It had been a few years, that I saw a Shana Galen pop up at Netgalley. Always interested in a historical romance, I requested the arc. Violet is a wonderful though cookie, who has been surviving on her own since her father passed away a few years ago. And she even has taken on her to stepsiblings and she is managing the bar her father left her.

King is a clueless, snobbish rake, who doesn’t have a care in the world. That is… until his father is accused of treason and he loses all his money and his title and – conveniently – all of his friends. As a social paria he doesn’t have anywhere to go. Violet hates all the brawns and the brainless men, who think they are better than the world. But King doesn’t have a place to go and he still ows her money. Therefore, she decides to give King shelter for a few days.

King learns a lot in those few days and Vi sees that there is more than meets the eye. A slowburn, wonderful tale of hardship, friends and family.

How will this end? Find out for yourselves in this wonderful read. And don’t miss out on the second two parts. Four out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

What a trip! Whiskey, a witch and a curse. Losing everything on his thirtieth birthday, George Oxley, the Marquess of Kingston, has nowhere to go. Violet Baker wants the money owed from the nobs who instigated the fight that destroyed her tavern. By the twist of a curse, King finds himself in Seven Dials working for Violet paying off the debt and taking on her other problems. Life is much more fulfilling than his life as a marquess, especially finding love. What does he have to do to win the lady? Be prepared for more than a snicker.
Descriptive open bedroom door.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book from NetGalley.

This is the first book of a new series, Misfortunes Favorites, and it is off to a great start! This is a fun story featuring witches, curses, and differences in social classes. George, who is the Marquess of Kingston, known as "King" to his friends, leads a life filled with selfishness and debauchery. Despite being cursed by a witch when younger, he doesn't believe in them, until the witch from his youth appears again the night before his thirtieth birthday to witness the curse take effect. The next morning, King finds himself with no title or wealth, basically a nobody. Violet runs her family's tavern and is tired of entitled young aristocrats coming in and destroying her tavern, all in the name of a good time. When King leaves her tavern in a mess, she goes looking for him the next day to make him pay for all the damage. But she's caught him at a bad time, because now since the curse has taken place, he doesn't have a farthing to his name. He convinces her that if she lets him hide out with her while he sorts out his affairs, that he will pay his debt to her. It doesn't take long for her to realize, though, that he's more trouble than he's worth. But as he starts to help out more and become less lazy and selfish, he eventually starts to grow on her, and King also starts to realize what a hard life Violet and her family lead.
This was a really well-written story about an arrogant, selfish man, brought down to his lowest and evolving into an honest and more compassionate person. The characters were well-crafted and I enjoyed seeing King's growth throughout the story. He and Violet had such great chemistry and I loved how she made him want to be a better person.
If you're looking for a little magic in your Regency, then this is one book you definitely don't want to miss! Looking forward to continuing the series!
I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and Dragonblade Publishing and am voluntarily leaving my review.

Shana Galen has such an addictive, immersive writing that utterly transported me into this story! I could have read this book in one sitting if not for the fact that I needed sleep last night. I’m on such a historical fantasy romance kick so I LOVED the inspiration behind this story (Maleficent’s curse on Aurora and Merriweather’s counter-spell)! The humbling of our male MC King felt genuine in its trajectory. Vi is in her early 20’s with the sole responsibility for keeping her young brothers off the streets by running a tavern that King is responsible for destroying. The forced proximity of King working for Vi was SO GOOD and the tension it built was so fun to read! I also loved the found family dynamics of King with Vi’s brothers Joshua and Georgie - I’m a sucker for men letting down their walls for kids and the cuteness it adds to the forming relationship between our couple. The bond King develops with Joshua and Georgie had me squealing just as much as watching him fall in love with Violet!

I also loved the detachment from ‘proper’ society in this story’s setting! Vi and her family are so far removed from the world King comes from and that is something I’ve not personally read in most historical romances.

I am so excited to read the rest of this trilogy and experience more sides of this “riches-to-rags” story saga!!!

