Another fabulous story by Emily EK Murdoch! So far I have enjoyed every single book of hers that I have read … and I can’t wait to read more. This is a heartwarming easy to enjoy romance that is perfect for all lovers of romance!

4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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A Secret Love

Sapphire had a disability, and her family treated her as a child. To change that, she decided to fake an engagement, thinking she could later break it. However, James was in love with Sapphire. How long could he keep his secret? What about Sapphire? Could she be in love with her friend, too? She certainly did not want the complication of love; she simply wanted to change how her family treated her. James was her champion, but he could be much more if only she would open her heart and start thinking of herself as worthy. If you like historical romance, you might enjoy this entertaining tale.

The book was truly a delightful read. I was captivated by the closeness of sapphire’s family. The writer did a wonderful job of sharing the many ways how each member contributed their emotions and experiences to the family. The romance was sweet and charming to the story. The humor was an added touch to the story. I will add though that I would have like Sapphire to have been older than Twenty one. Perhaps the writer could give a guesstimate to her age or not give recognition to her age.

Ehh...

Unfortunately that was a miss for me. 50% of the book is plain boring. Than for 10% something is happening and after we are back to boring. It is very sad because the plot has such a huge potential, and writing is beautiful, characters are unique so I don't understand why!!! <sad face>

This is Book 5 of the De Petras Saga and features the youngest in the family, Sapphire. It's a lovely friends to lovers story. Sapphire may be the youngest, but she was determined not to be treated as such. She believes that if she puts out the illusion of being betrothed, she will be taken seriously. Who better to help her than her best friend, James, the Earl of Maltravers. James has pined for Sapphire for years, but hasn't had the courage to tell her so. He also could never say no to her, so when she asks him to help her out with the fake engagement, he goes along with her scheme. Sapphire gets more than she bargained for being James' fake fiance. While James has always loved her, she begins to slowly realize the feelings she has for him. Ultimately, they both want the real thing, but don't know how to admit it and misunderstandings also create a bit of challenge.
I have really enjoyed this series and this was a great wrap up. I would definitely recommend this book and the entire series.
I received a complimentary copy from Dragonblade Publishing via Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

I would like to thank netgalley and Dragonblade Publishing for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Enjoyable, but I hope that readers with limb differences got a fair chance of reviewing the book.

This book could be read by itself without too much difficulty. As part of the series I felt some of the time line was a little off. I enjoyed the heroine who has a slight disability that makes her family want to protect her and treat her as a child. To overcome this she plans a fake engagement with her best friend. The hero has been in love with her for years, but to shy to tell her. Will this fake engagement be the thing to bring their love to the forefront? It was a good read. I received an ARC for an honest review.

Sapphire de Petras will be taken seriously, so she comes up with the plan of a fake a engagement. Which I have always felt was selfish and cruel especially when there is the possibility of feelings coming into the picture. I honestly thought that because of the way that she carries herself and how she acts I can understand why her family doesn't take her seriously, she acts juvenile. No’ isn’t a word James, Earl of Maltravers, has ever said to Sapphire. And when it came to this he didn't. It really hurt my heart to watch him give her little hints of his true feelings and for her to not see it. But she does come to see her feelings for her best-friend change during this whole circus of a fake engagement. And in the end they come together and have a life together. This is my honest review for I got an advanced copy from NetGalley.

I received a copy of this from Netgalley and this is my freely given opinion.

This is the fifth book in the De Petras Saga and appears to be the final story of the series.

This is about the youngest De Petras child, Sapphire, who was born after the reunion of Jasper and Opal. She was also born with a physical disfigurement, missing a hand, with her arm ending at a stub at about the wrist. This is difficult to deal with in a Society that is harsh in how it judges everyone and lacks compassion, and she has to frequently deal with the insensitive and rude behaviour and comments of other members of the Ton. But Sapphire is a naturally vivacious and sunny natured person, and is loved and supported by her family and true friends, including James, the Earl of Maltravers. He is of an age with her brother Micah, but is especially close to Sapphire. He was orphaned rather young and he and the De Petras family see each other as family. Unfortunately, Sapphire sees him as another brother. Unfortunate because he has been hiding a passionate and abiding love for her for years.

