I really felt like this book was original in the way it introduced the characters to each other and spent a lot of time discussing their personal backgrounds and how they got to the point they were in rather than simply another "forced proximity" romance.

In this book, Viscount Langdon is hiding away on his private island, trying to hide from his family that he is still having issues after being a part of a huge train derailment. One day he finds a woman washed up on the shore and recognizes her as a locally famous courtesan, Marlowe.

During her convalescence, they discuss at lenght a time a year or so ago where Marlowe was with her benefactor, "Hollie" Hollingsworth at a gaming hell. Hollie and Langdon were playing cards and Hollie offered an evening with Marlowe if he loses. Marlowe is upset, and Langdon purposely loses in order to keep from having an unrequired affair with her.

A good portion of the book is hearing about both characters' backstories. It was a slow burn, but I really enjoyed hearing about these characters and how they got to that point. They fall in love, but Langdon still has his medical issue, and Marlowe is still with Hollie, though he has recently become engaged to a debutante he is actually in love with. This begins the issues of Langdon and Marlowe not easily being able to be together because he is the heir for his family, and Marlowe is a courtesan and not the right class to marry him.

There have been many ways I've seen this sort of relationship work out in novels, and this ending is pretty similar but overall I just really liked the characters and the lenght of time dedicated to getting to know them versus the standard "forced proximity - they get togther - society keeps them apart - everything is solved" theme. Great book.

I received an advanced copy and am giving an honest review.

Holy smokes SO MUCH ANGST! In the best way of course. But truly, moments when I worried it really wouldn't be all right in the end. So much desire, so much tension, and both characters have to see through their past to get to their future. Heath just won't let you go in this one. Don;t need to have read the series, just dive in here. So worth it.

I was thrilled to see Lorraine Heath return to the *Scandalous Gentlemen of St. James* series after seven years. One of my all-time favorites is *In Bed with the Devil*, so I was excited that this new book focuses on the son of Lucian and Catherine. It was great to revisit those characters and see their story continued through their children.

That said, I found the book lacking. With the plot centered around a lord and a courtesan, the focus leaned heavily on their physical desire for each other, often at the expense of a deeper narrative. The first half primarily revolves around their attraction, which makes sense given her background, but it left the male lead feeling somewhat superficial. While he does have moments of depth, I ultimately wished for more substance in the story. The best parts for me were still those connections to Lucian and Catherine, but overall, I hoped for a richer experience.

I loved how different this book is from other historical romances coming out right now. Marlowe is a courtesan who washes up on shore of Langdon's private island retreat in a storm. He takes care of her and proximity has it's way with the story. They both have their own private struggles but the tension between them was great.

I felt like the connections and the romance were less than what I usually expect from Heath, but the torture and the angst was up to par. Also note that I am a HUGE fan of her early work and love the way she tortured her characters in those books. Many things fall flat in comparison. This was really good. It wasn't AMAZING like I wanted it to be.

Beautifully written and full of emotion, as with all of her other books. This author is so talented at evoking very real feeling and making you feel completely immersed in the characters’ world. It was chock full of angst (my favorite) and such a great read.

Thank you Netgalley and Avon for letting me read A Tempest of Desire by Lorraine Heath! I consider Heath a pillar of historical romance, you simply can’t go wrong with her books, and I appreciate how she’s willing to explore stories that most other authors won’t, such as having a mistress be a heroine (and not someone who was tricked into being one either). She knows how to bring drama and trauma and still tie it together with a happily-ever-after.

After a railway accident, Viscount Langdon has hidden himself away on an island near his family's estate when, during a storm, he sees a woman washed on the shore of his hideaway. He quickly realizes the woman is Marlowe, an infamous courtesan. In classic Lorraine Heath fashion, Marlowe wasn't in a boat. She was out in her hot air balloon and got caught in the storm - crashing into the water and washing ashore.
What unfolds is a passionate journey filled with angst and repressed emotions. Marlowe, feeling rejected by Langdon after a previous encounter, struggles with her feelings. Langdon, on the other hand, battles with his attraction to Marlowe, knowing she is the mistress of another man in the ton. The storm forces them to confront their emotions, leading to a compelling and empathetic narrative.

