Cover Image: Insatiable

Insatiable

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Member Reviews

At last! The conclusion of a brilliant series! this answered all the questions that have been threading throughout the series. For me the best was Lucien's father's behavior toward Lucien.

Watching Lucien lose control and have his world tilted off its axis was fun to watch. He has always seemed in control, fully self aware and happily meddling in everyone else's lives. Seeing that control snap as he assists Kat was priceless.

Kat is so much fun in her single-mindedness for her research. Her decision to further it was another way Lucien's world got complicated. She is socially awkward and has issues that make being out in society difficult at times. She is observant, clever and unaware of her beauty.

The meddling by the Home office took a very dark and desparate turn in this book. The maniputation and pressure made it impossible for me to have simpathy in the end for the major players in the scheme. I was proud of the restraint Lucien and Dougal showed as things came to a head.

This was an EXTREMELY satisfying conclusion to a very lovely and action packed series. I look forward to reading more of Ms Burke's stories.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this story from the publisher through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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“Society’s most exclusive invitation…Welcome to the Phoenix Club”

📚 Regency romance
📚 Autistic MC
📚 Slow burn
📚 Dual POV

🌶️🌶️

|Thoughts|
Thoroughly enjoyed the cast of characters & the naivety of Kat. The straight forward manner in which she approaches her experiences with Lucien was extremely entertaining.

“I have arrived:, she croaked.
Somehow, his laughter broke through.”

Although I wasn’t as keen on the espionage sub plot, the interactions between Kat & Lucien were a joy to read. And who doesn’t love a good regency party! Even more so when you get to spend your time in the library.

“You can’t ask me to do that."
“Too late…I suppose I shall just have to continue looking for another appropriate male specimen”.

|Synopsis|
Kat is curious about human interactions and decides, in her own logical way, to undertake some research of her own.

“What better place to observe human mating rituals than the London Marriage Mart?”

Looking forward to picking up more in this series.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author & publisher for an eARC in exchange for this honest review.

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Insatiable is the conclusion to The Phoenix Club series by Darcy Burke, and see the long awaited romance of Lucien to fruition. Burke's writing is fun and delightful, this novel is charming and well paced, and a lovely conclusion to a really solid and wonderful series! This opposites attract romance is compelling and interesting, but at times takes too much of a backseat to the plot for my liking. This novel to draw some spy plotting introduced a few books ago to its conclusion, and because of this the romance is not always the full center of the story. Ultimately this is a solid conclusion to the well loved series by me. If you are looking to dig into a fast paced series full of fun and interesting characters, than you must check out the Phoenix Club!

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Thoroughly enjoyable, easy read which no doubt will enrapture fans of Bridgerton, Tessa Dare and Sophie Irwin. The neurodivergent character of Kat made this far more compelling and the relationships with other characters, not just Lucien but notably Cass, were nuanced and sympathetic throughout much of this book. I didn't realise this was part of a series but found it easy to pick up on the backstory without it dominating and losing momentum of the whole plot.

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I've enjoyed all the books in the Phoenix Club series, and looked forward to finally reading Lucien's story. When we met Kathleen/Kat in previous books I never expected she'd end up being Lucien's person. But reading their story it began to make perfect sense. We've gotten to know Lucien over the course of the series as a lovely man, both as a physical specimen and as a human being. But we've always known he had secrets. We learn more of these secrets in his book, both secrets he knows he's been keeping and ones about him that have been kept from him. He faces a lot of conflicting desires here - notably his desire to help Kat in the way he knows he should vs the desire to help her the way she wants to, especially since his attraction to her grows. All the while he's fighting desperately to maintain his hold on the Phoenix Club. Kat is a quirky character, and her nature doesn't fit at all into the societal norms of her time. She's already created a scandal and is trying to recover from that, more for her family's sake than for her own. But she's still determined to continue her "research" into attraction and desire, which is of course almost bound to create more scandal. When she chooses Lucien as her next research partner, well...stuff happens. Good, hot, satisfying stuff. And there's some intrigue as well. Overall I really enjoyed this one.
The one thing that was jarring in this book was that suddenly the author seems to feel the need to inject racial information about each character. Not sure whether that's because book #6 had a black hero, as I'd never noticed it in previous books but began to notice it with book 7 but here in #8 it just became obvious and off-putting. Find a different way to indicate race, if you have to at all. But to say "She was a white woman..." then a couple of sentences later mention her ivory skin - it's redundant, and it pops me right out of the story with thoughts of "okay, why are we emphasizing everyone's race?". With the mention of the ivory skin, some editor somewhere should've struck "white" and replaced it with some other adjective that didn't involve skin color at all, but rather something to indicate the woman's character or demeanor or age or whatever. It detracted from an otherwise very entertaining story.
Thanks to Netgalley and Zealous Quill Press for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