Sapphire is the youngest of the entire clan, and despite now being in her 20s, still treated as the youngest by all her family and is getting sick of it. She wants them to see her as an adult, and thinks that the only way to do so is for a drastic change to occur, such as if she were to marry. She develops a ruse to have a fake betrothal to elevate and accentuate her status as an adult in the eyes of her family and the only person she trusts to aid and abet her is her best friend, James.

James is bemused because this is his ideal dream come true, to marry Sapphire... except this is a ruse, and he is going to help her because he loves her regardless, and will always help her. But if only it were real, and she would see past her blinders of seeing him as a friend and like a brother to how deeply he loves her.

As the ruse starts and moves along, the De Petras family and their friends are taken in, and thrilled as Sapphire and James are well loved in their circle. James has to reconcile himself to the fact that while he has everything he has ever wanted, it is really fake and will end. Sapphire is thrilled that it is working and she is being treated better by her family, but then becomes distressed over how to end the engagement, and how complicated the ruse is becoming, including changing how she sees and feels about James.

This was a sweet friends to lovers love story, which is a trope I always love. It was seen in the previous books how James adored Sapphire and how clueless she was about how her friend saw her, and I have been looking forward to this story. I quite enjoyed it, but did have a quibble about an episode of conflict that James and Sapphire had near the latter quarter of the book; it felt a bit contrived and overblown. But it was nice to see their relationship develop towards the HEA, and the growth of the De Petras family overall, including the next generation. I am disappointed that there is not going to be a story, from what it appears, about Cousin Amethyst, and a better explanation about her family history (which would also shed some light on Opal also).

But I did love the ending of the story, and how it slyly circles around again. Nice touch.

3.75 stars out of 5

Wanting to be seen as grown up Miss de Petras fakes her own engagement. This book was engaging. P however I kept thinking when will she come around? When will they speak their minds? I know it HAS to have a happy ending so let's go!. All in good time... the ending was worth the wait in the dePetras way. You don't have to read the other books to enjoy this book. BUT it definitely would help to know the dynamics of this family.
I recieved a free copy so that I might tell you what I honestly think. Hope you enjoyed my review. Now go enjoy the book

I loved Sapphire and James' story. Friends to lovers are the best kind of romances. They go through a lot of internal struggle but in the end all is as it should be. Even though it should be the final de Petras saga, I still hold out hope that Amethyst's story will be coming at some point.
Thank you Emily EK Murdoch, Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me an advance copy for my honest feedback.

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

As the youngest de Petras, Sapphy has seen her siblings find love and happiness, while always being treated like a baby. She's sick of always needing a babysitter, of never being taken as an adult, with opinions and feelings. So she decides to fake an engagement with her oldest friend, James Gresley, Earl of Maltravers, and prove to her family that they need to treat her as a person. However, Sapphy doesn't know that James has been in love with her for as long as he can remember, and though he knows this is a bad idea, he has never been able to say no to her. What started out as a convenience, soon seems to prove tricky, as Sapphy realises that the more time she 'pretends' to be James' fiancee, the more she wants it to be real.

This was definitely the best book of the series so far. Sapphy has always been a character I've been interested in, from the moment she was more and it was revealed she was missing her right hand, to the scenes in her siblings book where it's clear that she and James have a chemistry which needed to be explored. I adored the fact that it was James who had the feelings first, and that he was utterly head over heels for Sapphy, when the realisation came to her a lot later. A great romance between the pair, and it was nice to see the de Petras siblings now with children and all happy.

Miss Sapphire De Petras is the baby in her family and is fed up with being treated like one. She has a plan to change that.
James, Earl of Maltravers has grown up alongside the De Petras siblings all his life, and has never summoned the courage to tell them how he feels about one in particular.
This historical romance is part of a series that follows the lives of a most unusual family. Although you can read each book on it's own, the series is much better if you read them in order. Our heroine in this one has a slight disability that is difficult to hide. That often makes her a target for ridicule. She is however a very cheerful character. Our hero is just about the kindest and most honourable man you can find. That doesn't mean things always go right for him.
Really good fun from our mischievous young lady and a lot of family loyalty from all of them.
Great fun.

