Blog Tour with Review: Lady Derring Takes a Lover by Julie Anne Long

A mistress. A mountain of debt. A mysterious wreck of a building.

LADY DERRING TAKES A LOVER by JULIE ANNE LONG

Publication date: February 26, 2019

Series: The Palace of Rogues #1

Genre: historical romance

Publisher: Avon Romance

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Synopsis

Delilah Swanpool, Countess of Derring, learns the hard way that her husband, "Dear Dull Derring," is a lot more interesting—and perfidious—dead than alive. It's a devil of an inheritance, but in the grand ruins of the one building Derring left her, are the seeds of her liberation. And she vows never again to place herself at the mercy of a man.

But battle-hardened Captain Tristan Hardy is nothing if not merciless. When the charismatic naval hero tracks a notorious smuggler to a London boarding house known as the Rogue's Palace, seducing the beautiful, blue-blooded proprietress to get his man seems like a small sacrifice.

They both believe love is a myth. But a desire beyond reason threatens to destroy the armor around their hearts. Now a shattering decision looms: Will Tristan betray his own code of honor…or choose a love that might be the truest thing he's ever known?

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Praise for Lady Derring Takes a Lover:

“Long returns triumphantly to historical romance with this beautifully written and achingly romantic story... A large cast of entertaining characters keeps the plot moving while breathtaking writing elevates the story on every page. Unique, delightful, and swoon worthy.”- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Sparkling banter, deep character insights, and a colorful supporting cast bring a clever scheme to life, setting up a series to savor. Historical readers will rejoice with Long’s return to the subgenre and will be intrigued by hints of the next “Rogues” title.”- Library Journal (starred review, editor’s pick)

“With Lady Derring Takes a Lover, the first in an exhilarating new series, the author’s literary prowess is in glorious full bloom with an engaging cast of exquisitely rendered characters, a deftly constructed plot that validates the power of hope and love, and inexhaustible measures of dazzling wit.”- Booklist (starred review)


EXCERPT

She’d taken two steps when he said, his voice raised only a little, “Lady Derring . . . something

puzzles me.”

She halted.

Closed her eyes.

Took a shuddering breath for courage.

Turned back to him. From the relatively safe distance of three feet, she said, “Surely not. We’ve established you know everything.”

His smile was small and patient. “You seem to excel at so very much here at The Grand Palace on the Thames. Yet you can’t seem to disguise how much you want me.”

About Julie Anne Long

USA Today bestselling author Julie Anne Long originally set out to be a rock star when she grew up (and she has the guitars and fringed clothing stuffed in the back of her closet to prove it), but writing was always her first love. Since hanging up her guitar for the computer keyboard, Julie has penned books that frequently top reader and critic polls and have been nominated for numerous awards, including the RITA®, Romantic TimesReviewer's Choice, and the Quill, and reviewers have been known to use words like "dazzling," "brilliant," and "impossible to put down" when describing them. Julie lives in Northern California.

You can find her on: Blog | Facebook | Twitter

REVIEW

Lady Derring Takes a Lover by Julie Anne Long
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is my first Julie Anne Long book! I know, I know. Where have I been? Thanks to my girl Astrid (once again) I've found another author to faithfully follow in the genre. I think this is going to be the year I fully get back into historical romance because I have been enjoying an amazing run in the past couple of months with them! Julie Anne Long has such a distinct style to her writing that sets her apart from other authors. I was honestly one of the most refreshing discoveries I've had in a long time because of it.

This first book in the Palace of Rogues series centers around Countess Delilah and Captain Tristan Hardy. Delilah has just been widowed and discovers that her husband has been keeping some very important things from her. But then, it doesn't really surprise her, because she's always been treated as if she's just a means to an end. A commodity for other people to make use of, rather than seen for the bright and brave woman she is. First she was auctioned off to the highest bidder to save her family from ruin, and then she was only useful to her husband to produce an heir. Spending so long feeling invisible has made her somewhat bitter towards men, and even though she's in a desperate situation, she can't help but feel like a caged bird who has finally been given its freedom.

