A Lady Awakened
RECOMMENDED: A Lady Awakened by Cecilia Grant is $1.99! This is a Kindle Daily Deal and is bring price-matched. This book is often recommended in terms a sex-positive heroine. However, other readers found the heroine’s view of sex to be rather unromantic. Have you read this one?
In Cecilia Grant’s emotionally rich and deeply passionate Regency romance debut, a deal with a rumored rogue turns a proper young woman into . . . A Lady Awakened.
Newly widowed and desperate to protect her estate and beloved servants from her malevolent brother-in-law, Martha Russell conceives a daring plan. Or rather, a daring plan to conceive. After all, if she has an heir on the way, her future will be secured. Forsaking all she knows of propriety, Martha approaches her neighbor, a London exile with a wicked reputation, and offers a strictly business proposition: a month of illicit interludes . . . for a fee.
Theophilus Mirkwood ought to be insulted. Should be appalled. But how can he resist this siren in widow’s weeds, whose offer is simply too outrageously tempting to decline? Determined she’ll get her money’s worth, Theo endeavors to awaken this shamefully neglected beauty to the pleasures of the flesh—only to find her dead set against taking any enjoyment in the scandalous bargain. Surely she can’t resist him forever. But could a lady’s sweet surrender open their hearts to the most unexpected arrival of all . . . love?
Add to Goodreads To-Read List →
This book is on sale at:
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
We also may use affiliate links in our posts, as well. Thanks!The Reluctant Highlander
The Reluctant Highlander by Amanda Scott is $1.99 at Amazon! This is the first book in the Highland Nights series and features an opposites attract romance. However, reviews say this book leans more toward the historical part and less on the romance part.
An uncertain bride looks for love with a man as wild and mysterious as his Highland home in this new Scottish romance from a USA Today–bestselling author.
Ordinarily, Lady Fiona Ormiston wouldn’t think of forming an alliance with an ungroomed, barbaric Highlander, despite the protection he offers. But now, by request of the king, Sir Adham MacFinlagh, a brazen stranger and outsider unlike anyone she has met before, is to be her husband. Torn from solitude and the comfort of her family to make a home with the rugged knight, Fiona surrenders to Adham’s powerfully passionate—and shockingly tender—touch, only to discover her new husband’s family ties may lie with an enemy of the king.
A sense of duty may have brought Adham to the marriage bed, but it’s his powerful feelings for his beautiful, willful wife that will be his undoing. Ultimately, the bold knight will have to decide: Does his allegiance lie with his blood ties to the man who hopes to bring down the king or with the bride who has stolen his heart?
Add to Goodreads To-Read List →
This book is on sale at:
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
We also may use affiliate links in our posts, as well. Thanks!Tough Luck Cowboy
Tough Luck Cowboy by A.J. Pine is $2.99! This contemporary western romance is part of the Crossroads Ranch series. The heroine is the ex-wife of the hero’s friend, if that is or isn’t your catnip. I’d be very curious how this is handled given “bro code” and whatnot. It has a 4.2-star rating on Goodreads.
From this “fabulous storyteller” (Carolyn Brown, New York Times bestselling author) comes a sweet western romance between a rodeo cowboy and his best friend’s ex-wife.
What’s the saying, bad luck comes in threes? If so, Lily Green is due for something good. First, her divorce is finalized—on her birthday, no less. Then the first job she lands for her catering company turns out to be for her ex-husband’s wedding. To top it off, she’s stuck working the event with Luke Everett, the sexy-as-hell best man who’s never been able to stand her. When can a girl catch a break?
For years, Luke has kept his feelings for Lily safely hidden. Hitting on his best friend’s ex-wife would definitely break the cowboy code of honor. But ever since an injury sidelined his rodeo riding, the two of them keep getting thrown together. It’s only a matter of time until his true feelings come to light. When that happens, it will either be the biggest mistake of his life, or a sign that his luck is about to change.
Add to Goodreads To-Read List →
This book is on sale at:
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
We also may use affiliate links in our posts, as well. Thanks!Family Man
Family Man by Heidi Cullinan and Marie Sexton is $1.99 at Amazon! This is a gay romance with an age difference and an older hero exploring his sexuality. If this sounds familiar to you, this book was originally released by Samhain in 2013.
Sometimes family chooses you.
At forty, Vincent “Vinnie” Fierro is still afraid to admit he might be gay—even to himself. It’ll be a problem for his big, fat Italian family. Still, after three failed marriages, it’s getting harder to ignore what he really wants.
Vinnie attempts some self-exploration in Chicago’s Boystown bars, far from anyone who knows him. Naturally, he runs smack into someone from the neighborhood.
Between working two jobs, going to school, taking care of his grandmother, and dealing with his mother’s ongoing substance abuse, Trey Giles has little time for fun, let alone dating someone who swears he’s straight. Yet after one night of dancing cheek-to-cheek, Trey agrees to let Vinnie court him and see if he truly belongs on this side of the fence—though Trey intends to keep his virginity intact.
It seems like a solid plan, but nothing is simple when family is involved. When Vinnie’s family finds out about their relationship, the situation is sticky enough, but when Trey’s mother goes critical, Vinnie and Trey must decide whose happiness is most important—their families’ or their own.
Add to Goodreads To-Read List →
This book is on sale at:
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
We also may use affiliate links in our posts, as well. Thanks!
Don't want to miss an ebook sale? Sign up for our newsletter, and you'll get the week's available deals each Friday.
