephen Hornsby, The Marquess of Clevedon, because her brother-in-law is accusing her of murdering her husband.

Steven Hornsby, is slowly losing his eyesight. He is now a connoisseur of beauty. He is at an auction house to bid on a picturesque painting when he meets Penelope. It is also when he realizes the painting’s beauty pales in comparison to that of Lady Penelope’s. With this, he makes plans for the seduction of said beauty.

With Lady Penelope requiring Steven’s help and Steven wanting to bed her, they come to an agreement. Steven will help clear Lady Penelope’s name if she allows him a chance to try and seduce her.

The game of seduction is oh so good because he eventually realizes that Lady Penelope is holding secrets and now must ask himself if he is the seducer or the seduced….

This is a captivating read that is told in dual POV. I loved the thrill of the seduction in this book; the way Penelope and Steven just naturally gravitate towards each other. The spark and the fire between them. The mystery itself was intriguing.

Recommended to those who love a sensual romance along with a side of intriguing mystery.

I received an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

What a well written historical romantic suspense story! Very solidly written characters, good action sequences, smokey romantic scenes. I liked this story very much and highly recommend it! Will be looking for more by this author.

A beautiful and emotional story. I loved the chemistry between Penelope and Stephen. They both awaken something in each other and also, help each other heal. Penelope is haunted by her past and Stephen by his future, but together they figure things out and find their happiness together.

This was a different premise that I haven't seen before in a historical romance novel. It was interesting learning more about his problems with his sight and how the woman he loved reacted.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! This is my first read from this author, but it won't be my last. I already picked up the first book in this series to read as well. This story follows Stephen, a marquess whose eyesight is failing and who is beginning to feel he has no reason to live and Penelope who has suffered through an abusive marriage and has no desire to be with or trust a man again. As Stephen helps Penelope clear her name, they grow together and learn to face their respective fears and risk their hearts for a chance a happiness. I don't want to say too much more and ruin the story, but this was a lovely novel and I would highly recommend it!

I really enjoyed this book. I really appreciate strong characters. I'm glad you put a rake like Stephen with his sight going was more caring and humble. The abuse of young girls is true fact even today. Pen was abused also but your writing was tasteful done ty