DNF @75%.
I loved the first book in the series but this one just didn't match the vibe.
The romance in this book is overshadowed by the mystery of who killed Kat's uncle and who the famous Chameleon is. There were so many names introduced that I stopped following who is who.
By 75 % I wasn't feeling the romance between them so for the first time I think EVER I did something I never do - I looked at the end of the book who the murderer was. If this book was maybe 50-100 pages shorter I would have no problem finishing it but this time it was just too much and at the same time not enough.

This was Marcus and Kat's book. Underestimating Marcus Black is the last thing his enemies do. After all, the respected Earl of Westwood is a deadly threat… when her Majesty needs him to be. And his only goal is to avenge his brother’s murder. Which would be much easier if the viciously-skilled Lady Kaitlyn Montrose wouldn’t swoop in, knee him in the bollocks, and then run off with his only lead…
Kat is determined to avenge her beloved uncle’s murder and nothing will stop her. Especially not the devastatingly handsome, and equally lethal Marcus Black. The fact that he’s after the same target is a complication she hadn’t planned on. It was an entertaining read. And am voluntarily leaving my review.

If you are looking for a fast paced, historical romance, action and spy thriller, then look no further that Maddison Michaels’ The Bachelor Betrayal. Michaels’ crafts a faced paced, action packed, spy story, filled with family secrets, assassinations, murders and traitors. This swirly plot is then helmed at the center by the hero and heroine who are both afraid of love but enter into a clandestine and passionate affair as they unravel the mystery surrounding them. Michaels’ writing is charming and witty, and she perfect blends intrigue and sensuality. Definitely an author worth checking out if you love a high paced, spy romance, with a steamy romantic center!

I found this novel to be the perfect balance of twists and turns which keep the reader guessing and turning the pages long past bedtime. As well as always being aware of the building and budding romance between the hero and heroine. These two are also the perfect foil to each other, they are both determined, bold, smart and strong. Watching them fight their feelings is such a joy. Watching them learn to work and come together is extremely gratifying. I think this novel definitely has a lot to offer the reader and whether you come for the action or the romance, you are sure to leave satisfied.

I would definitely recommend Maddison Michaels and this novel for any historical romance author, especially if you are in the mood for a faster paced cinematic experience!

I really thought I would like this one, but alas, I did not. The romance was overshadowed by the mystery, and even when the romance did get the spotlight, it wasn't compelling. By the end, I had given up on the mystery because I didn't care. If this had stuck to pure romance, it might've been fine, but this weird mesh of mystery and romance didn't work.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review

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

Lady Kaitlyn Montrose has had an upbringing unlike any other. Raised by her spymaster uncle to be a agent of the Queen's, when her uncle is killed by the Chameleon, she is out for revenge. And it just so happens that the handsome Earl of Westwood, Marcus Black, is after the very same person. Joining forces with the same goal, they are a formidable threat, but the attraction growing between them may be the biggest threat of them all.

As a sort of enemies to lovers type book, I really enjoyed The Bachelor Betrayal. Neither of the main characters were interested in marrying, or in working together, to be honest, but they were willing to forgo their hesitations in order to stop the Chameleon, and avenge their loved ones. I liked the way that they rubbed off each other, and the banter between the pair was great. Their romance took some time to get started, but once it did, it was fiery. A great and quick historical romance!

After having stumbled upon the gem The Bachelor Bargain of Maddison Michaels last year, I was very happy to see a second part to this series on Netgalley. And it is as wonderful as the first part! I like the fact that the women in these historical fictions are displayed as badass women, who can take care of themselves. Of course, Lady Kaitlyn being the Uber badass, since she was trained to be a killer.

Nonetheless, the story is great and it has some twists and turns that you don’t see coming. Furthermore, the banter between Marcus and Kat is hilarious and the story is fast paced. It keeps you on edge, which is awesome. So, no surprise that I’m giving this one a five-star rating. And hopefully Maddison will add a new book to this great series!

With a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

This book was fabulous! I thought I was just picking up a standard historical romance, but instead I got a historical romance mystery thriller. I loved it! I combined my two favorite genres. I need more of this. I literally couldn't put the book down. Especially at the end when I didn't know what was going on. Oh, and the chemistry between the two leads, phenomenal!

I requested this book because I really like stories about the Victorian Age! So I was very curious about it.
This is the second of book's series "Secrets, Scandals and Spies"
I expected something different, maybe a little more romance, but I kinda liked it!
3 stars

A historical romance/spy book… let’s do this! I found this to be very fantastical but a lot of fun. It was a super quick read and while predictable, there were enough surprises to keep me entertained.

