The h is too much of a lady to be bold and declare what she wants. The H is too shy and has trouble expressing himself around the woman he wants. William is not known as a romantic and is lost when it comes to flirting with members of the opposite sex. Fortunately, his heart knows what he wants and needs. Add in a ridulous wager, highwayment, etc. and you have a wonderful romantic novella.

sOverall: 3.5 rounded to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞
Sensuality: 💋
Sex Scene Length: No peaches for anyone
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): ZERO
Humor: Yes

(These are all personal preference on a scale of 1-5 (yours ratings may vary depending what gives you feels and how you prefer you sex scenes written, etc)

Basic plot
William has loved Amelia for many years. He watched from afar while she married someone else, and knows that now she’s newly widowed, it’s his chance to tell her how he feels. The problem is every time he tries to flirt, he puts his foot directly in his mouth. He comes up with a plan to get it right during a masquerade ball.

Give this a try if you want:
- Author notes mark this as 1794 time period
- No steam – this book has 1 kiss, zero sex
- Novella length – Goodreads has it as less than 100 pages
- Hero loves first/unrequited love trope
- Friends to lovers – these two share a love for ancient Egypt, but it’s never gone further than discussing artifacts and hieroglyphics
- Widow heroine and heir to Viscount hero
- Masquerade! Most of the book takes place during a masquerade ball and directly afterwards

My thoughts:
I am generally more forgiving with my novella ratings. I think it’s hard to write a novella and have it flow well and feel complete, while also building that relationship. This book did an okay job. The world building was fabulous and I especially loved seeing William with all of his friends. Their banter and back and forth was quite hilarious. But that leads me to my complaint. Soooo much of this book was page time for William and his friends. In fact, I think William and Amelia only have 2 somewhat short interactions together in the entire book. In a novella, that really puts a damper on the relationship depth. I kept waiting and waiting for them to be on page together and it wasn't until 45% in before they even have page time together.

I still found this book fun overall. The plot was a bit silly, but I appreciated the author’s notes discussing absurd wagers that were made and led to the whole idea for this series. So this book does suffer a bit as being the ‘set up’ for the other characters and the whole plot point of being highwaymen.s

Content Warnings: none noted

I didn’t LOVE the writing, it felt a bit rushed, although I suppose a novella can easily few that way. A quick, fun, read.

Lovely short novella from one of my favourite Regency romp writers. William Haddington has been in love with the now widowed Lady Amelia Fellows since before she married. after failing spectacularly to woo her at a masquerade he retires to Brooks to drown his sorrows with his friends, somehow they fid themselves agreeing to pose as highwaymen, or otherwise lose money to some unsavoury characters. When Amelia's dreadful evening at the masquerade further worsens when she is held up by not one, but 2 groups of highwaymen, she decides to take control, and neatly manages to handle the real highwaymen, and flirting with William.

I love this authors work as she manages t make it lighthearted and well written, this was a glorious farce, I just wish it had been longer and more fleshed out. I hope the next books in the series are more substantial and we get a more developed courtship.

I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book and all opinions are my own.

I had to stop a bit under halfway. It started off introducing 5 characters really quickly and it soon became confusing and overwhelming. The hero is meant to be an awkward, academic but also a reputation as a ladys man? I did not get that impression, his awkwardness felt forced and overdone. From what I read of the heroine I really liked her. She appeared strong, independent, and funny. I kept trying to get through this but it moved so slowly, with choppy writing, and awkward dialogue.

Should've been longer. Is this a compliment? Unsure. I think there were a lot of things left unaddressed that made the story feel less seamless and a lot clunkier.

Interesting beginning tale. The characters are interesting, tho not very lovable so far. The romance between the h&h just doesn't spark. And the book just ends...no conclusion to the current tale, or if that is a conclusion it left me wanting...

Lady Amelia Fellows is out in society again. After the death of her husband, that was old enough to be her grandfather, she has decided to marry for love. She has had a crush on the Honorable William Haddington since before she married her first husband. That marriage was one of saving her family from ruin and she wants nothing to do with that sort of marriage again. However, William seems to have a problem with flirting with her, whenever he is in her presents at a social event. When he is with her at a lecture, he is fine, but he cannot treat her with the gallantry and romance she deserves. What wonderful characters, a problem that needs the help of Williams friends, and a solution that seems too hard to imagine. I enjoyed this book and looking forward to the next adventure.

