I got an ARC of Her Wicked Marquess from the publisher via Netgalley. This book has one of my favorite premises. Lady needs to get out of a bad engagement. In come the hero. She hopes that with a few well-placed scandals, a disastrous marriage will be avoided. But of course, for Maryann it couldn't go that easy. While Nicolas is on board to be the instrument of her ruination, he happens to be hunting hidden enemies, and worries they will target Maryann if they learn how much he cares about her. Maryann and Nicolas had amazing chemistry, and it was so clear that they were perfect together! During the book, I had a minor idea about something that might happen, but brushed it off as surely that wouldn't be it. And then! I loved the twist, I loved the romance, and boy did I love the revenge!

I see the potential of this book being widely loved by readers, however, I feel personally uncomfortable while reading this book. There's a triggering topic (CW: mentions of sexual assault and similar things related to this that I skipped reading because it's too disgusting and I just can't) that is constantly being brought up in the book that I can't handle well. This book just made me sad and hopeless and disgusted, I just couldn't get through it. I don't like the mystery element in this book as well, it takes too much space than the romance for my taste. I also didn't get entirely what I wanted from this book which is a fun, fluffy, and light-hearted romance.

3.5 rounded to 4 stars. This book started off very strong but lost some of its narrative power as it continued. I loved the female MC but the male was only so-so for me; I got tired of his “I love you but push you away to protect you” vibe. I also think the resolution of the Ariana plot needed to happen sooner. I wanted to see what their lives were like after they publicly became a couple, and we didn’t really get that.

Maryanne is the young, smart and outspoken daughter of an Earl and expected to marry well. After several seasons on the marriage market, she is labeled as an outspoken wallflower with no offers of marriage. To remedy the problem, her parents decide to arrange her marriage to an older gentleman, in fact, old enough to be her father. Maryanne decides she wants more in life and embarks on an adventure to make sure the marriage never happens.
She enlists the help of notorious rake, Nicholas Ives, who helps her ruin her reputation. After spending time together, both Maryanne and Nicholas realize there's more to a person than what's on the outside.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable book for me, with just a few small annoyances. While I loved the non traditional characters, I would have loved to see more of a story develop between Maryanne and Nicholas other than him sneaking into her room every single night. It was fun the first couple of times, but then it got a little monotonous and was completely predictable in the story. Other than the predictability of that, it was a fun, sweet book that kept me engaged!
Thank you to Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for my review and honest opinions!

4 Stars

Stacy Reid’s writing and storytelling is as always - amazing! She keeps the reader enthralled from beginning to end.

'Her Wicked Marquess' is the second book in the “Sinful Wallflowers” series.

Nicholas Ives, Marquess of Rothbury has one goal - destroy the people who assaulted his childhood friend and first love. While society sees him as a libertine, he is filled with rage and for the last ten years revenge has been his only mission.

Maryann FitzWilliam wants to break her engagement and a simple 'no' to her parents is not solving the problem which pushes her to take drastic steps. So when the gossip sheets report that Nicholas was seen climbing out of a window, she 'innocently' admits that the window the wild rake was climbing out of was hers. What follows is two unlikely characters teaming up and forming an unusual friendship while both are quite aware of their growing attraction and love.

I'm a sucker for the friends-to-lovers trope. I loved Nicholas and Maryann together. He becomes her friend and protector first and while there are more than a few steamy scenes, you know that what they have is more than just lust. I liked that both characters did not immediately think they were in love with each other and were more focused on becoming friends, before realising they can’t really fight the immense fire between them.

This book deals with dark themes of assault and gangrape which can be triggering.

The ending was pleasantly surprising though I would have liked a few more details of Nicholas's revenge plans. But none of that deterred me from loving this book like all other Stacy Reid books.