{Thank you so much to the author for reaching out to me to review her newest story and to Netgally for approving my eARC request!}

The King and Vi was... odd and really a 2.5, but for this one, I'm willing to round down.

13 year old Marquess of Kingston, also called King, and his friends, Henry and Rory, steal from a pair of sister witches while at prep school being little s***s trying to get the attention of their parents and are cursed to lose everything they love at the age of thirty. When that happens, King finds himself stripped of his title with creditors swarming his London townhouse picking the place clean to settle his various tabs about town. He manages to find shelter in Seven Dials with tavern owner Violet Baker as he also owes her money after having destroyed her establishment in a drunken brawl the night before. From there King struggles to live without the benefit of money, friends, and connections. He finds the value in a good day's work and hard won friends as he helps Violet and her brothers run the establishment in its broken state and take a stand against their local extortionist crime lord.

The romance between King and Vi is sweet though very, VERY rushed. I believe it takes place in the span of a week or maybe two. For me however, it takes a backseat to what I feel are too many dangling threads in the world building. I know what you may be thinking: how much world building does a regency romance set in London require? Usually, not a lot, but this one needed it in part because of witches. The book acknowledges the existence of witches, but doesn't provide details. Are witches common? Do people know that they are among them and just ignore them out of ignorance/fear? Are witches open about their craft in smaller parts of the kingdom where they may be the only knowledgeable medical assistance? The book opens with the acknowledgement that witches scare King and... that's it. The witches make a few appearances, some of which can be chalked up to hallucinations, others leave behind physical evidence, but there's no weaving of the reality of witchcraft into the world beyond these three 'cursed' men. When King finally tells Violet about the curse, Violet brushes him off and cautions him against using the word witch as it is often used to ostracize women who are too different, too knowledgeable, too anything outside of what society deems acceptable for their particular station... Only to immediately take him to a friend who works in herbs and healing who CLEARLY has a gift as she senses King's curse from out in the corridor and provides an interpretation of how to break it. The same could be said for the bigger issue of the crime lord extorting protection money. Once he's gone, what happens? The concern over others stepping in to take the territory is mentioned, but nothing about it ever comes to fruition. Is their block now a plot armor protected safe one? Do the local business owners and residents band together to prevent another gang from moving in? Do the gangs just plan on leaving them alone because the previous leader was taken down so spectacularly? Like I said, things just dangle.

Your mileage may vary, but it just wasn't for me.

The King and Vi”, the first novel in the new series “Misfortunes Favorites” by Shana Galen, concerns the Marquess de Kingston, “King”, who, at the age of 13, found himself cursed by a witch when caught misbehaving with two of his friends. The curse, which took effect on his 30th birthday, left him homeless, broke, in serious debt, and stripped of his title due to his father's arrest for treason. Never having known anything but a life of privilege and without responsibility, he spent his time doing as he pleased, including destroying a local tavern after a night of serious drinking with his friends.
Violet Baker grew up in poverty. Her family ran a public house in Seven Dials, the worst part of London. Vi, who was now raising her two younger brothers by herself, could not afford the repairs to her tavern after King and his friends damaged it. She tracked him down and demanded payment for the repairs. He promised to pay her if she allowed him to from all of his creditors at her place for a couple of days. Would she have agreed so quickly if she had had an idea of what was to come?
The character of Violet is a strong, independent women, typical of Shana Galen's main characters. She knows what needs to be done in order to take care of her brothers and her business, and she does it. Taking in a complete stranger of questionable character seemed a bit out of a stretch for her, but she felt she had no choice. King, on the other hand, is very atypical of the usual Shana Galen hero. He is rude, spoiled, selfish and a troublemaker, but the changes that come seem to happen almost too quickly to be believed.
Ms. Galen's attention to the historical details, and the well written, intriguing plot make this a great opening act for this new series. I imagine we'll see King’s two reputable friends as the stars of the books to come. Bring ‘em on! I also hope that we’ll have a revisit to Violet and her lovable brothers in future installments!

