Series: Schools for Scoundrels, #1
Traits & Tropes: class difference; illegitimate hero; bluestocking; fake courtship; virgin hero; low angst; slow burn
Publication Date: 01.24.23
Genre/Setting: Historical; Victorian; London, England, 1850
Heat Level: 1
Rating: 4/5
Lady Wilhelmina Bettesford isn’t interested in the social whirl or in finding a husband, but with six months before she can claim her inheritance and set herself up as an independent spinster, she has little choice but to comply with her new stepmother’s machinations. When said stepmother goes so far as to ask the ridiculously attractive barrister, Bram Townsend, to pretend to court Wilhelmina in the hopes of boosting other, more suitable suitors’ interests, he agrees. At first, Wilhelmina is furious, but when Bram explains that he’ll help her keep other suitors at bay and help her avoid an unwanted engagement, she realizes that their fake courtship will help her last another six months in her untenable situation.
Unfortunately for Bram, spending more time with Wilhelmina makes it increasingly difficult for him to remember that their courtship is meant to be fake because his feelings are quite real. He may not have a title or be able to trace his lineage, but Bram is ambitious, working his way up and fighting for justice with his eye on the position of judge. Escorting Lady Wilhelmina around in the evenings is a boon for him, allowing him to meet the right people while also helping her. But his biggest challenge will be making her see that marriage to him could be unlike anything she’d ever imagined, if he can just convince her to trust her feelings for him over her logical mind.
I never knew that what I really wanted to read in a romance was a solid group of male friends but here we are. Bram and his friends completely stole the show in this book and I adored them for their loyalty to one another and for the fact that they were open and clear in their brotherly affection for and support of one another. They joked and ribbed each other, but they were also very serious about helping Bram process his feelings and find his HEA. They even had a book club together, which of course just melted me. It was impossible not to be charmed by Bram and his friends and to root for him as he dealt with the realization that he didn’t actually want to be alone with nothing but his work and that his friends, though he loved them dearly, weren’t enough to fulfill him completely. Wilhelmina was harder to warm up to. She was incredibly judgmental and very presumptuous and I was just itching for her to finally stand up to her overbearing stepmother. Unfortunately, that never really happened to my satisfaction, but that lady did help Wilhelmina’s pompous father get out of the way of her HEA with Bram so that did redeem her a bit.
Fortunately, Wilhelmina did recognize her faults and tendencies to write things off before having tried them and she was willing to reevaluate her opinions, especially with Bram to challenge her. Really, these two challenged one another and I enjoyed seeing that blossom into the foundation of a true partnership. I loved how much they learned together, even exploring intimacies for the first time together. (Yes, we have an adorable virgin hero here). The character and relationship development between Bram and Wilhelmina was lovely for me, as such development always is, and I very much look forward to the rest of Bram’s friends finding their HEAs.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/356192922
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5014965174
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