While it took a bit for me to get into this one, I ended up thoroughly enjoying it! This is a slow burn and took some time for the chemistry to really heat up between Nicholas and Maryanne, but once it did I loved this pair together! Even the mystery of the book was interesting (the revenge plot) and I liked how it played out. I give this book an overall 4 stars. While I didn't love it as much as the first one (which is one of my absolute favorites!) I enjoyed and cant wait to read more by this author! Highly recommend this series!

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is book two in the sinful wallflower series. In this one Maryann is trying to find away out of an unwanted marriage with a huge jerk. She decides to spread a rumor that she was kissed by a rake this makes the rake unfortunately very intrigued. I loved how they grew together it was an enjoyable read. Looking forward to the next one.

I'm a fan of Stacy Reid and this book exceeded my expectations.. It has a bit of mystery in it. Nothing is what it seems on the surface. Which its what makes it a enjoyable book.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

After one of her fellow wallflowers has married, after having her own scandal in the process, Lady Maryann Fitzwilliam decides it's her time to shine. Knowing that her parents want her to marry an abhorrent earl, a friend of the family who is old enough to be her father, she orchestrates for herself to be spoken about in all the scandal sheets, linked with the renowned rake Nicholas Ives, Marquess of Rothbury. However, being linked to him has brought more than just gossip on her heels. Nicholas is embroiled in a plot that's been ten years in the making, and his enemies would do anything to find a weakness, and it's so obvious that Maryann is his biggest weakness yet. As Nicholas gets closer to achieving vengeance, will he be able to control his heart, or has Maryann stolen her wicked marquess?

As soon as I had finished My Darling Duke, I knew I needed more from this series. I had expected this book to be Charlotte's story, but Maryann was wonderful and I fell in love with her. She is a wallflower, and has never really been bothered by it in the past, but as soon as it's apparent she will be forced to marry that disgusting Earl Stamford, who has no qualms in sleeping with a servant when she's in the room, and takes pleasure in her disgust and fear, she needs to do anything she can to stop the match. But even after she starts the rumour that Nicholas was caught sneaking out of her room, her parents will not relent, and try and squash the rumours themselves, doubling down on the match. However, once Nicholas hears of the gossip, he can't stay away from the surprisingly enticing Maryann, and actually sneaks into her room, night after night, and an unlikely friendship is formed. I honestly felt like their affection for each other, not only based in lust, but in actually enjoyment of being together, was phenomenal, and made the angst towards the end of the story even more heart wrenching.

One thing that may discount from the enjoyment of this story, for some, was the revenge plot that Nicholas was on. In his youth, he had been friends with the daughter of one of his servants, and she was brutally attacked and raped by a gang of 'gentleman', the sons of powerful men, and killed herself after leaving a letter with clues to the culprits. Though nothing was actually seen on page, there were many flashbacks to Ariana's letter, and it could be triggering. I appreciated this part being in the story, to explain Nicholas' back story, and why he was so engrossed in his revenge, and his need to protect Maryann. All in all, I really enjoyed this instalment, and though we didn't see anything of Kitty, I hope that the next book see's more cameos from previous characters.

4 stars

Quite a dark story but well witten. Maryann is hoping to meet the love of her life and have a HEA. Nicholas was remorseful that he was not able to save his childhood friend from in effect gang rape by young aristocrats and then her subsequent suicide. Ths could be a trigger for some people and it's worth knowing its mentioned and is integral to Nicholas's motivations. The victim wrote a letter and this gives him clues to follow up the assailants. Meanwhile Maryann's mother is very keen to marry her off to some sexual predator creep and she's desperate to escape both that and the bullying from other debutantes. The romance starts with clandestine meetings but soon is a full passionate affair. It's an interesting story with some thoughful ideas, how long should a person be punished for despicable actions in their youth? The only negative is that I don't think we have racoons int the UK.

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

4.5 Stars

Maryann is out of time. Her parents have made a match with a vile man that she could never be happy with. She decides that making herself the most scandalous woman in the country will make her betrothed back out. When she picks a notorious rake, Nicholas Ives, Marquess of Rothbury, she never dreamed she would be placing herself on a collision course to a happily ever after.

