Series: Diamonds in the Rough, #8
Traits & Tropes: class difference; damaged hero; visually impaired heroine; caretaking
Publication Date: 09.21.21
Genre/Setting: Historical; Regency; London/Dorset, England, 1828
Heat Level: 1
Rating: 4/5
Raised with the privilege of wealth and title, Marcus Berkly lost his fortune and his courtesy title because of the heinous crime his father committed. He has since worked to find a new purpose in life as a physician and has become London’s top surgeon. He hasn’t attempted to reenter society, but he does have aristocratic friends, which leads to him meeting the daughter of an earl and having his life turned on its ear.
Lady Louise has undergone many painful eye couching surgeries so when she learns of Marcus’ newer and more permanently effective method for correcting vision, she decides she wants to give it a try. Her father is vocally against anything having to do with Marcus, so Louise must take her life into her own hands and resort to deception in order to control her own choices. With the surgery successful, Marcus and Louise spend a great deal of time together as she recovers and their initial attraction grows into something deeper, but a future in which they are together seems all but impossible thanks to Marcus’ poor reception in society and Louise’s father’s staunch views against him.
I’m so happy to see poor Marcus get his HEA and I hope he only continues to get more recognition for his fine qualities and character. It was refreshing to see a hero who is both an aristocrat and a self-made man, as well as a hero in need of redemption but not because of anything he did wrong. He handled everyone’s judgment much better than I think I would have and Louise’s determination to stand by him made her very likable. The he loves me; he loves me not inner monologues that both Marcus and Louise entertained about each other did get a bit old at times and sometimes made me feel like I was reading the same thing over again. I was glad to see them finally begin communicating, even though it was late in coming. The latter quarter of the book saw the plot go a bit off the rails with some interesting device choices, but things did come back together well in the end. I wish Marcus hadn’t been quite so noble in his efforts to push Louise away for her own good and I wish she had stood up to her father a bit sooner. I also could’ve done with a bit more steam, but all in all, this was a satisfying read that kept me hooked and not wanting to put it down.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/2346041335
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3847318921
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