Scan barcode
A review by rjordan19
Freed by the Marquess by Stevie Sparks
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋 (I really adore Spark’s intimate scenes – a really great mix for me of emotional pull and explicitness)
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Humor: A touch
Perspective: Third person from both hero and heroine
More character focused or plot focused? character
How did the speed of the story feel? medium
When mains are first on page together: Takes a bit – about 12% or chapter 3 of 26
Cliffhanger: No, this ends with a happily ever after
Epilogue: No
Mains: this is a M/F relationship between a cishet hero and heroine
Format: voluntarily read an advanced reader copy from the author in e-book form
Why I chose this book: I really, really love what Sparks is bringing to historical romance. She’s become an auto read for me and I am always excited for a new book!
Should I read in order?
It’s not totally necessary (most of the focus is on this couple) but I do recommend at least reading book 1 of the series, Surrendering to the Duke. You’ll get Michael and Emmaline’s background and they have page time here, as well as understanding Oliver’s story. And after you read book 1, you should read book 2 because it’s my favorite!
Basic plot:
Caroline finds solace in her father in law when she finds herself abandoned by her husband.
Give this a try if you want:
- Interwar Years? Book 1 takes place in 1921 but I don’t have dates for books 1 or 2. But the mains from book 1 have children so I would guess mid to late 1920s?
- England and America settings
- taboo relationship – daughter and father-in-law
- dyslexic hero?
- Marquess hero
- plus size heroine
- he spoils her
- fun technological advances like telephones
- one bed
- mathematician heroine
- the fun of American 1920s – transatlantic voyages, Yankee games, prohibition parties and speakeasies
- after he goes down on her, he demands she divorces his son
- slower burn
- mid to higher steam – about 4 full scenes
Ages:
- hero is ‘almost 40’, heroine is 21
First line:
When the clock struck midnight, Caroline knew it was time to go.
My thoughts:
I really liked this one! It has some forbidden vibes with Caroline
being abandoned by her husband early on in the book and then taken in by her father in law. I loved their slow development of feelings and how much their longing for each grew over the first half of the book!
I am very much enjoying Spark’s steamy scenes. They pull me in and I find myself really caring about these characters. I did want a bit more relationship angst in this one – I felt like they fell into each slowly, yes, but also easily and I am just a whore for all the relationship angst haha. Also, minor thing, but I felt like I really liked the dynamic of Caroline helping in regards to the math/paperwork – I wasn’t sure if the hero was dyslexic? And it wasn’t really touched on again after being mentioned. Also I maaaaaaybe want a bit more ‘daddy’ vibes in this one lol but I guess that wasn’t the dynamic here and that’s okay.
I am still not sure how I feel about Oliver coming back from book 1. He was a doozy of an unlikable character, but I did appreciate a diabetic character and the amazing mention of the development of insulin.
Overall I enjoyed this read. The time period is fun and different. Both characters were great and the steam was fun!
Few random reading stats for this author
# of books read: 4
Average rating:
Favorite book: Despising the Duke
Endearments
[ Hero calls the heroine ‘Starling’. (hide spoiler)]
Quotes
[
“Starling,” he graoned, his shoulders brimming with the tension of holding back. “You shouldn’t say things like that.”
She came ever closer, tilting her head up towards his. “Why not?”
His palm found her wondrously soft cheek. He shouldn’t be doing this, and yet somehow his reasoning for not doing this was getting weaker by the hour. “Because they make me want to stop being such a fucking gentleman.”
(hide spoiler)]
Content warnings: These should be taken as a minimum of what to expect. It’s very possible I have missed some.
