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The Young Blood

(No Better Angels #4)

Erin Satie (Goodreads Author)

3.80 · Rating details · 110 ratings · 24 reviews

He's a rake. She's his reckoning.

Sabine Banchory is a sensible, intelligent, and unhappily married woman. She was once a dutiful young lady but years spent trying to curb her husband’s excesses have hardened her heart.

She’ll have no trouble resisting the charms of the notorious rake, the Earl of Kingston. One despicable wastrel in her life is quite enough, thank you very ...more

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Kindle Edition, 284 pages

Published September 27th 2016 by Little Phrase

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Oct 11, 2016 Lyuda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: victorian

What a beautiful read this was! It’s like getting a wonderful present when just a little above average gift was expected.
I read and liked the other 3 books in the series but this one –this one is truly remarkable. The author’s intelligent and imaginative writing reminds me (dare I say it? Yes, I do!) of Meredith Duran and Cecilia Grant.

Although linked, each book can be read as a standalone. The hero of this story, the Earl of Kingston, is featured throughout the entire series and, to get a tru What a beautiful read this was! It’s like getting a wonderful present when just a little above average gift was expected.
I read and liked the other 3 books in the series but this one –this one is truly remarkable. The author’s intelligent and imaginative writing reminds me (dare I say it? Yes, I do!) of Meredith Duran and Cecilia Grant.

Although linked, each book can be read as a standalone. The hero of this story, the Earl of Kingston, is featured throughout the entire series and, to get a true appreciation of his growth and change, you would want to read book 1 through 3.

Simply put, this is a “rake redemption” story but the way it went from here:

Kingston had a strange way of arming himself against the world, converting the tools of trust – honesty and intimacy- into weapons.

to here:

”I’m at your mercy,” he said, solemn as she’d ever heard him. “Use me as you wish. When you leave, I won’t know what to do.”

is what makes the book a truly outstanding read.

There are picnics, house parties, contests, grisly crimes, murder, and fleeing. There are making windmills from ingredients found in the kitchen, flying on the hot air balloon, painting, and intelligent conversations. But most of all, it’s a beautifully told love story between two people who see each other clearly for what they are and challenge each other to be better.
I love the romance progression. It felt natural, not forced. The author did an outstanding job with the protagonists’ characterization. There was not a single faulty note from their witty repartee to beautifully written sex scenes to complexity of their feelings and reactions to events and to each other.
The only drawback for me was the epilogue. It felt too long and anticlimactic but not enough to deduct even half of a star.

Some of my favorite quotes (and there are more):

In his opinion, men who reserved their admiration for acknowledged beauties were simply putting the paucity of their imaginations on display.

"If someone here is rude to you, then look at me." look at me. Because she would see what she always did: admiration, approval, desire.

...more

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Nov 01, 2016 WhiskeyintheJar rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical, regency, series

3.7 stars

"If someone here is rude to you, then look at me."
Look at me. Because she would see what she always did: admiration, approval, desire.
"Look at me," Kingston repeated, "because I will remind you of the truth."

Such complex characters with nuanced story telling. A true rake and an "unlikeable" heroine, who managed to come together in such a compelling way. Definitely going back to start at the beginning of this series; writing that escapes the usual historical romance mold.
...more

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Jan 31, 2016 Nita rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-romance, arc, read-2016

First, the covers for this series are just so pretty. I love all four of them.

This was my favorite of the series. We get an actual rake, Alfie, who truly is only out for finding his next pleasure. He does not care one whit that the heroine is married. He sees her, he wants her, so he pursues her. The heroine is lovely. I like smart heroines and Sabine is very smart. I love the play, the back and forth between these two.

The path to their happily ever after isn't easy - she's married and he's a r ...more

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Oct 18, 2017 G. rated it liked it

“Oh, that flowery nonsense.” Sabine scoffed. “Who hasn’t heard that story? A rogue so madly in love that his bad behavior is somehow proof of his devotion—and yet he loves a new woman every week or every month or every year.”