I Loved It!

Never steal from a witch, for the consequences will be dire. Three young boys have no idea how stealing from a witch will change their life. They don’t believe in curses, but King cannot dispute the evidence before him. He goes from a nobleman who has everything he wants to a nobody on the run. Can this be the best thing that has happened to him? He will deny it if you ask him. However, he meets Violet, the woman he will come to love. Vi must contend with a ruthless criminal and his gang, and King finds himself coming up with ways to defeat them. Can he protect Violet and her brothers when the odds are against them? Perhaps, he will come to realize that having no title does not make one a nobody. King will face many challenges, but can he get Violet to trust him? Will he win her heart, and will she admit it if he does? Life has taught Violet that she can only rely on herself.

I started reading this book before I went to bed, thinking I would read for a little while until I got sleepy. Then, I would stop. I was wrong. Once I started reading, I did not stop until the very last page. I loved this book and would recommend it to those who enjoy historical romance. I look forward to reading about what happens to King’s wayward friends.

A really fun Regency romance! This features a real social class difference: "King" is a marquess, while Violet runs a tavern in Seven Dials (if you're a historical romance reader, you know very well this is the roughest neighborhood in London!). King suffers a MAJOR reversal of fortune (let's just say he won't be a marquess for much longer) and somehow finds himself working for Violet and living in her tavern while he hides from his creditors. Soon enough the forced proximity does its Official Romance Business and Violet and King are making out on the bar (oops!).

We've got some tried-and-true plot (King learns to value the small things in life when he loses his tremendous wealth! Violet is afraid to love again because she's lost so many people in her past!), but also some really refreshing elements: Violet is no blushing virgin, which doesn't inform even the slightest bit of the conflict; King really does act like an entitled aristocrat, but again, the class difference isn't part of the relationship conflict at all. All in all it's a refreshing take on historical romance without feeling like it doesn't understand the genre. Recommended for any HistRom fans!

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

Such a great book! I love the series storyline about the witch and the curse and how it plays out in the lives of these three men. It left me wanting to read the next book in the series right away but I will have to wait until it is released. I will be watching for it so I can read it right away. It was fascinating to have the story set in a tavern owned by a woman and learning about everything she dealt with to survive. It was a redemption story for King to learn the impact of his actions on others which mirrored how they didn't really learn that lesson from the witch. Great start to this series!

George Oxley, Marquess of Kingston and heir to the Duke of Avebury, King to his friends, led a charmed life, doing whatever he wanted without a thought for anyone else. But his charmed life comes to a screeching halt on the morning of his thirtieth birthday when a curse put upon him and his two best friends when they were just thirteen takes effect. King didn’t believe in curses or witches, but maybe the curse is real as he has lost everything he held dear – his title, his money, and his position within hours of turning thirty, and now creditors are swarming his house taking his belongings to settle his debts. He is taking in the chaos when a very angry yet lovely young woman demands he pay her for the damages done to her tavern. Seeing an escape from his creditors, he returns to the tavern in Seven Dials with her thinking to hide out until things settle down. But King’s life is about to change in ways that he could have never anticipated, primarily thanks to Violet Baker, the feisty, blue-eyed tavern owner, and her brothers. King soon thinks he may have found what he has always been looking for, but he will have to do something he has never had to do; prove that he is sincere and has really changed.

Violet Baker has not had an easy life, her mother died when she was young, and then her stepmother died, leaving her two young sons in Violet’s care, and then her father died, leaving her alone with two young boys and no means of support other than a rundown tavern in Seven Dials. She is barely making ends meet and works hard to protect her brothers from the dangers of Seven Dials, especially the gang leader known as the Ferryman. But when King and his friends come “slumming” in her tavern and start a riot that leaves her tavern destroyed, she is terrified, that if she can’t pay the Ferryman his “taxes” she will lose everything, including her brothers. So she takes matters into her own hands and tracks down King and demands he pay for the damages he caused, but it soon becomes clear that King is having a worse day than she is, so if he can’t pay, she’ll have to keep him in her sights, never expecting that the pampered nob would find a way to worm into her heart, too bad he isn’t staying, no matter what he says.