[
- heroine experiences her husband cheating on her (not the hero)
- scenes/remembrance of abusive and toxic parenting (heroine’s mother)
- parental death
- spousal abandonment
- brief mention of smoking
- fat shaming (including parental fat shaming)
- remembrance/mention of sexual assault
- the villain from book 1 returns but he’s recovered (was able to receive insulin)
- infidelity – the heroine marries in the beginning of the story and finds her husband cheating on her – she then gets with her husband’s dad sexually before they are divorced/annulled
Author content warnings? Yes, Sparks has a list of triggers that are not in the book and also states specific triggers (view spoiler)
(hide spoiler)]
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes, safe sex aspects, consent, pregnancy/child in the story:
[
Safe sex: [ Condoms used for penetration until the last scene when they are married and discussed starting a family (hide spoiler)]
Hows the consent? [ It’s good (hide spoiler)]
Pregnancy/children in story? (Please note this is the best to my memory/note taking. If you see something I missed please feel free to message!) [ There’s some scenes with family member’s children but the main couple doesn’t have chidlren or get pregnant within the story. They do talk about starting a family at the end of the book (hide spoiler)]
33% - hero self pleasure that she interrupts (short)
52% - 🔥 oral for her
“Is this all for me, Starling?”
59% - kiss
62% - 🔥 fingering for her against a door in the hallway with the possibility of being discovered, followed by bj for him (incomplete), missionary
Distant voices reached their ears, creeping up the corridor. Instead of entering their cabin, David just smirked, his voice low and sensual. “You’re going to come on my hand without making a single sound. Is that clear?”
//
The voices were now so close she could hear what they were saying, but still David plunged his fingers inside her. “If you don’t come now,” he whispered, “they’re going to see you, Starling.”
82% - 🔥 sit on my face oral that turns to 69
Just as he was shoving a third pillow behind his head, a jolt went through him as the heavenly warmth of her tongue licked the length of his cock. David released a hiss of pleasure, quickly followed by a deep, low moan as she sucked on the crown, eagerly taking him deeper on the second stroke – and deeper still on the third.
96% - 🔥 massage that turns into oral for her, missionary
”Fuck,” he bit out, elongating the word into a moan. “Without the condom – fuck. You’re so warm.” His hips moved, stroking into her and pulling a whimper from her lungs. “And wet.”
Readability: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋 (I really adore Spark’s intimate scenes – a really great mix for me of emotional pull and explicitness)
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Humor: A touch
Perspective: Third person from both hero and heroine
More character focused or plot focused? character
How did the speed of the story feel? medium
When mains are first on page together: Takes a bit – about 12% or chapter 3 of 26
Cliffhanger: No, this ends with a happily ever after
Epilogue: No
Mains: this is a M/F relationship between a cishet hero and heroine
Format: voluntarily read an advanced reader copy from the author in e-book form
Why I chose this book: I really, really love what Sparks is bringing to historical romance. She’s become an auto read for me and I am always excited for a new book!
Should I read in order?
It’s not totally necessary (most of the focus is on this couple) but I do recommend at least reading book 1 of the series, Surrendering to the Duke. You’ll get Michael and Emmaline’s background and they have page time here, as well as understanding Oliver’s story. And after you read book 1, you should read book 2 because it’s my favorite!
Basic plot:
Caroline finds solace in her father in law when she finds herself abandoned by her husband.
Give this a try if you want:
- Interwar Years? Book 1 takes place in 1921 but I don’t have dates for books 1 or 2. But the mains from book 1 have children so I would guess mid to late 1920s?
- England and America settings
- taboo relationship – daughter and father-in-law
- dyslexic hero?
- Marquess hero
- plus size heroine
- he spoils her
- fun technological advances like telephones
- one bed
- mathematician heroine
- the fun of American 1920s – transatlantic voyages, Yankee games, prohibition parties and speakeasies
- after he goes down on her, he demands she divorces his son
- slower burn
- mid to higher steam – about 4 full scenes
Ages:
- hero is ‘almost 40’, heroine is 21
First line:
When the clock struck midnight, Caroline knew it was time to go.
My thoughts:
I really liked this one! It has some forbidden vibes with Caroline
being abandoned by her husband early on in the book and then taken in by her father in law. I loved their slow development of feelings and how much their longing for each grew over the first half of the book!
