Series: Diamonds in the Rough, #6
Traits & Tropes: heroine in trouble; titled hero; starched hero
Genre/Setting: Historical; Regency; London, England, 1821
Publication Date: 11.17.20
Heat Level: 2.5/5
Rating: 3.5/5
Simon Nugent, the Earl of Fielding, lives to preserve his pristine reputation. He was never able to earn his parents’ approval, despite his best efforts, and lives with the guilt of his past mistakes. When he discovers the daughter of the man who saved his life during the war alive, he sees his chance to make amends. Too bad he’s also fiercely attracted to the woman.
Ever since her father was wrongfully executed for treason Ida Strong has been determined to prove his innocence and see justice served. She’s done hiding away, especially now that a certain bothersome earl has blown her cover and she can’t afford distractions, no matter how handsome. The earl claims to want to help but Ida understandably doesn’t trust easily, and she certainly has no intention of risking her heart, although that seems inevitable.
I really liked this premise of the wronged heroine seeking justice and the hero operating as more or less her sidekick. However, many of the decisions they made in an effort to investigate didn’t make much sense given the clear attempts being made on her life. I also was not a big fan of this hero. He spent much of the book enumerating the myriad reasons why Ida could never be his wife and being puzzled as to why she wasn’t leaping at the chance to be his mistress. His epiphany came a bit too late and this watered down some of the romance for me. The mystery element was enjoyable, and I loved Ida as a heroine. She was strong, knew her own mind, and stood up for herself without coming off as shrewish, which is so rare in recent reads. Despite the danger she faced, she never seemed helpless. The ending was very dramatic, maybe a little too much so, but it did have me feverishly turning pages. I do wish we’d gotten a bit more information regarding the villain’s comeuppance and more of a chance for Ida’s vindication to be shown on the page after it was so hard-won. Overall, this was a solid story and I look forward to Blayne’s HEA next.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/3106293305
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3236155447
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