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As much as I wanted to like this book I just couldn't get into it. I just could not see Lucian falling for Kat. There was no indication they might even be interested in each other nor spent alot of time together. I loved the other books in the series but this one was a buss.

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

Lord Lucien Westbrook may not have respect at home from his father, but as the owner of the renowned Phoenix Club, he has power. However Lucien is hiding the fact that he is only a co-owner of the club, and those who are his 'partners' are after more and more, and he's not willing to give in. Just when he thinks he's in over his head, he finds that there's only one person he can trust, and it's the very person he shouldn't. Falling for his best friend's sister, Kat, loving her and having an affair, he is the worst hypocrite, but Kat is the person to complete him, and he needs all the help he can get.

Wow, just wow! Kat and Lucien's tale was the perfect conclusion for the series. I've been intrigued by them both in the previous books, especially as Lucien has played a part in all of the other romances coming to fruition, and was more than deserving of his own happy ending. Kat was misunderstood by many in the ton, including her own mother, but somehow Lucien sees her, and loves her. I think this might be the first time I've read an autistic heroine in a historical romance, and found it wonderfully done in Insatiable. Kat and Lucien may have started their affair as a experiement, so that Kat can do her research, but they turned to each other whenever they were feeling vulnerable, or needed comfort. The story line of the Foreign Office, and their control over Lucien and the club, was drawn together in this book, and there were so many twists and turns that I thought Lucien had bitten off more than he could chew, and he would ultimately fail. I was hooked on the book, and couldn't put it down. Such a great ending to the series, and I'm looking forward to Darcy's next book!

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I love this series and have been waiting for Lucien's story and wasn't disappointed! I always appreciate when the other characters come back too

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The Phoenix Club has been very enjoyable, and Lucien's story has been a long time coming. Lucien has been so instrumental in everyone else's HEA. His was long overdue, and Kat was exactly who he needed.

I've never read an autistic heroine in a historical romance before. It was very having a different type of heroine. I loved seeing Kat's growth through the story. She was a wonderful character, and her connection with Lucien was beautiful to see unfold.

I enjoyed this book and the entire series. It was great seeing all of the couples from the previous installments and quite satisfying to have everything wrapped up nicely. All loose ends were tied up, and the issues with the Phoenix Club were resolved.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

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This was the perfect end to a deliciously devilish and wickedly addictive series. The Phoenix Club series is one of my favorites of Darcy Burke’s and the scandal in Insatiable somehow left me satisfied (get it - because the title is insatiable?). Lucien was my favorite of all the characters from the start and I’m glad his story got the attention it deserves.

I received an ARC courtesy of the author and NetGalley. All (very correct if not well conveyed) are my own.

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The last book in Phoenix Club didn’t disappoint. Lucien thinks he going to lose the club. Kat wants to do research on mating rituals. She wants to enlist his help. They are very attracted to each other. Kat has problems with social situations. She gets involved in Foreign Office business. It puts her in danger. Lucien has to save her.

The book was wonderfully written. I would like to see a book about Lucien’s father. I highly recommend this book.

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This is only my second book from the Phoenix Club series, and while the previous book took me a minute to warm up to, I ultimately liked it where this one just irked me to no end. I overlooked a few things before that I just couldn’t get past. I was looking forward to the MMC’s love story but unfortunately I really despised the pairing. I could not stand the FMC so I ended up skimming the vast majority of this book. There was no chemistry and everything felt forced which kept me emotionally detached and uninterested.

Thank you to the publisher for the advance reader copy via NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.

