Smitten by Books

I have this book in my gigantic virtual TBR pile. I know I’m going to enjoy it, and because it’s such a great deal, at $1.99, and because I adore Sophie (she’s one of my fave authors – love love her new adult romances) I’m giving away a digital copy to 3 lucky commenters. 🙂

When a holiday blizzard brings together a pair of reluctant lovers, the result threatens their reputations … and may cost them their hearts.

Feisty and independent American heiress Violet Howard swears she’ll never wed a crusty British aristocrat. Will, the Earl of Moreton, is determined to salvage his family’s fortune without succumbing to a marriage of convenience.

But when a snowstorm leaves Violet and Will stranded and alone, their sudden chemistry will challenge good intentions. Seized by a desire that burns through the night, they’ll toss reservations aside in favor of the heat found in each other’s arms.

Will their passion survive the storm? Will they realize they’ve found a love to last them through all seasons?

First book in the Debutante Files series:

After reading A Good Debutante’s Guide to Ruin, I thought the next book in the series would be the romance between Aurelia and Max. The sparks between them leapt off the page. So I was surprised when I realized there was an in between novella featuring Declan’s cousin Will. (I was a bit confused at first because in A Good Debutante’s Guide to Ruin, Will is the Earl of Merlton and on the blurb for this book he’s listed as the Earl of Moreton.)

The heroine, Violet Howard, is an American heiress in love with a man in America. Despite what her mother desperately wants or thinks, she has no intention of marrying a titled lord and making a brilliant match. In this, she and Will are on the same page. He’s not going to marry to pull his family from the brink of bankruptcy his father had left them in. But after avoiding Violet on her visit to his home, once he accidentally runs into her in the stable, he’s intrigued by her. This is an heiress he may actually consider.

This is a novella, so I expected their romance to move along at a quick pace. It did and I enjoyed Will was the one who did the pursuing. I went into this book thinking Will and Violet would spend the majority of the story fighting their attraction. I was relieved to find that not to be the case. Let the historical hero pursue the heroine for a change and not the other way around. More than that, I enjoyed that he made his intentions clear to Violet. How refreshing.

But when a woman has as much money as Violet and the titled lord who is determined to marry is without means, it’s hard for a woman to know much less trust his true intentions. Especially when she begins to fall for him. I enjoyed the way the story unfolded and how Ms. Jordan brought Violet and Will together. A little jealousy, a snowstorm, and an unfortunate but revealing event, in foresight, I should have seen coming, but didn’t.

I loved seeing Aurelia and Max again and can’t wait for their story to come out. I’d forgotten what a stitch Aurelia is, which Violet discovers early on in her stay. But Violet is no slouch, and gives as good as she gets.

“Indeed? Then how do you come to be in England, on the marriage mart, touted as one of the wealthiest heiresses of the Season?”

“Oh, Aurelia,” Lady Peregrine collapsed back on the settee. “Must you say these things?”

Mama still sat there, unspeaking, her mouth agape.

“How does anything come to be?” Violet fluttered a hand in the air philosophically. “A good many things happen without planning or consent. I wager no one consulted you before dubbing you a termagant.”

After that exchange, the two ladies get on like a house on fire. Aurelia knows Violet is perfect for her brother. And this novella is the perfect historical novella to read during the holidays.

Reviewed by Dawn
Heat Level: Sensual