I am used to HR books that are dated closer to the beginning of the 19th century rather than its end. So it took me a while to get used to the time setting of the book. I loved the unconventional meeting Mina and Simon had. Did the book have cliches? Yes. Did every magically worked for the sake of moving the plot forward? Also yes. But I was and am willing to let that slide. Mina's mistake and ruination felt a little off.

A Matter of Temptation started as a rollercoaster. It started well, it went downhill and then it got good again. Conflicts were easily resolved and the villains weren't very villain-y. One thing that I don't get is how an elopement led to an entire family getting financially and socially ruined as Mina's did. I also don't get why Mina's husband eloped with her, spent the first night of their marriage with another woman, and then never made an appearance again. But I loved Mina and Simon together so I am willing to forget and forgive. Both Simon and Mina were refreshing as characters. Simon isn't the typical Rake one might expect and Mina was smart and fierce. I would recommend the book and Stacy Reid in general.

A Matter of Temptation is an adorable romance story between an adventurous and bold Mina (Wilhelmina) and the stern, grumpy Simon, Earl of Creswick, who first meet when she impersonates her brother and duels with him and wins. He is so impressed and secretly enamored that he offers her a job as his secretary.

This book has so many goodies - workplace romance, grumpy/sunshine banter, forbidden romance, past secrets, and a swoon-worthy hero willing to do anything for his love.

Stacy Reid's writing made the story thoroughly enjoyable, keeping me hooked. Though everything was almost perfect, Mina, though likable, is very forgettable as a character. Don't get me wrong; she is a lovely heroine but somehow could not match Simon's charisma.

It does have a slightly modern slant to the storytelling and plot compared to Reid's other books, but I was able to ignore that. Though not my favorite Reid book, Simon is definitely on my top MMC list.

This book was great! I loved the storyline and the main characters were so good! Great dialogue, I really enjoyed reading this book. A must read!

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

When Miss Wilhelmina “Mina” Crawford's brother announces that the family finances are even more dire than she could ever have expected, Mina knows that she needs to do something to save the family. With her reputation in tatters, taking a job won't be easy, but convincing the Earl of Creswick to hire her as his secretary was the best thing she could ever do. Simon Loughton knows that to pass his reform bill will take his all, and Mina's help is a blessing in disguise.

This was simply wonderful! Stacy's books are always amazing, and A Matter of Temptation was no exception. Mina and Simon's romance was so sweet, and they bolstered and supported each other at every turn. It was clear their love for one another ran deep, but because of Mina's past, it wasn't easy for them to be together. Mina was so selfless too, and would do anything for those she loved, including fighting in a duel, or giving up her chance of happiness. The way Simon appreciated her thoughts and opinions was so refreshing, and Mina saw Simon for more than just a title, but the man who deserved her love. A wonderful start to a new series!

This author's stories are always so unique and adventurous and take me by surprise... every single time!
A new series is here and judging by this first book, it's gonna be epic.
Mina and Simon are a match made in heaven or hell... whatever floats your boat.
They are both fun (with each other), witty (with everyone), brave (every single moment) and passionate about the same things (including each other).

This is a sensual adventurous story that is indeed unputdownable!

I think I say this for every new release by Stacy Reid, but THIS IS MY NEW FAVORITE! Seriously, I will never get over how perfectly crafted the characters and plot of every Stacy Reid novel are. This is no exception. I was completely riveted from the moment Mina dueled in the place of her brother and Simon took it in stride. The chemistry is spilling off the page between these two! Stacy Reid is one of the most talented historical romance writers and a complete auto-buy.

Our podcast episode goes into great detail about everything we love about this romance. See the link below.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/1XSiOeEAjy5gJcc0lYVnGM?si=lokJ5dWKTv676YoTopaARg

I received an ARC of this book.

This is a historical office romance. and I loved the grumpy hero.

I wish it was better paced towards the end.

Thank you to NetGalley for granting this ARC, and fast read. The plot was interesting and the story was steamy.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were well written, and the plot was engrossing. I would recommend this to any romance readers.

I liked the lead characters quite a lot and hope there are more in this series (if it becomes one), in particular I always like a hero with progressive ideas (for the time) about women and their abilities

Stacy Reid is one of my favorite hr authors but this story didn't work for me. Overall, it was to far fetched to believe that Mina could get away being posed as a man. Along with that there was a lot of repetition.