I am very much enjoying Spark’s steamy scenes. They pull me in and I find myself really caring about these characters. I did want a bit more relationship angst in this one – I felt like they fell into each slowly, yes, but also easily and I am just a whore for all the relationship angst haha. Also, minor thing, but I felt like I really liked the dynamic of Caroline helping in regards to the math/paperwork – I wasn’t sure if the hero was dyslexic? And it wasn’t really touched on again after being mentioned. Also I maaaaaaybe want a bit more ‘daddy’ vibes in this one lol but I guess that wasn’t the dynamic here and that’s okay.
I am still not sure how I feel about Oliver coming back from book 1. He was a doozy of an unlikable character, but I did appreciate a diabetic character and the amazing mention of the development of insulin.
Overall I enjoyed this read. The time period is fun and different. Both characters were great and the steam was fun!
Few random reading stats for this author
# of books read: 4
Average rating:
Favorite book: Despising the Duke
Endearments
[ Hero calls the heroine ‘Starling’. (hide spoiler)]
Quotes
[
“Starling,” he graoned, his shoulders brimming with the tension of holding back. “You shouldn’t say things like that.”
She came ever closer, tilting her head up towards his. “Why not?”
His palm found her wondrously soft cheek. He shouldn’t be doing this, and yet somehow his reasoning for not doing this was getting weaker by the hour. “Because they make me want to stop being such a fucking gentleman.”
(hide spoiler)]
Content warnings: These should be taken as a minimum of what to expect. It’s very possible I have missed some.
[
- heroine experiences her husband cheating on her (not the hero)
- scenes/remembrance of abusive and toxic parenting (heroine’s mother)
- parental death
- spousal abandonment
- brief mention of smoking
- fat shaming (including parental fat shaming)
- remembrance/mention of sexual assault
- the villain from book 1 returns but he’s recovered (was able to receive insulin)
- infidelity – the heroine marries in the beginning of the story and finds her husband cheating on her – she then gets with her husband’s dad sexually before they are divorced/annulled
Author content warnings? Yes, Sparks has a list of triggers that are not in the book and also states specific triggers (view spoiler)
(hide spoiler)]
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes, safe sex aspects, consent, pregnancy/child in the story:
[
Safe sex: [ Condoms used for penetration until the last scene when they are married and discussed starting a family (hide spoiler)]
Hows the consent? [ It’s good (hide spoiler)]
Pregnancy/children in story? (Please note this is the best to my memory/note taking. If you see something I missed please feel free to message!) [ There’s some scenes with family member’s children but the main couple doesn’t have chidlren or get pregnant within the story. They do talk about starting a family at the end of the book (hide spoiler)]
33% - hero self pleasure that she interrupts (short)
52% - 🔥 oral for her
“Is this all for me, Starling?”
59% - kiss
62% - 🔥 fingering for her against a door in the hallway with the possibility of being discovered, followed by bj for him (incomplete), missionary
Distant voices reached their ears, creeping up the corridor. Instead of entering their cabin, David just smirked, his voice low and sensual. “You’re going to come on my hand without making a single sound. Is that clear?”
//
The voices were now so close she could hear what they were saying, but still David plunged his fingers inside her. “If you don’t come now,” he whispered, “they’re going to see you, Starling.”
82% - 🔥 sit on my face oral that turns to 69
Just as he was shoving a third pillow behind his head, a jolt went through him as the heavenly warmth of her tongue licked the length of his cock. David released a hiss of pleasure, quickly followed by a deep, low moan as she sucked on the crown, eagerly taking him deeper on the second stroke – and deeper still on the third.
96% - 🔥 massage that turns into oral for her, missionary
”Fuck,” he bit out, elongating the word into a moan. “Without the condom – fuck. You’re so warm.” His hips moved, stroking into her and pulling a whimper from her lungs. “And wet.”