Erica Ridley’s Lord of the Masquerade is the seventh book in the Rogues to Riches Series. Unity Thorne is an incandescent entrepreneur. Using her business acumen and attention to detail, she has helped two different men secure their fortunes. The only problem with her helping them become wealthy is that she is not a part of the equation. Determined to move away from the scraps life has given her, she seeks out the dashing Julian, Duke of Lambley. Julian conducts a weekly Masquerade that is the party everyone wants to attend. Julian runs his masquerade like a well-oiled machine with every item and every activity well thought out and controlled. Unity wants to learn from Julian in order to run a similar endeavor. But what will happen when free spirited Unity and extremely rigid Julian attempt to work together? Will Unity tighten up or will Julian bend? Erica Ridley has given us a funny story with spirit and heart; both characters have layers and complexities. Julian has fashioned his life in response to a childhood tragedy while Unity as a child was ill treated by the people who should have taken care of her. I love how these two disparate people come together as if they have the missing pieces the other needs. Lovely!

I would like to thank NetGalley for an advance reader copy of this novel. This is my honest opinion.

At Last, the book any who have read this series have been waiting for. The Duke of Lambley, Julian story. Julian learned at the age of eight not to let anyone close or love anyone because they would be taken away. He is just about the wealthiest person in London other than the King. He does not play by society rules but by his own. He holds the most sought out invitations to his Masquerade parties. At his parties all must wear a mask and none should ask for names. All are Lord and Lady X. Anything goes as long as the couple agree. They are decadent, and over the top in food and drink and debauchery. As long as the party goers don't break any of his set-in stone rules. Now that he is turning thirty-five this will be the last season for his parties. He plans to orchestrate getting a wife just like he does everything else in his life. With a prefect wife who will give him perfect children without him involving any emotion at all just other business deal !!
Till one very smart Entrepreneur, Miss Unity Thorne finds a way into his Masquerades. She has helped two very different man make their fortunes now it is her turn. She doesn't want to work for others and never having a say herself. But to reach her dream of opening her own place she needs to see how one is handled. The Duke of Lambley has the best Masquerade parties around so she is going to see how he does it !! Let the games began. Oh, what fun it is to see how these two battle it out.
Both are set in their ways but from very different lives and experience. The instant attraction between is wonderful cause neither know what to do about it.
Trust me you got to get this book !! It may just be the best book of 2021 and I read a lot....
There is so much going on between these two and lots of behind the scenes too.
The characters are wonderful and if you have read some of the other books, we get to meet some of the couples again, which was great too.
I received and ARC from NetGalley an wish to thank them. This is my honest opinion and am freely giving it.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc! ❤️

It has been a while since I have read a historical romance so I wasn’t sure how I would get into this book but it sounded really interesting. This is my first Erica Ridley book and I truly loved it.

My favourite part of the book was Unity, she was such a headstrong and fierce woman that I truly fell for. The story was truly about a woman fighting for her independence in a world which doesn’t want to give it. This book was set in 1819 and Unity is a half black woman. There were multiple discussions and mentions of race, slavery and racism in the book by both main characters so if those are triggering please proceed with caution.

Julian was easy to fall in love with as well, he is so tied to his control and making sure that everything is perfect, including the wife and children he has chosen to finally have. In comes Unity who is so full of ideas and isn’t afraid to question everything.

Overall I found this book to be a really enjoyable short read but yet somehow the plot and building of the relationship made sense. The whole theme of the book was acceptance, as Julian’s balls provided a safe place for queer individuals to be anonymous and safe as well the overall theme of being sex work positive in the book.

This is book seven in the Rogues to Riches series, however it is the first book I have read in the series.

The heroine, Unity, is a smart and strong character determined to start her own business. The hero Julian is obsessed with controlling every aspect of his life including his successful masquerade parties. It doesn’t take long to learn they are perfectly matched, although they try to fight it.

The book started a little slow, laying down Unity and Julian’s backstory. When the couple meet there are sparks making it worth the wait.

My favorite scene in the book is when Julian visits his friends at a gambling club and they laid it all out for him that he was a goner; Unity was inevitable.

Overall an enjoyable, unique historical romance.

Erica Ridley has done it again. I just love her historical romances. She writes the best characters and does such a great job of including rep in her stories. I love that she really focuses on the characters and you really get to know them. My only complaint is that I wish it had been longer. I wanted to spend more time with Julian and Unity. Love, love, love her stories.

This was a quick, fun read. I am always excited about diverse historical (especially Regency) romances! I liked these characters, and I think the idea of this scandalous masquerade is so fun. Lambley's backstory about why he needed to control everything felt just a little shaky to me, but I didn't mind too much. Mostly, I want these books to be steamier--especially this one which had a great excuse to up the steam at the masquerades.

