What a ride! I finished this thinking “well that was an unexpected adventure.”

This takes place in the Lyon’s Den connected universe of books. The Den is a gambling club/matchmaker business. In this one, Lord Crispin Morgan stumbles into the club with his dying sister, and to get help from the club owner, commits to an arranged marriage (and half the wedding dowry). There’s a lot of plot that follows. The sister’s husband is attempting to kill her, and Crispin and his soon to be wife. The fiancé, is Birdy Carmondy. She’s visiting London with her father, and he’s looking for a husband for her. Her dad is Irish, her mother was Native American. Why the matchmaker connects them is unclear.

These 2 end up liking each other at least, (love later) and Birdy helps Crispin with his sister and finding her baby. They also have to run for their lives, travel cross country, pick up a stray kid, get on a ship, SAIL TO QUEBEC, travel by canoe to live with her tribe for 18 months, then back to London for more adventures. It’s bananas how much happens in less than 2 years in this wild book.

My one note for readers, Birdy is a Native American traveling through England in 1814. I don’t know what that would have been like. We later see John Smith on page and his wife. I know the author did research on the time period, how Birdy might have been treated in England, and Crispin in Canada. I wish there had been some author notes on her research. But I can look stuff up to, so she doesn’t have to prove anything, I just prefer to be lazy.

Arc provided by the publisher

The opening to this book was spectacular. Filled with drama and pure man power. After Crispin shows up at The Lyon's Den, the Black Widow moves in to assist and thus begins an exciting story.

Nenokaasi “Birdy” Carmody is a very unusual primary female character but this makes her perfect for this storyline. I like that she is independent thinking and acting but kind and caring. Also, she's very practical.

Crispin Morgan loves his sister and will do anything to keep her safe. His devotion to her warmed my heart and his desire to do whatever it takes pushes him into a new life as a wealthy married man.

Both of the two main characters flowed well with each other creating a believable story and adding more excitement to the story is the more active role the Black Widow takes.

I thought the two villains in this book were pure evil and they kept the book from being too sappy and moved into the exciting love story category. I do want to know what happens to Crispin's sister. I think that would be a great book.

Lyon in the Wild by Diana Lloyd takes full advantage of the leeway given in the Lyon’s Den Connected World by pushing the limits. Crispin Morgan runs into the Lyon’s Den with his bleeding sister passed out in his arms. He promises to marry Bessie’s most difficult client if she will save her. Save her she does. Her most difficult client turns out to be Birdy Carmody, the offspring of Hardy Carmody, a hearty Irishman and his Native American wife, who is now deceased. A lovely young woman, but far from being an English rose. By “accident” Birdy meets a partially recovered Lamb while at the Lyon’s Den and hears part of her story. They decide to marry and are beleaguered by not only Crispin’s father, but the Lamb’s husband, who caused a scene. Crispin had vowed to find his sister’s baby and so they set off, meeting along the way with a man to become their coachman and his son. Bad things struck, including a fire. Someone was clearly after them. But throughout all the trauma Birdy and Crispin forged a marriage.

To get away from whomever was trying to kill them, they decided to go to Birdy’s home which was French-Canada. It took weeks on a ship but the made it. What is most remarkable about several remarkable things about this story is how resilient they both were. They adapted to a new culture with almost no hiccup at all. It was grace that allowed that. While they were there, in the native village where Birdy grew up, she gave birth to her first child. Along with him, they made the trip home, only to face a changed family. Crispin’s father had almost died and realized that he had wasted his life and his relationships with his children. Lamb’s husband was dead and they had a good idea where her son might be. It was a complex story, which made it exciting. The characters were interesting and different. The plot was good. The use of native peoples was genius. Good book!

I was invited to read Lyon in the Wild by Dragonblade. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #Dragonblade #DianaLloyd #LyonInTheWild

Each and every Dove-Lyon's story is uniquely written and equally engaging. In this tale, Crispin doesn't have to win a challenge at Mrs. Dove-Lyon's, but he does have to pay a debt. His request to pay the debt is very unusual and is the foundation for this truly unusual tale. His wife, Birdy, is from Canada. Their challenges are many and vary from fleeing from run away drivers, fire, storms, the wilderness and more. Each chapter brings us closer to the end of the story but not without taking us through an adventure of a lifetime. Amazingly written, wonderfully inclusive of historical insights and some tears.

