Series: Scandal Sheet Survivors, #3
Traits & Tropes: bluestocking; lessons; mystery to solve; titled hero; cinnamon roll
Publication Date: 03.21.23
Genre/Setting: Historical; Regency; London, England
Heat Level: 4
Rating: 5/5
Lillian Ware has no interest in marrying and even less in undertaking the responsibilities of a duchess. She has no interest in ever experiencing the pain of heartbreak again and is convinced that all men, or at least most of them, are scoundrels out to dupe naïve ladies. To that end, Lillian decides to write a book to help ladies separate the rogues from the gentlemen, though her research puts her in dangerous positions, especially when the Duke of Dounreay learns her secret.
Callan MacLean, the Duke of Dounreay, has pined for Lillian for five years, marking his name on every waltz on her dance card, only for her to disappear before he has a chance to claim her. When he finds her attempting to spy on the gentlemen of the ton, he offers to teach her how to spot the less than gentlemanly ones himself. But when their lessons lead them to witness a woman being abducted, they both feel morally obligated to investigate, an activity that brings them even closer and forces Lillian out of her comfort zone and into a confrontation with her own feelings.
I love it when the MCs of a romance have a mystery to solve together and that’s definitely what brought Lillian and Callan fully into one another’s spheres in this story. Lillian had been avoiding Callan for years, mostly because she was afraid of what she thought she could feel for him, and afraid of being hurt by those feelings. Callan, on the other hand, was eager to settle down and embrace his feelings and let them grow, despite dealing with pain of his own. They both had traumas to work through and a bonkers mystery to solve, but I enjoyed seeing them finally let go and be honest with each other. It was especially gratifying to see Lillian embrace her inner strength to fight for Callan when she needed to, finally leaving behind the half-life she’d been living. The mystery was complicated and unlike anything I’ve read before and my only complaint here is a wish for more scenes between Callan and Lillian that came fully to fruition rather than simply being implied; I think I needed that a bit more simply because of how new trusting herself to a relationship was for Lillian after she spent so long resisting and running from it. Callan was utterly adorable as a hero and eagerness to love and be loved made it impossible not to root for him, even if Lillian took a bit more warming to. I’m now eager to read Ailsa and Lord Denton’s story.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5398075891
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/2537699438
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