Series: Lords in Love, #1
Traits & Tropes: titled hero; class difference; loose Cinderella retelling
Publication Date: 03.07.23
Genre/Setting: Historical; Regency; England, May 1816
Heat Level: 1.5
Rating: 3.5/5
John, the Duke of Lawford, is on the way to meet his potential new bride when a carriage accident strands him in the town of Marrywell. With a week-long matchmaking festival going on, there are lodgings to be had in the town and Law must impose upon the hospitality of a local squire. Given that most of the townsfolk are involved in the festival, repairs on the ducal carriage proceed slowly, but it’s clear the squire is also trying to push Law toward his pretty, unmarried daughter.
Sadie Campion enjoys the annual matchmaking festival, but she’s decided to actually participate this year in hopes of finding a husband, but she’s not interested in anyone chosen by her father or brothers and certainly not a man with a lofty title.
Law offers a solution to stop Sadie’s family meddling and offers to escort her to the festival events during the week and help her find someone she can be happy with. Sadie is grateful to have someone on her side and the popularity brought by the duke’s presence at her side can only help her cause, but the more time they spend together, the more Law begins to wonder if Sadie could be his real match rather than a pretend partner.
This was a cute, light-hearted romp, reminiscent of a loose Cinderella retelling. Sadie is taken advantage of by her family, though they are loving, because she uses all her chores as an excuse to hide herself away at her father’s estate thanks to an embarrassment that occurred four years previously. In this case we have a duke, Law, and not a prince stranded by a carriage accident and forced to seek the hospitality of Sadie’s family as the town’s annual matchmaking festival means there is no lodging to be found elsewhere. I got the feeling that I’d read this story before, but that could also be because I’ve read several fairytale retellings lately. We once again have some clumsy, incomplete character descriptions here and I actually at times found myself more invested in the romance brewing between Law’s driver, Holden, and Sadie’s maid, Mavis. Nonetheless, I did enjoy Law and Sadie coming to know one another and developing a strong base of friendship layered over the attraction they had for each other, though she did seem to have just as much chemistry with a couple of her other suitors. I was, however, disappointed by how little backbone Sadie ultimately showed. For someone who was so used to managing her entire family, it seemed a bit out of character for her to be so cowed by petty gossip and the notoriety of a ducal title. Given that this was a whirlwind courtship that took place over the course of one week, the pacing did feel a bit slow at times, but for a low stakes, low angst read I think it works. I liked the whimsical feel of this story and I’m looking forward to the rest of this series from this writing duo.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5355829532
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/3847238083
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