This novel addresses various matters, namely romance, suspense, cross-cultural marriage of convenience, and dysfunctional families. Crispin is an honorable man and will do whatever it takes to protect his sister, however, he is fighting blind as he cannot anticipate where the next attack will come from. Birdy, to some extent, is portrayed as Wonder Woman and has a solution to every problem. Although the concept of Crispin marrying an Ojibwe woman from Canada is intriguing, I found it difficult to relate to Birdy, and there did not seem to be a strong emotional connection between the main characters. Fortunately, the novel comes to a good conclusion, and although Bessie Dove-Lyon plays a lesser role in the plot, her presence is nevertheless felt throughout. I received a copy of this book as a gift from Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley, and this is my honest and voluntary review.

Crispin Morgan storms into the notorious Lyon’s Den gambling den with a single wish to save his sister from her abusive husband, by any means necessary. Desperate, he strikes a risky deal with the infamous matchmaker, Mrs. Dove-Lyon. His end of the bargain? Marry her most impossible bride. The last thing he expects is a fierce, clever woman who hides a knife in her wedding gown. Nenokaasi “Birdy” Carmody has crossed an ocean to change her future, and maybe the world’s. Half Irish, half Ojibwe, Birdy is no stranger to straddling two identities. When she meets Crispin, hope collides with desperation in a marriage of necessity that slowly transforms into something far more trust.
A well written book in this long running connected series. I liked both Crispin & Birdy & enjoyed their story. However I found that it took a while for there to be any chemistry between them. The events span the Atlantic Ocean, which was different & added to my enjoyment. I liked that there was the mix of intrigue along with the romance, not your usual Regency romance but it worked
I voluntarily read and reviewed a special copy of this book; all thoughts and opinions are my own

Overall, I had quite a fun time reading this story. I liked the premise, our MCs getting married for convenient reasons, Crispin (this name is still making me laugh, I just think about chips) wants to protect his sister from her psychotic trashcan of a husband, and Birdy wants a Englishman for a husband that has the ability to help bring more connections to her home and her people.

The two major settings they travel between of his home in England and hers in Canada was a really fun difference from the usual Lyon's Den world stories, which are normally just based in England. I really enjoy when we get to expand into different lands and see different groups of people. The two worlds of Crispin and Birdy gave a really nice juxtaposition of two people getting to learn about different cultures and embrace each other's different ways of life.

However, it did take me a long time to get into the pair of them being together. I didn't feel like they were connecting enough for at least half of the book, and I felt like some of their interactions were a little odd - which when you think about their situation, I mean, it's completely understandable. I can't put my finger on what exactly I was missing that would make it feel more..."more" and be able to enjoy seeing their relationship grow. So I did like where they ended up, and how their extended family relationships eventually grew, it just took me most of the book to get there.

Thanks to NetGalley for being able to read and review this book.

Thank you NetGalley. This was the most different Lyon's Den book I have read. Crispin brought his sister to the Lon's Den after he found her when her husband left her to die after giving birth and the baby was not to be found. He told Mrs Dove-Lyon if she could hide his sister he would marry her most difficult case. She has a girl who is part Irish and Canadian Indian. She has just arrived with her father and her father approves of Crispin who is in line for his father's title but the father thinks his sister's husband is a good man. Birdy and Crispin become very close and when the husband or someone is after them they flee to Canada. Crispin becomes a more confident man and his wife teaches him many things. For being a different story it is still a very good story.

Crispin, Lord Morgan, has one thought in mind, to save his sister. Seeking help from the one woman he knows will help him, Mrs. Dove-Lyon, he offers himself to marry her toughest case. Daughter of an Irishman and an Ojibwe mother, Birdy Carmody knows her father wants what's best for her, but he wants an Englishman with a title. Brokered by Mrs. Dove-Lyon, Crispin and Birdy marry, then join forces to protect themselves from a murderer. To find safety, Crispin and Birdy flee across the ocean.
From England to Canada, an Englishman learns to find himself with his wife's people and returns to trap a murderer. Complex and complicated. Kidnapping and murder. Who do you trust? A very different romance from what I was expecting. Not a bad thing at all.
Descriptive sex.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book from NetGalley.

Mrs. Dove-Lyon has made another spectacular match between Crispin and Birdy. It’s a great story that starts in England and then for a while goes to Canada before returning back to England. The story is well written and captured my attention at the very beginning. I loved to see how Crispin thrived while in Canada finding his true self and Birdy is a take charge kind of woman and I admired her for that. There is danger throughout the story but they overcome it eventually. It’s a wonderful story and I loved it.
I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley and are voluntarily leaving a review.

A great historical fiction. A quick and easy read a little confusing at first, but story comes together pretty fast. I would read it again.