Series: Lords of the Armory, #4
Traits & Tropes: reformed rake; class difference; working heroine; hero abused by father; scarred hero; former soldier; spy/government work; suspense/danger; hidden identity
Publication Date: 03.29.22
Genre/Setting: Historical; Regency; London, England
Heat Level: 2.5
Rating: 4.5/5
Alexander Sinclair, the Earl of St. James, has an unapologetically terrible reputation as one of London’s worst rakes. When the Home Office asks him to help find the group of men responsible for an assassination attempt on the prime minister, Alec crosses paths with lovely schoolmistress Olivia Everett who wants absolutely no association with him and his reputation.
Without her knowledge, Olivia’s brother and partner in the school has gotten in over his head working with a group of revolutionaries working to overthrow the government. Disbelieving and shocked, Olivia decides to help the mysterious earl in the hopes of saving her brother, but that means Olivia and Alec will have to learn to trust each other if they hope to reveal the villains and escape with their lives.
This story drew me in almost immediately. I’m a sucker for this sort of intrigue in my romance and Alec was exactly the sort of misunderstood hero I can easily root for. At times I was frustrated with Olivia, the heroine, for just how much she underestimated Alec, but that’s nothing all the other women in his life weren’t already doing, even his own mother. Fortunately, even against her better judgement, Olivia did take the time to hear Alec out and was willing to be honest with him first in order to cement his trust in her and get him to open up in return. That one scene in particular, in which this two are finally stripped down and honest with each other, is one of my favorite scenes I’ve read in some time. The tension between these two was palpable on the page, even when they were still trying to convince themselves they didn’t like each other. I enjoyed the mystery aspect here, especially the fact that Alec was still working to try to help others even with the burdens and brokenness he carried himself. He kept trying to improve and overcome and I loved that. Olivia tried my patience at times with her snappishness towards him, but this was mostly because he was telling her things about her brother that she didn’t want to hear. Alec similarly tried my patience when he initially felt that Olivia had lied to him with malicious intent. This frustration, however, was very much worth it to get to that lovely heart to heart scene that so made this book for me. Both Alec and Olivia had been living their lives tethered by past shames that largely weren’t even their own and it was lovely to see them overcome that darkness together. This was a solid addition to the series, and I’ll 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/2619933312
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4589293024
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