What a great start to a new series, I was sucked into this story from the very first page and couldn’t put it down until the very last word. I loved Violet and King, both together and individually, Violet is a strong, resourceful, loving young woman and King starts out as a self-centered aristocrat and ends up as a considerate and caring man and I can’t help but hope that he and his friends will find a way to break the curse. This book has a lot going on yet never feels busy or rushed, instead, it is a delightful story filled with curses, witches, loss, heartbreak, wonderful secondary characters, family, evil villains, second chances, steamyish love scenes, hope and finally a happy ever that didn’t seem possible. I highly recommend this book and will be anxiously awaiting the next book in the series!

4.5 stars

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*

The King is king of his world and knows no hardships except for the loss of love between his father and himself. In a youthful selfish prank not meant to hurt anyone he pesters two sisters and destroy their lively hood. Almost 20 years later his life is turned upside down. Is this a form of poetic justice or is there something darker going on.
I do not usually read books with Magic because 1. It is real and 2. It is not something you should allow into your home. This however had my interest peeked because even God repays injustices in His own time. This a book about teaching the privileged that every action has an opposite reaction and sometimes you reap more than you so later than you sow it. I can’t wait to see the other 3 books because the King has definitely learned a royal lesson.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with guidelines.

The King and Vi by Shana Galen is the story of three little boys (13) who were all destined to become dukes. One of them, a trickster who had already been dismissed from all of the boys’ schools in England, decided they should steal the witch’s whiskey. It didn’t go well and she placed a curse on them to come to fulfillment on their thirtieth birthdays. It left their minds until the Marquess of Kingston’s thirtieth birthday, well a little later really as he was too hungover to deal with anything more than the immediate. As he thought about it, one of his friends had lost his wife and child on his birthday. He realized this was his thirtieth birthday and is estranged father had just been found guilty of treason and all his assets seized, including King’s. It also turned out that last night he and his friends had destroyed a tavern and the owner was amongst those trying to seek retribution before it was too late. She was not going to let up.

King turned out to be a regular guy, much to his own surprise, once the veil of nobility was lifted. He had assumed he would have children some day, but didn’t plan to have much to do with them, but he liked Vi’s brothers, Joshua and Georgie. In fact, he liked a lot of people he was meeting in Seven Dials, about as far from his former life as one could get. When he discovered there was a neighborhood bully demanding “taxes” be paid him, he lost all sense of nobility and decided to fight. Vi thought he was crazy. She had lived this way all her life and she was used to it. They were both fabulous characters as were the brothers, the younger of which, Georgie, called King, “Pa,’” and he liked it. He was not a warrior but he had studied strategy and he thought they could win. It was a wonderful story. I especially liked when the others on the street clapped as the Bow Street Runners hauled the bully away. Thanks Shana Galen for a rousing good book!

I was invited to read the King and Vi by Dragonblade. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #Dragonblade #ShanaGalen #TheKingAndVi

King loses everything because his father is a traitor. Violet owns a bar in a bad part of London. When Violet approaches King to repay her for damage he did to her bar, they begin a journey of self-discovery. They have to learn to work together in order to save her bar and protect her brothers from the gang that rules the Seven Dials area. Can they protect the bar and stop the bad guy together or will their differences keep them apart?

This story starts with King as a child pulling a prank. I thought this was a good choice because it showed how onery he was as a child. That onery personality plays a major role in the conclusion to the story. I thought King made a lot of changes very quickly, but the story takes place over a condensed time frame, so the author had to make him change fast. Violet starts the story determined to survive for the sake of her brothers but broken down from living in a dangerous place like Seven Dials. I like how the author allowed Violet to accept King into her world. I liked the addition of Violet's two younger brothers. Their backstory was good and they added to the story instead of bogging it down with cute kid nonsense.

