Well written. Lot’s of action. Loved the starchy hero. ( )

Several times something happened, that were so entirely unreasonable, that it yanked me out of the story. Much in between those times was enjoyable, but I think when I look back at this book it will be the preposterous bits that stick out the most. There's no way that someone, (much less a gently bred woman who can't see any of her surroundings) would be so blasé about nearly being abducted and having two men shot point blank in the process. (She's just mildly curious if the men died? She's laughing as they ride away?!) And *then*, after she's set upon *a second time* in a matter of days, she's still so fixated on doing things entirely on her own that she shirks her guards to sneak out?? That's not 'independent' that's idiotic. Then, when she's actually abducted, for *the second time*, she's bored in her own mind, like, 'been there done that, once you've seen one abduction you've seen them all!'? No. She has absolutely no reason to think she won't be raped and murdered for goodness sakes! That's preposterous unless she's entirely simple minded. So that was sort of a ridiculous theme for a fair chunk of the book. I know it was probably done to add drama and humor and stuff, but to me it was poorly done.

Secondly, the hero is supposed to care so much about her wellbeing and protecting her, but then quite selfishly tosses it all aside when it benefits him. With zero intention of marrying her he not only takes her virginity, but also doesn't use any precaution at all! She already had fewer prospects because of her disability, they become positively dismal being 'ruined' as well, and she would be tossed out of society completely if she became pregnant! It's kind of a dick move to do to someone you are even just responsible for, much less care about. (Neither of them ever even *considers* the risk of pregnancy either, which seems unlikely. It's just absurd that neither would care enough about her future or bringing shame to her family to even ponder that. Especially since he would have to be well aware, due to his own family history, that even a single instance can result in a child.

There's always some suspension of disbelief, a willingness to set aside unlikeliness in order to enjoy a story, but these were just too big for me to swallow. And lastly, the little parable or whatever throughout the book was such a sad little thing. The first few of these seemed like a tale that's been told for hundreds of years but you've just never heard it! But this one- not only did a man repeatedly use a magical woman to further his own greed, and then doesn't learn that there might be more to life at any point until he's a decrepit old man, when the magical woman, who's just been waiting by the phone all these decades I guess, takes him back with open arms and makes him young again. (There's no sacrifice, hardly even any growth or lesson learned, and her only appeal is her beauty and magic (which is at least something, if only superficial) but his is what?... Greed and shortsightedness? A lack of wisdom?) *But*, to add insult to injury(!), that's almost the exact same story as the one a couple books back! Just instead of being a magical bird lady, this time she's a magical fish lady. bah. Nothing was entirely horrid, but I was sorely disappointed.

2nd read- Perhaps this one was supposed to be more of a comedy? The other books are dramatic and have some unlikely things here and there, but this one really dabbles in preposterous. Again, I was not impressed with the hero's choice I mentioned last time, short-sightedness and selfishness are not qualities I look for in a hero. She's young and has been sheltered, so maybe she would be reckless with her future, but he's older and more experienced and should better look out for her (especially since his looking out for her person is the thing he's most known for in this book). If I set that aspect aside though, I did like how his feelings for her developed. Hers for him seemed to go from hostility to a mild crush to all-out love very, very quickly. But his were more believable, and he had some sweet moments. I also liked how we learn more of his background. This is my least favorite of the whole series, but it's not entirely horrible ( )

http://olvasonaplo.net/olvasonaplo/2018/06/22/elizabeth-hoyt-szivembe-zarva/ ( )

This, my 16th high rating reread, held up. Damn, I love these two (might be a 4, but tripping across moors is one of my all time favorite scenes.) Original review:

*Tosses kobo aside. Steeples fingers. Leans forward. Raises eyebrows*

Oh. I've found another for my collection.

*Plucks James from pages. Adds to "heroes I want to lick" shelf.*

I've enjoyed Phoebe's parts in the books prior to this and her book was not at all disappointing.I also l enjoyed the image of Trevillion just moments behind each Ghost. He's a clever and a tenacious one. Apparently he's also the strong, silent, steady type. It doesn't hurt, nope, in fact it helps, that he appears to ride horses like some kind of warrior from Rohan. I can't tell you I've ever drooled about superhuman horse-riding skills, but somehow Elizabeth Hoyt made me do it.

