About the Book:
Title: Insatiable
Author: Darcy Burke
Series: The Phenix Club #8
Page Length: 362
Publication Date: Jan. 24, 2023
Synopsis: Society’s most exclusive invitation…
Welcome to the Phoenix Club, where London’s most audacious, disreputable, and intriguing ladies and gentlemen find scandal, redemption, and second chances.
Lord Lucien Westbrook is Society’s most charming and helpful gentleman. Overlooked and discredited by his father, Lucien seeks to support others any way that he can—no one deserves to feel unloved. So when he has the chance to assist his best friend’s sister in her scientific endeavors, who is he to refuse? Except her experiments involve kissing and touching and understanding how humans mate…
When her brother carried on a secret affair with Lucien’s sister, Lucien had been furious and now here is he committing the very same sin.
Too bad he can’t help himself.
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My Review:
I’ve been salivating for Lucien’s story since the first book in this series. Lucien was so mysterious and intriguing, and I wanted to know everything about him. I also wanted to know about the mysterious partners in The Phoenix Club and why they had so much power. And after the last book, I was really curious to find out more about Lucien’s father and why he was so negative and unsupportive of Lucien when he wasn’t necessarily like that with his other children. I’m happy to say all of my questions and more were answered in this conclusion to The Phoenix Club.
Lucien’s love interest is Kat, his best friend’s sister. Their growing romance is a bit ironic since Lucien was so adamantly opposed to his sister marrying his best friend. Kat wants to understand human mating rituals, and she asks Lucien, the only person she’s ever been attracted to, to help her. Lucien has enough on his plate without engaging with his best friend’s sister, but he can’t deny he is drawn to Kat. My word, these two have chemistry! Lucien goes almost feral thinking about Kat practicing her experiments with other men, and it’s pretty swoon-worthy. I like that Lucien found someone who challenges him and piques his interest, not to mention the spicy scenes, some of which are set in some hidden recesses of The Phoenix Club and are pretty steamy.
I love Lucien! In all of the past books, he’s proven to be successful, supportive, and a clever matchmaker. He loves deeply, and he has amazing friendships and relationships with his siblings. However, with precarious connections to the crown, a traitor in their midst, an ever-confusing and troubled relationship with his father, and The Phoenix Club slipping through his fingers, Lucien struggles throughout this story. I’m so glad he found a partner with whom he can share his present troubles and his past secrets because as successful and loved as Lucien is, he’s also very alone in many ways.
Kat has her own difficulties, especially in understanding people and social situations. She often becomes overwhelmed and inconsolable. She is a well-developed character with strength, intelligence, and a vast amount of curiosity and bravery. And the way Lucien respects her boundaries and understands her needs is wonderful. It made me like him even more than I did before because he is so accepting, and he makes Kat see herself in an entirely different light. I think Kat does the same for Lucien.
I enjoyed this ending to The Phoenix Club series. It has romance, intrigue, and drama, and it wraps everything up nicely. Traitors are finally revealed, thanks to Lucien, Kat, and many of their friends, and the revelations about Lucien’s father explain a lot. And I think almost all of the main characters in the previous book have appearances in this one, which I adored. I actually kind of liked the intrigue and development of Lucien and his relationships with family and friends, as well as his connection to the Crown and The Phoenix Club a little bit more than I liked the love story. Thanks to NetGalley and Darcy Burke for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.
Rating:
Favorite Parts:
- Lucien!
- The intrigue.
- The romance.
Tropes:
- Brother’s best friend
- Friends to lovers
- Neurodivergent FMC
omg yes, you know i’ve been waiting on this story and learning more about lucien’s relationship with his father. i actually just got this arc and i was planning to read it soon. you’ve got me excited for it 😍 sounds like a satisfying conclusion to the series. great review, julie!
I can’t wait to read your thoughts on it!!
It’s been too long since I’ve picked up one of Burke’s books. Great review!
Thanks! I love her historical romances!