Series: The Lady's Guide, #5
Traits & Tropes: instalove; virgin hero; impoverished heroine; bookish hero
Publication Date: 09.15.21
Genre/Setting: Historical; Victorian; Dorset, England, 1883
Heat Level: 2
Rating: 3.5/5
Narration Rating: 4/5
Since her father disowned her and her mother, Rosamund Burnell has quite a few problems to contend with. She and her mother are stuck in England, far from their Texas home and she has few options. The most obvious coping mechanism is to pretend she’s still the oil heiress she seems to be and find a wealthy English lord to marry.
Now she’s met the aging Duke of Studborne, a man in need of an heir, he seems the answer to Rosamund’s prayers, and he seemed infatuated with her. Unfortunately, Rosamund’s attraction is only for the duke’s nephew, Benedict Studborne, a penniless scholar. She knows she needs to use her head and not her heart to ensure her survival and her mother’s, but when it becomes apparent that the duke’s courtship isn’t quite the infatuation it seems, Rosamund finds herself trapped in a dangerous situation.
It seems the disappearing maids at the Abbey may not have simply shirked their duties, but something far more sinister may be occurring within the Abbey walls and Rosamund will need help from the frustratingly strait-laced Benedict to get to the truth.
This book was definitely darker than I expected, but the narrator does a great job of bringing the listener into the story. This spooky, gothic tale is perfect for the fall/Halloween season and those who like to mood read. We definitely have instalove between Benedict and Rosamund as they don’t have too terribly many interactions together on page, but they were still a believable couple for me. I wasn’t a huge fan of the misunderstanding between them, but it resolved quickly and in a way that I found satisfying. This was a nice, quick story to get me into the fall spirit, and though it was rather darker than I expected, I enjoyed listening to it.
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/3320991404
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5038124813
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