Series: A Lady's Guide, #2
Traits & Tropes: second chance; mystery; compromised into marriage
Publication Date: 11.16.21
Genre/Setting: Historical; Victorian; London, England, 1876
Heat Level: 1
Rating: 4/5
Narration Rating: 5 stars
As the daughter of a businessman, heiress to his company, and a writer herself, Miss Caroline Hardcastle has found herself with a rather unsavory reputation amongst high society. Their snobbery caused her to break things off with the only man she’s ever loved, but she’s happy enough using her column to draw attention to crimes the Ton would otherwise have never noticed.
But when one of Caro’s good friends is kidnapped, she finds herself forced to work with her former heartbreak, Lord Valentine Thorn. When her investigation leads her into a scandalous situation that threatens problems for her father’s business, she finds herself with little choice but to marry Val, even as she wonders if she can trust him this time around.
Val, now Viscount Wrackham, has been struggling to get over his late brother’s death as he tries to assume his new role as heir to his father’s dukedom. Along with that duty comes the pressure to marry a suitable society lady and produce his own heir. Unfortunately, the only woman Val has ever been truly interested in has a wholly improper reputation and seems to still hate him for his mistakes, even if they were in the name of protecting his family and even if he does sorely regret them.
Val sees this investigation as the perfect opportunity to show Caro just how much he’s changed and to convince her that their marriage can truly succeed and that their love is just as alive as ever.
I really did not care for the first book in this series, so I was a bit dubious about the follow-up, but I like mystery and suspense in romance, so I decided to give it a try. I’m happy to say I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. This time around a much better balance has been found between the mystery and the romance and between the idea of women having few options in life and genuine character development. Caroline was downright insufferable in the first book with her utter detestation of virtually all men but that was thankfully tempered here. She still had some of those same ideas and was recognizable as the same independent, strong character, but she also showed a new maturity and an ability to recognize her own faults and mistakes, to take a step back from her impulsive tendencies and think. This time around Caroline was willing to examine the circumstances and feelings of others, especially those of her family and of Val and reevaluate accordingly. Likewise, Val opened his eyes more to how his complacency when it came to his father’s snobbery had been taken as tacit agreement or approval and he took steps to rectify the situation. I loved that there was very little hemming and hawing about the reasons Val couldn’t or shouldn't be with Caroline even though she was the one he wanted. Circumstances brought them together and he stood his ground and refused to be swayed. No muss, no fuss, very little drama; just the way I like it. The mystery was strong here and very easy to become invested in. I think it was handled well and I loved that Val and Caroline worked together to save their friends rather than not trusting each other. It was nice to see their relationship develop, and trust deepen through that process, especially given their strong chemistry. It also must be said that I read and listened to this on audio and, as Mary Jane Wells happens to be one of my favorite narrators, her rendition of this story very likely contributed to my enjoyment of it as well. Either way, I greatly appreciated the open communication between Val and Caroline, and I hope to see more of that sort of emotional maturity in the next book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book and its audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/3588549662
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3899564520
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