I received this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I have previously read two of Stacy Reid's books and was excited for this one. Unfortunately, it didn't measure up for me. This book started strong with our heroine taking her brother's place in a duel and ending up her opponent's secretary. The running joke of her being fired but continuously ignoring it was cute, but overall, I just didn't like the main characters or believe their love story. I don't know if the description of Simon's personality was supposed to somehow be representative of a level of autism or not- at times it felt like it was, but then became a "oh, this emotion was just dormant until Mina" explanation which was a little weird. Honestly, I was getting bored by the middle of the book and stopped caring altogether if they got to stay together. I felt the plot twist and its resolution were out of left field as though the author was on a deadline and had to have SOMETHING for a reason, so she threw it in to wrap it up. Not her best work. I absolutely loved My Darling Duke and still recommend this author, just not this book.

It was a pleasure to read this book. I loved this story from start to finish. I absolutely loved Mina. Initially I didn’t think Simon was a great fit for her but in the end he surprised me with his love for her. I look forward to reading more books from this author.

First let me tell you how obsessed I am with this book! It was absolutely everything I didn’t know I needed and it hit all my marks that make this a lovable book!

If you love historical romance, with mistaken identity trope, dashed with workplace romance and a ravishing scandal you will absolutely love this one!

We follow Mina our fearless heroine and Simon our hero who will do absolutely anything for her! While their first encounter cannot be described as usual it’s definitely a hilarious meet-cute that makes you laugh with how fitting it is to their story. Their chemistry is one of my favourite aspects of the storyline.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the copy of the book in exchange for an honest review!

"ruined" heroine; working heroine- secretary to hero; progressive hero Earl of Creswick who fights for rights of working class; Mina loves her job and that her employer is so progressive but her secret....

Five star read! Stacy is the best!

Perfection Where can I get my own Simon?

Full RTC

5 Stars!


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(¸.•´ (¸.•`*📚Review copy provided by Entangled Publishing via Netgalley. All opinions, thoughts, comments, and interpretation of this book are my own. I am not receiving any money in exchange for this review. Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read this book. More Reviews by Jaime can be found at <a href="https://alphabookclub.org/tag/review-by-jaime/">Alpha Book Club</a> and via <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/jaime-loves-romance">Goodreads</a>🦄

Every book by Stacy Reid is enjoyable. I always anxiously await her next release. This book met all my expectations for one of her novels. The heroine, Mina, is feisty and determined, a perfect match for the Early of Creswick. It's a fun, steamy read with a great HEA, everything you could ever want.

A Matter of Temptation is about a woman who has spent six years trying to bury her spirit for the trouble it got her into when she was younger-- an elopement that ruined her reputation and her chances at helping rectify her family's financial situation. Now, she and her twin are buried in debt with no avenues left to escape... Or so it seems. An ill-conceived challenge to duel becomes an unexpected opportunity when Mina steps in for her brother, the more talented fencer of the two.

Ok, now for the nonsense. This author and I have had a mixed bag of experiences in the past (I gave her Sinful Wallflowers trilogy 2, 1, and 4-star reviews), and this one falls squarely in the frustrating category. It starts early when Simon discovers Mina's identity at the duel because he feels lusty after her smile, meaning she MUST be a woman. And this complete lack of acknowledgment of the spectrum of sexuality is infuriating because a) it makes attraction about sex rather than gender since Simon's immediate interest in someone presenting as a man has to do with Mina's underlying biology (not visually in evidence) rather than a broader attraction that could include men and b) there's no option wherein he could think a man has a nice smile without it being a one-way ticket to lusty town if he isn't interested in men at all. Not shocking in a mind that views the world in such a black-and-white manner, Simon's marriage to traditional masculinity is so pure and unwavering that he finds it insulting to be called "pretty" even with the qualifier that it's in a "manly" way. The poor dear. To his (minor) credit, he isn't butthurt about being beaten by a woman in a duel, so apparently, her talent doesn't have to be a threat to his tender feelings about gender. Good for him, I guess.

There was a whiff of homophobia in a previous book by this author that I wrote about in my review even while hoping it was a misunderstanding, but this book cements things for me. Mina insinuates Simon is gay when he accuses her of being a woman in the hopes of offending him so deeply that he gives up the chase and lets her go. And nope... I'm out. There's a mountain of concerns I have for this body of work after reading four books, and this is just the straw that broke the camel's back. I'm out. It's a rare DNF @19%.

Really enjoyed this one. Stacy Reid is always reliable for a great romance with plots that include diverse stories. It took a bit long for Simon to get with the program so that was a bit annoying but he got there!

A truly lovely story. It was perfectly done, in its simplicity. This is fast paced, very sweet and with charming, sexy protagonists. I loved the banter, the at-times-grumpy hero and the lively heroine. I can't wait to read the rest of the series (hoping there will be one)!