The story moves quickly which I like. There is abundance of entertainment that is great for this type of story. I love the characters. I think that they fit well to the plot. The characters are engaging with the story. The writing is good.

Lashes and Lace by D.A. Maddox follows Lady Sophia Parsons. Her family is deeply in debt, and sign The Contract of Seven Days’ Service. Lord Albion Rayment has loved Sophia from afar for years. As Master to her Patience, Sophia is at his complete mercy.

The premise had me interested. I just didn’t like the overall vibe as I read more and more of it. Ultimately, this book wasn’t for me.

"He is Master, and she is only Patience. Before the week is over, the once and future lady of Scrivenshire will learn to be his maid-of-all-things, and much, much more. In a world that prohibits women any say in their destinies, “Patience” must find courage and independence for the first time in her life—while Albion, if he has his way, will tear down the twisted traditions of his fathers and earn Sophia’s love."

The writing in this book felt genuine and historical, I am a huge history buff and have read y fair share of historical fiction and more often than not I find myself not iking the "historical language" used but this wasn't the case with this book. It was a dark and steamy slow burn, and Im always down for a nice slow burn!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this ARC!

thanks to evernight publishing for providing a copy of this book through netgalley!

Lady Sophia and Lord Albion enter a contract when her father’s finances are in trouble. She will be his maid-of-all-things. Coming from a pretty plush life, this is a big change for her.

This book started a bit slow for me but definitely picked up pace. I appreciated that Sophia took on the challenge of the contract. This book was definitely more than I expected!

Lady Sophia and Lord Albion have a contract when her father’s finances are in trouble. Fast-paced read with loads of drama, suspense and some spice.

I did enjoy the book, well it did have ups and downs for me as the vocabulary was too complicated to be understood. I basically read it by understanding the story by context. I would appreciate if the author would keep the vocabulary on the lighter side, which would help readers to understand the story smoothly. All in all the story was good, the intimate scenes were sensory and visually active. I could feel it throughout the book that the description in the book was extraordinary.

Lashes and Lace by D.A. Maddox

Regency romance with a twist that reminded me at times a bit of Fanny Hill, Story of O, and some other more recent BDSM stories with true love involved.

What I liked;
* That the style of writing felt ‘of the era’
* Lady Sophia Parsons also known as Patience: daughter of an earl, wealthy till she wasn’t, loves her parents and they love her, a woman of her station who learns a great deal after signing a contract
* Albion Reynart, Marquess of Sculbury: wealthy, good brother, difficult relationship with his father, knows what he wants and he wants Sophia
* The growth shown in Sophia from the beginning to end of the book
* The way it was presented with chapters introduced with contract specifics
* The impact of ‘the contract’ on all who were involved
* That it all made sense as the story progressed
* The correspondence between Sophia and her mother
* The look at the divide between working and upper classes
* Lavinia: Albion’s sister, musically talented, different but true to herself, potential good friend to Sophia
* The emotional conflict that more than one person in the story had to deal with and how they resolved it
* Support found in surprising ways
* That though harsh, the harshness made sense to the story
* The romances…there were a few
* The way it all worked out…eventually

What I didn’t like:
* The most disagreeable was probably Albion’s father though there was potential for him to perhaps improve in the future…maybe
* Thinking about being in the shoes of Patience and how it would have felt…would I have been as strong as she was?

Did I like this book? Yes
Would I read more by this author? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley AND for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

Lady Sophia and Lord Albion have a contract when her father’s finances are in trouble. She will be his maid-of-all-things. Will sparks soon be flying between them? Fast-paced read with loads of dram, suspense and sizzling scenes. Great characters, excellent world building and an entertaining story. I liked it.

Deliciously dark and extremely enticing. This book was a whirlwind from start to finish and had me at the edge of my seat at times. It had a wonderful sense of peril and urgency on behalf of Sophia that really sweetens the experience. With smooth historical writing, this world was beautifully cultivated and made for an exquisite read. And might I say, Lord Sculsbury could make me sign a contract any day!

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book! The book was archived before I was able to download it. Leaving it 3 stars as that seems to be the average.

I purchased the ebook and will leave a review once I am done with it.

I didn't really like this book I found it a little hard to follow. I also thought it was suppose to be more steamy. This one just felt a bit flat to me.

Engrossing and Involving Story
This story both darkly deviation and beautifully romantic. The characters were well developed and engaging, and the world they were was both lush and slightly dark. A fantastic story set in a time period that a novel deviation for the author, but extremely well done.

Thank you for a copy. This book however wasn’t for me. It def slow burned and had felt like it dragged on. I do hope someone else finds a love for this book!

Lashes and Laces' vibe is very much BDSM erotica meets historical Downton Abbey. I don't know if I would call this much of a romance and was a little difficult to consume at times. I love a spicy book but some of the scenes in this book left readers feeling a bit uncomfortable. Overall, the story telling was good but I felt like the storyline could have been more developed considering the length of the book.
Thank you to Net Galley & Evernight Publishing for the book in exchange for an honest review of content.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc! I enjoyed this one but man was it difficult to read at times. While I know the intention was for it to read like a love story, this really had a lot of Stockholm Syndrome vibes going on, where the protagonist is forced to endure sexual humiliation and beatings in order to help her family get out of debt. But don't worry, her male captor loves her so he won't take it too far. Definitely a little Beauty and the Beast but make it sexy going on here. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it, I'm just not sure I'd call it a love story.