A starchy heroine: check.
A truly rakish hero: check.
Solid writing: check.

However. A very rushed ending/wrap up to the romance: also check. And maybe not my favourite trope? Eh, bottom line: I didn't like The Young Blood as much as the other books in this series. ...more

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Oct 04, 2016 Danker rated it it was amazing

I love this book. In the Afterword to The Young Blood Erin Satie succinctly describes it as her tale of a "rake redeemed". True. The redemption of Alfie, the Earl of Kingston certainly comes close (but only close) to dominating this story.
Alfie begins this story as a wearied rake, sick of his easy conquests, first chosen to deaden pain and loss, but nowadays boring and even sickening (despite the momentary ease of sexual release, the lure of warm skin-on-skin, the scent of another body, the mil I love this book. In the Afterword to The Young Blood Erin Satie succinctly describes it as her tale of a "rake redeemed". True. The redemption of Alfie, the Earl of Kingston certainly comes close (but only close) to dominating this story.
Alfie begins this story as a wearied rake, sick of his easy conquests, first chosen to deaden pain and loss, but nowadays boring and even sickening (despite the momentary ease of sexual release, the lure of warm skin-on-skin, the scent of another body, the mild satisfaction of a successful "hunt").
Like many HR fans, I have read this theme so often that I now usually share the predictable "ennui" of the various rakes. Additionally, I have come to feel an increasing disquiet. In coming to admire the "rake", I worry that I am endorsing what is, at best, rank hypocricy/double standards (irrespective of the era) and, at worst, abuse of women.
Mike Randell, in his blog on the Georgians, puts it well when he says that "for some people the word ‘rake’ is applied almost as a compliment – a recognition of hard-living and hard-drinking, with an almost heroic life spent on gambling and fornicating." As he continues, this admiration disguises an ugly truth: "The reality was that there was nothing heroic about many rakes" in Georgian/Regency, or any other times. (As just one example, he gives details of the disgusting life of Georgian, Francis Charteris, who "was not just a rake, he was a rapist, and a serial one at that".)
Given these reservations how could I give this story five stars and consider it the best HR I've read in absolutely ages?
In regard to Alfie, because:
*Despite behaviour that is appalling, self indulgent and callous (while he takes no particular pleasure in having wrecked a marriage, he refuses to accept any blame, musing instead that he couldn't be expected to have known the husband would be that jealous) in this story he always chooses, or is chosen by willing (albeit manipulated) partners of his own class.
*Satie provides, in Alfie, the best description of the skills of a rake that I have ever read in an HR. As he explains to the h, Sabine, he understands that women want to feel heard, understood and appreciated, as well as being lusted over and judged as wildly desirable. Alfie realises that they see him as pain-filled, and grieving, waiting to be saved by their "love". He cleverly exploits their vulnerability and then boasts that he delivers the best sex they'd ever had (the revelation of how he lost his virginity partly explains that anxiety). It is a repetitive dance. When he doesn't get "saved", his sex partners are likely to become angry and even vengeful, usually ashamed and then disgusted. So Alfie's rakish relationships are more complicated than just a villain and victim - and that makes The Young Blood much more interesting than most stories in this genre.
*As an extension of this exploration, Satie is very clever, as she contrasts Alfie's raking with that of a true monster, who is evil personified.
* Alfie's final encounter with that monster is gripping. Despite his self-deprecation, as he bumbles forward, and his self-loathing afterwards, Satie cleverly provides Alfie with the chance to demonstrate selfless heroism, to be offered redemption and a true turning point in his life (in more ways than one). And she does so convincingly.
So far, so good. Alfie is not, however, the whole story. The Young Blood, is, in my view, a great HR because of the main female protagonist, Sabine Banchory (aka Mrs Green). She is everything that Alfie describes when he tells her why he loves her. Sabine leaps from the pages. In my view, she is the star of the story. I love her intelligence, her loyalty, competitiveness, courage and ability to read Alfie. I appreciate the relationships from childhood that taught her about love, as well as what she learns from loving Alfie. I could go on and on, but this review would be even longer.
Further reasons for the five stars:
* Satie's writing is, as always, excellent.
* She has a knack for conversation unrivalled in contemporary HR land, beautifully executed in this story. I re-read repartee between Alfie and Sabine, Alfie and his valet, Alfie and his ducal friend, Alfie and his female painter friend, Alfie and Mrs Banks etc etc.
* Satie's character development is superior to almost every other HR writer. Within pages she made Alfie and Sabine mesmerising and the complex way in which each changes throughout the story is enthralling. Ditto Mrs Banks, Helen, the valet and so many more.
* She understands exactly what I want to read in an HR. She delivers a great balance between lust and physicality and angst and romance and the final delivery of a HEA.
* She knows when to keep the minute details of the sex private ( the scene in the attic - with the soiled sheets, the splinter in Alfie's posterior/his skinned knees and the easily seduced wife who becomes ashamed and angry with him only when she realises her husband will discover she has been faithless - is, in my mind, delivered just as it should be. There is no pretence that this has not been vigorous and sneaky sex, with a betrayed husband under the same roof, but Satie feels no need to describe what went where. She doesn't need to. The reader can fill in or forget the gaps.)
* Because she shows restraint, her descriptive sex scenes (with Alfie and Sabine) are moving and don't seem voyeuristic. She makes them passionate and earthy. I can't count how often I've seen reader comments about how they skim past the sex scenes in HRs, not because they are prudish, but because they are mechanistic, repetitive and boring. Not so with Satie.
* Satie's intelligence, sense of humour and erudition are splendidly exemplified in her use of art to display the differences between Alfie and Sabine. She uses art to demonstrate Alfie's finer qualities (not just his aesthetics - which any tyrant could share - but also his kindness and generosity and mentoring of others). Conversely, I laughed out loud when she uses art to demonstrate Sabine's non-appreciative practicality. Finally, Satie uses art, in Belgium, to demonstrate oneness between Alfie and Sabine in a way that I found emotionally intense. (Not since Lord of Scoundrels have I read of a better use of an artistic object in a HR.)
I have only one reservation with this book. The Epilogue. Although parts of it were great (especially when Sabine realises how children of their union can be protected by establishing a parallel life to the stuffy "ton" - which I know did happen in real life) I found parts of it to be anti-climactic. Not enough, however, to reduce the number of stars.
In the Afterword, Satie says that this is the end of this series. A shame. I'm confident, however, that the next one will be even better.
PS I bought my copy of The Young Blood.
PPS I love the cover. Whoever designs the covers for all of Satie's books deserves a pat on the back. They are interesting and passionate and moody and different. Without even reading the author's name the reader knows this is a Satie title. What more could an author hope for? ...more

