⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Was I hooked by that book? Yes. Sparks fly when a curse leads to an unlikely alliance between a down-on-his-luck marquess and a tenacious tavern owner.

The Marquess of Kingston doesn’t believe in witches or curses, though he was cursed when he was thirteen. On his thirtieth birthday the curse takes effect and King goes from nobleman to nobody overnight. Violet’s tavern is in shambles after King’s birthday celebration got out of hand and she shows up at his house to demand payment. She agrees to give him a place to hide until he can pay her. Violet needs the money King owes and figures she can put up with anything and anyone for a couple of days. She soon realizes her mistake. King is spoiled, lazy, and reckless. His thoughtless behavior puts Vi and her brothers in danger from the neighborhood gang and its leader, Ferryman. But to her surprise, King reacts by vowing to protect her. As together they fight the mounting forces against them, Vi struggles to resist her growing feelings for King. They say a leopard can’t change his spots, but can a spoiled marquess change his ways?

MY THOUGHTS

This is definitely not the same as all the usual historical romances in which two people from different social stations meet and fall in love. The ending was unexpected, but still highly satisfactory.

King was spoiled through and through and he only thought about himself, even after he lost everything and became involved with Violet and her problems. He was so nonchalant about his world falling apart, it was a bit surreal. I liked that it took time for him to change his views and his ways, and he kept some of his arrogance all the way to the end. He was a charming and likeable character, despite his obvious shortcomings, and he kept his promises to Violet and her brothers.

Violet didn’t fall for his charms initially and she didn’t put up with his nonsense either. She was in a truly dismal situation and King’s presence made things worse. But he also shook up their lives and showed them that it was possible for them to have something better.

The curse was an integral and intriguing part of the story, and I would love to see how it affected King’s two friends. Violet’s brothers were so cute and I just loved them and the roles they played.

I can highly recommend this if you like steamy historical romance with class differences and curses.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Were you hooked by that book? Let me know in the comments below.

Genre: Historical Romance
Published: January 24, 2024
Sensuality Rating: Warm
Series: Misfortunes Favorites