I so enjoyed this novella! It had a lot of humor and a cast of characters who I found charming and fun, with their own personalities that made it easier to distinguish them from one another. Very sweet romance with lots of humor from the side characters as well as the plot line. Enjoyed the MCs intellectual relationship, and how difficult the hero found it to try and make their friendship into a romance. Our heroine, however, has no such trouble and I loved her quick wit and courage. It was nice to read about a hero who truly admired the heroine for who she is, her intelligence and their shared interests, rather than just her looks or what she could do for him. His band of friends banter was the shining star of the novella, and I would love to read more simply for their antics alone! I will definitely be looking forward to reading more from this series!

Thanks to net galley for my copy!

The Masquerade Ball and the Highwaymen’s Wager

This is a lighthearted, entertaining romance. It will put a smile on your face. A group of friends dress as highwaymen at a masquerade ball. They are duped into a wager that involved them acting as real highwaymen. Drunken fools are bound to make foolish wagers, but could their antics result in something good? William is a scholar, and his knowledge of antiquities is vast. However, when it comes to wooing the love of his life, he is quite inept. Could the foolish charade give him courage, and will he stay alive long enough to reap the benefits? Highwaymen have pistols, and when there are real criminals involved, you just never know what will happen. If you enjoy lighthearted historical romance that will make you laugh aloud, you might appreciate this story.

The Lord of the Highwaymen is a charming first novella by Elizabeth Bramwell. William has been in love with Amelia most of his life. She was married off to an elderly lord who turned out to be a good man and loved her and taught her many things. He also left her enough money to be comfortable and safe from the interference of his sons, her stepsons, older than she. Now she is out of mourning and wanting William to declare himself. He wants that, too, but is too shy. His friend have set him and themselves up as highwaymen for a masquerade ball and hope to force the situation between the two ersatz lovers. Of course, things don't go well and they fin themselves at their club drinking. There a bet is placed, a stupid one as most are, and off they go.

This is very cute and a quick and entertaining read. Amelia knows her mind but is too much a lady to just come out and ask. William is simply too shy until he is put in a situations where he has not choice. Hopefully the series will continue as several plot thread were left unanswered, but all in all it is a credible effort and I am looking for more from Ms. Bramwell. Enticing characters, a good plot. What more could a reader ask? I recommend it.

I was invited to read a free ARC of The Lord of the Highwaymen by Dragonblade, through Netgalley, in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #thelordofthehighwaymen

A beautifully written romantic tale of how the heart yearns for it's other half. It just has to have courage to step outside it's comfort zone and voice those emotions.
William had longed for Amelia before she had married and now that she was a widow all he desired was to tell her how he felt. Well, that is if he could actually vocalize his feelings! His scientific serious mind void of the skills of flirtation, left him feeling insecure. As his best friend the Duke of Roehampton described him "He thinks with his heart, but God forgot to connect it to his mouth." Oh yes, I loved William and that heart!
The Masquerade ball seemed his chance and with his friends in tow, the plot was set. What he did not know was that Amelia was there hoping to see him too and with the help of his friends, determined to get them together, it just might happen!
I absolutely adored every word of this story and cannot wait to read about Williams other intriguing friends! Humor, wonderful cast of characters and unexpected bet that may or may not help win the heart of the fair Amelia!

William Haddington is a scholar, intelligent and able to converse on any number of topics, except one. As much as he loves Amelia Fellowes, he is completely unable to tell her how he feels. The words just will not come. After a disappointing experience at a ball, a drunken bet has William and his friends dressed as highwaymen. Amelia is shocked when her carriage is stopped in Hyde Park by an odd group of highwaymen. More so when in the middle of this robbery, a group of real criminals shows up. Now what? You will not believe who defuses this situation and how.

This is a charming and entertaining start to a new series. It is a quick read with a little adventure and a lot of humor. William is smart, but shy, and so in love. Amelia is intelligent, patient, brave, and also in love. Their friends are supportive and funny. I enjoyed this lovely story of friendship and love. I look forward to stories of all the friends. I wonder who wins the bet.

I received an ARC of this book from Dragonblade Publishing via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

Lady Amelia Fellowes, after marrying a man old enough to be her grandfather, is now a widow. Wealthy and beautiful, she is able to make the decision as to marry again-for love, or remain single. But, not only has she decided to marry, she has already decided on her groom. William Haddington is in love, only he has to convince his mouth to work when around the lovely, widowed Amelia.
After embarrassing himself and Amelia at a ball, William retreats with his friends and promptly agrees to a bet. However, fate has decided to intervene with the appearance of a very dastardly highwayman. Will William save the love of his life or will she save him?

