Series: The Phoenix Club #7
Author: Darcy Burke
Published October 18th 2022 by Zealous Quill Press
Goodreads Synopsis
Society’s most exclusive invitation...
Welcome to the Phoenix Club, where London’s most audacious, disreputable, and intriguing ladies and gentlemen find scandal, redemption, and second chances.
Former courtesan and pretend widow Evangeline Renshaw is happy with her reinvented life as a patroness of the Phoenix Club. She doesn’t need or want a husband or a lover…until she meets the devastatingly charming and surprisingly virtuous Lord Gregory Blakemore. He’d like to court her, but he’ll have to settle for a short, thrilling affair instead.
After the death of his father and the marriage of his older brother, Lord Gregory can finally focus on what he wants: a government appointment. However, the enchanting Evie makes him desire intimacy for the first time, and now he wants her most of all. Their entanglement is supposed to be temporary, but he can’t let her go.
As Gregory reveals himself to Evie, she wonders if she might finally share the truth of her past. Unfortunately, there are those who seek to ruin her carefully crafted second chance. To protect Gregory’s dreams, she must sacrifice the only love she’s ever known.
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.
As one of the patronesses of the Phoenix Club, and instrumental to the running of the club, Evangeline Renshaw has power. But she's also hiding the fact that she was once a courtesan, and if the truth was revealed, it would damage more than her own reputation. Spending time with her sister, though many only believe they are friends, she meets Lord Gregory Blakemore. He wants her, but not just for a night, he's in it for the long term. Evie can't take the risk, however, and proposes they have a quiet affair, but once they are together, neither can pull away. What may have started as a temporary arrangement soon has the power to be both their ruin, and their salvation.
After the other books in the series, I knew that Evie's story would be worth the wait. The truth about her past, and the motives behind her work were understandable, and it was great to see her and Lucien's friendship in more detail. Yes they may have once been lovers, but they had a true friendship, and would do anything for each other. It wasn't romantic love, but it was definitely love nonetheless. Even so, meeting Gregory shows Evie that not all men are after one thing, and she is capable of falling in love properly, and irrevocably. I don't think this book is my favourite of the series, but the action and underlying story line that ties the whole series together is definitely accelerating. I can't wait for Lucien's story, and the final book in the series!
Dates Read:
April 16-17, 2023
Rating
3 Stars