I thought that the conclusion was a bit odd. I am hoping that it gets a little better conclusion in the next book. I was confused by how many people owed King "favors". If he is pushed out of society because of his father then I would think his favors are null and void. The only one I totally understood was when he went to the police because there was something in it for them to listen to him.

This story takes place in London. It is an historical romance. This story includes witches. It is part of a series and I feel strongly the series should be read in order because of the witches. I will read more from this author in the future.

Shana Galen is one of my favorite authors who always delivers well-written and empowering historical romances full of humor and fun. Occasionally she adds something a bit out-of-the-ordinary and still manages to make me accept that premise. (I remember her Jewels of the Ton series was a bit wild, and I loved every moment!) The King and Vi is no different in this regard - the main character is seemingly cursed by a witch, and even as a skeptic as to how that would play out, I found myself invested in learning the truth of that encounter.

However, I had a hard time feeling invested in the chemistry between the characters. I felt that the heroine had too much to lose to let herself fall for the hero, and I felt that the hero was quite unlikeable (as he was designed to be!) at the beginning. When the heroine trusted him at a later point as well, I felt that he hadn’t really done enough to prove himself, and it felt like he was getting in way over his head. Ultimately they all did save the day, and the author tied it up in a way that did knock the hero down a peg or two, but I just wasn’t in love with our love story.

The story and premise was interesting enough for me to want to continue with the series, and as always, Shana Galen’s writing is great, but this one doesn’t go into my favorites pile.

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

The King and Vi by Shana Galen is a the first book in a new series, Misfortune’s Favorites. It’s a thoroughly engaging Regency Romance – with witches. I was intrigued, if a bit skeptical, of a premise involving witches, but the story sucked me in.

King (the Marquess of Kingston) is cursed. As an obnoxious teenage bully, along with two equally obnoxious sons of lords that were his best friends, he had embarked on yet another prank. His pranks were attempts to win some attention from his father, a duke, who ignored him. But this prank, stealing a barrel of whiskey from the impoverished sisters living a short distance from his boarding school, was not only stupid, it was cruel. The women made the whiskey to sell, and it was their only means of support. The boys meanly called them “witches.” It turned out, they were right. The barrel broke. One of the old women caught them. And cursed them, saying that at the age of thirty, they would lose everything they cared about. Although King more or less forgot about the curse, on his thirtieth birthday, it came true. At first, a reader could well be thinking: Good!

Violet Baker (Vi) is a young woman running a public house in the notorious Seven Dials region of London. She is trying her best to raise her two younger brothers, but barely scraping by. One of her biggest concerns is the gang leader who runs the local protection racket. If she doesn’t come up with her payment, he will steal away her brothers and take possession of her. Although she has always come up with enough in the past, this time she fears she won’t. Because a group of aristocrats came into her public house, drank themselves stupid, and started a brawl. The place got wrecked. And she lost a good amount of alcohol. The next morning, when she learns the name of one of the aristocrats, the Marquess of Kingston, she is determined to track him down and make him pay. But when she arrives at his house, she finds him in the midst of being evicted and hounded by duns.

Vi adds her voice to the chorus of creditors demanding payment. Seeing her as the least threatening, King sneaks off with her. She refuses to let him out of her sight until he pays her a sum that is paltry to him, but means everything to her. The problem is, he can’t get his hands on even that paltry sum. He finds himself homeless, penniless, friendless, and about to be stripped of his title.

King’s redemption evolves at a credible pace. Vi softens toward him as he grows more likeable. Their day-to-day lives are a departure from what is found in most Regency Romances and it makes the obstacles to their coming together a satisfying mixture of external forces and internal hesitation.

The steam level is moderate. The sex scenes don’t come across as gratuitous. And the romance is heartwarming. Plus, there is a bit of banter.

I’ll be looking for book 2!