A Tempest of Desire is another excellent novel by Lorraine Heath. This book doesn't rely heavily on the other books in the series, so you can read it as a standalone.

This is my favorite Lorraine Heath book since "The Notorious Lord Knightly." The romance is between a courtesan and a viscount with an affliction, and my heart warmed at the MMC’s plight and his caring family. This also has the “stranded on an island together” trope, always a favorite. There’s plenty of tension as the romance is forbidden, and the happy ending is well-earned. I’m also someone who usually skips the dedication, but I found the one in this book to be very touching. I’m eagerly looking forward to whatever the author writes next as she’s undoubtedly one of the best in the Regency romance game.

I don't think you can ever go wrong with a story by this author
The settings, the characters, the storyline are all wonderful and the story captures you from the first page and holds you until the last. Lorraine Heath is a gifted writer with her stories. Don't miss this one.

I picked this arc up because I thought it was the first in a series. Whoops, it’s the fifth. So a few characters I knew from the author’s larger world but most I didn’t. However, much of the book does not need to be read as part of a series.

While mistress books aren’t really my cup of tea, I was intrigued by the aeronaut side of the heroine and the hero’s case of “railway spine,” a term that became a catch all to label all injuries that resulted from railway accidents. Lorraine Heath made the worries and struggles of the protagonists match up well for each other and feel very relatable.

Heat level: 4

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this ARC.

This was a wonderful return to a beloved series. Lorraine Heath is a master of the genre. The plot is slightly crazy, in the best way, but doesn't go off the rails bc Heath knows what she is doing! Loved it!

I wasn’t sure this book was for me when I first started it. I enjoyed the look at the day to day of Langdon and Marlowe first really getting to know each other, but I just couldn’t see a way through for them that would feel real for me. But this is Lorraine Heath - I should have known better than to doubt her. Once they were back in London, the characters’ arc really started to fall into place and it was wonderful to go along their journey.

I’ve read many Lorraine Heath books. She was one of the first authors. I’ve read that I loved. I feel like she writes a lot of emotional romances. This book was pretty good except it got boring from the beginning to the middle just because a lot of it he was talking about the woman that he found at see that almost basically died and he talked about her for so many pages that I got kind of boring where she just describes everything in the book in my opinion it was a little too slow for me so this is why I didn’t like this book. The woman in the book seemed very jealous and didn’t understand why the guy was mad at her , I like the book I like sea vibe books, but it was really boring in my opinion

Hot air balloon fiascos. Famous mistresses. Brooding Viscounts. Private isles. Railway wreck recovery. Lorraine Heath has written an absolute banger of a historical romance and yet again proves why she is a master of her craft.

We open the story with the dashing Viscount Langdon standing on a cliff over the sea, storm roiling around him, as he’s having an existential crisis. Langdon led a charmed existence - he is the heir and son of the couple from Heath’s previous book In Bed With the Devil - until his life was irrevocable changed by a traumatic railway accident. Unable to tell his loving family the truth, he retreats to an island to sulk, drink a bit too much, and hope his problem magically disappears.

Meanwhile, down below on the sand, Marlowe has found herself with a different sort of crisis. As London’s most infamous courtesan, she’s got a reputation, but her true bold and daring spirit comes out when she is in her hot air balloon. Even though Marlowe was an experienced pilot, the storm was able to sweep her far off course, eventually causing near disaster and depositing her onto Langdon’s isle of solitude.

When he gets done yelling at the wind, he eventually spots her on the sand, carries her to the fortress, and tenderly brings her back to fine flirting shape.

Marlowe’s role as a mistress makes her a fallen woman, and that’s a problem for a Lord and heir like Langdon. A regular theme in Heath’s books is love between the commoner and high society. Sometimes it goes further than that, into people who have been actively shunned and character growth comes from choosing love above public perception, comfort, gossip, or an easy path. This is another case where I found the resolution deeply satisfying, even if I was unsure how these two would resolve their external conflict as the story went along.

Because Heath is such a passionate researcher, I’m always delighted when I discover the most unusual details are based in fact. In this case, how many women were taking to the sky in hot air balloons near the turn of the century. Lorraine’s author’s notes are never to be skipped.