I loved Maryann right from the start. While she may be considered a wallflower, she is spunky and has a zest for life. She scared what involving herself with Nicholas might mean, but she’s brave enough to fight for her right to live life on her own terms.

Nicholas is more of a mystery. When the news reaches the papers that he climbed out of Maryann’s window at a house party, he figures he might as well do it for real. His late night visits to Maryann’s room were not what I expected. While there is heat, they also get to know each other in a way neither of them had with anyone else. As the story moves along, Nicholas became the man Maryann needed because he wanted to be, not because he was forced to. As Maryann’s chosen betrothed keeps fighting for her, Nicholas fights harder.

The story leads to a climatic ending you won’t want to miss. I’m positive Reid has more in store for us as this series continues. Until then, I will read all I can of her earlier releases. I highly recommend her Forever Yours series and her Wedded by Scandal series. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

I received Her Wicked Marquess for free. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

3.5 stars

I was borderline obsessed with the previous book in this series and it sort of breaks my heart to rate this one so low.

I love love loved Maryann and Nicolas. She’s feisty and smart and he’s charming and maybe a bit lost. Together they have loads of chemistry, curiosity, and cute moments. There were a good amount of characters here, but everyone stays on the superficial side. I will say I was hoping for a Kitty cameo, but it didn’t happen.

Plot wise, it was good and not so good for me. I was loving all of the scenes with Maryann and Nicolas. I loved that he snuck into her room for conversation and chess and that he taught her to pick locks. The honesty between them was refreshing and Nicolas losing his mind over Maryann’s protection was perfection.

My main problem with this book is that Nicolas is on a journey of revenge (which I’m absolutely here for) on behalf of a childhood friend who was gang raped and abused. The acts were not described in detail, but constantly mentioned in flashbacks, inner monologues, and conversation and it took a lot of enjoyment away for me.

Overall, it was the characters who kept me captivated and a love for Stacy Reid that kept me reading. However, had I known it focused so heavily on this topic, I’m not sure I would have requested it.

FYI: talks of rape, physical violence against women

**Huge thanks to Entangled for providing the arc free of charge**

I'm stuck between OK and I liked it (2 vs 3 goodreads stars). I was enticed to read this series by its theme of a desperate wallflower's bold presumption of a connection to a highly ranked peer. Perhaps I expected too much after book 1, which had me grinning at the heroine's cheek and the amusing dialogues.

Here the repeated mention of raccoons distracted me. Why would the characters refer to a creature which is not indigenous to Great Britain and whose habits where surely unknown to them in the early 19th century?
Nicholas' quest for revenge was (to a degree) understandable, however rather assuming; I saw the hint of the possibility of a grave error in judgement and wondered if that error would in fact be realized. Maryann's brother's behavior gave me an inkling of an impending and interesting twist near the end.

I'm curious what schemes the next in this series brings..

I read a free advance reader copy; the thoughts expressed are my own.

Wow! This is another book I have enjoyed by Stacy Reid. It is about Maryann who her parents have arranged a marriage for her with a man who is her father’s age. She does not want to marry him, so she figures she would start a rumor so he will back out of the arrangement. Nicolas has a reputation of being a rake, Maryann starts the rumor that Nicholas was seen climbing out of her bedroom window. Whenever Nicolas is with Maryann, he is not a rake, he is a gentleman. There was a mystery in the book, which I will not give away, but it enhanced my enjoyment of this book.
I received a copy of this book by Netgalley for my honest opinion.