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Lucian is known for his unending assistance to whoever needs it. Even when it could paint him in a bad light. We have watched through pages and pages how he helps his friends and his friends friends. However, it's now his turn to be helped, even though he wasn't looking for it. Kathleen Shaughnessy is ruined by societal standards after being seen kissing a gentleman at a party. She is to be reintroduced into society - well really she is conducting her own scientific research on mating rituals. She turns to her brother's best friend Lucian to help her. What results are a slow building fireworks show. These 2 unlikely characters have met their match and their story wraps up an outstanding series. Loved it!

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This is the eigth and final book of what has been a captivating and enchanting series, The Phoenix Club. Lucien is everyone's go-to guy. If you need help with something, Lucien is the man. Turns out his best friend's sister, Kathleen (Kat), needs a little assistance with researching scientific matters and Lucien is compelled to help her, even though he probably shouldn't since her research involves the subject matter of humans and their mating habits. It definitely makes for an interesting and fun premise for the story. Lucien realizes he is being a bit hypocritical, though, because he was furious when his best friend was secretly seeing his own sister. It seems with Kat's request, he may be headed in the same direction. But he can't for the life of him seem to resist her.
The characters were great and I was excited to finally read Lucien's story. He and Kat had such wonderful chemistry. I enjoyed this last installment and thought it wrapped up the series nicely. Looking forward to what Ms Burke creates next!
I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Such a great ending to the series. I remember getting Indecent as an ARC and just finding it ok. Probably because it was in the middle of the series and my review says I just wanted to see who Lucien would end up with. Well I didn’t predict who she would be, but I’m incredibly happy the match.

Kat was a little hard to warm up to at first. She only thought of Lucien as research for her study and with her anxiety, was a little standoffish. I liked that Lucien acknowledged it and was concerned for her but didn’t try to control her or “make her better”.

This book had a lot to accomplish with Lucien’s march, the mystery surrounding the owners of the club, and his relationship with his father. I thought all were handled well and got the appropriate amount of page time.

Can’t wait to read the new series!

Thanks to NetGalley and Zealous Quill Press for the arc.

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I like most of the stories I have read by this author. This one not so much. I didn't like the main female character at all. One thing that irritates me is why label this person is white or this person is black. Is that really necessary if it is not important to the story. Disappointed and would say pass on this.

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Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this story and this is my freely given opinion.

I kind of did not want this series to end, because I enjoyed the greater world it was set in, having read the other books in the series and enjoyed them and the interconnected characters and relationships.

But all things must come to an end, and this is finally Lucien's story. I am certain that I am not the only one who wanted Lucien and Evangeline to end up back together, but that was obviously not going to be the case, especially after book 7. But I am satisfied after seeing his loyalty to her, and that the strength and basis of their love and appreciation for each other is respect and friendship.

But on saying that, Lucien has helped so many others find a place in the world, and find love and success, that he needed something good to happen to him too. Especially considering his world is falling apart, now that Evangeline's history was outed, his reputation is falling apart, and he was threatened with the loss of his club. It comes to light in this story that he is a figurehead for the club and he owes the Foreign Office for it's existence, with the plan that it be a facade for them to engage in monitoring members of society and a place to hold meetings. It is still a club as per Lucien's design, but the FO pulls some strings as to some members and how it should be run, and now they are putting pressure on him to do things he is against, such as getting rid of Evangeline Renshaw, and seeking to gain back members that have left. Lucien seeks to try to save his club and perhaps get out from under the thumb of the FO, even so far as to going to his ducal father for help.

His world seems to be falling apart around him, and he is at a loss on how to help himself, after so many years of helping others.

Into this period of emotional turmoil and chaos steps Miss Kathleen Shaunessy, the young sister of Lucien's good friend and now brother in law, Ruark, the Earl of Wexford. She has decided to join the Marriage Mart in London, and supported by her brother and wife, Cassie (Lucien's sister) because they believe she is looking for a husband. What she does seek to do is further her studies in mating behaviour, since she is singularly focused on her scientific studies, and has moved on from animals to humans. She has a failed attempt at such in the recent past, being caught engaging in kisses with a betrothed man in the country as part of her studies, but has decided to reapproach it again in London, as an observer of the rituals of the Marriage Mart. Though she realizes that observation does not help her to understand attraction between the sexes and seeks help from others. Including proposing that Lucien teach her about attraction. Lucien, already attracted to Kat, has a great deal of difficulty resisting her. Ironic considering how he lost his head when he found out about Ruark and his sister.

