3.5 stars

I didn't like this book as much as I liked the first one, I feel the story didn't captivate me enough, but I loved our main couple.
I thought the author made a great best friends to lovers story and still managed to put the cliché I fell in love with my best friend's sister in the story in a different way that I liked.
I liked that the book's problems don't come from where you expect them.
For me the beginning and end of the book are the best parts, I thought the middle was kind of boring.
I loved the focus the book brings about facing your fears, and how to allow yourself to love despite everything is worth it in the end.
The book also talks about addiction, so if this is a trigger for you go into this book knowing that, I can't say if the representation of addiction here was well done but I liked seeing this theme in the way the author did here in a period romance book, I think it makes a cool difference for the story.
The book is set around Christmas time so it's a perfect read to do now in December!

To save her friend from marriage to the wrong man, Lady Jane Crenshaw has ruined her own reputation. George, Lord Abbington, was suppose to keep an eye on her and feels responsible for her downfall. He decides to select three gentlemen as suitors to save her reputation. Jane cannot make up her mind on which one to marry. She comes up with a plan. Give each gentleman tests to score points in her decision. George does not like where this is going. He realizes he wants her for himself, but circumstances make it impossible. He wants Jane to believe in love, she wants him to believe they should be together.
The pace is little slow. George is on again, off again with commitment. A little frustrating to read. Most of the characters are likeable, even with all their quirky personalities.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

Read an ARC.

Spectacular. Needed this as a palate cleanser and ended up being richly rewarded with a fantastic story! While it is book #2 you could read this as a standalone and be quite satisfied.

A couple modernisms but otherwise felt very authentic. The main characters have distinct personalities and chemistry without immediately falling into bed with one another. The supporting characters have just enough substance to remain plausible without constantly referencing what else is going on in the series.

Would definitely read more of these!

Lady Jane’s reckless actions ruined her reputation, her family’s social standing, and her brother’s prospects of marrying the woman he loves. But Lady Jane has a chance to make things right. Her family are hosting a Christmas house party that will be attended by a group of willing suitors. Jane knows she’ll never find love. And she is not sure she wants to love anyway. Having trouble deciding which suitor to pick Jane develops a system to test her suitors and discover the best husband for a practical sort of marriage.
Jane needs George’s help choosing a husband, but George soon realises he loves Jane himself now all he has to do is convince Jane.

I love the friends to lovers trope, and this one did not disappoint. I loved George, he was thoughtful and considerate. His reasoning for not wanting to wed are legitimate and understandable.
Jane’s reasons for not wanting to fall in love were flimsy at best and got a bit annoying. However I loved her spirit and her practical ways in trying to choose a husband.
This is book two in the series but can be read as a standalone.

A cute story with lots of angst and steam. I did find the beginning dragged for me while Jane and George tried to figure out their feelings. While George’s hesitancy on love seemed legitimate, I found Jane’s reasonings a bit cowardly and at odds to her adventurous and daring personality. But the last third of the story picked up for me as realizations were made and efforts were put forth to try and manifest a happy ending.

I was give an advance copy of this book by#NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Charlie Lane continues to sweep me off my feet and whisk me down the aisle of another great romance. I do love a historical romance and have found my new go-to author.for relying on good ones. Yes I would recommend this book to my family and friends who like historical romances. It was everything I could hope for in sn historical romance. Yes I would absolutely recommend this book..

A Dare Too Far by Charlie Lane is a story that is part of the Debutante Dare. This is a new author and a new series for me. I did not find the story needed explanation, so clearly the story can be read as stand alones.

In this novel, the main character, Lady Jane has destroyed her reputation already and needs to make a match to save her family. Luckily her large dowry will help as well as her brother’s best friend has sent some appropriate choices. Lady Jane is afraid and doesn’t know what to do.

George is Jane’s brother’s best friend. He sent some appropriate men for Jane to pick from, but in reality he needs to face the truth, he has a thing for Jane, but he too has concerns for marriage and bringing Jane into his family with his uncle.

A Dare Too Far by Charlie Lane is a historical romance that has some heat (toward the end) and a fun love story.

