Series: Infamous Lords, #5
Traits & Tropes: class difference; revenge; reformed rake; second son
Publication Date: 06.29.21
Genre/Setting: Historical; Victorian; London, England
Heat Level: 2.5
Rating: 4/5
Unassuming lady’s companion Olivia Michaels is the last person anyone would suspect as the thief referred to in the London broadsheets as the Phantom. Her position in the home of a society matron enables her to learn the whereabouts of the noblemen she has targeted as a way to avenge some of the ill-used orphans she grew up with. But when her employer’s grandson needs her help with his account books, her attraction to the charming rogue Lord Anthony Trent, rapidly presents a threat to her own heart.
Anthony has spent his adult life misbehaving and acting the rake as a way to draw attention away from his difficulty with numbers. His recklessness has enabled him to avoid taking a role in any of his family’s businesses up to this point, but now with his brother going away for a month, Anthony must assume some of his responsibilities. Determined to prove he’s not useless, Anthony enlists Olivia’s help given her natural acumen with numbers. Time spent together going over accounts and inspecting factories soon leads to a friendship and then a deeper connection that could lead to the revelations of the secrets both have worked so hard to hide and which might make any sort of future between them even more unlikely.
I must admit to some skepticism about this heroine and her conclusion that robbery was the only way to have revenge on some of London’s most powerful and most despicable lords, but it worked in the end. Anthony was the typical rakish second son, but most of his bad behavior was aimed at hiding a learning disability so he was a mostly sympathetic character. The development of the relationship between Anthony and Olivia was gradual and occurred mostly on page, so I really enjoyed seeing that and them gradually opening up to each other. I typically enjoy the class difference trope and it was definitely well done here and the scene in which Anthony reveals his true feelings was a good shot of romance into the story, lest we think our MCs were merely in lust. I do wish Anthony had never mentioned the prospect of a position for Olivia as his mistress. I know he had his reasons for avoiding marriage and hadn’t had his epiphany of feelings yet, but I will never not hate that proposition being made any time I see it in HR. Beyond that, my only true complaint in the end is a wish for Anthony’s grandmother to have been put in her place, at least just a bit, as regards her treatment of Anthony and her frequent derogatory snipes at him. Overall, I actually enjoyed this story more than I expected to and will look forward to the next installment in the series.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3601857225
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/1994432703
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