I started this book not realizing it was the second book in a series. But I soon realized I had missed the set up stories behind these two characters. It wasn't hard to pick up on what had happened previously and I'm actually glad I got to meet Sophie and Christopher on their own. I'll save Emmaline and Drake's story for another day.

In this book, Christopher and Sophie both feel pressure from their families to marry .... each other. The only problem is that they have a deep hatred of each other that goes all the way back to childhood. There are secrets and lies and betrayals that make the story somewhat repetitive and predictable, but not boring. I was invested in these two and couldn't wait to see how or if things worked out for them.

One thing I really liked was that you could clearly see them go from hate to love. It wasn't fast or easy for either. There was a lot of frustration and misunderstandings, but the journey was somehow worth it. ( )

NAILED IT! This was so deliciously angsty and I love how we got so much of the hero's perspective and his guilt in how he treats the heroine. Childhood friends to enemies to adult frenemies to lovers. Heroine is plump and awkward, insecure but still feisty. Hero is in a complicated position, is handsome and charming, detests the heroine and the spot his father put him in. I loved watching his feelings change. There is excellent buildup of lies upon lies and I gleefully awaited the exchange between father and son about the "plan" to ruin Sophie that she overhears and is devastated - flawless angst! And on top of it all, that the duke courted her only as part of the plan! AND AND she overhears her father-in-law referencing a woman that Christopher is in love with, and she doesn't realize that it's her, when she was at the masquerade as Athena! (Oh and another thing that I love - despite having her heart shattered, she still tells her father-in-law off for being such an asshole to Christopher. She defends him even when he's hurt her terribly.) This books seriously nails my favorite tropes. Only one complaint: With all the lovely buildup and Sophie's flight from her husband, she sure does cave and completely forgive him after he catches up to her and says like five sentences to her. I would have liked for the reunion to have been a bit longer and with more groveling - the reader knows about Christopher's love for Sophie and his anguish at hurting her, but Sophie isn't privy to that inner monologue. It wouldn't need much, just a few more paragraphs of conversation where she comes to understand everything and believe him. All we get is a short paragraph of the hero listing the things he loves about her, and she throws herself into his arms? That seems an abrupt resolution after all that delicious angst. Dropped the rating down a half star or so because I was disappointed in how quick it wrapped up. (4.5 stars) ( )

It's one of those that has a Big Secret that's kept for too long, and those are always a bit tiring for me. You can just predict exactly how it will play out. And this couple was also generally kind of slow to catch onto things, but I suppose overall I liked them alright. The heroine was a klutz a few too many times for my taste, (apparently she can hardly walk across a room without tripping or knocking something over, etc.) but that might be more humorous or endearing to someone else. This ended up not being as good as I wanted it to be, but it was fine and I'm still looking forward to reading the next book in the series. ( )

I enjoyed this somewhat fun Regency Romance. I voluntarily chose to review this story and I've given it a 4.5* rating. This is not for the under 18 readers. There was more sexual content than needed. Both the characters, hero and heroine, were fun to observe. I must say, I enjoy watching the characters fight the fact that they are falling for each other. There was a bit of action between the characters and a pug dog. Would like to know more. ( )