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Sep 27, 2016 eyes.2c rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley, victorian-romance

... an unlikely pairing!

I must admit to really enjoying Young Blood. The interplay between the two leads is fraught and delightful. This has it all. Mystery, romance, a somewhat OCD heroine and a rake who's so much more. Sabine Banchory must control all, in doing so she controls her unhappy life and marriage to a weakling cad. Alfred Lamb, the Earl of Kingston is a rake. He loves and leaves. Yet the unattainable Sabine holds an attraction for him, perhaps the challenge, perhaps something else. S ...more

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Oct 12, 2016 Jo rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2016-releases, hist-rom, favorites

This is not a perfect book. However, it features perhaps the most realistic rake I have read in romance fiction, and that merits 5 stars. Alfie is not a cuddly-wuddly bunny with a few too many girlfriends. He is bad news. He seduces women, ruins some of their lives and is despised by many. The best part is that he knows he's scum but he rationalizes his wrongdoings to make himself feel better. He is also a nice guy. He helps people in trouble; he can empathize. All the different facets of his pe ...more

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Oct 07, 2016 Introvertitude rated it liked it

Shelves: historical-romance

The first 2/3 or so was terrific. An actual rake, a terrifically cool and logical heroine, problem-solving, and just enough crazy; I was totally on board.

