This is a Quickie Review. For the full review, please visit The Romanceaholic.com.

Expected Release Date: November 1, 2011
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Imprint: Forever
Author’s Website: http://caraelliott.com/
My Source for This Book: Netgalley
Part of a Series: Lords of Midnight, Book 1
Series Best Read In Order: N/A
Steam Level: Steamy

Lady Alexa Bingham is tired of the double standard that holds women to a different standard than men. While publicly bowing to society’s dictates, she secretly enjoys scandalous behaviors such as brazenly entering a brothel in search of her brother, and of dressing like a man to indulge in a night of gambling.

When one such evening results in her winning half of the ownership of a notorious brothel, she does not immediately just turn the deed back over from the man who rightfully lost it to her, simply because had she truly been a man, no one would have dared suggest that she should do so.

Now she finds herself paired with the ruthless Earl of Killingworth, a man whose reputation as a rake matches his behavior towards Alexa. Determined to prove that she can bring value to the business, using her experience in running her family estates to improve the finances of the brothel she now owns an interest in, Alexa doesn’t realize that she’s also placing herself in grave danger.

An unknown enemy of Connor’s is determined to ruin him, and has begun to resort to violence as well as theft. When the Earl is injured, Alexa must take initiative that sparks off a series of events that lead to much more than her potential ruination in the eyes of society — her life and her heart are both in danger.

This is my first Cara Elliott novel. I was lucky enough to snag this book off of Netgalley on a whim, and I’m incredibly glad that I did.

Alexa was wonderful — an unapologetic bluestocking, she nonetheless decided to partake of a Season in London despite the fact that she knew she was too plain and sensible to ever blend in with the brainless debutantes of the marriage mart.

I loved that Connor was against a typical loveless society marriage, and instead had actually lowered himself to trade, albeit secretly. Despite his own wicked ways (which of course we learned were not quite as wicked as rumor would have you believe), he quickly became a favorite hero of mine.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable read. Connor’s reluctance to admit he was falling for Alexa, and Alexa’s strong beliefs that no one would be attracted to her due to her inexperience, unconventional looks, bad behavior, and tendency to flaunt societal conventions all made them both characters that were easy for me to fall in love with.

Recommended for fans of hoyden heroines whose tenacity more than makes up for their recklessness, for jaded yet secretly honorable heroes whose bad reputation is greatly exaggerated, and of discovering that even marriages brought about by a desire to avoid scandal can result in a deep and abidingly love.

4.5/5 Stars.