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

As a way to escape her past, Lady Caroline Martindale fled England for the canals of Venice, and her grandmother's open arms. She wants to escape marriage and fortune hunters, but Venice is full of them, and one marquis is determined she will be his bride. The only person who can help is the handsome Gervais, Earl of Huntley, who wants to marry just as much as Caro does. But as they try to escape the marquis' clutches, the sparks fly.

I really disliked this book. I mean, I can normally devour a book like this in a day, and it took me quite a few sittings to get through Desiring Lady Caro. The main characters were both lacklustre, and the plot line was ridiculous. There were so many conflicting plot lines, and characters that I ended up not caring about any of them, and just wanting to get to the end. Such a disappointing read.

Ella Quinn is a favorite of mine. And this book was great! Good dialogue, chemistry between characters, I couldn’t book the book down. A must read!

This was quite the wild escapade. So many people vowing never to wed, inevitably catching the dreaded disease -love, and succumbing to the affliction. I did quite enjoy it! There was just enough wild, inconceivable mishaps and complications to provide a wild ride of entertainment. Watching how patiently Huntley worked to understand Caro’s “problem”, made for very tender moments. He truly is a kind, understanding man… though not without faults of course. We do hit a speed bump of miscommunication of course. The multiple hea’s made for a nice surprise. I came for one love story but was gifted two.

This was my first book byElla Quinn and it did not disappoint. I really enjoy a good historical romance. Be warned that this book mentions sexual assault and forced marriage talks. After a treacherous betrothal Lady Caro escapes and takes solace with her aunt. She is forced into a marriage of convenience before she meets her potential soul mate who will not take no for an answer as he steps in to protect our heroine from herself and her husband.
This is an absolute page turner I am sad it took me so long to get to it on my TBR shelf.

Thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC for voluntary review with my unbiased opinions.

I loved having a historical take place in Venice, it was a nice change, and I liked the two leads and the godmother!

I love a little danger and adventure included in a love story. Gervais is a confirmed bachelor until he meets Caro. He initially wants to help her escape from a creepy/crazy marquis, but along the way, they begin to see how perfect they are for each other. Great story!

So much fun! Loved the characters and the love story was charming! Highly recommend! Definitely pick this one up for your next vacation or long weekend binge reading session!

I am a huge Ella Quinn fan, and Desiring Lady Caro does not disappoint! I love how Ella Quinn can bring her characters to life and make you feel the raw emotions of her heroes and heroines. I would recommend her novels to friends in a heartbeat.

Our heroine, Lady Caro, has been running from her traumatic past for five years. After a broken betrothal and a brutal rape at the hands of her former fiance, she has sought solace with her aunt in Spain. Caro does not find the peace she is looking for as she faces a suitor who will not take no for an answer. Our hero, Gervais, Earl of Huntley, must step in to protect her. The adventure that follows will have you on the edge of your seat.

When Caro and Huntley meet in Venice, it is clear Caro wants nothing but to be left alone. Unfortunately for her, someone has planned an evil plot to force her to marry against her wishes. When Huntley convinces her the only person who can help save her is him.

Readers will love Ella's Quinn's latest book.

Ella Quinn has provided her readers with two romances in this one story. Lady Caro was traumatized by first a man claiming he loved her, but then marrying another, followed by a brutal rape after she decided should could not marry the man that her father had picked out for her. She flees to Italy where she lives with her godmother, widow Lady Horatia Huntley. but a crazy Italian marchese has become obsessed with her. She want nothing to do with him as he has the same personality as her rapist. Enter, Horatia's nephew, Gervais, Earl of Huntley, who has come to visit her on his grand tour of the continent, before he goes back to England and will have to choose a bride. While he is trying to protect Caro, they become compromised and forced into a marriage of convenience. She thinks it is only temporary, bu Gervais, has no intention of letting her go. The marchese, doesn't care if she is now someone else's wife, so they must flee to France. Meanwhile, Horatio decides also to leave Italy, but to fool the marchese, she takes a different route. Along the way, she meets a man who was very good friends with her late husband, has loved her from afar, knows some secrets about her husband that she doesn't and also plans to make her his wife. Parts of the story are a bit out there, but it is still a very enjoyable Ella Quinn book.

I read an ARC from NetGalley.com. This is my unbiased and voluntary review.

Quick Summary: A by the numbers romance

My Review: Desiring Lady Caro by Ella Quinn was a paint by the numbers love story. It brought together a dashing gentleman and a troubled innocent. There was also another story at play in this book.

About the Main Characters: Huntley and Caro

He was enchanted by her on sight. She took an instant disliking to him.
He was protective of her. She was guarded towards him.
He wanted to cherish her. She wanted to understand him.
He fully desired her. She secretly desired his attentions.
He wanted her to trust him and become his. She was confused, even as she was losing herself to his charm.
They ultimately got their HEA.

My Final Say: This was an interesting story. It had chills and thrills. Multiple moving parts were revealed within this book. Readers who enjoy period pieces with familiar tropes will appreciate this romance novel.