He's honorable and lacks game and he gets in his own way.

What I liked? I loved William. He's handsome but awkward and socially he's got no game. Love it.
He's his own worst enemy. He's literal and says what he means, which is not a how the ton works.
I liked that he's crushed on Amelia forever and is trying to work up his courage to flirt with her.
But then, things go very awry, because men are often clueless and make silly bets.

Amelia is smart, sharp and doesn't suffer fools lightly, especially men pretending to be highwaymen.
I found I thoroughly enjoyed and can recommend this book.

This is a cute little story with just enough character development to make it interesting. Some parts were just silly with William being a total nerd (my word) and Amelia trying to get him to tell her he loves her. This is pre-regency England, but I expected some of the social rules to be more strict.
This is my first book by this author and it is good enough that I am interested in reading more of her work.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and was under no obligation to leave a favorable review. All opinions are my own.

The Lord of the Highwaymen is a lighthearted novella by Elizabeth Bramwell.

This is a good story of friendship, especially between the hero, William, and his band of merry schemers. I thought the male friendships and camaraderie in this book were very well done; very funny scenes.

This is also a story of childhood friends to lovers and second chance romance. William was awkward and adorable, Amelia was painted a little less vividly to me. One thing that hindered this romance was that there were really no scenes with William and Amelia until after the 40% mark. For a short novella, every bit counts, and it was hard to connect with them as a couple when they were kept apart so long.

There was a lot of build up, but a much too quick ending. I enjoyed the characters and the situations, I just wish it was fleshed out more.

3.5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

Cover: Pretty
Synopsis: Okay
Story: Bad

The Lord of the Highwaymen by Elizabeth Bramwell was supposed to be a nice cute historical romance. What it actually was: a mess. This is the first book of Hearts and Highways series, but it felt like the fourth. Honestly, there were so many characters that I was lost. So lost that it's a miracle I managed to finish it.
The writing was okay. Honestly, I don't know what to say about this book because I hated it.

3.5 stars, rounded up

The Honorable William Haddington, the heir to Viscount Haddington has loved Amelia “Amy”, Baroness Fellows for as long as he can remember and has already lost her once. Now that she is out of mourning, he doesn’t intend to let her get away again, but really has no idea how to woo her. With the help of his friends, he plans to tell her his true feelings at the masked ball they will both be attending.

Amelia has loved William since she was a girl, but her family need money and her father assured her that William’s father would never let his heir wed her and insisted that she marry Baron Fellows, a man old enough to be her grandfather. And to her surprise, she cared deeply for the Baron, who was a dear friend to her and taught her much about life. But as much as she cared for him, her heart longs for William and now that she has reentered society, she plans to let William know how she feels.

After much to-do and a nasty encounter with her step-son Archibald, they finally meet up in the conservatory at Lady Melbourne’s Masked Ball and from there William’s well thought out plan crumbles and Amelia leaves in a huff. Things don’t look good for our would-be lovers, but with the help of their friends, a wager and a highwayman – they might just find their HEA.

This was a fast paced, well written novella with likeable characters, sweet (kisses only) love scenes, interesting secondary characters and [I assume] a storyline that will continue in future installments. I would have preferred a little more steam and a bit more build up to the next novella since there were things that were not addressed in this installment that left me feeling a bit bewildered and the story incomplete. This is the first book in a new series and I assume that stories will be interconnected and have an ongoing storyline.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher.*

Following his disastrous attempt to woo the woman he loves at a masquerade, the Honourable William Haddington and his friends retire to Brooks club to drown their sorrows, only to find themselves agreeing to a ridiculous wager: they must don masks and cloaks to begin temporary careers as highwaymen, or lose their fortunes to men they despise. Confused and frustrated by the odd encounter with the man she adores, Lady Amelia Fellowes is in no mood to suffer fools when five well-dressed men try to hold up her carriage in the middle of Hyde Park. When a second group of thieves arrive moments later, her temper flares. What she does not expect, however, is to recognize the handsome leader of one group of rogues, or that he will ask her to dance with him in the moonlight. William, feeling brave behind his mask, takes the chance to flirt outrageously with the woman he has loved since childhood. Amelia is strong, intelligent, and permanently above his touch.
An entertaining novella setting the scene for the series, I loved William who was so bumbling & tongue tied until he thought Amelia didn’t recognise him. Amelia was a delight from loving William to putting a real highwayman firmly in his place. I read this captivating short story in a sitting.
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read