I loved the premise of this book, which seemed to have strong potential for a paranormal romance. But the book just didn't work for me. The three boys who tried to steal from the witch sucked as kids and from what we see in this book, they suck as adults. MMC King is vapid and shallow, and even by book's end has not moved too far off of these traits. I in no way bought that Violet would fall for King and the chemistry between them fell flat. I have read other Shana Galen books in the past and liked them, but this one missed the mark.

1.5 stars rounded to 2. Thank you to Netgalley and Dragonblade for a complimentary ARC of this title. The opinions expressed here are my own.

4/5
This was such a good book. I've only read Lord and Lady Spy by Shana Galen before and I wasn't sure about this paranormal romance with curses and magic, but boy, I have loved it.

When he was thirteen years old, King stole from the witch who cursed him and the two of his friends. Now at age 30, the witch is back and gleefully awaits his punishment. And the curse works: King loses his house, his title, and his wealth, and his estranged father is accused of treason. He has nowhere to go while everyone invades his house to reclaim the money he owes them.

One of the people is Violet, the owner of the tavern King destroyed the evening prior. He not only started a fight, but in the battle, her employee was hurt, and her supplies and furniture were destroyed. oh, and she has two little brothers to take care of, whi;e the gang leader demands taxes as well. King, hoping to escape everyone, goes with her.

Boy, I loved the chemistry between Vi and King. He was lazy, demanding, whining, and thought himself better than everyone else, and I LOVED his transformation into a caring, dependable man who was willing to risk his life to keep Violet and the boys safe. Violet was resourceful, witty, intelligent, and hardworking and I loved how much she bossed King around. He needed to humble himself before her and boy, did he deliver.

While the witch and her sister weren't as prevalent in the book as I hoped for, I liked it. And the witch's sister was a surprise too, one that I hope will be continued in the sequel. I hope we get to see the sequel again from King and Violet's perspective (somehow, I don't think I can read Rory's story and not cry), especially because he was the one who received the note (though maybe his friends received next parts as well? Who knows?) and I would love to see more adventures from King and Violet's perspective.

Joshua and Georgie were so cute too! They are precious and I love them.

I cannot wait to read the sequels, I know they will be amazing as well.

Thank you, NetGalley and Draginblade Publishing for providing the ARC in exchange for the honest review.

He's the worst...

I liked Vi. Responsible, hard working, determined. A survivor.
King? Not so much. He's lazy, vain, selfish, entitled, he reminded me of the Princess and the Pea, Disney movie, where the prince made the girl do ALL the WORK! That's King. I liked that he lost all his money (couldn't happen to a better person). Only, he keeps endangering Vi through his thoughtless actions.
Did he learn from his actions and change his behavior?
The odds are not in his favor.

I have been reading historical romance and to a lesser degree paranormal and contemporary, for over 50 years. This is the first book I remember that the author brings into the hero and heroine’s developing relationship. The author allows us to join them on their journey to their own happily ever after. And what a wonderful journey it is. Needless to say I loved it !! Bravo Shana.

This review was made possible via an ARC through NetGalley

The King and Vi is a Regency romance where King is the young son of a marquess accused of colluding with the French, leaving King destitute as his status, money, and home are taken from him. Vi is a tavern owner who is furious at King for being involved in destroying her business the night before and heads to his estate when the debtors have begun to take everything, demanding that he pay to fix her tavern. King goes with Vi back to her tavern and grows attached to her two young brothers and Vi herself, giving him a new home and family as well as a new place in life. Woven in with the romance plot is the Ferryman, a gang leader who wants Vi for himself and Vi’s brother, Joshua, trying to free his friend from the Ferryman’s control.

One of the best parts was King being exposed for being terrible at cleaning and Vi being exasperated at him. I enjoyed a lot of their banter, particularly how unafraid Vi is to call King out.

There are historical depictions of disrespect towards the autonomy of women, forced prostitution and the claiming of young girls as well as conversations around forcing young boys into gangs to pay for debts, so readers sensitive to that kind of content should proceed with caution.

I would recommend this to fans of Regency romance looking for an exploration of the darker aspects of the time period.