*Received a copy for review.*
I am always looking for a new pirate my romance.
Although, this book sounded like what I wanted, the characters were way too predictable. I don’t mind a familiar story but I don’t want to predict every move a character makes.

If "historial" BDSM is your thing, this a a fun, spicy, quick read to enjoy. I am not sure overall period books are my thing but I did enjoy this one. It wouldn't be a book I'd reread but it was a fun one time read.

The Review
This was a very interesting book, so I think I am going to review this a little differently...

- The premise of the story, Patience is to serve under contract for a week to settle her father's debt, was very different. I was at first taken aback and found the situation unbelievable (and that happened many times throughout the book) that society would allow this to happen.

- I didn't really understand the relationship & feelings that Sophia and Albion had for each other BEFORE the contact, so I was confused when they started to "fall in love" during her week of service.

- I thought it was very interesting to see how the various chores in the house were done; a cool glimpse into daily life at that time,

- Sophia was an amazing main character! She was so strong and sure of herself. The trial was both a test of her love for Albion and her spirit. It was neat to see the sift in her demeanor and resolve as the week went along.

- This is definitely a DARK story. There were a few times when I was thinking I should just be done. It was too much for me. But I HAD to know what else Patience would endure and if Albion was true to his word at the end of the contract.

Overall, it was an interesting , entertaining read, but I will DEFINITELY need to read something light and fluffy to recover!

Tropes
Historical Romance, Regency Era, Alpha Hero, Titled Hero, Virgin Heroine, Dare or Bet, Loss of Nobility/Riches to Rags, Redemption,

"I obey. I must. It is in the contract. Disobedience is not, in the coming days, to be tolerated of me."

Set in the 1800's we are introduced to our main character through a letter she is writing to her mother a letter in which she begins to question her decision, one we are not fully aware of nor do we understand. Quickly we are introduced to our cast of characters, most of which seem to fit into stereotypical roles. The defiant and willful daughter, the overprotective father, the dark broody and mysterious (with a dark backstory shrouded in mystery) love interest. Lady Sophia's family we soon learn are experiencing the strain of her father's poor business decision. Lord Sclusbury's family, perhaps the richest in the area, is surrounded by legend of a tradition called The Contract of Seven Days' Service. Lady Sophia and Lord Sclusbury meet due to a business contract between her father and Lord Sclusbury. "And I wonder how even the smallest, most seemingly insignificant happenstance might alter the course of a person's life."
After an initial encounter between Lady Sophia and Lord Sclusbury the two do not see each other again for two years, a time in which her family's financial situation becomes increasingly worse. As "luck" would have it while on an outing with her friend's Lady Sophia sees a flyer for The Contract of Seven Days' Service. The contract requires that a lord or lady, whomever should apply, give up their station, title, possessions and most of all their dignity. They are to serve as the lowest among the house staff during this time. Sophia begins to consider the possibilities that the contract could hold for her family, but knows that she would never be asked to do it.

So what does our brave Lady Sophia do? She willingly enters into this contract as it becomes increasingly clear her father could find himself in debtors prison. After all seven days service in exchange for all debts forgiven seems like a bargain. Fate of course has worked in Lady Sophia's favor as Lord Sclusbury intends only to fulfill the contract to help save her family from ruin. Will the connection between the two survive the trials and degradation of the contract? Will love prevail? After all the contract was put in play simply for saving Lady Sophia's family reputation.
Quickly it becomes apparent that the sole means of the contract is to debase the woman who has taken on the contract. She is given a new name, finds herself naked and presented to strangers, friends, and acquaintances in this manner. Each is able to handle her in any manner they deem fitting. Sophia experiences many whippings and beatings for the entertainment of others and the satisfaction of her debt. Yet she retains a fierce spirit and stays true to herself.
Lashes and Lace leaves some to be desired in the development of the characters as they appear so boxed into the stereotypical expectations that they do not act in any way to deviate from this role. You know exactly what path each character will take before they embark on it. The ending is easy to see. The path of each character is easily figured out within the first few chapters of the novel. The author chooses a narrative style that makes our main character the narrator who often narrates as though she were telling the story to someone else in addition to writing letters to her mother about the events. It is a strange method which takes some getting used to and towards the end seems to spiral out of control for a moment. The novel appears a little stiff at times and the reader is left with the feeling that something is missing.

Notes/Trigger Warnings:
Spanking, Degrading behavior, Demeaning behavior, Non-consensual touch, Public exhibition, Anal Sex, Flogging, Paddling, M/M scenes, F/F scenes.

This is the story of a woman who offers herself for a week of servitude to erase her family’s debts. The servitude includes humiliation and forcing a lady to do the work of servants.
There are also some love story elements as the line between master and love interest get blurred as the story evolves. I found the character development good and the overall story voice was good.
Overall I feel that there was no enough balance on the humiliation with other parts of the story. There was a lot of reliance on how humiliating it is for a lady to do the work of servants, and some physical punishments, but very limited pay off with sexual relief from the build-up. The abuse has to serve a purpose and I feel like the build-up did not lead anywhere. The story line was fine and has some possibility, but if the sex had been more explicit (or more frequent) the abuse will have served some purpose.