Tasmin and Isaac for LIFE. They are the epitome of the grumpy/sunshine trope, and I loved watching their romance develop. It's sweet and heartfelt. Also, I'm loving these covers lately!

Opposite attracts in a steamy historical romance!!!

Tamsin is a cheerful girl while Isaac is a brooding baron. A combination their friends believe unsuitable yet they find themselves eat their words. Tamsin and Isaac found a friend in each other the moment they converse, not realizing they have been building attachment to one another. One moment of shared affection ruined by Tamsin's suitor and a busybody leading to a moment where Isaac must save Tamsin's reputation and he's convinced marriage is the only way to save it. Even though Isaac still has secrets and problems he need to tell Tamsin if he wants to make Tamsin happy and their marriage work.

The drama and the angst in this book is highlighted enough and I love it, even though I want more grovel and angst. But I can understand why the writer decided this way because it suits each character so much. This story is not a madly in love story, rather a love that blooms out of understanding and admiration for each other. It also has steamy scenes here and there🤫

The one thing I complain about is the way Isaac doesn't grovel enough and Tamsin being all love and understanding (even though it should have been that way, healthy relationship and all). I want him to FIGHT FOR Tamsin and I want her to make him do it because the thing that he did unconsciously... Bruh.. that's messed up. But then again I understand why Isaac did that messed up thing and why Tamsin the way she is☺️
So I'm giving To Love the Brooding Baron 4⭐

You must read this book if you love if you love a steamy-opposites attract-historical romance.

I love Darcy Burke's books, her characters and how easily one enters the story and is blown away in the conflict they go through
.
She is the writer that I recommend whenever someone wants to start reading regency/historical romance, because I know that her books make one hooked and more curious about the genre
.
This series follow a group of friends who after seeing how one of them is treated by her suitor, exposing her publicly and then disappearing to marry another young lady , decide to create a series of rules to stay away from the rogues although some being their brothers and cousins, close in their social circle.
.
Tamsin Penrose is used to the brood mood of her father who prefers to spend his days working in his study on one of his research papers. That's why when she sees Baron Droxford sulking in a garden party she decides to approach him and try to make him smile.
.
Isaac cannot understand why Tamsin Penrose continues to seek conversation with him, much less can he avoid talking and telling him all the things he has never told anyone.
.
Surprisingly, they establish a friendship and camaraderie, but when the mysterious suitor that her father chose for her arrives, causing problems, Isaac decides to leave his serious and calm side and jumps to her aid to prevent her from being the center of scandal and ruin, saying that he is her fiancé.
.
Their feelings are put to the test when Tamsin encounters Issac's past, which is not as noble as the one she thought
.
.
This group of friends is everything, and I love the relationship and union they have between them, how they are for each other reminds me a lot of the girls from The Buccaneers. Each of these young women are so different but united in this kind of sisterhood that is ready to take London by surprise. I can't wait to read the next book in this series, see addictive books!
.
.
Thanks to Darcy Burke and Zealous Quill press for give me a copy of this beautiful book in exchange for my honest and voluntary opinion

A Touching Grumpy-Sunshine Love Story - 4,5 stars

I enjoyed this opposites attract, grumpy-sunshine romance novel with endearing characters, lots of emotion and spice.

Haunted and shamed by his past, Lord Isaac Droxford has spent the last decade glooming and leading a reclusive life. Only once a year does he spend a week in Weston with his friends, known as rakes, and tries to keep away from the social scene.

Tamsin Penrose normally lives in isolation with her father in Cornwall, but every August she spends a month visiting her grandmother in Weston and spending time with her friends. After her friend Pandora was publicly ruined last year, she and her friends have become wary of rakes and have even made rake rules. She has never considered marriage, but when her father writes to say she is to be betrothed, Tamsin is taken with the idea.
When she meets the brooding Isaac at a gathering again, she realises that unlike his friends, he is no rake, and she wants to protect him and make him smile.
Isaac is attracted to her cheerfulness and protectiveness, but whatever he may want, he won't open his heart to her or be intimate with her because he believes he's the worst rake of them all and doesn't deserve happiness...

A sweet and spicy love story that I am happy to recommend!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is my first book by this author and I was pleasantly surprised. I had not read the previous book in this series, but the author provided enough recap that I got the gist of what the background was on the characters from the previous book. Definitely a slow burn in that the characters don't kiss until way past the 50% point. Would have liked to have found out the H's big secret along with the h to create more drama, but it wasn't a huge deal. Thanks for letting me read and review this book. I am definitely interested in reading the rest of the series.