The youngest de Petras, Sapphire, is tired of being treated as a child. She has a scheme in mind, but needs the help of her closest friend, James Gresley, Earl of Maltravers. Of course Mal will agree to anything Sapphire asks him to do. He's been in love with her for years. What he didn't expect was a fake engagement. If only it was real. A shy Earl may miss his chance at happiness if he doesn't confess.
A wild and unusual family, they are the de Petras. (I hope there is a story for Amethyst). HEAT LEVEL 3
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.
a few seconds ago.

He Never Could Say No To Her!

What a fantastic ending to the De Petras Series. Sapphire and James finally get their HEA.

James, the Earl of Maltravers has loved Sappy for years and although they were the best of friends, he was too shy to let her know his feelings for her. So when Sapphire proposed they have a pretend engagement, he couldn’t say no to her but always wishing it was a real one.

Sapphire was headstrong and couldn’t see what was in front of her until the night they kissed! When she approached him with another idea, he can’t resist.

I love the way Emily always brings in the family within each romance of this series. How all their personalities shine and you get to see how their own families have grown. An entertaining read into Sapphire and James’s journey into their own love affair packed with humour and steam.

Emily has once again written a fantastic storyline one I highly recommended.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC. All thought and opinions are my own.

I'm afraid this one didn't work for me. I completely appreciate Murdoch's prose and I am absolutely open to reading more from her, but the plot and leads fell flat here. I love a somewhat bratty heroine, and Sapphire was super promising in that respect... But Mal was totally flat for me as a hero, and I didn't understand at all why he didn't speak up sooner--nor did I understand their conflict later in the book,

I also wasn't sure about the way Sapphire's disability was handled, Really, I'm not an expert on the subject of limb loss (though it appears Sapphire was born missing a hand), so I can't speak on it. The use of the term "nub" was a bit distracting for me, though--if that is standard, I apologize. I can't find a conclusive verdict on generally accepted terms, and I don't want to suggest that Murdoch didn't do her research or lacked personal experience. For me, it was just not handled as smoothly as I've seen it handled in other romance novels.

But again, the prose itself is good, and I'm definitely interested in reading about other characters in this same series, or otherwise in her repertoire. This one just didn't work for me.

Sapphire de Petras is the youngest of the de Petras family, but that didn’t mean she needed to be treated like a complete child. And they won’t, Sapphire is sure, if she can provide her family with the spectacle of an engagement. How convenient that her best friend is an earl, and unable to say no. ‘No’ isn’t a word James Gresley, Earl of Maltravers, has ever said to Sapphire. But then, neither is ‘love’ or ‘marriage’: two words he’s longed to say for years and has never managed. So when the beautiful woman who makes his heart skip a beat bounces up to him and demands that he propose, what is Maltravers supposed to do?
Sapphy is the final de Petras sibling to find love & what a charming, delightful read it was. Mal & Sapphy had been best friends for years & he’d been in love with her for years too. I loved how Sapphy gradually came to realise how she felt about Mal. Soon both of them wanted to be real but somehow they couldn’t find the words & misunderstandings nearly drove them apart. An easy to read feel good romance
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

After 4 wonderful DePetras stories, I knew this was the story I had waited for, Sapphire DePetras has always been the most independent, the wildest, the most determined. And she always had the support of Maltravers. These two have been thick as thieves throughout all the other stories. It was only natural to be eager for their own story, A story ripe with longing, true desperate pining. For James Gresly, Earl of Maltravers has loved Sapphire for forever and she has remained unaware of his feelings and her own. A beautiful culmination of events leading up to their convenient engagement, and the chance to finally face those feelings. I could not put this down, staying up way too late to take in every detail. This family is enchanting in their support of one another. Their are battles, disagreements and hurt feelings, but at the heart of it all is love. They are not a traditional family, and have their own way of doing things, and it comes as no surprise the Sapphire has developed her own unique way as well. The highlight of this book, has to come in the expressions revealed as Maltravers opens his heart for all to see. Do not miss this tale!

The story of how the youngest daughter found her true love, which was right under her nose all these time! Funny how schemes to achieve one goal can have unintended outcomes. The family dynamics and her relationship with the best friend is most interesting. Now I am wondering about Amy’s and Antoinette’s stories! Enjoyable series about a unique family.

I received an ARC from Netgalley and leaving my review voluntarily.

It's just a beautiful happily ever after tale with hope, love, and living life to its fullest. Kudos to the author for this wonderful art, loved every minute of reading it