Series: Ladies of the Order, #3
Traits & Tropes: forced proximity; mystery
Publication Date: 12.16.21
Genre/Setting; Historical; Regency; London, England
Heat Level: 3
Rating: 5 stars!
Left with her father’s debts after his death, Eliza Dutton has taken a position as an inquiry agent for the Order. Unfortunately, her first client is a lord who is a known gambler and given her father’s disastrous proclivities for risk-taking, she dislikes Lord Roxburgh immediately and longs to refuse him. But Eliza has no choice; she must help him or find another position.
Adam, Lord Roxburgh, has his own reasons for taking risks at the gaming tables, none of which have anything to do with his finances. When a guest at his home is found murdered in his garden, Adam must set aside his reckless pastime and set about salvaging his sister’s reputation.
As Eliza and Adam work together to uncover the truth, she also learns that there is much more to him than meets the eye, and begins to wonder if he could set aside his bad habits in exchange for something more with her.
I am still struggling to stay focused on things as my family works through a time of grief, but the romance and mystery of this book were both so well done that it served as the perfect escape when I needed it. Adam may just be one of my new favorite heroes, simply because he was so willing to grow and change, to analyze the choices he’d made and his reasons for making them, to make changes, to examine his feelings and admit them aloud to Eliza, despite his deeply ingrained fears of loss and rejection. In short, he was pretty close to perfection, all hiding beneath a carefree façade that Eliza fortunately saw through almost immediately. I also loved that Adam challenged Eliza’s assumptions and showed her how to think more deeply and understand what it was she was seeing beneath his societal mask. It was great seeing these two come together gradually and then explosively and I adored how they worked together to resolve the mystery and were open with each other almost from the start. Neither would let the other hide their feelings or fears and that may have been my favorite part. This was another stellar addition to the series, and I look forward to the next installment.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/1310830436
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4275720089
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