“Because the Baron Broods” is book two in Darcy Burke’s series entitled Rouge Rules. This Regency romance tells the story of Tamsin, always the optimist, always joyful, always smiling. Opposite her is Isaac, a constantly brooding baron, he never smiles, never looks for joy or happiness. Isaac is punishing himself because of his past, he considers himself the worst kind of rogue. However, Tamsin is unaware of Isaac’s past, she and her friends consider him a gentleman. Despite their opposing dispositions, Tamsin and Issac are drawn toward one another, and slowly get to know one another. Eventually they enter into a marriage of convenience after an incident, the baron didn’t want and didn’t think he deserved marriage and a family. Overall, this story was pretty good, although a bit too maudlin here and there with Isaac’s constant brooding and rehashing his past. He had been punishing himself for so long he didn’t know any other way, until he met Tamsin when some of her light began to cut through his darkness. The supporting characters, namely Tamsin’s grandmother and Isaac’s Aunt Sophie, both added love and humor to the story. Also included were characters from the first book in the series. Darcy includes some open door, steamy, intimate scenes in the story and a happy ever after. Recommended for fans of Darcy Burke and Regency romance.

Tamsin Penrose is looking forward to spending the month of August with her friends and her grandmother in Weston. Isaac Deverell, Lord Droxford was also a part of the group and Tamsin finds herself befriend Isaac as the rest of the group is teasing him about his scowls and the brooding faces he make. As they get to know each other, they realize that they have some similar things in their backgrounds- ie both of their mothers passed when they were younger. As they share things with each other that no one else in their group knows about them, they develop a friendship. When Isaac finds out that Tamsin's father has sent one of his friends to discuss a betrothal agreement he was arranging between Tamsin and himself, Isaac asks Tamsin to marry him instead. Tamsin agrees to marry Isaac because he is so focused on his estate and does not appear to be a rogue, she thinks he will be the ideal mate for her. Isaac of course, has secrets in his past that he is ashamed of and he does not share them with Tamsin initially. He knows that if Tamsin knew of his past behaviors and the fall out from those behaviors she will think he is the rogue she and her friends are desperately trying to avoid. Because the Baron Broods is a well written novel of forgiveness and serves as an example how a person's past can shape who they become in the future.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and I am voluntarily leaving a review

Darcy Burke is a genius! How they consistently think up these new stories will never cease to amaze me. The angst in this one was fabulous! Darcy did a magnificent job of writing about how the past impacts the present. This book was truly a great read. Darcy's spice is always amazing and I love how she hinted towards more erotic episodes later in their relationship. I love this series and I can't wait to read the next one.

Big thanks to NetGalley, Zealous Quill Press and Darcy Burke for this early release copy in exchange for my honest review

Tasmin Penrose is an always joy filled twenty-two-year-old, in Weston to visit her grandmother. She doesn’t believe she will marry- eligible men are thin on the ground in her tiny hamlet in Cornwall where she lives with her reclusive father. The month of August also brings her friends together, and she is swept up in the fun.

Isaac Deverell, Baron Droxford, is moody and dark, and only in Weston to see his friends, a group of rouges who consider him to be far too serious. He doesn’t expect to marry, believing a dark secret in his distant past means he doesn’t deserve a happy future.

This pair is a perfect example of opposites attracting- and it is instant combustion! There are delightfully awful side characters that you love to hate. It is fast paced and has some very unique twists and surprises that I didn’t see coming. The only complaints I have is that it was too short- I wanted more time with these characters- and the next volume in this series is MONTHS away. Now I need to find the first in the series!

Growing up in isolation in Cornwall, Tamsin Penrose has one occasion that looks forward to. Every year for one month, she spends time with her best friends at the seaside. Whilst there she receives a letter from her father, informing her of a potential groom who will visit her during her stay. However, Isaac Deverell, Baron Droxford, has caught her eye and she finds herself enthralled by him. Droxford is similarly captivated as she brought light into his life when all he has been consumed with is his past secrets. When the suitor arrives, Isaac is determined to protect her.
This is a sweet romance between two quite different characters. Whilst Tamsin’s life has not been easy, I found her perpetual happiness the right balance for Droxford who is consumed by his past actions. The attraction built quite suddenly, and their chemistry was quite steamy. I must admit that the number of different characters at the start, did cause me a bit of confusion and whilst this could be read as a standalone, the initial few chapters could have been clearer in establishing all of the connections.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved this one! Darcy Burke is an auto-read author for me - I don’t even look at the synopsis much; I just grab the book and read. Because the Baron Broods just really worked for me. The whole quickie wedding ‘let’s fall in love during our marriage’ trope is one of my favorites and Tamsin and Isaac were a very enjoyable couple to read about.

