Series: Games Earls Play, #1
Traits & Tropes: bluestocking; wallflower: compromised; mistaken identity
Publication Date: 12.14.21
Genre/Setting: Historical; Regency; London, England, 1812
Heat Level: 1
Rating: 3.5/5
Since their mother abandoned their family to live with her lover, the Templeton sisters have been living under an undeserved cloud of shame. Quiet, botany loving Emmeline Templeton doesn’t mind living a life of isolation from society, but when one of her sisters makes a reckless bet with an old friend of their father’s, Emmeline finds herself in London for the season. Unfortunately, she’s almost immediately staring down a scandal when she’s spotted leaving a darkened library after sharing an illicit kiss with the season’s most marriageable earl.
Johnathan Parrish, the Earl of Melrose, thought he was meeting another lady entirely. He’s never even met shy wallflower Emmeline Templeton, and given his state of inebriation that night, he still doesn’t know he has in fact met her, but after that kiss, he can’t stop thinking about the mysterious Lady in Lavender and is determined to find her. But the Templeton sisters can’t avoid scandal for long and there’s every chance that Emmeline and Johnathan won’t get the chance to be together after all.
I enjoyed this setup and this group of different but very loving sisters, but I was thrown off by some abrupt scene changes in some instances. Emmeline wound up annoying me with her refusal to acknowledge her feelings, no matter how senseless that was, and the resolution here felt needlessly drawn out. During that stretch, there was an abundance of focus placed on the catty machinations of the ton and not enough on the romance developing between Johnathan and Emmeline for my liking. Also, having read this author before and loved her work, I was a bit underwhelmed by this one, especially in the steam department with only one scene and even that coming very near the end and fairly short. Overall, I liked the concept at first, but it did get a bit old as it was increasingly drawn out.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/534719184
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4211342164
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