This was an interesting story - Kathleen is obviously awkward and does not fit in with what is expected of women in Society at the time - perhaps she is on the the Spectrum? It is rather sad how it sounds like her own mother and sisters do not understand her and how she was forced to fit the expected mold. I also liked the continued intrigue arc that carried over from Book 6, and Jess and Dougal's spy story, and how it affects Lucien and the Phoenix Club. There is also further to be revealed about the conflicted relationship between Lucien and his father, and some indication of future resolution there as well. So all in all, I felt it was a decent ending of the saga, with a love story and HEA for Lucien, and some cleaning up of loose ends as well.

Though I do agree some of the writing could have been a bit more sophisticated - describing someone as "tall and white" should be left on a police report, or news story Crime Stopper article. But it leaves me cold when used as character description in a novel meant to draw in and entertain the reader.

4 stars out of 5

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I keep reading Darcy Burke and hoping that I will start loving her books again as I loved one of them (a very long time ago) but it doesn't happen anymore. It is an okay book, I read about Lucien's other family members so it is interesting to reconnect and read about his club again. But the espionage, the silly club business and the girls who would love to experiment some kisses and end up sleeping with a random guy just doesn't do it for me anymore. If you just want to experiment but then end up sleeping with the first man that you experimented, wouldn't that make her a slut? What other outcome would she anticipate than ending up marrying the man (love or no love). Does sex equal love? I would prefer reading more about the characters and the reasons why they gradually fall for each other. Love based on passion with no further substance does not seem to last long.

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

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Lord Lucien Westbrook is known for helping others. He is the owner of the Phoenix Club, at least that is what everyone thinks. He is only part owner, the Foreign Office owns the majority. The Foreign Office uses the club for secret assignations. After a scandal erupts at Lucien’s club, he is asked by the Foreign Office to resign from his position at the club. Lucien is in a fight for ownership of his club and maybe even his life.

Kathleen Shaughnessy is the sister of Ruark, Earl of Wexford. Kat was sent to London to avoid a scandal after she was seen kissing a gentleman in Gloucestershire. She is researching mating rituals.

She asks Lucien to find a rogue who she can assist in her research. Lucien refuses but is intrigued by Kat. He realizes what a hypocrite he was regarding Ruark’s unusual courtship of his sister Cass. Lucien is falling in the same trap as Ruark regarding his feelings and attraction to Kat. Lucien finding himself in the same predicament as Ruark and Cass was quite amusing. Lucien cannot believe the roles are reversed and now he is infatuated with his friend’s sister. Ruark’s reaction when he finds out about Lucien and Kat is priceless.

Lucien is my favorite character of the series. I could not wait for his story. Lucien is the epitome of handsome rogue who cares about his friends and family. He will do whatever it takes to protect them.

Lucien is very compassionate toward Kat’s issues. He is kind and patient. Together they have a passion that consumes them. Lucien is the perfect lover and soulmate for Kat. Lucien cannot stop thinking about Kat. They have some intense and steamy scenes together. They are hot together!

This story has mystery and intrigue to keep you on the edge of your seat. Lucien and Dougal must investigate the murder of one of the Foreign Office’s spies to clear Lucien of any wrongdoing. Kat wants to stop being selfish and focus on someone else’s problems. She decides to help Lucien buyout the owners of the Phoenix Club. Unfortunately she asks the wrong person for help and finds herself in trouble. Will Kat be able to escape from the traitor before it is too late? Can Lucien rescue Kat in time?

This is the eighth and final book in the Phoenix Club series. I enjoyed Lucien’s story immensely. I am sorry to see this series end. I also did not understand why the author kept stating each character’s race. She did not do this in previous books. Overall the series was wonderful! I received a free copy of this book from Booksprout and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

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I love historical romance so much and this book did NOT disappoint at all. I was immediately rooting for this couple and enjoyed their journey to Happily Ever After as much as any book I’ve ever read. I can’t wait to read more books by this author.

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