    No one, particularly not her late husband, had ever valued her for wits. Oh, but she possessed them.

She has debt collectors knocking at her door to repossess anything they can get their hands on. Her meeting with his solicitor is already grim, and then things sink comically worse when her husband's mistress barges in asking for her share of his estate. To say she was having a bad day would be an understatement. This is where you get the first taste of the heroine's strong character, because not only does she not fall apart, but she seeks out her husband's mistress and invites her to become her partner in a risky business venture.

Lady Derring is the proud new owner of a shabby property in the sketchy part of London, the sole item she gains from her unsatisfactory marriage to a man fifteen years her senior. It may be filthy and neglected, but it's hers. Previously an establishment of questionable morality named the Palace of Rogues, she envisions transforming it to a respectable boarding house called The Grand Palace on the Thames.

That in itself is pretty funny, but they way Delilah always tells everyone, "Here at the Grand Palace on the Thames..." in such a ceremonious way always made me laugh. She so seriously expected people to believe that the boarding house isn't in a crime ridden neighborhood by the docks, but rather an elite place where anyone who is anyone wanted to stay. The rules they concocted to make the place more comfortable for the guests were also hilarious, especially the swear jar and the rules forcing guests to eat and spend time together. Captain Tristan is as taciturn and unsociable as they come, so it was highly entertaining to see him attempting to converse with the quirky characters staying there.

Tristan is an unobtrusive character that sneaks up on you. His droll, dry humor is snarky but not in an in your face kind of way. As a career military man, he's very strictly regimented, staunchly honorable, and self-possessed. Then his playful side comes out by the beautiful Delilah and you see him blooming right before your very eyes. She's able to loosen the tight control over himself that he's held so rigidly for his entire life. He isn't the type to reveal what he's feeling, so when she earns a tilted smile or a slip in his composure it's meaningful. When he'd devilishly tease her in that subtle sarcastic way of his, I couldn't get enough.

    “I don’t suppose you often lose at anything, Captain Hardy.” “Not since that one time, lo these many years ago.”

    “You and I are very alike, I think, Captain Hardy.”
“Ah. Does your beard begin to darken at about five o’clock, too?”

The romance is a slow burn build. I'm definitely a fan of that because the tension and chemistry hold a lot of heat when they're forced to simmer. These two had a fantastic burn that built in intensity in a way that I wasn't expecting. They're all about the teasing, hot glances, and daring comments that make the other just a little weak-kneed. Though it did take a while to surface, you did see the attraction and her effect on him immediately. And he's totally incapable of understanding the unfamiliar feelings he stirs because he's never had that type of reaction to a woman before. She makes him feel out of control and way out of his comfort zone.

I loved all of the characters, even Angelique. She and Delilah built an unlikely friendship, and they were very much opposites in personality, but they also felt a bond because of how they'd been wronged by the men they loved. The boardinghouse was their opportunity to stand on their own two feet and work for their independence so they'd never have to be dependent on anyone ever again. Delilah's lingering naivety and desire to see the world through a rose colored glasses was in direct contrast to Angelique's cynical and distrustful nature. Though she wasn't unkind, she hadn't been as sheltered as her friend, and she'd experienced a world of heartache. I'm very excited to read her book after meeting her hero at the end of the story!

There was a little mystery involved which I thought was well done. As the Captain works in secret to ferret out the criminal he's hunting, he realizes that the end of his investigation could break sweet Delilah in ways he didn't intend. I loved this one so much! I only shaved a bit off my rating because it did take me a little while to engage in the beginning and get sucked in. It was far from boring, but it did feel a little slow and that's somewhat expected with the first in a series. Also, I would have liked to learn more about his past because we only learned the bare minimum, and I was expecting him to open up and reveal more about himself. Overall, I loved Tristan and Delilah together and he even showed a romantic side in the end that I had no idea he had in him. If you're looking for a new HR series to follow, give this one a shot! I'll definitely be reading the next installment as well as exploring her backlist as soon as I can.

    Never had pleasure so owned him. So fully consumed him. Never had it so thoroughly relieved him, if momentarily, of the burden of being himself, the man who held up the world.

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