Will their concerns tear them apart…

I confess I always struggle with characters like Jane, those who live scared of what might happen eventually and choose the coward path. Living in the tomorrow, expecting the worst is no way to live as at one time, things may change, nothing is immutable. Hopefully at one turn of the tale, Jane is the one taking risk with her chest organ.
So while the beginning was fun as she can’t stop from being herself, caring for others and taking risk for them if it can help them.
When it comes to her, she buries her head in the sand, so afraid of any wound to her heart and how it may alter her, she is ready to turn her back to the possibility of happiness just to avoid some potential hurt in the future.
But we appreciate the happy times in life because we know there are bad moments. life is a balance of joy and sorrows.
George has a more valuable reason to explain his reluctance to marriage, he is not against, he just awaits a more favorable time. His own fear being to have his nameless-bride-to-be hurt by his laudanum-addicted uncle. Yet he too backs down by fear of the worst.
Both are so perfect for one another if they were no always mulling over what could come if. George thought his mission was to settle Jane but soon he realizes he wants her to throw caution to the wind and be happy, love. Is Jane daring enough to venture into the unknown and exposing her heart.
A lovely tale of two hardheaded beings close to let their inner worry take the best of them instead of taking a chance at love.
4 stars

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 onscreen lovemaking scenes

I have been granted an advance copy by the publisher Wolf Publishing, here is my true and unbiased opinion.

This is George and Jane’s story. Jane needed to marry because of a scandal. George is a family friend who is trying to help by finding Jane suitors. Jane’s brother wants George to marry her. He tries to protect Jane from his life. Jane falls in love with him. There relationship has many twists and turns. It was a great read.

"Some instinct, deep and unavoidable, rooted her in place, drew her nearer him"
"Sleep claimed him , and a pair of mobile red lips pressed against his in the darkness of his dreams"
"Falling in love was just the most daring thing a woman could do"
This book is exactly what I was looking for to get into the Christmas mood!
For every fan of Bridgerton or Tessa Dare this is the book for you.
A beautiful love story starting from friends-to-lovers that get in way deeper than expected involving important themes such as drugs abuse and addiction and loss as well as death.
Those themes are as relevant in the plot as the romance is and I deeply appreciated that.
I really liked the characters and I will say that their resilience and their strength really inspired me.
Of course I may have fallen for a certain Sir , described as a knight in shining armour ready to protect his damsel (who's everything but in distress) but at the same time has an hunted past and some secrets that he doesn't want to be out.
Jane is an amazing leading female character. Her passion, her charisma and her sweetness in approaching people facing hard times, is admirable and her heart is immense.
The devotion she shows and the determination in helping people in need doesn't waver , not even in the darkest hours !
I'm so thankful I had the chance to read this book and I'm really looking forward to reading a possible next one!
"She'd know who to marry before she crept into bed that very night"
"She wanted the almost-impossible-to-resist dare of him gone"
"Damnation and hell and all the demons of Hades"
"You stick in a man's mind like the perfect first words of a poem"

I Loved It! What a fantastic second in the series of The Debutante Dares. A Dare too Far unfolds beautifully as it weaves a story from beginning to end with threads of a heroine who loves a dare, a hero who guards a dark family secret and the strength to believe in love. Charlie Lane has written a Christmas Romance with extremely interesting characters with amazing chemistry that is believable and easy to relate to, filled with heartfelt dialogue, sizzling passion, and intense emotions from despair and grief to love and ecstasy. From the first page until the very end you won't be able to put it down.

I received a free copy from NetGalley, and this is my freely given review.

This seems a rather sweet story of friends to lovers. Jane had ruined herself with her poorly thought out plan to help Tabitha, in the first book of this series. As a consequence, she is being pressed to marry, to restore her reputation. For one, she wants her own home and family; she is not happy with the current situation with her young stepmother. For another, her loss of reputation appears to be a barrier to her brother's suit for the young woman of his choice.

Lord Devon, the brother of Tabitha's duke, is not an option for marriage, despite three proposals on his part, and being part of her ruin. So Jane's family hosts a house party before Christmas with various suitors. She must decide one one of them to marry before Christmas.

George, Lord Abbington, has been best friends with Jane's brother for years, and it was obvious from the first book that he cares for Jane. But he has serious doubts about being involved with any woman for marriage because of his own personal situation caring for an ill and unpredictable family member. Also, let's not forget, best friend's sisters are off limits. Instead, he tries to help by sending three men he thinks would be good husband options to the party. But when he arrives to see how things are going, he finds he does not want Jane to choose someone else.

There is an interesting tug of war between Jane and George's developing relationship. She did not want a marriage based on love because of what she observed in her parents marriage, and her father's current marriage. What she feels for George nearly scares her into choosing what the thinks is a safe option. He was scared to hope for a future with her. Then, when it became an option, he became scared for her and potential risk to her by exposing her to the responsibilities he took on, caring for his loved one.

But ultimately, they both decided to take the risk that what they had was greater than their fears. A beautiful part of the story for me was the realization on George's part that it's not okay to shoulder some burdens alone, and it is healthy to ask for help. The relationship with his sister is a lovely thing, and her relationship with her husband sounds lovely and inspiring, though deeply sad as well. But it also showed Jane the strength love is capable of.

