He’s the battle-hardened son of a bastard, raised in the wilds of New York. She’s the sheltered, blue-blooded darling of the London broadsheets, destined to marry a duke. Their worlds could only collide in a boardinghouse by the London docks…and when they do, the sparks would ignite all of England.
Nothing can stop Hugh Cassidy’s drive to build an American empire…unless it’s his new nemesis, the arrogant, beautiful, too-clever-by-half Lady Lillias Vaughn. The fascination is mutual. The temptation is merciless. And the inevitable indiscretion? Soul-searing—and the ruination of them both. Hugh’s proposal salvages Lillias’s honor but kills their dreams for their futures…until they arrive at a plan that could honorably set them free.
But unraveling their entanglement inadvertently uncovers enthralling truths: about Lillias’s wounded, tender heart and fierce spirit. About Hugh’s stunning gentleness, depth, and courage. Soon Hugh knows that as surely as he’d fight a thousand battles to win her…the best way to love Lillias means breaking his own heart.
Release Date: Aug 24, 2021
Series: The Palace of Rogues
Book: 3
Heat Level: Hot
Publisher: HarperCollins
Imprint: Avon Books
Price: $5.99
The third book in the Palaces of the Rogues series started out a bit slow for me, but rapidly picked up pace!
I’ll admit I wasn’t ready for Hugh Cassidy, brash American hunting for a missing American socialite in London. Nor was I prepared for the haughty debutante of hidden depths, Lady Lillias Vaughn. Both characters, their highly flammable attraction and subsequent falling, roped me in, but not fast. No, this was another start-and-stop for me. I picked up the book and set it down a couple times.
The first couple chapters were a little slow, but like most of Long’s books, she wove her spell over me and soon I was locked in to finding out how this dance between Hugh and Lillias would play out. Of the two characters, Lillias is the hardest to enjoy. At first, I didn’t like her, though I soon empathized with her in her quiet desperation.
Both Lillias and Hugh face a problem in the fact they find themselves attracted to each other, a true opposites attract and at the worst time as both of them have plans to marry someone else. You can imagine how well those plans work out. The best part is having the story against the backdrop of Grand Palace on the Thames. From the swear jar to Delacorte’s charming personality, the setting allows for an unlikely romance to unfold.
I’ll admit I didn’t want to like this story as much as I did, but Lillias even charmed me eventually and I loved watching her own horror at falling for Hugh become something she couldn’t live without. There are plenty of emotional moments as well and this book did tug on the heart strings a bit, more than I expected.
Overall, if you love a romance where you can sink into slowly and fall under the spell of an attraction that can’t be denied this is the book for you. For readers who enjoy Laura Lee Guhrke or Lorraine Heath.
~ Landra
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