This is quick and light reading.
by Amelia Grey
- Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
- Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca; Reprint edition (August 1, 2012)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1402239807
- ISBN-13: 978-1402239809
Genre: Historical Romance
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0
Book Description
Publication Date: August 1, 2012
How can a lady avoid a scandal...
Just as Miss Isabella Winslowe is finally achieving comfortable respectability, the fascinating and decidedly unrespectable Earl of Colebrooke inconveniently appears...
When a gentleman is so determined to flirt...
The darkly handsome Daniel Colebrooke is intrigued and alarmed when an alluring young lady arrives at his door in need of assistance. In a moment of impetuosity, Daniel decides he must keep a close watch on Isabella, and what better way than to strike up a not–so–innocent fliration...
Together they'll cook up more than a little mischief when a disappearing dead body and a lascivious scandal spins their reckless game entirely out of control.
Review:
Isabella currently lives with her vivacious spinster Aunt enjoying the society life and freedom of living in London. Her father has been off with his new wife and Isabella hopes she can remain in London another few months until she is 21. Then she will not have to return to the country as she will receive her own allowance. She plans to live with some independence like her Aunt rather than seeking marriage and living under the thumb of a man.
Isabella was a wallflower her first season in London but she watched her self assured Aunt and decided to emulate her, developing her own confidence. She has taken a group of misfit young ladies under her wing. These girls are not the diamonds of first water but still lovely girls. Isabella invites them into her reading group where she shares tips on building confidence while sharing the fun of reading too.
Isabella’s plans and reading group are at risk when one of the young ladies, Gretchen, plans a clandestine meeting with a suitor and fears she has killed him in Isabella’s garden. Isabella takes the hysterical girl to her brother, the imperious Earl of Colebrooke. He scoffs at the story especially when they return to the garden and find no body.
Daniel was a rakish and disreputable younger son until his father and brother died and thrust him into the role of responsibility. Now he has returned to town to find a respectable wife to settle down with as he manages the family estates. Daniel doesn’t need a free spirited young woman who seems to be up to some mischief that he hasn’t figured out yet. When they discover Gretchen standing over the body again Daniel admits concern but wants Isabella to stay out of the investigations.
The immediate conflict and intensity between these two makes for a fun romance. The story is somewhat predictable but charmingly presented. The romance develops nicely with a warm acknowledgment of their love in the end. The writing is light and this makes an easy, enjoyable read.
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Isabella’s initial reaction to Daniel:
“He is positively arrogant, scornful, impatient, judgmental, and formidable.” ... “I forgot infuriating.” Location 488.
Daniel’s thoughts about Isabella:
She was too open -minded. He needed a woman who would obey him and be a proper Countess, not a woman who wanted to chase after a murderer. Location 2150.
Thank you to Sourcebooks for providing this title through NetGalley. Please check the next post for an interesting Guest Post from Ms. Grey and a chance to win this charming tale.
