Series: Clandestine Affairs, #1
Traits & Tropes: widowed, mature heroine; titled hero; forbidden romance; unconventional heroine
Setting/Genre: Historical; Regency; England; 1814
Heat Level: 3.5/5
Publication Date: 09.29.20
Rating: 4/5
Stuck at a country inn on a stormy night, Lady Delilah Chambers finds herself delivering a well-deserved set down to several rough men, aided by a handsome gentleman. She feels an instant connection with this man and the two spend the night together with no strings attached. A widow is allowed a few pleasures after all, and the man is gone before she wakes. But Leela faces the worst of surprises the next day when she’s introduced to her gentleman at a family house party, only to learn that he is a duke and on the cusp of becoming betrothed to her much-loved stepdaughter, Tori.
Elliot Townsend, the Duke of Huntington, wasn’t satisfied by one night with Leela and finds himself terrified by the feelings he’s already experiencing for her after such a short time, and haunted by the callous way he left her. But he’s in for a rude awakening when he learns just who Leela is.
Leela and Hunt endure the house party they’re attending, giving each other a wide berth. They both know the betrothal talks have gone too far and that to renege now would cause a scandal and ruin Tori. Leela would never do anything to injure Tori. Hunt craves order, abhors scandal, and has spent his life trying to live down the debauched reputation with which his later brother tainted the family name, but he finds his passion for Leela soon overriding his rational mind and his proper marriage seems like a bleak future.
This book wasn’t quite what I expected, but in a good way. I was super nervous reading this description because it sounded like it was dancing close to infidelity, which is a dealbreaker for me, but I don’t think that actually occurred here. I liked Leela but most especially Elliot. He had some excellent groveling and was very sincere in his feelings and earnest in their delivery. If anything, my issue was with Leela and her insistence on martyring herself, and thereby Elliot, even after obstacles between them were cleared. In fact, it almost seemed like she kept grasping for reasons not to be with Elliot even as he removed obstacles and made compromises for her. That said, Leela did recognize this reticence in herself and it made sense given her struggle to figure out where she belonged. Leela’s struggle with her mixed backgrounds and her decision to live for herself and her own happiness made it all the more endearing when things finally worked out for these two just as I was completely losing my patience with her. There was a lot of exhausting back and forth between Elliot and Leela and I kept finding myself just wanting to shake them both when they kept failing to get on the same page. These two were both set in their ways and resistant to change but they made each other better, although the constant angst did leave this one feeling a bit disjointed in places and threw off some of the pacing. Nonetheless, this was an original plot with good writing. This author was new to me and I liked her style and will be continuing this series.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary advanced review copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/690540153
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