4/5. Releases June 28.

Mina Crawford is--due to a mistake she made six years ago--unmarriageable. Therefore, she can do nothing to help her destitute family, even though they can barely manage to scrape together enough to feed themselves, let alone their staff. To make matters worse, her twin brother comes home to reveal that he's set to duel the ruthless Earl of Creswick over to cheat at cards. Knowing that her brother is horrible with a rapier (while she's quite good with them), Mina takes his place, sure that she can not only defeat but dupe the Earl...

It doesn't take long for Simon, the Earl of Creswick, to realize that the mysterious opponent who handily bests him at swordfighting is not quite the man she seems to be. But on the bright side, she is quite pretty--and capable, which comes in handy at a time when Simon is desperate to pass a reform bill. So he proposes a bargain: if Mina works as his secretary, he won't tell anyone that she dueled him rather than her brother. Unfortunately, Mina is also the first woman who's ever appealed to the cold, cynical earl...

This was my first Stacy Reid. Shocking, I know. I've been aware of her for quite a while, and she comes quite recommended; I just haven't been able to make the time to read one of her books. Well, that's on me, because she writes a mean historical romance. I've been in a bit of a slump, and once I sat down to read this one, I blazed through it. Her writing style has a compulsively readable quality that comes off as both modern and old school for me, and it was this injection of fun that I desperately needed.

Simon and Mina have a truly romantic love story. This plot doesn't reinvent any wheels--there is a bigger obstacle that becomes explicit late in the story, but for much of it the main issue is "society says no". What's refreshing about Reid's take is that it doesn't keep the two of them from jumping into bed together. Mina is a virgin (and I will say--she doesn't have to be, and to me it was a bit unbelievable that she was, but not to the point that I took much issue) but she's not overly innocent. She's aware of the ways of the world, and she makes it very clear fairly early on in the story (by historical standards) that she wants Simon. That in itself was great--wow, a heroine who wants to have an affair and doesn't assume that her lack of marital prospects means that she needs to remain chaste.

This is juxtaposed to Simon, who was quite interesting for me on a hero level. He's not a virgin--I kind of thought he was for a minute, and that would've been welcome... but he's not. I kind of wonder if he's somewhere on the asexual spectrum, perhaps demi? But I'm not educated enough (or informed enough about Reid's intentions) to make a clear argument either way. To be clear--this is not a closed door romance by any means. There's sex, and it's graphic and good and it happens a decent amount. However, it's also made clear that while Simon has had sex (with multiple partners, though not many) prior to meeting Mina, he didn't get much out of it, and it was a bit perfunctory. He's never kissed anyone before (he operated by Pretty Woman rules, where you fuck but you don't kiss on the mouth) and he's pretty vocal about the fact that he's never actively wanted someone before meeting Mina. Maybe this was just a "she's special, everyone else is a fuck" thing. However, the way it was written felt like more than that. I would also argue that Simon seemed to be coded as autistic, but again, I can't be sure.

What I will say is that once he begins to melt a little with Mina, he retains his slightly awkward, closed off manner... But she understands him, and he understands her, it's really lovely to read. There is one point where they're planning to sleep together for the first time (it's not an impetuous move) and she finds him with books that will supposedly educate him on how to make it good for her, and I! Loved! That!

Now, I will say that while the big obstacle that keeps them apart is a good one, I think that it was resolved a bit too quickly. The ending is kind of rushed to my taste, and I think this one could've used a bit more of a third act breakup. (Some of you will love that it doesn't go that hard in that direction, and you're free to have that opinion, I just love a third act breakup). However, there's a great scene towards the end that kind of surprised me. I don't know, maybe I just didn't expect this one to get me in the feels as much as it did. The sign of a good book!

While I think this one could've gone a bit harder, it's really a super enjoyable, super fun, and honestly touching read. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to just dive into a historical romance for a while and get the warm fuzzies (while also reading about hot sex, because Simon does in fact put it DOWN). I can't wait to get into Stacy Reid's backlist. She's earned a fan!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Mina Crawford spends her days helping her brother to manage their crumbling estate. When he gets caught up in a duel, Mina (being the better fencer!) disguises herself as him to take on the challenge. Thus, she meets Simon Crawford, the Earl of Creswick. Impressed with Mina’s skills, Simon hires her as his secretary, to assist with his political work. Suddenly, temptation lives and works under Simon’s roof - and Mina is finally living out her wildest dreams. But, with Mina being ruined many years ago, does their growing affection for one another have a future?

I feel like historical romance isn’t as popular on Booktube and other platforms these days, but I still see Stacy Reid being recommended quite often - and I can understand why. ‘A Matter of Temptation’ was my first read by her, and it certainly won’t be my last! I loved Mina’s fiery independence, and Simon is a rather unique hero. I wasn’t sure about him at first, as he’s about as far away from a rake as you can possibly get, but his declarations of love were the very definition of swoony. This book features perhaps the hottest first kiss I have ever read... if nothing else, check it out for that - it’s worth it!