Beyond just her ballooning antics, Marlowe was a fascinating character. She was so unashamed of her desires and experiences. Her fearlessness was a perfect balance for Langdon as he found himself for the first time unmoored. Here was a man who believed he needed to be perfect according to society’s rules to be loved and is then confronted with proof that he need only be himself to earn the love of the ones who matter.

I think Heath is saying some interesting things about the nature of mistresses as well. In so many historical romances, the role of mistress is automatically the antagonist, to be judged harshly and shamed. Here is a reversal, where we see that Marlowe made the best choice she could for a woman in that age and situation. She does not deserve to be treated as anything less than equal to anyone in the ballrooms of the ton.

It was interesting, as her relationship with her benefactor was also not in any way portrayed as predatory. If anything, in modern times, she and he would have been friends with benefits until they found their actual love matches. It was clear they truly cared for each other, but simply weren’t in love.

The moment of reconciliation between Langdon and Marlowe was swoon worthy, with just enough of that patented Heath angst to turn up the heat before the happily ever after. The love scenes between these two are scorchingly hot and make the somewhat slower burn worth the wait.

A Tempest of Desire is the new installment in the older Scandalous Gentlemen of St. James series, but it is clear that Heath is not going backwards because she’s interested in safe, well-worn story paths. While the world may be familiar, the tangled webs they must unknot on their way to forever are thornier than ever. Overall, any fan of Heath’s past works will find much to love in A Tempest of Desire.
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Thank you to NetGalley & Avon/Harper Voyager for the Advanced Reader Copy. Expected publication date: Dec 24, 2024

Like every Lorraine Heath book, A TEMPEST OF DESIRE has two vital ingredients: a saucy, smart, beautiful heroine and a dark, sexy hero who’s a member of the aristocracy. Oh, and one more thing: a fabulous romantic plot.

Marlowe ( 1 name like Cher!) is an infamous, well, a kept woman. A mistress. A courtesan. The backstory of why she has made herself one is so good I don’t want to give it away. She is also what the book describes as an aeronaut – a hot air balloon flier. One day, she receives unexpected news, is distraught, and takes her balloon up for a spin to clear her head. Unfortunately, she hits bad weather and her balloon plummets to the sea.

Enter our hero, the fabulous Oliver, Lord Langdon. Ollie’s back story is filled with drama too. He was recently in a railway accident and has lost the ability to decipher numbers – something he needs since he will be managing the accounts of his family’s estates.

When Marlow winds up on the shore of Ollie’s secluded island, he doesn’t know what to do. The one thing he knows he can’t do is give in to the desire he has for the amazing woman.

Or can he? And does Marlow return his desire?

What unfolds is a romantic, sexy story of two people from different worlds who discover the best of themselves in the other.

Thank you to the author and Netgalley for a sneak peek at this wonderful addition to the Scandalous Gentlemen of St. James series. 5 stars from me. Brava!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.
As always with Lorraine Heath, I enjoyed this immensely. However, without getting into specifics to spoil this review, there were a few lines early on that I felt like foreshadowed a plot twist that never happened. I was left wondering what she meant by them.

Thank you netgalley, the publisher, and Lorraine Heath

I have never read a book by Lorraine Heath that I didn't love. This one was absolutely perfect. I loved Marlowe and Langdon's story they were perfect for each other! There were many things in this story that I have never read in any other historical romance that made it unique to me like her flying a balloon and him not being able to remember numbers. I also adored Hollie, to begin to with I expected to hate him but he was so nice. I can not wait to see what she writes next. I hope there are still many stories to come.

Seven years ago, Lorraine Heath's books came into my life while I was battling cancer. Her writing provided an escape from my reality and I make it a point to look for anything new that she produces and I am never disappointed.
The Tempest of Desire is no exception. Langdon and Marlowe are two characters that are so much more than one would think. Marlowe has survived by using her wits and yes, her beauty to provide for her widowed mother while paying back the debts her father left them with. Her reputation in London has been well crafted but she remains unavailable to the many men who would have her as their mistress. Langdon, the Earl of Claybourne, seemed to blend in with the carefree aristocrats but we know from the beginning that he is deeply troubled by earlier events in his life.
There is a humorous element to our protagonists' first real meeting, (her reputation and beauty precede her.) Their forced isolation allows us to gain a hint of their true selves. But mutual attraction is not enough and the reader can appreciate the depth of these characters.
I dare not say much more for fear of spoiling this tale. Know that the author has crafted a story that unfolds with enough restraint to keep the reader engaged. I would like to think that there were women in the Regency era that defied the standards in high society and achieved their HEA's.
Thank You Lorraine Heath for yet another wonderful distraction.

