Series: Castles Ever After, #4
Traits & Tropes: compromised; spies; titled hero; marriage of convenience; opposites attract; house party; grumpy/sunshine
Publication Date: 09.27.16
Genre/Setting: Historical; Regency; Nottinghamshire, England, 1819
Heat Level: 5
Rating: 4/5
Narration Rating: 4/5
Someone did conduct a tryst in the library during the Parkhurst’s ball and Charlotte Highwood seeks to prove it wasn’t her, despite the rumors flowing about her. She’s been compromised by being found alone with Piers Brandon, the Marquess of Granville, and she’ll have to marry the cold, arrogant, devastatingly handsome man unless she can somehow repair the damage to her reputation.
Piers may be older than Charlotte, but she’s convinced she knows much more about emotion than he does, though he surprises her by revealing a set of skills she hadn’t expected of a marquess. Soon Piers has her heart melting towards him and Charlotte longs to uncover the more painful aspects of his past which he keeps hidden. She must decide if she really cares to prove her innocence or just give in to her feelings for a man who’s determined never to fall in love.
The humor of this story was very welcome in my world at the moment. Piers was starched and stuffy and while I did at times find Charlotte frustrating and annoying, her persistent optimism and lightheartedness were good for him. She brought him out of his shell and enabled him to open himself up to loving and being loved in a way he hadn’t since he was a young child. Charlotte wasn’t my favorite, and neither was Piers sometimes, but I think together they really worked and made a solid couple. I really enjoyed their dialogue and their falling in love process, though quick, seemed natural and felt very real. I definitely related to Charlotte’s difficulty in her relationship with her well-meaning but overbearing mother and how evident the love between them still was.
What I was not a big fan of here was the plot. The mystery we were supposed to feel never really manifested for me and some of the characters who were I think meant to be comedic were just annoying to me, mostly young Edmund. I didn’t much like his sisters, Delia and Frances, either and I really wish Frances had gotten some sort of actual set down or punishment for her abominable treatment of Charlotte.
Charlotte was already ruined and needed to marry Piers so the pretense of needing to discover the identity of this other couple was a bit flat and seemed pointless. I did like that Piers and Charlotte got a lot of on page time together and the steamy scenes between them were on point. I loved how possessive Piers became of her and how Charlotte was able to take a step back and realize when he was trying to push her away just to see if he could. It may have taken her a bit, but she figured him out and learned what he needed to believe she truly loved him and feel comfortable opening himself up. I loved that he wasn’t scared to make her his wife, even if he was initially very much afraid of his own feelings. This was a light-hearted and humorous story and while I didn’t love it as much as I thought I would, it was definitely still a fun read.
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/1999020723
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3032898504
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