Short but sweet, as always Erica Ridley writes strong, independent, FUN characters. I enjoyed so many things about Unity including her ambition, wit, and fearlessness; and also that she wasn't scared to fall in love. Also her occupation in the novel was quite novel and I admired that she was so good at her job and wanted to continue being the best. Julian was also fun. So rigid but it was evident behind that was someone with a marshmallow center :)

And finally, this is how to write an interracial historical romance without beating the issue over the head/being too preachy.

Thanks to the author for the ARC.

Ridley's historical romances are deliciously anachronistic in that her heroines have a lot of agency, and very little fear when it comes to standing for what they believe in. This is also the case in this novel, which I loved. Unity is a strong protagonist, and the way she has no fear in dealing even with a Duke shows this more than anything else ever could.

I loved that the Duke of Lambley thought he could organize absolutely everything in his life, even what age he'd find a suitable Duchess wife, and how well-behaved his future children would be. Love had no part in his equations at all. And of course, we all know what that means, right?

The chemistry, romance, and the humor got me hooked from the beginning, and the characters, including their development, and the continued romance kept me hooked throughout.

Okay, who doesn’t love a Cinderella story on occasion? I know I certainly do. And I adored this book.

I read this on a wonderfully cool and rainy summer Sunday. While my husband played video games I proceeded to lose myself in this fun regency HEA. With shades of Pride and Prejudice, I loved this book. It’s the perfect length for a quick weekend read but still leaves you with that happily-ever-after reading glow. Swoony and enjoyable, enjoyably swoony. Great main characters. As I wrote above, this truly is a fun read.

While this is part of a series, I read it without having read the other titles and didn’t feel too lost. I’ve read other works of Ms. Ridley’s and now ask myself why I haven’t read more. I plan on starting this series from the beginning and seeing all that I’ve missed out on.


Special thanks to Webmotion and NetGalley for an advance reader copy of this novel. All opinions shared are influenced by nothing other than my own reading experience.

Thanks to Netgalley and Webmotion for the ARC of this in exchange for my honest review.

I’ve really enjoyed Ridley’s other books in the past, but hadn’t started this series yet. Well, this was such a treat and I have to go back and read the others. It just had me smiling at the end, and was so fun to read. I loved Unity, and the equality of their relationship in all its stages, as it evolved from working to intimate.

Excellent, as expected. A twist on the regency romance with an anti hero coming up against a black woman from the wrong side of the tracks. The writing is superbe, lots of emotion and discovery as Unity and Julian work together and find out what makes each other tick. This turns the normal « scandalous rake chases innocent, well bread and spunky woman » on its head and is a cracking read for it.
A great plot, some tender moments and real understanding of all sides of society at the time.

The first book to read in this series, I hope the other books are as funny and charming as this one. Miss Unity Thorne has plans. This time she will make her own fortune instead of helping anyone else. She wants to open her own themed masquerade parties and she needs to learn from the best.. Control freak Julian Newcombe-Ives Duke of Lambley, has perfected his masquerade parties to give his guests the ultimate in pleasure. Nothing is left to chance, until Unity walks into his life and totally disrupts his control. The banter is superb, I could not stop laughing. Put this one on your TBR right away! (Some sex) I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

Lord of Masquerade is the seventh book in the Rogues to Riches series by Erica Ridley. This series focuses on a series of people who do not fit the general idea of the fashionable ton and they do not care. They have to work hard to move ahead and they are not afraid of trying.

Unity Thorne helped make two different men their fortunes! Her ideas and understanding of how to set up spaces and a club allowed for lots of the spots to become popular and make lots of money, but not for Unity. She wanted something of her own.

Julian, the Duke of Lambley is a rogue of the first order. He runs a weekly masquerade for all sorts of people providing they follow certain rules. Everything is precise and runs like clockwork, but he knows his time is running out, after all - he is a duke and needs a wife and heirs. That means he needs to become proper.

Unity Thorne was an enigma to Julian, the Duke of Lambley. She propositioned him to teach her all about his risque masquerades. She asked questions and then asked more. Slowly, but surely Unity wormed her way into Julian’s thoughts. Only problem, he has no heart or so he thinks.

Julian needs Unity. He just doesn’t know it yet. Lord of the Masquerade by Erica Ridley is a fun read.

This has such a strong heroine! I loved Unity so much. She's so strong, knows her own worth, doesn't let the colour of her skin or being a woman hold her back.

Erica Ridley is the master of historical romance. I absolutely loved this book and would definitely recommend this book to anyone.

I received an ARC from the author via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.

Lord of the Masquerade is the seventh book in Erica Ridley’s Rogues to Riches series. It can be read as a stand-alone, and I found that it worked well on its own, even though I had not read the prior books in the series.

This book is really sweet, and a lot of that comes down to the two leads. Unity drew my attention immediately given her somewhat precarious financial position, and the creative way she’s working to bring herself back up in the world. Lambley, meanwhile, sounded like the exact type of character I typically avoid at all costs: an arrogant Duke aware of his own charms.

