Lord Philippe Lavay once took to the high seas armed with charm as lethal as his sword, and a stone-cold conviction: he’ll restore his family’s fortune and honor, no matter the cost. Victory is at last within reach—when a brutal attack snatches it from his grasp and lands him in Pennyroyal Green.
An afternoon of bliss brings a cascade of consequences for Elise Fountain. She is shunned by her family and ousted from a job she loves, and her survival means a plummet down the social ladder to a position no woman has yet been able to keep: housekeeper to a frighteningly formidable prince.
The bold and gentle Elise sees past his battered body into Philippe’s barricaded heart . . . and her innate sensuality ignites his blood. Now a man who thought he could never love and a woman who thought she would never again trust must fight an incendiary passion that could be the ruin of them both.
I love the Pennyroyal Green series. I’ve also been an eager little beaver for the final book in this series coming very soon.
In the meantime, I fell in love with Lord Lavay. A wonderful Frenchman who’s trying to earn back his family lands, and doing some dangerous deeds to do so. At the beginning of this book Lavay is recovering from injury, and very much acts like a wounded animal. He’s mean and coarse, hopeless and downtrodden. Lavay is oh-so-French and in the deepest part of him honorable. At times I think the character didn’t believe that people existed to do good deeds. Our heroine shows him that not only can someone you barely know help, but they can be loyal, honest, and empathic to another. These little things open the hero up in unexpected ways.
Enter down-on-her-luck, Elise Fountain. She’s lost her job and needs a new one. Quick. Luckily, Lavay needs a housekeeper. Only he’s been scaring off the other housekeepers with his grouchy, taciturn behavior. So our heroine endeavors to perform beyond expectations. She summons up courage and strength, faces formidable foes like stealing cooks, and uses her intellect to make footmen uniforms where the money doesn’t exist.
This romance is one that develops over time, with Elise in Lavay’s employ for over a season. It’s a sweet, enveloping sort of romance that doesn’t take either of them by storm. Even the temptations provided to each other are slow to be embraced. Yet, when these two come together Long excels at making the reward beautiful, and sexy as hell. Both characters and the supporting cast reminded me of why I love Pennyroyal Green. Each book isn’t so much about the characters themselves, but also the setting. I’d even go as far to say if you want to fall in love you do it at Pennyroyal Green.
Speaking of secondary characters, there’s a certain Seamus that I feel needs his own story and I hope other readers agree. Let me also say that the very end of the book had me in fits. I mean, screaming fits and explosions. I had to call three people I knew and tell them how pumped I am for the next book. How the thinking of this book in any way, at any time, throws me into another round of excitement. I implore series fans to gobble this one up, and get excited along with me.
Overall, another reminder of Long’s ability to craft characters you care about and a good love story. It’s a sweet-holler back to historical romances where the romance dominates the plot and reminds me of in faint ways of Austen.
Reviewed by Landra
Heat Level: Hot
