Review: A Whisper of Desire (The Disgraced Lords #4) by Bronwen Evans

Print Length: 300 pages

Publisher: Loveswept (December 1, 2015)

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From Goodreads.com: Sensual heat melts the ice in the new Disgraced Lords novel from USA Today bestselling author Bronwen Evans, as a marriage of convenience leads to delightful pleasure—and mortal danger.

Lady Marisa Hawkstone’s nightmare is just beginning when she wakes up naked, with no memory of the night before, lying next to Maitland Spencer, the Duke of Lyttleton—a man so aloof and rational, he’s nicknamed “the Cold Duke.” A scandal ensues, in which Marisa’s beloved beau deserts her. As a compromised woman, Marisa agrees to marry Maitland. But on her wedding night, Marisa discovers the one place the duke shows emotion: in the bedroom, where the man positively scorches the sheets.

Taught from a young age to take duty seriously, Maitland cannot understand his new wife’s demands on his love and affection. Marisa’s hot-blooded spirit, however, does have its attractions—especially at night. In retrospect, it seems quite silly that he didn’t marry sooner. But being one of the Libertine Scholars requires constant vigilance, even more so when the enemy with a grudge against his closest friends targets Marisa. Now Maitland must save the woman who sets his heart aflame—or die trying.

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My Rating: 5 stars out of 5

WARNING #1: This novel does contain scenes explicit sexual nature that occurs after marriage. If you desire a "clean" read than this novel is not for you. 

The first thing that comes to mind when writing this review is to let you know that although this story is the fourth in an already well-established series, I had only previously read the first novel (A Kiss of Lies). 

However, even having missed what had happened in books two and three, I did not feel as though I had missed so much that I couldn't follow this story. In fact, after realizing there are two books in between this one and the one I had previously read, I intend to eventually read those as well as I both enjoy this author's writing style, and I want to get more backstory on the other characters that were featured in this story as well. 

I do feel compelled to point out that while these books can be read as stand alone to get the conclusion of the story between the main characters, the main conflict of the series  does not get resolved in this novel as it is merely a continuation of the overall story arc. While this fact may turn some readers off, I believe that the author writes each story in such a way that you don't feel annoyed at having to move on to the next novel. rather you feel like you get to spend more time with old friends. 

Speaking just on this book by itself - there are a few scenes that may be uncomfortable to some readers. I don't want to go into too much detail and give away important parts of the story, but I will say that there are scenes that depict (in detail) some of the harsher sides of life back then. Just for a quick example, our couple goes into a "Molly" house (or gay gentleman's club) as part of a larger scheme - but end up finding more than they expected inside. 

There is also a devastating heartbreak that befalls one or more of the characters, but even at its strongest point, it is beautifully written and dealt with in a way that shows the true strength of all of these characters. 

Overall, I do think this story will appeal to a variety of readers, and I look forward to reading more from this author! 

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

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A Whisper of Desire is available from Amazon.com