Our heroine is your typical “not like other women” character. Raised to be a foil to social norms. Our hero is a wounded, kind of an alpha hole character, but while not my usual favorite it worked in the end.

I haven’t read the first book in the series but I found that didn’t matter too much. I’ll definitely be reading it though!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is the secrets, scandals and spies series book 2. This was a good addition to the series. I wasn’t a huge fan of the Marcus he was a jerk for 90 % of the book.

Lady Kaitlyn Montrose has been trained her whole life by her uncle to be a lethal weapon in the spy game. When her uncle is murdered by the Chameleon, she is determined to get revenge. But when a promising lead comes along, she will need to ask Marcus Black for help to infiltrate the gentleman’s club. Marcus wants to find the Chameleon so he can clear his brothers name of treason. Deciding it’s beneficial to team up to catch the Chameleon, they start to let down their guard and they are attracted to each other to the point of distraction. Throughout the story, they both struggle with trusting each other, but in the end they must in order to survive!

I really enjoyed this book and devoured it in a day! So many twists and turns I didn't see coming and the romance between Marcus and Kat was so believable and passionate! Swoon! I can't wait for the next in the series!

The Heroine
Kat is a force of nature. Being trained in all sorts of self-defense, she is a strong, independent woman hell-bent on avenging her beloved Uncle’s death. She was orphaned as a young child and was raised by her Uncle Victor. She worked along side him for years to solve cases for the Crown. She is determined to find the Chameleon to finish her Uncles work and avenge his murder.

The Hero
Marcus Black, the Earl of Westwood, is a respected member of the peerage, but he double as an agent for the Crown when needed. He trained with Victor when he was younger and he, and his brother, were friends with Kat. After the murder of his wife, branding his brother a traitor and then his death, and the murder of Victor, Marcus is out for justice for all of them.

The Steam
There were lots of steamy scenes and romance between Marcus and Kat.

Tropes
Victorian Era, Steam Hot, steam Carriage, Historical Romance, East End London, Titled Hero, Tortured Hero, Detective/Agents of the Crown, Spinster, Virgin Heroine, Knife-wielding Heroine, Dresses as Male, Childhood Crush, Fling to Love, Betrayal, Mystery Romance, Blackmail, Secrets & Lies, Return of the Dead, Revenge Trope, Suspense/Danger/Murder

It's not often a story starts off with a lady trapped in a train car with two miscreants that mean her harm...and SHE'S the one that comes out on top! Not to mention the time she goes climbing in moonlight, encounters an unexpected, yet not completely unwelcome, spy of the male persuasion with the same lofty goal for the evening...and leaves him behind in pieces, even if only for a moment, as she escapes with her prize. No siree, this is not a book like you've, or at least I've, read before...and I gotta say, me likee!

Kat is deadly with a dagger, though just as capable with simply her wits and well tailored clothing, thanks to her late Uncle Victor. He's late not by time, but by circumstance...which gives us the plotline for Kat's revenge streak. She grew up unlike most ladies of her station, and yet can blend into any social occasion or situation necessary. She's sharp, and always in control...at least, she was...though the same can be said of the one causing the inner chaos she's trying to tamp down. That chaos goes by the name of Marcus, and he has his own agenda for seeking the shared foe they are aiming for. She wants to make them pay in blood, while he wants to see them pay for the rest of their days. A role reversal for sure, but I can't say I blame either of them, considering the circumstances. The thing is, while their teaming up is the best possible pooling of resources to get their man, they created a new obstacle to overcome as they inadvertently fan the flames of their hearts. Trust me when I say, it's a pleasure to watch because you keep moving towards the inevitable, but you're never left hanging because you're so caught up in the storyline outside of their potential.

All in all, a great read from start to finish, and a series that I for one will be checking out the further adventures of in the near future...because hello, I haven't read the first book and I'm dying to see what happened there! Recommended for adult Historical Fiction fans.

While I loved the first book, I unfortunately could not finish this one. I found the characters too unlikeable. It was also missing the humor and banter that I liked in the first book.

I received an ARC copy of #TheBachelorBetrayal from #NetGalley

This is the second book in the Secrets, Scandals, and Spies series, however it can be read as a standalone novel. The author does a good job at recapping any info that you need to know. I really enjoyed the first book, and this one was just as good. Kaitlyn Montrose is definitely an interesting character and I hope we get to see more of her in the rest of the series. The story itself was very suspenseful & while I had my suspicions early on of who the killer was, it was still a shock when the reveal happened.

This is a must read if you like period romances.