This is book 2 in the "Sinful Wallflower " series and is the 3rd book I've read by Stacy Reid. I have found a new author to follow. She has Impressed me with all 3 of her books I have read.
Why I like her books:
1. They are full of non stop action. There's usually some sort of mystery involved, so it's more than just a romance novel.
2. The way she evokes emotion in her stories. It usually runs the full gambit from laughter, to sadness, to excitement and desire.
3. In her stories you see the hero and heroine fall in love. It's not just lust and desire.
This book was no different. Nicholas and Maryann meet by accident. But he is impressed by her intelligence and wit.
She was impressed by his cunning, honesty and his smile.
He is a bad boy and she a good girl. She needs him to help ruin her to escape an arranged marriage . He needs her to help soothe his troubled soul and to solve a murder.
Non stop action with a twist at the end.
5 stars. Job well done.
I want to thank Netgalley for the chance to review this book.

Wow oh wow I am so glad I had the chance to review an advanced copy of Her Wicked Marquess, compliments of the publisher and NetGalley. This was my first book by Stacy Reid, and I am really excited to dig into more of her work, because this book kept me staying up late to keep reading!! Maryann and Nicolas were the perfect pairing, with such wit, and I really loved Maryann as the strong opinionated heroine. And it kept me guessing for what would happen next. I’ll admit, it was far more scandalous than your typical regency romance, but it was done in a way that still worked and kept me turning the page, and I loved watching their relationship grow. I highly recommend and can’t wait to read more from this author!!

The story is well written with acts of revenge and an unexpected love interest. Nicolas searches and exacts revenge on the young nobles who committed the crime. During this time, he meets and falls in love with Lady Maryann which puts her in danger. I loved the story. It has a lot of emotions throughout which draws you into the plots that are happening. It is a great read that I would recommend.
I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley and are voluntarily leaving a review.

A poignant and exciting story!
The story of Nicholas and Maryann is not to be missed. With characters that speak to you in a most important way.
This is an awesome story. Stacy Reid at her best.

Stacy Reid gets better with every book. I look forward to her stories. Her characters draw you in. Their stories sweep you away. Her Wicked Marquess is addicting. I started to read and could not put it down.

This story introduced us to Miss Maryann Fitzwilliam. She is eagerly trying to avoid a marriage that has been set up by her parents. A marriage that will be approved by the ton, especially benefiting a wallflower like herself. But she wants more, yet not really sure just what it is she is missing. She decides to push forward a rumor that the Marquess of Rothbury, Nicholas, discreetly sneaked into her room

Nicholas is intrigued with Maryann. He has his own motives for wanting to be near her. But as he starts to sneak into her room. Slowly getting to know her, he is drawn to her. Her intelligence, spunk. He can’t get enough of her. Even as he seeks vengeance on behalf of love ones, he slowly finds that Maryann is breaking down his walls.

I enjoyed the chemistry that they shared. The very distinct hum that these two had. How slowly and deeply they were drawn to each other.

I love Nicholas. I love his fierce commitment to pursuing to avenge those that he holds dear. I was drawn in by the dark echoes of the past. The suffering of a loved on. His pain for not having been there to protect those he loved. It just made me keep turning each page. Not wanting to put their story down.

I truly enjoyed this story and look forward to more in the future.

Her Wicked Marquess is book two of the Sinful Wallflowers series. It features
Nicholas St. Ives, the Marquess of Rothburg and Maryann Fitzwilliam.

Maryann is bethrothed to a much older man that she dreads marrying. She's fun, vocal, and very insightful. She also has a plan to get out of her betrothal by using scandalous rumors of Nicholas St. Ives to her advantage.

Nicholas is known for being scandalous. His name is mentioned quite frequently in the gossip sheets. He also has another side to him that no one knows, until Maryann takes notice of him.

This story had a little bit of everything - flirtation, romance, suspense, drama not to mention a jaw-dropping surprise.

This was the first time I have read anything by this author and I was quite pleased.
It wasn't a timid, sweet read that some historical romances are known for.

The only thing I would have changed would be a conversation between two characters that I felt needed to happen. I don't feel like I got the closure I needed with these two. It wasn't a turn off by any means, it was just something I expected and then was disappointed when it never happened.

All in all, I really enjoyed this story.