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In New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Boyle’s fourth novel in the Rhymes With Love series, a resolute young woman goes toe-to-toe with the Beast of Mayfair

She has no desire for love . . .

As she arrives in Mayfair, Louisa Tempest is horrified when her incorrigible cat bolts from the carriage and dashes into a neighbor’s house, where she comes face-to-face with the reclusive Viscount Wakefield. But even more dismaying than his foul temper is the disarray in which she finds his home. Convinced his demeanor would improve if his household were in order, Louisa resolves to put everything to rights.

. . . until she meets the viscount who lives down the lane

Much to his chagrin, Wakefield finds it impossible to keep the meddling Louisa out of his home, invading his daily life with her “improvements,” and his nights with the tempting desires she sparks inside him. Wounded in the war, he’s scorned society ever since his return . . . until Louisa opens the door to his heart and convinces him to give love a second chance.

Other books in the Rhymes With Love series:

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reviews

Louisa Tempest and her twin sister, Lavinia, have been offered a London season, thanks to a request from their deceased godmother. While Louisa would prefer to stay at home in the country, she goes along with her sister’s wishes, hoping that Lavinia will make a successful match. Their arrival has a disastrous beginning when Hannibal, Louisa’s somewhat mangy cat, escapes his basket and immediately runs into the house next door. This house belongs to Pierson Stratton, Viscount Wakefield, who is the nephew of the girls’ host, and notoriously reclusive. The ensuing racket in his home drags Wakefield from his bed to confront Louisa.

Wakefield was injured while serving his country, and now has a limp and uses a cane. But the worse injury is the one that’s not visible to the eye. His best friend was serving with him, and saved Wakefield’s life at the cost of his own. Since then, Wakefield has been consumed with guilt, and has closed himself in his home, with the drapes drawn, while finding oblivion in drink.

Louisa is like a whirlwind, and I adored her. She is fearless in the face of Wakefield’s blustering and surliness. She sees right away that his household is falling apart, and takes it upon herself to set it right. I found her to be extremely generous and caring – she never expected anything in return for her efforts, and in fact, she mostly just caught grief from Wakefield. When in a temper, he finally orders her from his house with instructions never to return, she starts working on his gardens outside. She’s quite attracted to this unkempt recluse, but doesn’t expect that attraction to go anywhere.

Underneath all his blustering, Wakefield is a sad, broken man, and my heart broke for him. He feels guilt just for being alive, and feels he doesn’t deserve any happiness. He’s built some pretty high walls around himself, but Louisa is starting to tear them down with their every meeting. I love one scene in particular where he forces himself to dress and face a social situation because he feels Louisa may need rescuing from a rake. I found him to still be a hero, though he doesn’t recognize it in himself.

I thought the pacing of the book was spot on. The relationship between Wakefield and Louisa developed realistically. Each meeting had Wakefield lowering his guard a little. The humor in the story was wonderful – it caused me to smile, without clobbering me over the head. I really appreciate when that happens. A wounded soldier is one of my favorite tropes, and teaming him up with a slightly klutzy heroine who has secrets of her own, (along with her damaged, but lovable cat) made for a delightful story that I totally enjoyed and recommend most highly.

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Reviewed by Rose
Heat Level: Sensual/Hot

4.5_star_blog

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31 Replies to “Review & Giveaway ✯ The Viscount Who Lived Down the Lane by Elizabeth Boyle”

  1. I love stories with animals in them! And for Louisa to push herself into the injured Viscount’s life sounds like it will lead to a lot of fun encounters!

  2. Sounds great and has a realistic tone to it that some books lack. Can’t wait to read it.

  3. This looks really good. Why pick a damaged cat? I’m sure it adds to the story, and I look forward to reading ir.

  4. Elizabeth is a great author and I’ve heard great things about this book! The cat especially seems popular…. Thanks for the giveaway and I’ll be crossing my fingers as I’m an animal lover and fan of historical romances!

  5. I am most excited about reading The Viscount Who Lived Down the Lane! I love Elizabeth and her Maiden Lane series.

  6. Would love a chance to win this book as I am an avid reader and have read almost everyone of Elizabeth’s books.

  7. Elizabeth Boyle is a new author to me. This book sounds like a fun read. Thanks for the giveaway and the great review.

  8. Elizabeth Boyle brings you right into the sassiness of the characters. I think they are fantastic

  9. I think I would enjoy Louisa’s handling of Wakefield. I’d love to read about her antics!

  10. I haven’t had the pleasure of reading any of Elizabeth’s books before. Thanks for the great review! The Viscount Who Lived Down the Lane sounds like a must read.

  11. When reading a book written by Elizabeth Boyle, I am immediately drawn to them. As I start the first page I must continue until I am up so late at night that I can barely keep my eyes open. Her books are full of passion and her characters are amazing. It is funny since at times I’ll be reading and when I write a humorous part, I am just laughing out loud out and my family wonders why I am laughing so hard. My favorite is ‘Tempted by the Night’ so if you all haven’t read it yet, you definitely should. I am looking forward to this book, ‘The Viscount Who Lived Down the Lane’- can’t wait!

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