Series: The Swooning Virgins Society, #1
Traits & Tropes: enemies to lovers; titled hero; law enforcement hero
Setting/Genre: Historical; Georgian; London, England, 1793
Heat Level: 3/5
Publication Date: 10.27.20
Rating: 4.5/5
Sophia Monmouth is wholly unlike most young women, spending her time skulking after suspicious individuals rather than perfecting her embroidery. Her current task is to clear the name of a young man who’s been wrongly accused of murdering a Bow Street Runner. She didn’t expect to be seen and then trailed back to the Clifford School by a mysterious earl with too much curiosity.
Tristan Stratford may now be titled Earl of Gray since his late brother’s death, but before that he was a successful Runner, earning the nickname Ghost of Bow Street. Sophia is a new challenge for Tristan, but the murdered man was his best friend and Tristan is determined to see the man responsible brought to justice. He’s convinced Sophia is lying or just wrong about the accused man’s innocence, but as he trails her to Newgate and beyond, Tristan grows increasingly uncertain. His desire for Sophia is most inconvenient, especially as she challenges his views on justice and duty and they both find themselves in more danger than they imagined.
Now this is more like it. I’ve enjoyed many of this author’s books, but the last few releases have fallen short for me. This book, however, is much more in line with the first books I read by her and reminds me why she’s a favorite author. I was very unsure of Tristan as a hero at first because he was so arrogant and judgmental, assuming the worst of Sophia for no good reason. But he really had a good heart and he allowed Sophia to open his eyes to what was actually happening and didn’t shy away from it, instead working with her to make things right. I enjoyed Sophia as a heroine and appreciated that she was a bit unconventional. These two were very sweet together, especially Tristan, but a couple more scenes with them together and just focused on each other would’ve been nice. I’m intrigued by this concept and would’ve liked a bit more backstory on the Clifford School and why Tristan was so predisposed to mistrust anyone associated with it in the first place. There also seemed to be a few loose ends in the final action scene that were never taken care of and I would’ve liked more information there, though this didn’t detract from Tristan and Sophia’s HEA so I’m not too fussed about it. Hopefully more details will be forthcoming later in the series. I like where we seem to be going here with this mystery/suspense, almost gothic feel and I’m looking forward to more.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/1443329866
Comments
Post a Comment