Series: The Mad Morelands, #1
Traits & Tropes: hero employs heroine to expose a fake medium; house party; titled hero
Publication Date: 12.26.17
Genre/Setting: Historical; Victorian; England, 1876
Heat Level: 1
Rating: 4/5
Narration Rating: 4/5
Olivia Moreland has made a business out of discrediting those who pretend to be mediums as a way to fleece unsuspecting grievers of their money. When Lord Stephen St. Leger seeks her expertise in vetting the supposed psychic who has attached herself to his mother, she can’t deny that the foreboding she feels at his old, castle-like estate is very real, nor can she discount the near instant chemistry she has with Stephen.
Newly returned from America, Stephen hasn’t lived at Blackhope Hall since his older brother married the woman he thought he loved. With his brother’s death, Stephen has been forced to return to claim the title and finds his mother has been completely taken in by a medium. Stephen believes this woman is a grasping fraud and sets out to reveal her duplicity with Olivia’s help, though he can’t help being a little distracted by the connection he feels with her almost immediately upon their meeting.
This book had a wild plot that tended to focus more on mystery than romance, but I never felt like the romance actually suffered or that the relationship between Olivia and Stephen wasn’t believable. Their chemistry and connection were so palpable and undeniable that the romance remained intact, and I loved the fact that Stephen and Olivia were working together to solve a mystery. Much of the drama and plot driving force here was conflict outside their interpersonal relationship and that kept the angst low while still keeping me enthralled and wanting to keep reading (in this case, listening), and that’s what I want in every book I read, though it is increasingly hard to find. Though, I will say it did have much more of a paranormal aspect than I had initially expected, this did not lessen my enjoyment of the story. I really liked the unconventionality of this couple and their romance; the pacing held my attention, and the unique characters were charming and easy to root for. I’ve been reading this series all out of order, but that hasn’t lessened my enjoyment and I’ll continue to do so as I work to fill in the gaps of what I haven’t yet read.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2407123832
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/1282254346
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