After surviving a horrific train crash, Viscount Oliver Langdon has somewhat exiled himself from London society on a tiny island of the Cornish Coast. While walking the shore in a storm he is shocked to find a woman passed out on the beach. When he gets her inside he is shocked to find Marlowe, the famous courtesan mistress to his friend. Marlowe is less than thrilled to be trapped with Langdon as on their previous encounter he had declined to interact with her. While the storm rages the two grow comfortable with each other and share things they have both kept private and the attraction grows. Of course once the storm calms they can return to London, but society’s rules make things complicated and they must figure out how to remain together.

I LOVE LORRAINE HEATH!!! This book scratched every single one of my historical romance itches. He’s brooding and emotionally scarred, she’s bold and practical, both are resistant to love and trapped in a rundown castle with only one bed (seriously I think this book was written especially for me). I absolutely devoured this book. I loved everything from the setting to the characters to the tropes to the internal and external conflict. The chemistry between the two was palpable and every I truly felt every single one of their emotions from joy to devastation. It was a book where you know everything is going to end in a HEA but you can’t quite see how it’s going to get there which is how you know it is a great romance novel. I highlighted so many passages and will be rereading. For fans of Lorraine’s books, Langdon is the son of Lucian and Catherine of In Bed with the Devil, and many of Lorraine’s other characters make their appearance once the characters arrive in London. And now I must go and reread everything Lorraine has written.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.75/5. Releases 12/24/24.

The Vibes:

—stranded on a remote island (and there's only one bed)

—sex worker heroine

—the kind of emotional twist that is in theory not a big deal but in actuality absolutely! heartbreaking! I gasped!

—don't call me kid/don't call me baby etc etc, this is character work illicit affair stuff

Heat Index: 7/10

The Basics:

Viscount Langdon is hiding out on his family's remote island, licking his wounds after a railway accident upended his life and identity. When a random woman washes ashore, he's stunned. He's more stunned when she turns out to be Marlowe, London's most infamous courtesan—also, she arrived via hot air balloon crash. As they wait out the storm together, Langdon and Marlowe realize they have a lot more in common than they thought. But what kind of future can they possibly have together?

The Review:

I will, it must be said, read anything Lorraine Heath writes. As far as I'm concerned, the woman is a master of her craft, and I can't imagine many authors who do historical romance better.

Here, she's picking up her Scandalous Gentlemen of St. James series for the first time in a few years (I believe it was originally planned as a trilogy, but a while after book #3, a surprise fourth happened... and now we have a surprise fifth, and, as it appears, a surprise sixth on the way!). I absolutely love her interconnected world; the series that preceded Scandalous Gentlemen, The Scoundrels of St. James, is my favorite of hers. So while I've adored dipping into the Trewlove stories and the Stanwicks and the Chessmen (and wouldn't mind returning to any of them, AT ALL, to be clear) there's something so delightful about seeing the St. James crew again.

James Swindler is still solving crimes (and his son sounds hot, so maybe.... some of that... Lorraine...?)! Dr. Graves is still solving every medical ailment known to man! The Langdons have laughed off the whole "he is a murderer" thing! The Lovingdons are still super hot together! So happy to see them again.

Viscount Langdon always lurked in the background of the other books, and he seemed like a happy dude; I mean, to the point that I wondered if we'd never read his story. He seemed GOOD. And I mean... if a character is raised by a couple, you as a writer sort of have to rock their shit to make them interesting. Which is something I've complained about struggling with when reading some second gen series. I get why a lot of writers are hesitant to mess with the kids of their beloved leads, but... you have to. Lorraine actually discusses this in the author's note. She truly Gets the work.

