I did not realize that this book was part of a series. It can definitely be read as a stand alone. I really enjoyed reading this book - it had heart break and true love. However - I had a really hard time getting over the use of the word "courtesan" - she was a MISTRESS or a PROSTITUTE!

Redeeming the irredeemable is a favorite trope of mine and Madeline Martin does it so well in this story! Brava!

Good second chance love story. I've been intrigued by Lottie and her story since the first book in the series, <I>How to Tempt a Duke.</i> She wasn't the selfish kind of courtesan frequently portrayed in other books. Instead, you can see an innate kindness and desire to help the young ladies she teaches. The hints of her background made me even more curious about how she got there, and the scene at the end of the book sealed the deal.

Finally, in the third book of the series, we get Lottie's story. It opens in the current day of 1816, as Lottie looks at a bouquet of flowers and a ring and considers what accepting them would mean to her life. It then jumps back to 1809, where her story begins. We see how she and Evander meet, fall in love, and part ways due to unforeseen circumstances.

When Evander returns from his longer-than-expected journeys to finally claim Lottie as his wife, he is stunned by the changes in her. No longer the innocent vicar's daughter, Lottie is a notorious courtesan. Her experiences changed her, and she became strong, intelligent, rich, and independent. All Evander wants is Lottie, but she isn't ready to risk her heart on him again.

I enjoyed seeing the rekindling of the relationship between Evander and Lottie. He knows that he made many mistakes and freely confesses his acceptance and remorse for them. Lottie's past doesn't matter to him; he still wants her as his wife. He also realizes that regaining her trust won't be easy, but he refuses to give up. I loved his weekly bouquets to her, with flowers he selects himself, flowers that have specific meanings. He treats her with all of the love and respect he feels for her in hopes of breaking through the wall she erected between them.

Evander's return brought all the love Lottie felt for him back to the surface, along with all of the pain she's endured. She tries to keep him at a distance, afraid of risking her heart with him again, but he slowly chips away at her resistance. Lottie shares that pain with Evander in a deeply emotional scene, opening the door for forgiveness and reconciliation. However, there remain concerns that continue to hold Lottie back from fulfilling Evander's deepest desire, concerns that prove to be valid. I loved how Evander showed Lottie that she was more important than others' opinions, and his demonstration of that belief was fantastic. An unexpected twist at the end provided the perfect comeuppance to the naysayers.

The epilogue was a terrific look into the lives of all of the couples several years later. I also enjoyed catching up with some of those young ladies that Lottie helped.

This unfortunately ended up being a DNF for me (at 40%). While the writing quality is good, the book is historically inaccurate at a fundamental level—a courtesan would not have moved in fashionable society the way this heroine does. I'm not the target audience for this book.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

“How to Wed a Courtesan” is a first time read by Madeline Martin, a new author to this reader. Not having read the first two books in this series, I feel at a loss with some of the backstory to Evander and Lottie’s story. The book is well-written and explains how the main characters meet, fall in love and overcome.

When the Evander, Earl of Westix returned from the continent to reclaim his bride, he was not expecting to learn that Lottie, the sweet vicar’s daughter is a notorious wealthy courtesan. Lottie has grown up quite bid in the six years since Evander’s departure. She is strong, intelligent, wealthy and knows what she wants but with Evander’s return, all the love she has for him resurfaces to include the pain she endured. There is a battle of wits while one decides he must woo his lost love to regain her affections and the other refuses those attempts at closeness so that she can protect herself from heartache again.

As the story unfolds, there is a continued love that the main characters share that has never waned. It is unfortunate that the choices they had to make had cause such a rift in their relationship that needs to be repaired. Both Evander and Lottie are emotionally hurt to some extent, but somehow find it in their hearts to forgive in order to have a second chance at love. At times throughout the story, I did wanted to dislike Lottie with her continuance on finding fault with Evander and the unnecessary reasons why they could not be together. You have to love Evander’s admittance to his mistakes and his persistence to making things right for the both of them. I enjoyed everything about this story. It had heartache, love lost and found, forgiveness and a moderate amount of steamy intimate scenes that makes this a well-rounded plot to a nice HEA.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin-Romance (U.S.& Canada) for this ARC in exchange for my fair and honest review. All opinions in this review are my own.

After meeting Evander and Lottie in the first book and wondering what tore them apart – we finally have answers! And all I have to say is OMG and WOW! I was completely gobsmacked by this book! To say that I loved it is a gross understatement – this is the book I would choose if I was stuck on a deserted island – seriously.

The book is written in parts and gives the reader answers to all the questions that have been building since these two were introduced in the first book, How to Tempt a Duke. We learn how Evander and Lottie met, we see them falling in love, we feel their pain when they part, their reunion, Evander’s attempts to reconcile, and Lottie’s heartache and reasons for refusing him.

I cannot get into the plot without spoilers, so let me just say, that this is a beautifully written, emotional story of forgiveness and second chances, featuring two people who never stopped loving each other but were forced to make choices that changed them forever. The book is filled with wonderful characters, heartache, sorrow, devastating losses, forgiveness, steamy love scenes, a couple of shocking revelations, a true soulmate type love and finally a very hard-won HEA complete with an epilogue that brings all the characters from the series together. If I could, I would give this book 10 stars, I loved it that much and it has earned a spot on my top ten favorite books of all time list 😊 This is the third book in the series, and can easily be read as a standalone title, but for the best experience, I would recommend reading the series in order.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own. *