2.5
Now I did enjoy this story, it was pretty fun to read but this is my second least favourite of the series. I didn’t feel very much tension in this story. Unlike in the first two of the series where there was high stakes and there was a sense of tension and impending doom/disaster. Whereas with this story I didn’t feel the same when reading. There was a deadline, in a way, and some tension but there wasn’t enough to grip me completely.

I think that this might be because there wasn’t a strong a mystery to figure out. One of the main characters is accused of murder, runs away and ends up hiding under a false name. But this happens very quickly in the story. After that I felt like there wasn’t much tension or drama around this until the later half of the story. Until then it’s very monotone, being trapped inside Waldegrave Abbey means that very little of the outside world comes in as if it doesn’t exist. The characters are very cut off from the outside which means that there is a delay for news to reach them. So the story is very much centred around what happens inside the Abbey, which in all honesty isn’t very much.

Violet teaches Lily and gets her to make art and have some manners, Alistair is awkward and doesn’t know how to talk to his daughter, Lily hates her father, Violet and Alistair try not to let their feelings get the better of them (Alistair especially tries to act like a gentleman and put distance between them). This is repeated so much that it took me a while to get through the story. It just felt a bit too slow for me. I would have liked it to have moved at a faster pace earlier in the story as it picked up the pace towards the end.

I also think that the ending wrapped things a bit too quickly for my liking. Especially as so much of the story progressed slowly it felt so rush in the final chapter that I was felt feeling a bit disappointed and a bit like “is this it?”

I wasn’t a big fan of the romance, which might be why it took me so long to read this book, it just didn’t feel that strong to me and felt a little flat and forced.

Some things I did like about Violet and Alistair’s romance was that they helped each other move forwards and put their past behind them so they could be together. Alistair was still very much in mourning for his dead wife (even though it’s been almost a decade since she died) and needed to move on with his life. For Violet it was learning to actually trust a man and allow herself to trust her own feelings.

I really liked that it wasn’t a pure, virginal woman and an experience man. As that is a very common theme in Romance. So I liked that that was an important part of the story and Violet and Alistair’s relationship. As it makes Alistair realize that he very much idealizes the women in his life and often likens them to angels when they aren’t actually as angelic as he imagines.

The setting I thought was very interesting as Waldegrave Abbey is dark, creepy and filled with secrets. There is literally no natural light allowed inside, with all of the windows covered and every door with an automatic lock so only those with a key can get in and out. There are also catacombs that the characters travel between the main house and the sanctuary. Which just added to the creepiness. As well as a preserved bedchamber that belong to the late Mrs Waldegrave. I think that the only thing I didn’t like was that the house and sanctuary ended up feeling pretty homey and fairly familiar too quickly. I would have liked there to have been a longer duration of creepiness to be honest.

I did like that there was also some supernatural elements, accusations of vampirism and being the spawn of Satan. Which caused some violence and twists and turns in the story that kept it interesting.

I did find this interesting and an alright read but it was just a bit slow for me. I like slow burns but this wasn’t an exciting slow burn. I knew that in the end the two of them would end up together. Even though they were battling their feelings for one another it was pretty obvious that they would end up together in the end. ( )

Regency gothic delights!

Delightful gothic romp through four charming novels each with a different focus be it crippling psychic abilities, pirates and people with strange gifts. We have a bluestocking, a ton desirable, a rake and a governess, all with a different story to tell.
The full length novels are all Too Readable to stop:
Too Wicked to Kiss (Book 1)
Too Sinful to Deny (Book 2)
Too Tempting to Resist (Book 3)
Too Wanton to Wed (Book 4)
I thoroughly enjoyed these re-released novels that have now been published simultaneously. No waiting for the next in the series!
An added bonus for me is that I hadn't read these tales before.

An Author Collective 20 ARC via NetGalley ( )

Too Wanton To Wed by Erica Ridley
Gothic Love Stories #4

When you reread a book and it is as good as or better than the first time you read it then it is a good book. This is one of those good books for me!

Violet Whitechapel has been given a life caring for young girls in dire straights – girls much like herself not so many years ago. She educates them in art and gives them shelter as she nourishes their bodies and minds until the man who set the school up dies and the inheritor arrives to make things “different” and a whole lot less savory. In saving a young girl at the school she fears her own life may be in danger so...she runs. At the end of her resources – monetary and physical – she stumbles onto Waldegrave Abbey. When she wakes she is asked to become the governess for Lily, a nine year old child living in the Abbey. She believes the job will provide the money she needs to clear her name so agrees.

This story has a father who loves his daughter so much that he is willing to do anything to keep her safe. It has a woman who has done what she must to survive but has always wished for a family. It has a little girl that suffers a congenital disease that is life threatening in some circumstances. It has some wonderful supporting characters and some evil ones, too. It also has a love story that drew me in much as it drew in both Violet and Alistair. It also has a little girl who wants a family willing to play matchmaker to get it.

I loved this book...adored it, in fact! I am sure I will read it again. It will definitely stand the test of time.

Thank you to the author for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars ( )