Well I loved the first book in this series and I expected to love this one too, especially as I expected us to get an empowered feminist heroine story. Not so much, sadly. This was rife with sexist and misogynistic drivel, the “hero” was a sexist a$shole, a jealous hypocrite who constantly tried to bully & scorn the heroine all the while claiming he cared so much about honor, & yet he had no problem engaging in an illicit affair w a virgin (which in this time is not considered honorable). I personally don’t mind that I just hate when the dude is all up in arms about how honorable he is and is a hypocrite about it. He acts shocked and disgusted when he thinks she isn’t a virgin & then after finding out she is he happily has sex with her without marrying her. So pretty big hypocrite, I guess it’s ok for her to not be a virgin as long as it’s only he who she is having sex with. If it were anyone else it wouldn’t be okay. Ugh. This isn’t anything we haven’t seen a million times in old school historical romances, but I expect a more feminist lens in modern historical romances especially when the heroine is billed as a badass independent woman. I didn’t expect to get this kind of alpha-hole hero in a series that started out so promisingly. The whole time I could not imagine why the heroine was panting after this dude, he was an asshole to her. The book felt pointless, it was Insta-lust and then crammed full of bizarre and inane mystery-suspense plot lines and tropes.

I actually opted to read this book thinking it will be the usual historical romance with lots of the societal constraints, typical to those times, in place. But The Bachelor Betrayal by Maddison Michaels is not so. Though the story may be set in the 19th century, it felt like a more contemporary story, mainly due to the way the heroine Kaitlyn Montrose's character has been written. She is not a shy, retiring, missish, proper young lady typical to the Victorian England. She is a trained spy, who does service for the crown partly and does private investigations when warranted.

Her recent purpose in life has been to kill the prolific, killer "The Chameleon ' who had killed her uncle. She encounters Marcus Black in one of those efforts and is instantly intrigued by him. Both Marcus and Kat are in search of the same killer; so they reluctantly decide to combine their efforts in the search for the man. What follows next is a cat-and- mouse game with the killer trying to stay ahead of them all the time and get away with their sins.

Kat is a spunky, no-nonsense, go-getter who has few soft parts left in her. Though it's hard to imagine there ever was a woman like that in this period, I still loved her. Marcus alternates between being a gentleman and an a pain in the behind, towards Kat. Both are intriguing and I love how the author has written them. The story hits the road running from the very start and does not let up at all. There is one mystery after the other that keep the reader on their toes and throughly entertained. There are some tastefully well-written intimate scenes too.

Overall, it's an enjoyable , thrilling read for those who lilke a fast-paced, page-turner set in a historic period. Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for providing this ARC in return for an honest review from me. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Witty, well-written and filled with action and romance. I look forward to reading the next in this series.

This was a good historical romance, with a unique main character! I would definitely recommend it to anyone who thinks it sounds good!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

The Bachelor Betrayal by Maddison Michaels is book Two in the Secrets, Scandals, and Spies Series. This is the story of Kaitlin Montrose 'Kat' and Marcus Black, the Earl of Westwood. I have read the previous book which did add to my enjoyment of this one but I did think it can be a standalone book. Marcus is out to catch the person named 'Chameleon' who he thinks has killed his wife, planted evidence to brand his brother Nathaniel as a traitor and killed his mentor Victor. Kaitlin lost her parents at the age of three and was taken in by her Uncle Victor who who was a spy for her Majesty. Kaitlin now has been trained so well by her Uncle that she is a weapon on to itself and is out to get revenge for her Uncle's death. When they both end up meeting at the same place they end up working together. This was an exciting Read.

The badassery of Kaitlyn Montrose in The Bachelor Betrayal is utterly fantastic. Kaitlyn has been trained from a young age to survive threats from assassins, spies and every day criminals. Together, with her uncle, they are on the hunt for the ever allusive assassin known as the Chameleon. Until one fateful day, her uncle falls victim to the killer. Hell bent on revenge, she begins to root for clues to identify this murderer.

Her only stumbling block is Marcus Black, a childhood friend also trained in hand-to-hand combat, who is also seeking the identity of the person responsible destroying his brother's reputation and killing his wife. These two spar but soon agree to a mutual quest to hunt this person. Mayhem and murder ensues in this story as Kaitlyn also takes Marcus as her lover. Matters of the heart begin to drive their resolve, changing their future in ways they never imagined.

The Bachelor Betrayal was a fun read with romance, intrigue and thrilling excitement. I enjoyed this story immensely, and ALL of Kaityln's forward fashions creations.

Thank you, partners @entangled_publishing @maddisonmichaelsauthor @tlcbooktours

#TheBachelorBetrayal #SecretsScandalsandSpies #Regencyromance