{Secrets, Scandals, and Spies Review} The Bachelor Bargain by @MMichaelsAuthor

The Bachelor Bargain by Maddison Michaels
Series: Secrets, Scandals, , #1
Published by Entangled: Amara on May 17, 2021
Genres: Adult, Fiction, Historical, Romance
Pages: 400
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Bachelors, beware. For those who keep secrets and prey on the innocent, you will be exposed, with all your dirty little secrets laid bare to one and all. You have been warned...
Lady Olivia Haliford has had enough. Tired of seeing women lose their reputations, futures, and sometimes even their lives to scandal while the men walk free, she is ready to take back power and stand up for women everywhere. Along with her two closest friends, she plans to start an anonymous publication dedicated to dishing the dirt and exposing the secrets of society’s most eligible bachelors. But in order to do so, she will have to make a deal with the devil...
Sebastian Colver, known as the Bastard of Baker Street, is feared throughout London as the city’s most notorious gambling den owner and undisputed king of the underground. His life is nothing but darkness and danger, so he is shocked when the petite lady gracing his doorstep seems anything but frightened of him. He agrees to be a silent partner in the publishing of the Gazette if she will use her connections to sponsor his sister and launch her into Society and away from his dark world.
But exposing the secrets of the rich and powerful can be dangerous. Almost as dangerous as a lady falling in love with the king of the underground.

I received The Bachelor Bargain for free. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Lady Olivia Haliford believes her friend has been murdered. She wants revenge and wants one of the most notorious men in England to help her achieve it. Sebastian Colver, aka the Bastard of Baker Street, is the only man Olivia will accept being her silent partner in a new publication in which she will expose the secrets of the most horrific men of the Ton. After her relentless pursuit of his purse, Sebastian caves to her brilliant mind and delectable curves. Nothing can ever work between the bastard son of a duke and an honorable duke’s daughter. Or can it?

Maddison Michaels has sucked me into this new series with an explosive start. She gives us lust and romance, mystery and murder, as well as unshakable friendships that go beyond death. While I go into most romance novels knowing I will get a happily ever after, this one scared me to death. Could our author bring these characters together just to keep them forever apart?

These characters had so many challenges, it was almost impossible to predict where it all would end. When both characters are wanted dead and more than one villain is lurking in the shadows, things were more than a bit tense for 339 pages. Micheals makes the journey worth it. Olivia is a spitfire who isn’t afraid of anything except maybe falling in love with killer with an infectious personality. Sebastian is a man on a mission to keep control of his empire, but be kind to those who deserve it. As I turned the pages, these imperfect individuals became the perfect match. When you reach the last couple of chapters and everything begins to fall into place, you will realize the perfection of Micheals new world of Secrets, Scandals, and Spies.