Tina Gabrielle

When James Devlin learns that he is the true Duke of Blackwood, he decides to reclaim his childhood home, but encounters resistance from the current owner, Bella Sinclair, who refuses to give it up without a fight.

In the Barrister's Bed

A Hotly Contested Claim A bastard by birth, James Devlin lives on his own terms--until a twist of fate reveals that he is the true Duke of Blackwood. Though the brooding bachelor swears to hold on to his freedom, he does intend to take back his childhood home. But once at Wyndmoor Manor, he discovers an arresting adversary in Bella Sinclair. Her hot-blooded claim to his home is amusing. . .and arousing. Which is why he isn't leaving until he takes possession of everything--starting with the bewitching Bella. . . A Sensual Surrender Bella is furious when the Duke barges into her home, declaring it rightfully his! The willful widow is not about to give up her haven without a fight, no matter how determined the Duke is--or how sensual the battlefield. But once she's sharing a house with the beguiling barrister, she is in danger of losing everything--one deep, slow kiss at a time. . . "Well-matched lovers. . .witty comradely repartee." –Publishers Weekly on In the Barrister's Chambers "Tantalizing. . .revenge, secrets and misunderstandings. . .with sizzle." --Romantic Times on Lady of Scandal "Scintillating." --Booklist on A Perfect Scandal "Lively, engaging. . .Gabrielle's barristers will have you swooning!" --Sabrina Jeffries, New York Times bestselling author

Lover of Romance 

This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.
 

  First Impressions

In The Barrister’s Bed is the second book in the “Regency Barrister” series but this is my first time reading this author.. I saw this title in my Libby App and as I have been wanting to explore older historical’s, I decided to grab this one up and I will be honest in that the cover really drew me in, I just loved her pink dress. I am so happy that I was able to pick this one up though, I was quickly drawn into this story and I loved that it was a barrister as a hero (for those that don’t know a Barrister is a lawyer-regency term) and the set up was really fun and I was curious to see how this book would develop. I never know how picking up new authors will work for me, but apparently, this author is my cup of tea because I easily read this in one sitting and I was really drawn into this world that the author created. It has such a real authenticity that is so balanced with the romance and I really liked seeing how these two get entangled with each other, and ended up being a solid read for me.


  
    He had come to Hertfordshire to claim a piece of land and a country home. But his motives had changed, along with his mission. If Bella was in trouble, he swore to help her. And if she wasn’t, then he would ensure that she never had another worry in her life.
  



  Summary

James Devlin, was born a bastard and was ostracized by his own family, except his father who only loved him in secret. James was provided for where his schooling was concerned, and he decided to make a life for himself and became a Barrister, and one of the best in the business. But when his father dies, and he confesses on his death bed that James was never born a bastard, he is now the Duke of Blackwood. James doesn’t care for the Dukedom, but now that he is, he will take back his childhood home that bears only the good memories he has of him with his father when he was young. But what he doesn’t expect, is that the manor has also been sold to another person….the beautiful widow Bella Sinclair. Bella is a widow, and still recovering from the abuse that her husband dealt her, she is determined to find peace at Wyndmoor Manor and make a home here and move on from her painful past. But then she gets entangled with James Devlin, who is arrogant and cocky but is sexy and there is powerful chemistry between them. Bella is determined not to give in to the temptation, but when his life is put in danger because of her past, she will do everything she can to protect the man she has come to love ….


  What I Loved

There were so many elements that I really enjoyed out of this one, The first is the enemies to lovers trope, the angst between the two is so well done. They had such a nice layering of bantering that really worked. They are both sold the same home, so you see how they have to deal with this unexpected surprise and try to work together to rebuild Wyndmoor Manor and work with the tenants. There is a strong chemistry between them both, but neither one of them trusts the other at first. We see how they have this forced proximity to each other and have to learn to work together and deal with one another and learn the value of compromise. The building tension between them is just so well faceted and I was impressed with how this author built their connection,. We also get introduced to some other Barristers and I know one of them is the first book in the series. This is a duo series, but she has some spy barrister novels and I believe they are the other friends that we get introduced to so I am eager to explore this more. The plot that is built within the story was quite unexpected (I think I have been reading too many newer historicals in recent years) because this story took a turn I least expected and I was on the edge especially in the latter half of the story as the plot gets built up with a more dangerous aspect and there are multiple villains and I totally didn’t see that coming and I really loved how devoted James and Bella are to each other, the methods they go to in order to protect each other was so intense and captivating. I never wanted their story to end because I was so drawn into their book and seeing them find their way to a HEA. Tina Gabrielle, is an author I will be delving more into because I was utterly charmed by this solid historical!


  
    The heart makes its own rules. If only one could control it with logic, it would never be broken. But love and logic tend to stray from each other.
  



  What I Struggled With

There wasn’t really anything I struggled with, it’s not quite a five-star read, I actually had a hard time rating this because I really enjoyed it but I don’t think it got to the point of it being a five star read. I think I just wasn’t in the mood for the angst in the first half, but I think if I had been in a better mood for it, it would have gotten a higher rating.


  Overall View

I found In The Barrister’s Bed to be a fascinating historical romance, that delivered just right. It’s a story with an exciting plot, plenty of charm and wit, and an engaging flair to the writing that rocked my socks off!


  
    Love meant bearing his soul, risking emotional pain, and he’d spent his entire adult life barricading himself from that danger.

In the Barrister's Bed

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