A Wicked Reputation by Liana LeFey
A Once Wicked Novel #3

Lady Diana Haversham is in a dire situation when her uncle tells her he is kicking her out of the house. What is she going to do? Well, she is going to find someone willing to take her in, give her the acting job of a century being his fake-courtesan and she is going to become bigger in society than she ever imagined. She has a plan and Harrow, the man “keeping” her, is helping her achieve it. Diana and Harrow develop a strong friendship over time both knowing it cannot last forever. When Lucas, Viscount Blackthorn arrives on the scene Diana’s days with Harrow are numbered.

I enjoyed this story more on reflection than when actually reading it...not sure why but it is true. As I read it I had trouble believing it could happen as written...more than once. I found Diana to be stronger than most young women of that time period usually were which was great and yet had me asking...really? I found Harrow a delight and understood his wife, I could see where Diana was coming from, hated Diana’s uncle, found Lucas interesting if a bit immature in some ways, enjoyed some of the scenes that played out and rooted for a happily ever after for the fake courtesan and the rakish Lucas.

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled-Amara for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3-4 Stars

This is my fair and honest review in exchange for this ARC. Wow! What a tangled tale and enormously entertaining. Well written story which points out that one should never believe everything you think you know and never judge what you THINK you see.

Description:
Betrayed by her fiancé and her best friend, Lady Diana Haversham's reputation is left in ruins, and she is unjustly cast out by her family. Left with little choice, she agrees to pretend to be a courtesan to protect her benefactor's secret. What she didn't count on was meeting temptation in the form of one Lord Lucas Blackthorn.

Lucas is fascinated by the shameless Diana, whom his friends claim is his perfect counterpart. He can't stop thinking about her sultry smile and captivating eyes, but what draws him most is the sharp mind she reveals—and the certainty she's hiding something.

When Lucas learns the scandalous truth, Diana will have to make a life-and-death choice.

Each book in the Once Wicked series is STANDALONE:
* To Love a Libertine
* Once a Courtesan
* A Wicked Reputation

My Thoughts:
I have read other books by this author but none drew me in like this one.
I was totally engaged from the first chapter. I wanted to see how this innocent young woman would handle her ruin especially since it was all based on lies from a man who decided he wanted her friend more than he wanted her.
Lucas of course wasn't the first man to want her but he was the first to show enough gumption to carry matters through.
The only thing that was hard to believe was the fact that through most of the story Diana was still an innocent.
I gave this engaging tale 4.8 of 5.0 stars for storyline and characterization.
This sensual story is a winner.
I received a complimentary digital ARC of this book to read. This in no way affected my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

DISCLAIMER 1: This is a stand alone story. You do not need to have read the others in order to enjoy this one.

While I admit that this was an interesting take on the whole idea of a courtesan (even a pretend one), and the friendship between the characters was endearing, I just didn't find this story believable.

To begin with if Lucas could so easily figure out the truth based on what he saw through an open window there is no way they could have kept their secret as long as they did. Their lackluster approach to privacy completely went against how hard they worked to keep up the charade. And while I can understand why Harrow would do anything to protect her honor, the fact that he so readily agreed to letting Lucas "have her" for even one night was too unbelievable. If they were such good "friends" as they would have the ton believe, and Harrow and Diana into sharing, there would have been no need for the indecent wager in the first place. And yes, I fully understand that Harrow went along with it because Diana desired it, but it was definitely NOT in keeping up with the appearance they had so carefully cultivated.

Aside from that, I very much enjoyed the banter between Diana and Lucas. Watching as they went from strangers to lovers, and then more was part of what made the story enjoyable. I do wish that Harrow's real lover would have made more of an impact. He seemed more an "Afterthought" than an actual character. As did Harrow's wife and son. Was the boy really his? Or was he protecting his wife the same way she protected him? How did they get along? I would have loved to have seen more interaction between them as well as learn their "story" other than the snippets we got.

Overall, it was a solid read that I enjoyed. I just wish there was more to it. I would read more from this author!