But where is the rest of the story? The setup was all there, and I was eagerly anticipating the development of the actual relationship - then, boom, they're married and back in England. The End.

I feel like we missed all of the good stuff, where Alfie and Sabine figure out HOW to have an actual relationship, not just THAT they want one. The deve ...more

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Sep 29, 2016 jesse rated it really liked it

Alfie looked up from the bottle of champagne he’d just speared with his corkscrew and gave her a wide, openmouthed smile.
“Your teeth are crooked!”she cried. The smile disappeared.
“You’re vain as a peacock, you know.”
“Peacocks are handsome animals.”
“But very stupid, so I’d avoid imitating them. Alfie, you’re revoltingly handsome—it’s a relief to find something about your appearance that hasn’t been specially designed to make women swoon.”
Alfie scowled down at the champagne.
“It’s not that bad,” ...more

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Oct 04, 2016 Jennifer rated it really liked it

If you love Cecilia Grant, you'll like this. I apparently have a thing for starchy heroines and the rakes who appreciate them. Nice blend of banter/angst - made the fairly preposterous plot worth it! ...more

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Nov 19, 2020 K. Lincoln rated it liked it

3.5 stars, actually. Some interesting bits about a house party scavenger hunt, a short murder mystery, and a hot air balloon trip, but mostly its about the rake of the series, Alfie, and how he falls in love. The falling in love part was....so-so. The steamy bits not as exciting as in prior books. Sabine was a hard sell for me as a character so didn't enjoy her combined utter cluelessness with her supposed practical logistical strengths. ...more

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Oct 04, 2016 Sherry rated it it was ok

When I started reading Young Blood, I didn’t realize it was the fourth book in a series, or I might not have read it. I had a mixed response to this novel, but it was interesting enough that I’m going to try out some of Satie’s earlier books.

The book was certainly well-written, with a rather unique plotline featuring a series of murders of young women tied into the development of the central romance. I liked Alfie, the hero, too. He’s a typical rake in need of redemption, who believes he can’t r ...more

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Nov 02, 2016 Kate Sherwood rated it it was ok

I was loving this until the last quarter or so. Interesting characters, fun (if somewhat implausible) adventure, lovely writing.

And then things went to hell. (view spoiler) ...more

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Nov 09, 2016 Kathy Cohen rated it liked it

This title completes Satie's No Better Angels' series by coming full circle to a character we met in the first book, Alfie, the Earl of Kingston. Alfie, an art connoisseur, sensualist, and seducer of women, is still grieving for his mother and sister who had died in a fire. He meets his complete opposite, Lady Sabine Banchory, who is practical and disciplined, but unhappily married. The action starts early in the book with the unmasking of a serial killer, a chase across England, escape to Franc ...more

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Dec 22, 2016 Kelly rated it it was amazing

This book is one the best books I read all year. It's basically my favorite kind of historical romance wrapped around amazing characters and vivid writing. And there's hot air balloon travel. And possibly the best scavenger hunt party that has ever been imagined. Actually the more I think about it, the more I want to read it all over again.

SO GOOD YOU GUYS.

