Loved by the Lyon (The Lyon’s Den Connected World)

Kingston Barclay has siblings to support and a nearly bankrupt estate to do it with. The only thing he has of worth is the title to the dukedom he will soon inherit and given his circumstances he’ll need it to attract a wealthy wife no matter how inconvenient it may be to his heart. His plans to auction off his hand in marriage; however, go awry when he stumbles across his deceased best friend’s lovely sister inside the Lyon’s Den gaming hell. Vanessa Becket has plenty of money but with a conniving stepbrother with sticky fingers eyeing her jewels and her fortune, she has found the only person she can rely on is herself. When her search for her missing gems brings Kingston back into her life, they find they might be able to temporarily solve one another’s problems, but with history between them and hearts on the line, even the simplest arrangements can become complicated.

A passionate Regency romance, “Loved by the Lyon” features an arranged marriage and many of its usual tropes wrapped up in a great deal of passion. As this book is more of a short story, there is minimal conflict to be resolved, and much of the romance has an instant-love feeling to it but with some shared history. Further, the characters are fairly straightforward in both complexity and emotion. However, fans of this series will enjoy this side story, and those who prefer a light and quick read will find this book more than up to the task of presenting an Austen-esque setting and feeling, but with a great deal more steam.

Sarah E Bradley