DISCLAIMER 2: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

On finding herself thrown out by her uncle, Lady Diana Haversham does the unexpected and finds herself a protector, Lord Harrow. Their relationship is scandalous as she has also befriended his wife and what appears to be a music instructor. But all is not as it seems.
Lucas Blackthorn, on meeting Diana, finds himself captivated but not recognising the woman, who he briefly met on the night of her fall from grace. When Lucas wins a house in Mayfair and finds Diana his new neighbour, any chance of keeping his desires in check, becomes an impossibility. He soon finds himself drawn into the life of Diana and Lord Harrow, which may have dire consequences for his standing in society.
This was such a unique and captivating story and I found myself racing to the end. All three characters were so delightful, that I wished that the story had gone on for longer. In many ways, the romance between Diana and Lucas, could have been further explored. Liana LeFey is my new author to watch
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Reviewed on GoodReads.
Run date: 16 February 2019

A most unusual love story but a great read. Diana, a Duke’s daughter, has lost both of her parents and at the mercy of her uncle. As her uncle hates her, her fiancé breaks their engagement and then runs off to marry her best friend. In order to justify why he broke their engagement, Grenville started the rumor that she had given her virtue to other men and she was ruined in the eyes of the ton. Harrow saves her, takes her as his mistress but there is more to this than meets the eye. Lucas becomes infatuated with Diana and tension mounts between the three of them. There are secrets that are dangerous to Harrow that adds a twist to the story. The story is well written, entertaining and an overall good read. I would highly recommend this book.

This was a good read. The premise of a scandalous lady being wooed by an aristocrat is perhaps not new but this match up has many layers of subterfuge. It has heart pounding moments Where we think everything is lost. The side characters are well developed and add to the plot. Lucas is a swoon worthy hero but so is the Marquess Harrow who is Diana's protector. Diana is the daughter of a Duke but because of lies her reputation was ruined.

I liked the unique plot and the way the characters were developed with sympathy. At times I thought that Lucas made some rather ill thought out mistakes which almost made me give up on him. But then he would turn around and redeem himself.

This is the first book i have read that is written by Liana LeFey. The plot was interesting. I like how well edited the book is compared to other books I have read. The twist in the story was quite entertaining.

We have our virginal heroine pretending to be a courtesan We have our hero who was determined to uncover the heroine’s secrets. I will not get into detaila about the story. However, I will be honest and say that some parts of the book dragged a bit. I did appreciate the internal dialogue of the characters that showed how they think and react and perceive situations. I sometimes wish it was not too long. The character development was there but sometimes I wished for something climactic. The focus was between the main characters and for me it is good. Everybody gets their HEA in this book. In an eccentric way. There was a certain level of sensuality, maybe 3/5. As there is only one major sex scene described.
I am appreciative of this copy from NetGalley. As a reader, reviews also help me determine which book I choose to read. And if you are on the fence about this book I suggest going ahead and read it.

This book drew me in right from the beginning. Poor girl living with relatives who aren't nice. Girl goes out on her own and survives. Falls in live. Happily ever after. Great story throughout!!

This managed to be pushed to a 4 stars - but it was pretty close to being a measly 3 stars though! :P

This was a nice read (historical of course! You know that I ADORE historicals!) and quite different to other books of its genre. For one, our heroine acts like a *cough* libertine *cough* and not like other historical heroines where they’re simply just well-behaved ladies.

The plot line was quite engaging - what did Lady Diana do in that year from when she was kicked out by her uncle? What was her relationship with her benefactor? Is that some rats I’m smelling?? LOL

However, a couple of things I didn’t like much: I personally thought the hero was a bit boring (I didn’t like his personality much) and also I thought the ‘game’ played by our heroine and her benefactor dragged on a bit too long.

Nevertheless, the story will stay in my memory for sure :D


***I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book which was kindly provided through NetGalley by this book’s publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.***

I LOVED Diana and Lucas' story!! Watching these two come together was magical! The whole forbidden fruit, I'm sure is what lured in Lucas, but as he got to know Diana, he fell hard! I loved watching them overcome their hurdles and find their HEA!

I'm hoping that LeFey is continuing with this series as I have throughly enjoyed it!!

A Wicked Reputation is the first book by Liana LeFey I've read and I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised. The story line is original and the characters engaging. If you're a fan of historical romance this is a solid read. I'll definitely keep my eye out for additional titles by the author.

Lady Diana Haversham's reputation is left in ruins when her fiancée elopes with her best friend. Her uncle throws her from her home and she decides since society believes her to be a whore she might as well become one.

