About the Book:
Title: Kiss of the Lyon
Author: Meara Platt
Series: The Lyon’s Den
Page Length:
Publication Date: Jan. 27, 2021
Publisher: Dragonblade Publishing
Synopsis: Enter the world of the most notorious gambling den in London, where matches are made… unusually. Welcome to the world of THE LYON’S DEN: The Black Widow of Whitehall Connected World, where the underground of Regency London thrives… and loves.
He was only supposed to win the high stakes game of chance, not a bride along with it.
Lord Matthew Lyon is often called upon by the Crown because of his mathematical brilliance, and participating in a high stakes game of chance at the notorious Lyon’s Den should have been the easy part of his assignment…only it goes terribly wrong. He wins the pot, as expected since his probability calculations never fail. But no one calculated on his winning the hand of Lady Danielle Haverfield, daughter of the Earl of Haverfield, the prime suspect in a treason plot against the Crown and the very man he is assigned to bring down.
She was only trying to stop her brother from gambling his life away.
Lady Danielle Haverfield knew she did not belong in the Lyon’s Den, but she had to stop her brother before he gambled away his entire inheritance. Not only did she fail to stop him, but she’s ruined her life as well. Lady Dove-Lyon will not allow her brother to go unpunished, even though the handsome Scottish lord who’s wiped him out is willing to forgive the debt. But the Black Widow of Whitehall has a fearsome reputation to maintain. Someone is going to have to pay for her brother’s inability to pay up, and she’s decided it is to be Danielle. Well, the handsome Scot could have asked for her only for the one night, but he’s proposed marriage instead.
Can their love survive his secrets and her father’s betrayal?
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My Review:
A quick and captivating read, Kiss of the Lyon is a swoon-worthy historical romance with great characters and a wonderful love story. Danielle and Matthew, the main couple in the novel, fall in love almost at first sight, and their feelings only deepen as the story progresses.
Matthew and Danielle have a fantastic romance! Though riddled with obstacles that include a forced betrothal, betrayal, and secrets, their attraction and connection to each other is strong. I particularly like how deeply Matthew cares for Danielle. His actions and attitude throughout the story show how much he cares for Danielle and that he’ll do whatever he can to protect her.
I also love that Matthew is an intellectual. A professor of mathematics, Matthew proves that intelligence is sexy, and it is beneficial when trying to uncover a secret plot against the government. The mystery surrounding Danielle’s father and his nefarious involvement in a plan to disrupt the government is also very intriguing. However, it makes the relationship between Matthew and Danielle more complicated, as she doesn’t know that Matthew is tasked with investigating her father.
In addition to the fantastic romance, the other strength of the novel is the compelling characters. Danielle and Matthew are intriguing and well developed, as is Danielle’s brother Simon. He begins the novel at a low point, torn between his duty to his family and doing what is ethically right. I’m curious to find out what happens to Simon and feel like there was some foreshadowing that suggested his story might be next in The Lyon’s Den series. Now that he is free from his overbearing and abusive father, Simon has the ability to turn himself around, and I’m hoping that we’ll see it as the series continues. There are also hints about Matthew’s younger, single brother, and I suspect his story might be in a future book as well. Here’s hoping!
This is a fun and quick historical romance, and a wonderful addition to The Lyon’s Den series. That being said, you don’t need to read the other books in the series to follow this one. Each book can be read as a standalone. Thanks so much to NetGalley, the author, and Dragonblade Publishing for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
Rating:
Favorite Parts:
- The romance!!! Danielle and Matthew have a swoon-tastic romance, and I LOVED the way that Matthew felt about Danielle. Their love for each other is instant and wonderful!
- The intrigue. Is Danielle’s father involved in a crime? What will happen to Danielle and her brother if their father is guilty? Do these nefarious dealings involve overthrowing the government?
- The well-developed characters. Danielle, Matthew, and Simon are so interesting, and I enjoyed their stories.
Favorite Lines:
The last thing he expected was for this softhearted Sassenach lass to steal his very breath.
He would take her into his arms and vow to love her into eternity. Longer, of she wished it.
You definitely have me adding this to the TBR, and I’m already intrigued with Simon, too!
It’s a good one!
I really need to read more historical romance! This sounds pretty good, great review!
Thanks so much! 🙂
I’m so intrigued by the premise!! What would you say about the level of steaminess in this book? I’d love to read it, but I’m not much of a fan of too much explicit content…
Great review!! ❤️
On a scale of 1-5 with 5 being super steamy, I’d say this is around a 4. Definitely a couple of explicit scenes.
Oh I see!! Thanks so much for the heads-up 😊💕
Great review, I’m glad you enjoyed this book so much! This is not a genre I usually read, but I love historical fiction (just generally), so I should probably give historical romance a go!