I received an ARC of this book from the author. I really thought I would like it, but it was disappointing. I loved the concept because it takes the typical historical romance and turns it on its head. Lady Julia Pembroke is a society spinster (for lack of a better phrase) and Miss Fleur Warburton has come to London with her best friend Jasper to find the man who destroyed her family. Unfortunately, we never really find out what he did to destroy her family. There are hints, but nothing is ever fully explained. Perhaps I would need to read another book int he series to understand, but because this book didn’t tell me, I’m frustrated. There were also several characters mentioned and I felt like ther reader should know who they were, but I didn‘t. I had to laugh when I read Jasper's description of Fleur after being asked if she is his fiance. “I think not. I’d rather wed a sea serpent. I’d rather wed a humpbacked whale. I’d rather wed… I’d rather wed a debutante.” Incidentally, the reason he specifies debutante at the end is because he is gay. Julia and Fleur are on a collision course for one another, both hunting the same villain and both overwhelmingly attracted to each other. The problem is, I never felt an emotional connection to either of them. The love they shared was somewhat superficial and the intimate scenes between them seemed mechanical. Still, the action portions of the plot were compelling and tense and Fleur journey (hero’s journey) was interesting. As Julia is trying to propose to Fleur, Fleur complains about the various physical discomforts associated with love. Her response to the proposal is: “If I am already miserably in love, then it’s only fair that you are as well.” I was fascinated to find that the pastor who was planning to perform the ceremony had done research and found records of other women marrying as far back as 1707. I had never heard of this history, but I looked it up and found it’s true. Amazing. Anyway, I enjoyed the other Fenna Edgewood story I read, but I didn’t connect with these characters on an emotional level. I’m still interested in reading more from this series, and maybe even finding out what exactly happened to Fleur’s family.
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Elizabeth J ConnorWriter. Editor. Proofreader. Archives
September 2022
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