Series: The Muses' Salon, #5
Traits & Tropes: second chance; hidden identity; class difference; spies; titled heroine; road trip
Genre/Setting: Historical, Regency; England
Publication Date: 08.25.20
Heat Level: 1/5
Rating: 2/5
Spinser Lady Emmeline Hartley has valiantly overcome the various trials life has thrown at her but now, rejected by the man she loves, she's just about to enter a marriage of convenience with her oldest friend. But when she realizes she can't go through with the it, the man she truly loves is their to help her escape. Em decides to accept his help and perhaps convince him to take a chance on their love.
As one of the best agents the Home Office has, Adam Montclair is used to filling many roles. But as often as he associates with the aristocracy, he is painfully aware of his own lowly status as the son of a clergyman. No matter how much he loves Em, he believes he could never be worthy of marrying her. His latest mission to uncover the identity of a nobleman plotting against the government requires Em's talent for recognizing voices and, though he despises telling her only half-truths, he agrees to help her knowing it will suit his purposes as well. It's torture for Adam to spend so much time around Em and the more dangers they face, the more Adam's priorities begin to shift as regards their relationship and his position.
Boy this was a convoluted plot. I've only read one other book in this series, so that's likely the problem but there were so many loose threads here that I struggled to follow where we were going. I'm wondering if perhaps the books in this series are all occurring concurrently or at least close to it; they must be as I kept feeling like I was missing large chunks of story throughout the book. Adam and Em's past relationship wasn't ever fully explained so I felt a bit adrift from the start and struggled at times to keep all the secondary characters straight. I did like the overall vibe of the book, but it was a struggle to get through because the flow was so choppy and Em was so hot and cold all the time, while Adam was mostly just fatalistic and too lacking in self-worth. I also found this to be rather lacking in steam, intimate scenes were very vague and left me questioning just how close Em and Adam had really gotten, making their relationship development confusing to follow. After all that struggle, Adam still wound up being pretty disgraced and the story line of the villain was left unresolved, though I'm guessing that's being left for a later book. Overall, I liked the mystery and subterfuge aspects here, but the book left me feeling like I'd just been dumped into a party at which I knew no one. It was just a bit disorienting. I think for me the dogs were the best characters here and this series must be read as a whole, and presumably in order, to be enjoyed fully. This was an okay read, but wound up just a bit anticlimactic for me.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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