I don't really have a heroes I want to lick shelf, I have the boringly named 'book boyfriends' but I really need to up my naming convention there. Some of these new heroes, it just doesn't suit. (Delicious heroes?)

I felt she was careful in the characters, they were wildly consistent. A wonderfully, superbly, satisfying read. (I enjoyed Cornwall too! It suits them. Lovely.)

oh dear sweet bunny rabbits when he watched her fall three times. My heart.

I'm about to get real weird, so I'm going to just push save on this baby and go off to read [b:Down by Contact|33637825|Down by Contact (The Barons, #2)|Santino Hassell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1498479591l/33637825._SX50_SY75_.jpg|54486273] In other words, I'll be up till 2 finishing that tonight. ( )

3.5 stars

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Lady Phoebe has been steadily going blind for the last couple years and as the sister to a powerful and rich duke, her brother hires a bodyguard to keep her safe. Captain James Trevillion used to ride the streets of St. Giles chasing down gin makers until an accident left him lame in one leg but still highly capable he becomes Phoebe's bodyguard. The aristocrat and the commoner find themselves at crossed swords quite often but as they get to know one another, they find themselves slowly lowering all their defenses.

Sometimes Phoebe wondered what Captain Trevillion would do if she reached up and slapped his face. Or kissed him.

If you have read the previous books in the series (focusing on the lead's romance in this book you would be fine without prior knowledge but there will be secondary characters and side storylines that will pass you by) you would have gotten a little taste of Trevillion and Phoebe's somewhat tense relationship. This story is what many have excitedly anticipated, the progression of all that tension. The interaction between Trevillion and Phoebe was what definitely worked the best for me while the kidnapping plot didn't seem the best put together. It worked to put our couple together but the over and over resurgence of it felt much dragged on.

I'm no longer a fit guard, he thought, I can't keep my objectivity around her anymore. God help me. God help her.

The fear of not being able to see, having her brother stifle her nearly to madness out of love, and exuberance of youth made Phoebe a very likeable and believable character. It was unfortunately, also her youth and sheltered life, at times I felt like the character felt even younger than the age stated and that lost me. There was a lot of "I want, I want" from Phoebe that manifested itself in a very child like manner that wasn't a lot of fun for me to read. On the other hand, the feeling of her desperation to feel alive was so heartbreaking. Trevillion's restraining looks, wanting, and feelings toward Phoebe were what sold me towards his character. Unfortunately, again, what made up a good chunk of his character, stoic and contained, that made him gruff and vulnerable also made him too inscrutable. I couldn't quite feel connected to him as an individual. The first half moved pretty slowly for me, it was when Trevillion kidnaps Phoebe to keep her safe from being kidnapped and they start spending a lot of time alone that I began to really feel this couple.

She was an aristocrat---a world apart from his yeoman upbringing. But here, in this quiet paddock, the only sound the soft thump of the horses' hooves on grass, they were just a man and a woman. That simple.
And that complex.

In this second half and particularly in the 60-80% area, this couple will entrench themselves in your heart. The way Trevillion sees Phoebe, past her blindness, will have your eyes watering and the way the air crackles when they are close together will heat your blood. There is a scene involving stockings that will definitely be a nominee for my best scene of 2015; scorching hot. With everything stripped away, the kidnapping plot and mechanism's of secondary characters, Phoebe and Trevillion radiated brightly and emotionally. Their time together, Phoebe's growth from Trevillion's strength and ability to see her as more than her blindness and willingness to let her fall was beautifully romantic. The last 20% or so with what seemed like a lot of forced sex scenes smashed into it and one too many kidnaps had me wishing for the quieter moments of our couple's time spent hidden away.

Overall, there are some truly beautiful moments in this story and if you are a fan of the series you definitely don't want to miss out on this couple's happily ever after. This series and book has a great many fans and there is definitely a reason for it. If looking to escape the regency ballrooms to the 1700s, this would be a great series to pick up.
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