A selfish, spoilt boy who had never faced consequences for his actions and reaction like a squalling infant when they came to call”

Okayyyy not as bad as I was expecting! Overall I think I liked the story but I also think I didn’t for a good portion of the book. If that makes any sense (we all know it doesn’t). Good God, that was so much worse. She couldn’t call him ‘Thomas’, as if they were already ten years married. She might as well send him a nude portrait of herself and be done with it.

6. My Fake Rake – Eva Leigh 

This book takes a great new look at historical romance that is inclusive, exciting but also romantic. I loved how Georgiana’s character unfolded and developed and how her aunt and uncles characters did too. I really enjoyed the romance too, it was really well written and played out well. The gentlemen in question was very respectable and a modern take on the Mr Darcy and Aaron Samuels. The storyline throughout is so cute and I sobbed a lot. But in classic Lex style, I was laughing throughout! All of the other characters, particularly everyone that worked in the house just hold such a special place in my heart and I could give each an essay on why I love them so. This was not how fresh starts began in stories—and Georgiana had read a lot of them. A fortnight ago, she had dragged a trunk twice her weight to her aunt and uncle’s house, full of the tomes she had been unable to part with from home. In all the books she’d read in which a heroine started over in a new town or village or castle, she had immediately stumbled upon a series of daring adventures, or got dramatically lost on the moors, or swooned into the arms of a passing (and very handsome) gentleman. One of the worst things about being a Jane Austen fan is that once you've finished her handful of novels, perused her juvenilia and pored over the few remaining letters of hers we have, you can find yourself at something of a loose end. No wonder, then, that she has inspired such a huge number of novelists to try their hand at the regency romance. A recurring issue, I find, with these books, is that they can be rather formulaic and strait-laced in their interpretations of plot structures and tropes. The familiarity that these stories bring do have their value - many of us read Austen for comfort and warmth when things get tough - but sometimes it can feel like when you've read one Austen-inspired romance, you've read them all.

I hate to hear you talk about all women as if they were fine ladies instead of rational creatures. None of us want to be in calm waters all our lives.” Lex Croucher is a writer, producer and You Tuber based in London, with over 100,000 followers across her social media platforms.

This is not the case for Lex Croucher's Reputation, which promises a fresh new take on the Regency romance. Georgiana Ellers has been sent to live with her aunt and uncle, abandoned in their dreary country home whilst her parents enjoy some fresh seaside air. Absolutely gagging for a hint of adventure, Georgiana is thrilled when she meets Frances Campbell, local socialite, and her circle of wealthy and wild friends. Frances takes Georgiana under her wing, drawing her into a world of drink, drugs and debauchery. I loved this story - think Jane Eyre meets Bridgerton, but more difficult eldest Child than mad wife in the attic plus it’s forty years earlier and with a supporting cast who are comedy gold. Oliver in particular is a total sass master. Then Eddie meets charming, renowned poet Nash Nicholson––a rival of Lord Byron, if he does say so himself––and he welcomes her into his world of eccentric artists and boundary-breaking visionaries. When Eddie receives an invitation to Nash's crumbling Gothic estate in the countryside, promising inspiration (and time to finish her novel, a long-held dream), she eagerly agrees. But the pure hedonism and debauchery that ensues isn’t exactly what she had in mind, and Eddie soon finds herself torn between her complicated feelings for Rose and her equally complicated dynamic with Nash, whose increasingly bad behavior doesn’t match up to her vision for her literary hero. Whilst Georgiana and Thomas's relationship was one of my favourite aspects of the novel, perhaps the most interesting dynamic is between Georgiana and Frances. Croucher captures the dizzying excitement of a new friendship, especially with someone you regard as outgoing and popular, and the way this can crumble from beneath you if there's a misunderstanding about who the other person really is. We delve into the dangers on transactional friendship, and the way that aspects like class and hierarchy come between them. It's frenemies excellence. I received an uncorrected proof copy for free from the publisher or author in exchange for an honest review.

Through Frances and her friends Georgiana is introduced to a new world of wild parties, drunken debauchery, mysterious young men with strangely alluring hands, and the sparkling upper echelons of Regency society. Detective Inspector Andrew Eversham’s refusal to compromise his investigations nearly cost him his career, and he blames Katherine. When he discovers she’s the key witness in a new crime, he’s determined to prevent the beautiful widow from once again wreaking havoc on his case. Yet as Katherine proves surprisingly insightful and Andrew impresses Katherine with his lethal competency, both are forced to admit the fire between them is more flirtatious than furious. But to explore the passion between them, they’ll need to catch a killer . . .After having little choice but to move in with her aunt and uncle, Georgiana Ellers is desperate to get out of the house, to do anything like the heroines in her favourite books. At a dreadfully dull dinner party, Georgiana meets the breathtaking Frances Campbell, daughter of Lord and Lady Campbell. Without giving too much away, it was particularly refreshing that our heroine doesn't have a complete personality change over the course of the novel as she discovers her feelings. She's still abrasive at times and can seem harsh to those unfamiliar with her, but underneath that spikey exterior is a big heart that was always there. Perhaps I found her particularly relatable because I saw a little of myself in her? Though it's likely unintentional, Reputation stands to profit from the wave of excitement generated by Bridgerton earlier this year, incorporating atypically racy elements into a typically conservative genre. What Reputation does better than Bridgerton, however, is romantic tension. My main gripe with Bridgerton was that it failed to understand that one of the most enthralling parts of the Regency romance is withholding gratification, especially when it comes to the main romantic arc- what is sexier than the Matthew MacFadyen hand flex, or the dance scene between Anya Taylor-Joy and Johnny Flynn in Autumn de Wilde's Emma? Croucher, on the other hand, gets this spot on, bringing in the reserved Mr Hawksley, who stands out for being far more level-headed than almost all of Georgiana's new acquaintances. Without revealing too much, Croucher paces the romance of this novel just right, ensuring both Hawksley and Georgiana are fully fleshed out, so their relationship never feels clunky or forced.