Ms Burke’s writing just gets better and better with each book and I can’t wait to read more 📖😍

Though you could read this on its own, you’d be missing out.


*the covers for this series ❤️



Thank you to Zealous Quill Press and NetGalley for the DRC

I enjoyed it ! The story of Tamsin and Isaac was intriguing , I couldn’t put it down I had to know how the story unfolded. I especially liked Tamsins character, super sweet, positive and kind despite her upbringing. And Isaac , he was serious in the beginning but I was relieved for his character development.
All in all a good read.

Ugh! My heart breaks for where Isaac’s brain and emotions continually took him. It had become a well-worn track and for a while I wasn’t sure if even Tamsin’s cheery optimism would be able to knock him free from it. I enjoyed this opposites-attract semi-arranged marriage story. It was a lot of fun watching this pair discover their similarities and fall for one another. I also really enjoyed seeing the references to the Marrywell Matchmaking Festival. To my mind, Isaac’s all-consuming guilt over the events of his youth drug the book down a bit. And when he finally finds peace with those events, it's a mad rush to the finish. However, I appreciated that this story showed an instance where love didn’t conquer all and the mores of the day kind of trumped the hearts involved. So far I’m loving these not-so rogue-like rogues and the ladies that love them. I can’t wait to get my hands on whatever’s next.
I received a complimentary advance copy of this book through NetGalley.

3.5 stars

I'm a fan of Ms. Burke, and her stories are always enjoyable. This one didn't quite give me the same warm feelings as some of her previous books though. Tasmin was a sweet, eternally happy young woman, although her happy personality seemed a little over the top at times. She suffered a great deal in her young life but chose not to dwell on the fact that her mother abandoned her. That seemed counterproductive to me, and it should have caused her "forever" happiness to fade a bit. She was entitled to be angry, and it would have made her seem more real if the author had let her show her unhappiness at times.

As for Isaac, at first I felt bad for the guilt he carried around. Denying himself any sort of pleasure for the past ten years seems a bit extreme. I understand that the incident with Mary happened when he was still very young, but as he got older, he could have fought harder to find out what happened to her instead of just forcing himself into a gloomy existence because of his guilt. It seemed an extreme reaction to an unpleasant and unsettling experience.

I did like the interactions with Tasmin and Isaac once they were married. The fact that he finally confessed to her his deepest, dark secret relieved him somewhat of the guilt he'd carried for so long. They were sweet together, and I'm glad they finally got their HEA.

I was extremely fortunate to receive an ARC of Because The Baron Broods from Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This is the second book in the Rogue Rules series,but can be read as a stand alone. Tamsin Penrose has just learned from her father's letter that she is to be married. However, her father left iut the most pertinent point of to whom. Isaac Deverell , Baron Droxford, has no desire to ever marry. A mistake in his past haunts him to this day and he doesn't believe that he deserves any happiness or laughter in his life. He is not known as a rogur, but rather someone who broods all the time. Tamsin's sunny optimistic disposition is contagious. At a summer gathering with her friends, she tries her best to engage with Isaac, so far as to try her best to be in his company to brighten his day. Their friendship leads to some misconstrued moments that leads to a marriage of convenience that neither expected. What they don't realize is though their personalities are completely opposite, their very similar upbringing and parental figures have shaped them into who they now are . They must both learn to open up and share their life in order to move forward. Am absolutely lovely story!

A beautiful tale of a sad man overwhelmed by thoughts of his past and the bright happy woman who befriends him.
Isaac broods about his life and is teased by his friends for not indulging and being more carefree.
Tamsin is the light to his darkness and their friendship evolves into love.
Enjoyable addition to the Rogue Rules series.

A nice enough book that, unfortunately, didn't leave me feeling anything.
There's no real chemistry between the main characters, and Isaac was way too hung up on his former lover, so I didn't believe for a second in his sudden feelings for Tamsin.
Additionally, it was frustrating to be thrown a hundred names from the very first page.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I liked the amount of the book is spent on before and after the marriage. It was special to see both sides of the relationship growing. Tamsin is a very happy person. Almost to the point of being annoying. Issac is equally brooding. They are a good match.

A real delight!

Darcy Burke has written another delightful novel with two charming characters, Tamsin and Isaac. She is full of life and cheerfulness. He appears drab, dour, and broody. It seems that opposites attract. We wonder how these two characters will manage to have a romance story between them. The author surprises us and subtly delivers a romance. And it is sublime.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Zealous Quill Press through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

What a cute book! I love a grumpy/sunshine story.

The two main characters had some depth to them which I liked, they had great banter and supported each other.

Very cute historical romance book!

Would recommend it to my friends and followers.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!