Alice, Lady Charlton, newly-widowed and eager to embrace a life free of her domineering husband is devastated when a scoundrel appears, brandishing letters that could ruin her. To prevent their publication he wants Alice to find a noble husband—a lord!—for his daughter, Lucy.
Alice is forced to agree to his blackmail but when Lucy arrives, she has absolutely no interest in her father’s scheme. A lord, she says, will only look down his nose at her—and she’s having none of that!
Desperate to retrieve the letters, Alice enlists the aid of her handsome young nephew, Gerald, who in turn seeks the help of his former commanding officer, James, Lord Tarrant. James is soon beguiled by the marriage-averse lady and sets out to teach her about love. Meanwhile, Gerald and Lucy strike sparks each time they meet.
To combat the dastardly plot, Alice and Lucy must learn to trust each other. But can Alice put the past behind her and open her heart to love?
Release Date: Aug 24, 2021
Series: The Brides of Bellaire Gardens
Book: 1
Heat Level: Hot
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Berkley
Price: $7.99
I absolutely loved this book. When you get two romances for the price of one why would you complain? I loved Alice. She is very strong and resilient. I like that the author decided to use an older (over 35 years old) heroine in an historical. I’m so use to a younger female lead that it is refreshing to get a more mature and experience character who still has to find themselves.
Alice is dealt a really rough in life. She had to stay in an abusive marriage for many years. When her husband finally dies, she thinks she will finally be free to live her life but he left her a trail of debt of misfortune. Alice tries to clean up the mess while living in the house that her aunt left her. The problem is that she is being blackmailed by a scoundrel to help play matchmaker to his reluctant daughter.
Alice has the perfect match, her sweet kind nephew, Gerald. He agrees to help Alice out as he tracks down the black mailer who seeks to ruin Alice’s reputation. He just doesn’t anticipate falling for the stubborn daughter, Lucy in the process.
Lucy has been through it all with her father and his latest stunt leaves her fuming. She likes Alice enough but she doesn’t want to spend a season in London looking for a suitable gentleman to marry. She resists every step of the way with Gerald but she finds it hard to resist his charm.
In the meantime, Alice is introduced to Gerald’s friend, James. The two have an interesting kinship as the story unfolds. Alice is so guarded after her last marriage that James has to work to win her over but he doesn’t mind. I really love them together.
What didn’t work for me? Lucy and Gerald took up too much space for me. I connected with Alice from the beginning and I wanted her to have a separate story if that makes sense. I got closure but it wasn’t the same for me. The story moves a bit slow at first but I think it is to build up the suspense and get a feel for the characters.
I haven’t read a historical in so long after burning myself out on them. However, there are just some authors that I want to read no matter what and Ms. Gracie is one of them. Fans of Regency historical will love this. I highly recommend reading her other works as well.
~ Samantha
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