The heroine makes a windmill out of vegetables, because she's just that committed to winning the scavenger hunt. That's pretty much everythi ...more

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Jan 31, 2019 Tricia rated it liked it

This reminded me a lot of Black Silk by Judith Ivory, which may be a good thing or a bad thing. It was refreshing to see that Kingston was depicted as a true rake and not a fake one, but I didn't really believe his redemption arc. I wanted to like Sabine, but she started out as an extremely capable character to one that seemed a bit reckless. I couldn't quite get into the changes in character and the romance felt very rushed to me as a result. I also thought the plot like with Sabine's husband B ...more

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Oct 05, 2017 OLT rated it really liked it

I had to give this book 4 stars. How can you not to a story that has so much detail about making windmills out of foodstuff or a homemade flying machine with discussion of paper vs. silk as a component? You can see the care Satie has taken in writing this. Each little detail designed to tell you something about a character and with such great tie-ins of the beginning house party events to the rest of the story. This book appealed to me very much cerebrally. Unfortunately, as a romance it did not I had to give this book 4 stars. How can you not to a story that has so much detail about making windmills out of foodstuff or a homemade flying machine with discussion of paper vs. silk as a component? You can see the care Satie has taken in writing this. Each little detail designed to tell you something about a character and with such great tie-ins of the beginning house party events to the rest of the story. This book appealed to me very much cerebrally. Unfortunately, as a romance it did not grip me much emotionally so it's not getting 5 stars.

On her website, Erin Satie says of this book: "I think it's my best book, my most romantic book. It's my funniest book and probably also my darkest book. I think it brings the series to an end in a satisfying way." Of these statements I agree wholeheartedly with the last sentence. This is a good conclusion to the series and it even brings in all the couples of the first three books. They have useful, meaningful roles and aren't just silly cameo appearances. But as for this being her most romantic, maybe not, IMO, and as for it being funny, not so much (or maybe I'm losing my sense of humor lately).

But this is clever and intelligently written. (And has good grammar for the most part, which is always a plus for me. Except for her overuse of "like" as a conjunction instead of "as" and "as if", and a "lay" in a sentence that needed a "laid", but my mentioning this just confirms my status as a pain in the patootie, doesn't it?)

Alfie, the Earl of Kingston, has been around since the first entry of this No Better Angels series. He has been quite intriguing and yet also a bit off-putting, as a true rake should be. And that's what Satie wanted. Again, to quote her: "So that's how Alfie started. Careless, cruel...no filter, says anything he wants to any one who catches his attention, intense and charismatic but also repellent." This fourth book is to be the story of his redemption. But if I hadn't read the first 3 books, I wouldn't have gotten that "repellent" vibe, even at the beginning of this book. The charisma is here, the intensity, the charm, the general rakishness, but he doesn't come across at any moment as repellent, not like Hoyt's latest hero in DUKE OF SIN, or Kerrigan Byrne's heroes in THE HIGHWAYMAN and THE HUNTER, or the heroes you can find in old Edith Layton Regencies, such as THE DUKE'S WAGER. This makes his redemption less of an achievement, if the only book you have read is this latest one.

And who is to accomplish this redemption and along the way to find her own happiness and peace? That would be heroine Sabine Banchory, described as "sensible, intelligent and very unhappily married" for, I believe, some 10 years. I also found her to be, especially at the beginning, a bit cold and lacking in humor and friendliness. She has a reason for these personality defects. After the death of her parents, in the guardianship of her self-interested uncle, the Duke of Something-or-Other, she is married off to husband Banchory, a horrid, dissolute, cruel man. What is there for her to be happy about? Her life has been pretty miserable for years now.

The H and h meet at a house party, where Sabine catches Alfie's eye but rejects his advances. He then arranges for Sabine and her husband to be invited to a second house party where he and she become better acquainted when in the same group of players in a very creative competition among the house guests. The game has each group charged with coming up with their own versions of a list of required items, points to be awarded based on originality and execution. Sabine takes this seriously to an unhealthy extreme and we get a very detailed accounting of her group's activities. Almost to the point of being tedious, but it's also to lay the foundation for an understanding of Alfie's and Sabine's personalities and the beginning of their "learning" each other.

Yes, there's a husband here. I won't tell you what happens to him. There's a mystery. There are some murders. There's a roadtrip/escape-flight-from-danger. There are lots of little, exquisitely detailed tangents. One thing this book is not is predictable. I had no real idea what was going to happen from one moment to the next. The only thing I was certain about is that it would have an HEA.