This was at times a sad story to read, for various reasons. Maybe it touched me a bit more, having worked with so many people who have issues with substances, and this was amplified during COVID19, and also a few friends and family also affected now and in the past, and how this has affected their loved ones. But I found that intertwined in George and Jane's story very affecting.

It is also a good reminder of how strong relationships also make us stronger as people too.

Four out of five stars.

I loved these soulful characters!

Jane is exactly the kind of Regency heroine I love to read about. She's certainly brave and daring, a bit unconventional, but still respectful of the society in which she lives and conscious of the effect her behavior has on her family and friends. After the slightly scandalous events of the previous book where she helped her friend despite the risk to her own reputation, Jane is accepting the fact that she has to get married, and soon.

Just not to the gentleman who joins her in the scandal, and I loved her reasons for turning him down. His story will be worth waiting for. Jane is also not interested in the somewhat smarmy gentleman that her stepmother has put forward, nor is she interested in any of the very suitable suitors that her friend, George, has suggested.

George is Jane's brother's best friend, and has known Jane all her life. He's trying hard not to be attracted to her, if only because his own home situation is completely unbearable and he'd never subject a wife to the dangers therein.

Jane dares to be inquisitive without being prying, pushy without being overbearing, and patient without entirely losing sight of her goal. I loved the gentle and familiar repartee between the two MCs and could easily sympathize with both as they worked through the obstacles on the way to their HEA.

The only thing that kept this from being a five-star read was the sometimes glaringly obvious need for a strong editor. Some of the author's metaphors and similes felt so heavy-handed and out of place it was as though they were added just to see if an editor would notice. The story itself is perfectly delightful; the execution of it could have been substantially better.

Even so, it's a book I recommend, especially if you've read the previous story and certainly if you're going to be along for the next one. While each one is a standalone romance, the crossover of characters adds a wonderful depth so that each book enhances the others. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

Sorry, I just couldn't finish this. It just went on and on and on with the same problems being hashed over again and again. But 60 percent through, I just didn't care of the H and h ever got together for their HEA. It wasn't badly written, but, in addition to the repetitiveness, I had a problem with the degree of "informality" between the MCs and "steam" scenes. Didn't appeal to me. Can't recommend. I give it two stars only for NOT being full of typos, bad grammar, and poor sentence structure. #NetGalley #ADareTooFar

A daring lady.
A caring earl.
And a Christmas house party that turns love into a dangerous game.
The Earl of Abbington is not a daring man.
Responsible for the care of an opium-addicted uncle, George’s life poses dangers to a bride that he’ll never risk. It’s why he avoided the independent and kind Lady Jane last year, despite her brother’s request he protect her during her season. His neglect no doubt led to Jane’s tattered reputation. In reparation, he’s sent pre-approved suitors to the house party to ensure she marries well, not to a man whose life is a nightmare.
Lady Jane is done being daring.
Her daring spirit ruined her reputation, her family’s social standing, and her brother’s marital prospects. But a Christmas house party attended by a coterie of willing suitors can put everything right. Plain of face and ordinary of intellect, Jane knows she’ll never find love. And she doesn’t want it anyway. Love is the most daring thing a woman can do, after all. Instead, she’ll develop a system to test her suitors and discover the best husband for a practical sort of marriage.
Jane needs George’s help choosing a husband, but George soon realizes he can’t give it without betraying his own heart. Together, they must find the courage to face the dangers of love or lose the love of a lifetime.
This is a comical and endearing book in this friends to lovers story. Jane and George make an endearing couple in this tale.
Charlie Lane has written a marvelous story.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

A great second book in the series as we see another debutant wallflower finding her match. I enjoy this authors world-building and depth to the characters. I always feel more connected to a story when we have alternate POV which this story does and the characters are realistic. There was not a lot of romance during the story as Lady Jane Crenshaw attempts to find the perfect spouse via discussions, tests, and kisses. Lord George Abbington has always avoided thinking about marriage, his obligations to his uncle made marriage a wish but not reality, but if he did think about marriage he thought Lady Jane would be the perfect wife. When he shows up at Lady Jane's estate near Christmastime he decides none of Jane's suitors are meant for her - yet he has difficulty figuring out a way he can be with Jane.

The chemistry between the two is ever present and Lady Jane takes to carnal relations with excitement-she is no shy virgin.

Now the question is will these two find a way to be together or are they forever meant to be apart.

I recommend this book and series - the stories draw you in and keep you engaged.

4 stars ⭐ | 4 Flames 🔥