I've heard lots of praise for this author's historical romances, and it was a fun escape to read my first.

This third novel in the Bareknuckled Bastards series is Grace and Ewan's story. I was able to catch up on the world-building of historic England even though I haven't read other novels in the series.

This is definitely a female empowerment romance, focused of Grace's thriving business that enables women of a certain social status enjoy the carnal pleasures readily available to men. The descriptions of Grace's beautiful wardrobe were especially vivid.

In Sarah MacLean fashion, this novel is very open door - the sex scenes were sooo steamy and lovely! This line made me swoon every time I read it, âYou are a queen. I am your throne.â

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Grace and Ewan just didn't hit it for me, not in the way I had hoped. I get all the transformational character arc business, but this was overboard, too much in their heads, like the author tried too hard to sound deep. (And please stop with the "thieving/thieved" business.) When I finally made my way through the pool of revenge and atonement to the nitty gritty detail where it all began, I could appreciate Grace and Ewan a whole lot more, but the journey there was tedious. Bravo to strong women, but the underworld that I found so mesmerizing in Devil's and Beast's tales was an overreach in believability in Grace's case. 3 stars.

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Grace Condry has been in hiding from the Duke of Marwick since she was 15-year-old and he tried to kill her and her brothers. Hiding under another name, Grace has become the owner of a club. Ewan, the Duke of Marwick, had lost all hope when he was told that she was dead. Now that he knows that it was a lie, he is determined to talk to Grace and win her back.

This is the third book in the Bareknuckle Bastards series. After reading the first two books, I was looking forward to learning why Ewan tried to kill Grace, and how the author was going to reform him. Well, I was disappointed by this story. The first 100 pages just dragged. I almost gave up on this book. It pace did pick up eventually, but not enough to save the story. The reasons for Ewan's actions were just dumb. The whole misunderstanding could have been cleared up long ago if they had tried. My rating: 3 Stars.

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The conclusion of the Bareknuckle Bastards series and terrific second chance romance. After reading the first two books, I wasn't sure how Ewan would be redeemed. I suspected that there must be good in him or Grace would not have loved him the way she did, but he was going to have to work at it.

Parts of the history of Ewan and the Bastards were revealed in the previous books, but I always felt that there was more to the story. Their childhoods were miserable thanks to the cruelty of the old duke. The things he put them through were beyond cruel, but they had each others' backs whenever possible. Though Grace was close to Whit and Dev, the connection between her and Ewan was much different. When the old duke played his final hand with them, what they saw as Ewan's betrayal cut extra deep. Whit, Dev, and Grace ran for their lives and made new ones in London. Now they are wealthy, powerful, and the undisputed rulers of Covent Garden.

When the old duke died, Ewan went looking for Grace and the others. Still furious at his betrayal, Whit and Dev told Ewan that Grace was dead. In his grief, Ewan swore vengeance on them for not keeping her safe. The things he did in the first two books showed that he had learned well from the old duke. It made it very hard to believe that he was redeemable.

As this story opens, Grace has rescued Ewan from the explosion he caused. Stunned to realize that she is alive, he quickly discovers that Grace is not the same girl he loved all those years ago. She is independent, strong, and the queen of her world. Their confrontation is heartbreaking as Grace makes sure Ewan knows her feelings about what he has done. I ached for them both as she drove him away.

A year later, Ewan returns to London, a changed man. He overcame the cold, calculating, revenge-driven man he had been, determined to become someone that Grace could love. Grace is determined to protect her heart from him, knowing she wouldn't survive another betrayal. I loved Ewan's patience as he worked to regain her trust and love. Some of their talks were heart-wrenching as they shared what their lives were like in the years they were apart. In the end, Ewan knew it had to be Grace's choice whether to give him a chance. I loved the twist to the ending that gave them the future they both wanted.

One of the things I enjoyed about this book was the world that Grace created for herself. In a time when men had all of the power, she carved out a place where women could show their strengths. I loved the club that she runs and seeing what the women could do when they were out from under the thumbs of their men. I liked hearing about their intelligence and talents and how they put them to use to make a difference. It gives new life to the saying, "Behind every successful man there stands a woman."

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