Sophie Jordan fits into an interesting space in historical romance for me. Her books are usually a lot more dramatic (and hotter) than the average ballroom historical. Rather than spending a ton of time with the stodgy the upper crust, her heroines are often running about, spending time in the great outdoors, or concocting zany schemes. They often don't wait for their wedding nights to consummate their romances, and you might even see them get married on the page, though of course they'll always get their happily ever afters.

At the same time, the stories are somewhat enclosed and not as insanely high stakes as they could be. The combination means that they're kind of comfort reads for me--there's a part of me that would love to see her go for it with some truly wacky villain, but I also... just need a break sometimes. She's kind of where the funny comfort level of Tessa Dare meets the feminist high drama of Sarah MacLean. And that's a good place to be in.

I've got to admit that she had me up until the end with the first book in this series, The Duke Goes Down. But one last minute plot twist just pushed the heroine a bit over the edge into like, TV!Penelope Featherington level crimes, and it did ruin the book for me a bit. I was kind of waiting for that to happen with this one, but thankfully it didn't.

It's Mercy who makes so much of this one work, in fact. She's a bit of a virgin who can't drive, a little fly by the seat of her pants, and somewhat uhhhh ambitious in her goals. It's actually very adorable to read about man of the world Silas Masters just kind of sitting there in charmed bemusement while she attempts to seduce him until she actually, somehow succeeds. However, it's but a ruse! Mercy has sex with Silas (a lot of sex) in order to steal the voucher for her family's farm from him, which he fairly won from her brother in a game. He's pissed when he wakes up and realizes that she got one over him, but he's also pissed because she's gone and he UNKNOWINGLY TOOK HER MAIDENHEAD *gasp*.

It's all super cute, and I enjoy the slight combativeness between Silas and Mercy, while he still takes care to handle her with kid gloves. You definitely get the impression that she's being awakened not just sexually but emotionally, and he takes her feelings seriously. I also appreciated Jordan just kind of going for the sex almost immediately in the book? You don't get that often in historical romances, and I am but a sucker for a couple that goes to bed first and then develops feelings for each other. (Though to be real, Silas is gone as soon as he realizes that Mercy smells like oranges. Mostly because he has an orange fetish, I think.)

Like most of Sophie Jordan's books, it's quick and compulsively readable (even when I don't love a Jordan, I can't stop reading; she has that kind of writing style). There could be more depth to the story--even when I love her books, I think she could stand to get a little more into the feelings. The ending is also tied up rather easily and kind of at the last minute, which was an issue I had with The Duke Goes Down as well. But this one is a major improvement, and I would recommend it if you need something quick and uncomplicated, but want to be thoroughly entertained at the same time.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book has one of the best intros I have read recently. It’s fast paced and is steamy right from the start, which is what I love! After that, I consider it a slow burn with mutual yearning. In the beginning the reader has a sense of Mercy and her motivations. I am a diehard Mercy fan. She is a woman making the best of her circumstances and trying to live up to the responsibility that was set on her shoulders at a very young age. Silas really felt like a mysterious stranger I had to get to know for most of the book and I was very into it.

I am a huge Pride and Prejudice fan and this book definitely gave me Pride & Prejudice vibes - from location, to an unappreciative sister, to Silas saving the day (very Darcy-esque style). I imagined the Bennet family home from the Kiera Knightly version of the movie as Mercy’s home. This book was an absolute delight to read and I would recommend it to any historical romance lover! Especially those who enjoy reading main characters who are not in the upper echelons of the aristocracy!