Review: Darling Beast by Elizabeth Hoyt

A MAN CONDEMNED . . .
Falsely accused of murder and mute from a near-fatal beating, Apollo Greaves, Viscount Kilbourne has escaped from Bedlam. With the Crown's soldiers at his heels, he finds refuge in the ruins of a pleasure garden, toiling as a simple gardener. But when a vivacious young woman moves in, he's quickly driven to distraction . . .
A DESPERATE WOMAN . . .
London's premier actress, Lily Stump, is down on her luck when she's forced to move into a scorched theatre with her maid and small son. But she and her tiny family aren't the only inhabitants-a silent, hulking beast of a man also calls the charred ruins home. Yet when she catches him reading her plays, Lily realizes there's more to this man than meets the eye.
OUT OF ASH, DESIRE FLARES
Though scorching passion draws them together, Apollo knows that Lily is keeping secrets. When his past catches up with him, he's forced to make a choice: his love for Lily . . . or the explosive truth that will set him free.

Darling Beast is a book I've had on my TBR pile since it's release.  Why I couldn't get into it, I'm not sure.  Usually, I have to make myself s-l-o-w d-o-w-n when reading Ms. Hoyt.  And since I have declared the Summer of 2016 "Finish Your Goodreads Currently Reading List," I sat down and starting this book -- again.

We first met Apollo Greaves, Viscount Kilbourne, in Duke of Midnight.  His now brother-in-law, Maximus Batten, Duke of Wakefield, helped him escape Bedlam.  Apollo has aligned himself with the mysterious Mr. Harte and is reconstructing Harte's Folly.  Little does he know actress Lily Stump, her maid, Maude, her son, and their dog are living in the burned theatre.

Apollo and Lily are both keeping secrets in hopes of keeping themselves and those they love safe.  I found their attraction interesting yet not unexpected, and I really loved Apollo's first spoken words are in relation to Lily.   Valentine Napier, the Duke of Montgomery, a new secondary character introduced here, overshadowed the main characters and others we have come to know throughout the course of this series.  I can't figure Napier out, so I'm definitely intrigued by him.