The story picks up a year later where Diana is the scandal of the ton but not all is as it seems between Diana and her benefactor. Lord Lucas Blackthorn is fascinated by Diana and he believes there is more to her than meets the eye.

This is not our typical historical romance, while the heroine is typical in almost every way, there is one little detail that’s different, she has taken on the role of a courtesan. I found this to be an okay read, I might have enjoyed it more if I had not read something similar just before that I found better.

I received an arc of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A terrific read! I loved it. The characters were wonderful and story-line great. Worth reading! I recommend this to all lover of Historical Romance.

***ARC was provided to me for a fair and honest review***

Overall rating: 3.5/5 Can a courtesan dare to desire the role of a wife?

Heroine (Lady Diana Haversham): 4/5 orphan daughter of a Duke, Diana was raised by her aunt and tyrannical uncle. Before she was due to be married her fiance took off with her best friend and labeled her a whore. Diana, having been turned out of her house becomes a beard in the shape of a courtesan for a friend.

Hero (Lord Lucas Blackthorn): 3/5 Having spent the last few years out of the country Lucas comes home to see a woman he forgot to notice upon their first meeting but wants desperately now. Lucas is a gambler by nature and is very good at it. He also works for the government in some capacity.

Plot: 3.5/5 Lucas, while trying to keep his desire for Lady Diana at bay, notices that the most notorious couple in London seem a bit off. Diana and her protector believe their sharade to be believed by all of London, until Lucas comes into their lives and makes Diana feel things she believed lost to her.

Personal Review: The story was compelling and I hadn’t read one with this particular set up for the story. A virgin courtesan acting as a beard for a friend desires a roque that threatens their lifestyle. It was definitely a new premise for me and worked really well for most of the story.

I wish Rene got to have more page time for the simple fact of making his and Harrow’s relationship more believable to the reader. Rene more or less just gets to hang out in backgrounds of scenes that he should have more of a say in since it involves his life too.

This book was super fun and super sweet! I figured out what was going on pretty early on, but the author didn't hold back the information for long. There were two main conflicts in the relationship. One was that both the hero and heroine were super stubborn and wouldn't actually say what they meant or felt. The other was that she was keeping a secret that could be perilous at the time. I really enjoyed the book and I highly recommend. It has a lot of discussion of sexual content and one pretty sexy scene.

I received a free copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This was the first book that I have read by this author and it defiantly interesting. The story was not what I predicted or imagined from the book blurb but I was not disappointed. This book stands out the genre. Worth checking out.

4.5 stars

I really good premise for the story. I enjoyed this immensley. The Hero and Heroine were interesting as well as Diana's protector. I think it was reasonably realistic of the mores of the time. Good mixture of passion and romance.

I shall look out for other books by this author and heartily recommend this book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was an interesting story. Diana is a lovely girl, wronged by a man. Harrow saves her but uses her to keep his lifestyle quiet. In comes Lucas...and that's when it all gets crazy.

I did find parts of the story to be a bit slow...but the tale itself was wonderful.

4,5*
I received this book through NetGalley in exchange of my honest review.

I have to say, this was a quality historical romance book. I’m getting more and more pickier in this genre, but this book reminded me why I love to read about the lovelife of the noble ones.

If you read the plot, it is interesting enough, however you have the slightest feeling that you’ve already read something similar before. Here’s the twist, you’re right, BUT only in the main storyline. I assure you Lady Diana and Lord Harrow managed to bulit a fantastic net of lies, about what’s really going on behind the closed doors. Of course, here comes the trouble, who’s name is Lucas...

I loved that Lady Diana is brave enough to make decisions of her own, she’s truly not a little grey mouse. I enjoyed every conversation which se made with Lord Lucas. Her loyality, acting skills and the fact that she even had brains made the whole character more real, and more likeable for me.

The other character I adored was Lord Harrow. The way he manipulated the thouhts of the public, every plan he made and executed was genious. We rarely hear about these kind of things, but I find this “how to manipulate what the society thinks of you” thing interesting.

Lastly I want to say that even this book did not became one of my all time favourites, it was a real fun read. Lovable characters, exciting details, great writing style, you should read it if you want to grab some good historical romance.