The HEA is satisfactory. The romance was not all that I had expected. I could not warm up much to the heroine, in spite of my understanding why she was the way she was. I could not understand why Alfie was so attracted to her. And Alfie here wasn't the dissolute, almost irredeemable rake I was expecting, nor were the tragedies and losses in his background sufficient motivation, IMO, for having become the one he appeared to be in the first three books.

I am, however, a Satie fan and follower and am going to read whatever she publishes next. There's a novella to come, I believe. I hope she has a new series in the works too. ...more

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Dec 20, 2016 notyourmonkey rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2016, format-kindle, belongsto-me, time-historical, genre-romance

Too often I find I don't write up reviews for books that I really enjoyed but were not life-alteringly fabulous, as it's sometimes hard to articulate more than, "ooooh, yeah." But well, oooooh, yeah, Satie's getting added to my list of Trusted Romance Authors. (Am not an autobuy sort of gal, but these are the authors I would not hesitate to pick up. Other authors on the list: Courtney Milan, Cecilia Grant, Anna Cowan, KJ Charles. Close but not quite on the list are Sherry Thomas and Loretta Chas Too often I find I don't write up reviews for books that I really enjoyed but were not life-alteringly fabulous, as it's sometimes hard to articulate more than, "ooooh, yeah." But well, oooooh, yeah, Satie's getting added to my list of Trusted Romance Authors. (Am not an autobuy sort of gal, but these are the authors I would not hesitate to pick up. Other authors on the list: Courtney Milan, Cecilia Grant, Anna Cowan, KJ Charles. Close but not quite on the list are Sherry Thomas and Loretta Chase. Just to show you what I'm working with.)

Anyway. I digress. I like Satie's writing. I like the unusual predicaments she puts her characters in; I like the genuine problems she puts in the way of her heroes and heroines, especially that these problems don't default to One Of Them Is Wrong.

I like that all of her protagonists are a little off-plumb, from themselves or from society, and falling in love doesn't change or pretend to fix that. I especially like that several of her heroines are bad with emotions and/or people in believable ways but that are also not problems to be fixed. Yes, there is a bit of wish fulfillment in how nicely things turn out for everyone (i.e. everyone's happy endings are a bit less complicated than those in Cecilia Grant's books), and especially the last bit of this book is particularly end-of-series storybook, but, spoiler, that's kinda why I read romances. I like nice things happening to people I've been rooting for throughout an entire book/series.

Do things occasionally get a little histrionic? Sure! Do people have sex in unusual and probably improbable locales? Absolutely! Do the villains twirl moustaches like a boss? The bossest! Do deuses ever machina? Machtastically! But there's enough meat on these bones to make them a really satisfying read.

I do find that the titles don't stick with me; The Secret Heart is The One With Boxing And Dancing; The Lover's Knot is The One With Printing and Misunderstandings; The Orphan Pearl is The One With International Intrigue, and this one is The One With The Rake And Mutual Emotional Constipation. Alternatively, I think of them by the trope they dissect/reimagine: #1 is The Fortune Hunter Redeemed; #2 is Childhood Sweethearts Separated By A Big Misunderstanding; #3 is A Slightly More Realistic Good English Girl Ends Up In A Harem But Comes Back; and #4 is A Rake Redeemed. Daaaaang but I love a good play-on-trope.) ...more

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Oct 10, 2016 Frances Hughes rated it it was amazing

Rake Redeemed

What a wonderful outcome for Alfie. A damaged human being we saw in previous books who felt unworthy of inspiring love in someone else but so very able to exploit the needs and wants of others to engage in meaningless sexual encounters. Lovely to see him fall hard for the buttoned up and apparently unobtainable Sabine Banchory . Just lovely and a scandal/ mystery as well!

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