But Ridley has a way of taking what could potentially be a problematic dynamic and breaking it down, so the two can truly be equals. I appreciated the in-text discussion about dukes and other aristocrats who married courtesans, brought on by Unity’s masquerade as one, and even though it’s ultimately not relevant to justifying whether Lambley can marry Unity, it does provide justification for anyone who may have thought such marriages never happened.

And while Lambley castigates himself when he finds out she’s not a courtesan, believing she’s a virgin, I loved the enlightened view she shares with him about how there’s a lot of gray area in terms of sexual experience, something that people of his rank would not be familiar with, given the “virgin or whore” mentality they had. And there were these little ways as the story went on that showed that he valued her, including a moment after they’ve finally made love where she realizes he not only views her as an equal, but he puts her needs before his own, which also comes into play in the big moment at the end.

I loved how sweet and uncomplicated this book was, at least on the romance side. If you prefer more intense conflict (and judging by the heat of the discourse around third act breakups lately, I can see the issue is divisive), you won’t find that here. But there’s plenty of tension and there are issues to be resolved that make for an entertaining read for anyone looking for a lighthearted historical romance read.

I've waited YEARS for Lambley's story!

The Duke of Lambley's masquerades are familiar to those of us who've read the earlier Rogues to Riches stories, so I was thrilled to see that the Duke himself was finally getting a story. And what a story it is! There's nothing predictable about this story, except that we can always rely on this author to give us a stunning, triumphant HEA.

Unity is a mixed-race young woman who is determined to chart her own path in life, no matter how hard that is for a woman who is also Black and of humble means. She was a delightful, inspirational character and I was captivated by her approach to life and attention to detail.

Julian was so much more interesting in this story than I could have ever imagined. His backstory is heartbreaking, even as it explains his current eccentricities. The spontaneity diary was a stroke of genius, and I adored how it was used by both Julian and Unity to further their own agendas.

The HEA was so much more than just a resolution for our young couple. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing certain matters put to rights and proper restitution being made. I loved the way their differences were celebrated and how the author always reminds us that love is the only thing that really matters in life. I highly recommend this book, as well as the entire series. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

In a time in history when women were expected to be quiet, biddable wives or daughters, Unity Thorne was a breath of fresh air. This character was not going to live her life at the whims of any male. Having already proven her mettle at business with growing 2 businesses into a success to the joy of both male owners, Unity was going to start her own business and reap the rewards. I loved how confident Unity was. She knew her strengths, her life goals and was comfortable with herself. I enjoyed reading how Unity helped Julien loosen up, to relax his strict and rigid way of life. Their chemistry was palpable. A fun read!

Erica Ridley has a talent for writing interesting characters in fun/unusual/awkward situations, and Lord of the Masquerade is no exception. The novel is fairly short, however, and though short isn't necessarily bad, this particular novel could have benefitted by another hundred pages or so.

Julian, the sixth Duke of Lamsley, presents himself as a coolly organized, socially remote, gracious but controlled man. He throws a weekly masquerade that is both elegant and debauched, and invitations to the event are coveted by nobles, demimondaines, and wealthy commoners alike. The story opens from his point of view (told in the third person), and from the get-go, I found him unlikeable. (He eventually redeems himself.)

Unity Thorne is an enterprising and determined young woman who has a knack for business and management. However, as a woman, Black Londoner, and someone who is not member of the ton, opportunities to prove herself for herself (and not for the benefit of others) are few and far between. She has decided that there's a market for a masquerade club and determines that she must gain attendance to Julian's masquerades in order to do research.

More and more, characters of previously ignored backgrounds are making their way into starring roles in historical romance, a pretty great trend in my opinion. This venture by Erica Ridley is a very good addition; the plot is fun and different. Our glimpse into our heroes' backgrounds, however, needs more time and elaboration. Julius' cold demeanor is directly linked to a childhood trauma, just as Unity's strong sense of survival is linked to hers. I need more than a few paragraphs here and there to understand the whys, especially with Julian. More specifically, while I can see how Julian's history has led to his need to organize down to the last detail, I don't fully understand how it all culminated in masquerades.

Unity and Julian's relationship too needed more time to develop. The two occupy very different worlds; Ridley smoothly figures out a reasonable way for the two to cross paths, but the pivot point (where like and attraction become love and need) happens rather abruptly, without any angst or indecision. There's also as bit at the end where Julius clears up something for Unity, but it all happens off stage and it's told as more of an aside. As previously mentioned, this book is short; I feel like this book need to be a longer novel with more time for character development.

I received an ARC of this book from the author, publisher, and Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion. Thanks!

What an emotional ride this book was. As usual, Ms Ridley has you feeling emotionally involved in her characters and you just had to keep turning the page. I loved the way the characters both complemented each other and without even trying they ended up with what they both didn’t realise they want. There was so much detail put into these characters to make this story flow beautifully. There was a long sex scene that this reviewer skipped as always and it didn’t affect my enjoyment of the book. I continue to look forward to the next one. I received this an Arc and freely give my review.