SB Sarah recommended A LADY AWAKENED to me years ago and I’m so grateful. It took me a little bit to get into it as it starts out with a legal situation and a heroine repressing all her feelings. But it’s so good, y’all. One of the best books for bad sex becoming good sex – Jennifer Crusie was my entrance to romance so I’ve always had a thing for this trope. I love how it forces the hero and heroine to communicate and be more open with each other and in touch with their own emotions and issues.
Btw, A CHRISTMAS GONE PERFECTLY WRONG by the same author is permafree and is completely delightful.
Olivia Waite mentioned a few months ago in her Seattle Review of Books column that Cecilia Grant is kind of a cult author on that she only put out 4 books like 5 years ago but she’s still consistently recommended and, yes, I love her so much.
Personally, I would not describe A Lady Awakened as “sex positive.” The heroine spends much of the book (at least early on, but in my memory it feels like most of the book) actively disgusted by the hero, his body, and sex in general. I’m not saying romance novel sex scenes all have to be flowers and butterflies and multiple orgasms all at once, but cold revulsion is too much for me. Did not enjoy but YMMV.
Agree with @Cat C that A Christmas Gobe Perfectly Wrong was great, though!
Re Cecelia Grant: I agree with both. I think ‘sex positive’ is in no way an accurate description of her for much of the book. She is quite repressed and buttoned up. But, Grant is a compelling writer, and I enjoyed it mightily! So, as Kim says, YMMV.
I adore A Lady Awakened. No, the heroine is not sex positive at the start but that’s the point. Both she and the hero experience significant personal growth over the course of building their relationship. All of Cecilia Grant’s Blackshear series has that, which is why I love them so much. Also, I’m a sucker for any book that discusses farming in an intelligent manner.
Most sex scenes bore me. I skim through them waiting for the story to start again.
But in A Lady Awakened, the sex scenes were original and honest and memorable and — in the beginning at least– funny . I loved the way Grant created the heroine’s arc from loathing sex to finding it enjoyable.
I just finished Family Man and really liked it. Definitely worth the $2.
Another recommendation for Family Man. I got it many years ago when allromance had a 30 days of Xmas giveaway and it has been an annual re-read ever since.
What I loved about A Lady Awakened, and the second book, A Gentleman Undone, is that they take basic romance genre conventions and up-end them. In Lady Awakened, it’s the notion that sex equals intimacy. There’s no instalust, and no magic wangs or hoo-has. The heroine has never had any reason to enjoy sex in the past, and that doesn’t change just because she’s in bed with this dashing rake. The dashing rake is flabbergasted, because his entire self-worth is based on this one thing that he thinks he does well. Only when they start talking to each other about things they care about does real intimacy begin to develop. Maybe it’s more accurate to call the book intimacy-positive than sex-positive. There’s a lot of sex, but for much of the book, it isn’t any fun for the participants.
Agreeing with the positive reviews of A Lady Awakened. Honestly, I always found it a bit – unlikely when Regency widows who’ve suffered through previous loveless, unerotic relationships are suddenly awoken to passion all at once with a wave of the hero’s magic wang. This relationship starts out transactional and then it’s just a slow, wonderful revelation for both of them – both the arrogant hero who’s distinctly of the wham-bam-you’re-welcome-ma’am approach to sex, and the widow who’s never enjoyed any kind of intimacy. I liked it very much.
As a sexual abuse survivor, I found it triggering to read scene after scene of the heroine disassociating during unwanted sex in A Lady Awakened, which was still going on when I quit around 40%, so mileage definitely varies.
Cecilia Grant’s books are refreshing, original, real, and romantic in a way I seldom find in romance novels, even from top-selling authors. Her settings feel truly historical and her characters belong in their time periods. She sets the standard for other historical authors to live up to.
I keep hoping we’ll see more from her soon. She pretty much spoiled me for any other romance.
I spent last night reading A Lady Awakened, and I agree with many of the comments above. This is my first Cecilia Grant novel, and I found her writing fresh and inventive; she’s an amazing storyteller. But I found myself enjoying the book less and less the more I read. As someone already commented, the early (and mid) sex scenes were cold, and with elements of dubious consent. Now, the whole premise of the book is that Martha not only consents to the sexual contact but masterminds it. Still, she sees her relationship with Theo as her last resort; she has no other choice, so she does what she has to do. I didn’t realize until I had finished the book, just how much I don’t want to read these types of scenarios. I was even thinking as I was reading along, is this what it feels like to be asexual? But she doesn’t know it and maybe the author doesn’t even know it? While the ending was somewhat satisfying, it didn’t erase my suspicion that it would have been better to DNF early on. I think this author is just not for me.
“Family Man” is definitely a fun read, especially if you like romances with loud, loving, meddling families.
Can we talk about the gorgeous cover on “A Lady Awakened”? Stunning.
I’m in the minority, I *loathed* a lady awakened. The characters were so entirely unlikeable and the sex was terrible and awkward and yucky. It was DNF for me, it just made me so uncomfortable and unhappy. I could never understand this woman’s motivations and being in the head of the hero was ugh. Just ugh to the whole thing lol.
I’m glad other ppl got enjoyment but had it not been on my Kindle I’d have thrown it at a wall.
Six chapters in to A Lady Awakened, and it’s really uncomfortable reading sex scenes. One commenter mentioned that she might be asexual, but I’d go even further and say that, at least so far, she’s a sex-repulsed asexual. It’s not a fun time.
Between this book and Dare to Love a Duke, I’ve discovered historicity isn’t as important for my enjoyment of a historical romance novel as I thought.