So yeah, Langdon is a little fucked up by everything that's happened to him prior to book. He's stalking his island drunk. He's yelling at God to give him a woman because he's sad and horny. In other words, he's fabulous and hot and I loved him. He's a perfect example of how you write a hero who's genuinely a good guy, but is not a Nice Guy. He's got his issues, he needs to do some work on himself, and some of his problems really aren't his fault and he sort of needs to be ushered into love. I found him romantic and tender without being overly sweet. He was respectful without being too polite. In some ways, he reminded me of a favorite gentleman hero of mine, Joanna Shupe's Duke of Lockwood.

Langdon gets his time and his trauma and his character development. However, I'd say this is a somewhat more heroine-forward novel. Which is great, because I loved Marlowe even more. I mean, how could I not love a famous courtesan who pilots her hot air balloons everywhere, whose tragic backstory also features a hot air balloon, and who tries her best to be pragmatic... when in reality, she really just wants and needs to be held? She's not quite as sharp-edged as a lot of courtesan characters (she's quite young for all that she's taken on, which I found both sad and, well, real) but she tries very hard to be.

I just so wanted her to have everything she deserved in life. I loved that she wasn't quite ashamed of her profession... but did struggle with where it put her in life. As someone who fully supports destigmatizing sex work, I also appreciate a story where it's treated like a valid profession... and not one every sex worker wanted or wants to continue. It's not a horror show, it's just not what she wanted from her life.

As a sidebar—really loved how Lorraine handled Marlowe's protector, Hollingsworth. Who of course stands as another wrench in the gears for Marlowe and Langdon, but also doesn't function quite like he would in a lesser book. His relationship with Marlowe is both straightforward and complex. He's flawed, but he's not a villain.

Here's the thing: not a lot of Plot Plot happens in this book. You get conflict, to be sure. But there isn't some big villainous twist. You don't have to worry about people possibly dying. This is truly a character piece. Over half the novel is spent on Langdon's island, which I frankly found incredible. (The pseudo-gothic vibes are immaculate. This is a perfect rainy day book.) A lot of time is spent on Langdon and Marlowe just getting to know each other. Talking. Flirting. Doing Things, eventually. The sexual tension crackles off the page from the jump (this is... a very horny book) and you know they want each other so badly. But you also know that they genuinely like each other as people. There's friendship as well as passion.

There's a famous-ish historical romance I won't name that I couldn't help but compare to this novel in terms of the central conflict (Marlowe is a sex worker, and even aside from that she's not of Langdon's class; he is from the bluest of blood, and despite his family being built on love, he fears the societal repercussions of marrying her; she could be another man's mistress, but her deep feelings for him make her hesitant to be HIS mistress). I found that this novel held Langdon so much more responsible for his inner turmoil and its hypocrisy, while at the same time accenting his personality with a humanity that makes you Get It. The story Gets It. But it also says "Now, Get Over It if you're really in love". I feel like it makes him seem like so much more of a grown up, and it also feels way more aware of the fact that like... we know this dude's family isn't gonna throw him out for being with the woman he wants to be with. There's MORE to it. I felt less condescended to as a reader, less like I was just supposed to throw logic out the window. It's just smarter all-around, and it ensured I was still rooting for Langdon to find happiness with Marlowe. Whereas with the book I was comparing it to, I just thought the woman deserved better.

There was a moment in this book that made me gasp. Few other authors do that. It wasn't even that it was a plot shock, it was just one of those things that underscored how quietly awful Langdon's struggle is. And right after that, another moment made me gasp, but mostly because it was super hot.

The Sex:

This is definitely one of Lorraine's hotter books, I would say—a lot hotter in terms of content than In Want of a Viscount, a book I greatly enjoyed. It's not that there are way more scenes than she usually writes (I think there are four total on the page, which is good). It's that the way she writes them just feels... very much like these are two people who are fucking it OUT.

And I mean. That first scene? The one where it's all about her? Easily one of the best sex scenes Lorraine's ever written. Damn.

All in all, another standout release from a standout author. I'm really glad that her health is improving, and I send my sincere wishes that it continues to do so. Few people write emotion better than her, and this book is in fact, pure emotion. Go read it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.