Series: Royal Saboteurs, #3
Traits & Tropes: sick/comfort; working heroine; spies; class difference; widower; forced proximity
Publication Date: 03.07.23
Genre/Setting: Historical; Victorian; London, England
Heat Level: 3
Rating: 4/5
Hew Arundel is enjoying a much needed holiday in London after the successful completion of his first mission for the Royal Saboteurs. Unfortunately, his relaxation time is curtailed when he is stabbed outside his friend’s door. When he awakens disoriented and in an unfamiliar room, he knows, despite the fog of pain, that he’s not imagining the sharp tongued woman caring for him. Belle isn’t that great at nursing, but she is intelligent and not scared of anything, making her irresistible to Hew. This makes her dangerous since Hew has vowed to never again allow a woman anywhere near his heart. It shouldn’t be too difficult as Belle doesn’t seem to notice him in that way, until she does.
Belle knows everything about tea and has used her talent to expand the clientele of her family’s tea shop. When she and her father are saddled with the care of an injured man, she is less than thrilled with the prospect, especially since the man is not expected to live. Unfortunately, this is just the beginning as all three of their lives are upended by would-be assassins and Belle winds up right in the middle of Hew’s increasingly dangerous mission. Even more dangerous are her growing feelings for him. Despite having learned that men aren’t trustworthy, she can’t seem to remember that when she’s with Hew.
Though there is much focus on the more actiony aspects of this book (Hew’s mission, his attackers, etc.), this merely serves to heighten the stakes on a personal level between him and Belle. Their time together is limited and they are both under immense strain, not to mention the forced proximity of Belle tending to Hew’s injury, though she is an admittedly terrible nurse. Belle was rather abrasive and at times even rude, but her sharpness and stubbornness were needed to make Hew open up and acknowledge both his new feelings for Belle and the reality of how mistaken he had been in his feelings for his late wife. Hew had to overcome some serious trust issues to open himself up to the idea of marrying again and I don’t think anything short of a brash woman like Belle demanding it of him would’ve sufficed. She had her own issues to overcome, having convinced herself that no man would ever genuinely care for her because of her facial scars. Her closed-off attitude and initial reluctance to accept the barest of niceties from Hew gave this a bit of a Beauty and the Beast vibe for me and added some nuance to the story. I enjoyed the exploration of class differences here and, though Belle did have to grow on me a bit, I liked that she knew what she wanted and went for it. Hew and Belle made for a quirky but charming pairing, and I look forward to other installments in this series.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/3898735994
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5368826474
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