Rating: 3/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Series: Yes
Reprint: Yes
Level: Slow burn
Trigger: Sexual assault mentioned

I voluntarily read this title via NetGalley. The words I have shared are my own. Thanks to the author and to the publisher, who provided access to a digital copy of the work in exchange for an honest review.

* A Goodreads review has been posted.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the literal journey of the main characters as well as the emotional one.

Desiring Lady Caro by Ella Quinn is book 4 in the Marriage Game Series. I am a big fan of Romance books and I found this one to be a very enjoyable read. I will be looking for more books from this author.

🌟 2/5 🌟

Unfortunately this book did not work for me. It was completely drawn out to the point where it felt so incredibly long. The characters fell very flat for me and not much really stuck with me. I liked the aunt and kind of wish the story focused soley on her though I may like her romance more due to it being kept rather short.

It also has one of my biggest pet peeves in regards to SA being in the heroines past. The first time she explains what happened to the hero... is also the first time they have sex. Definitely a no go for me.

Desiring Lady Caro is a super fun read! Ella Quinn does a great job with her stories, and I love her universe of characters! It is fun to see references to other Ella Quinn books, and also fun to have a story of a strong, smart, opinionated heroine who is venturing out in the world-- this time Venice!
I liked the cover (always so good!), the story, the dialogue, and the hero and heroine have great chemistry. Although Ella Quinn connects her characters through her series, you can read this as a standalone and it does not take away from the book. It is a fast, entertaining read and if you enjoy strong female protagonists, historical romance and rich background descriptions, I'd recommend Desiring Lady Caro to you!

When I requested this book I didn’t realize it was a reprint of a book published in 2014. Maybe that’s why it fell a little flat for me?
It was fun! I especially enjoyed some of the side characters. There are a lot of twists and turns, and that was not my favorite.

Star Rating: 2/5
Tropes: Road trip

I'll admit I didn't love this one. The characters fell a little flat for me and the story itself dragged a bit for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have read some but not all of Quinn's earlier and later books in the Marriage Game series. I really enjoyed this book, more than I expected to be honest. Gervais, Lord Huntley retreats to the continent to avoid the leg shackles all his friends seem to be falling into, eventually landing in Venice at the home of his widowed aunt, Horatia. Unknown to Huntley, also staying at his aunt's home is Lady Caroline, an unmarried woman running from a dark and painful incident in London. Gervais is immediately intrigued by the beauty - Caro is not nearly as sure.

Due to what we would today term a stalker, Huntley and Caro end up on a trek across the alps. Along the way the romance grows, and Caro starts coming to terms with her past. At the same time, we get the secondary but super enjoyable romance of Aunt Horatia (let's not talk about the fact that she is considered an elder at the ripe old age of 37). She too is leaving Venice to help protect Caro and ends up running into a man who has loved her for years.

I enjoyed watching the romance bloom between Gervais and Caro, and the way he allowed her to take the lead in most parts of their romance. He showed immense understanding and compassion, and made him an excellent book boyfriend. 4 stars.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions herein are my own.

Gervais, Lord Huntley, travels to Venice to see his Aunt Horatia and meets her companion and god daughter, Lady Caroline. and falls hard. Caro, in return, shows no interest in him. He was immediately intrigued by her, but Caro was not interested. Another suitor interested in Caroline refuses to take an answer, the dastardly Marchese di Venier who is willing to do anything to have her. As a result, Gervais, Lady Horatia and Caro flee Venice. Caro and Gervais travel together and Lady Horatia travels alone to meet up in Nancy.

Close proximity is one of my favorite troupes and it is used well in this case. Their travel time together shows Caro and Gervais how good they could be together, but she is still nervous from past experience.

I just reviewed Desiring Lady Caro by Ella Quinn. #DesiringLadyCaro #NetGalley

This is Ella Quinn's fourth book in The Marriage Game series and has been one of my favorites since first published a few years ago. While a lot of romance books find ways to put the characters together for various reasons, there's nothing like 'being on the road' together while being chased romance. One of my favorite tropes that Quinn uses well. This keeps everything moving quickly with a lot of fun moments and of course steamy ones!

Caro has escaped a tragedy in her past in the form of a man that does not understand the idea that a lady has a choice (content warning - R). She heads to her godmother's home in Venice, ready to fall into the shadows for a while, unfortunately that's the last thing that happens. In her attempt to escape yet again, she finds solace in her godmother's nephew, Gervais, as he helps her make a run for it, constantly dodging the man after her.

Gervais had been trying to avoid a love spell that had claimed a large percentage of his friends, only he meets Caro and things start to change - for him. A marriage of convenience soon comes into play with even Caro determining that their feelings might not be false after all.

We get a bonus romance with Horatia - the aunt of Gervais and Caro's godmother - and Captain John. A cute edition, and well deserved for this woman who stole the show with some of her scenes.

I will say the bouncing back and forth between the two love stories sometimes came with an ounce of annoyance and I really wanted to continue a scene with the main couple or the side couple, but probably just a sign of how great these characters are! It can be read as a standalone but do yourself a favor and get the others too, Ella Quinn doesn't disappoint!

My opinion is my own and freely given.