ARC Review: Undressed with the Marquess (Lost Lords of London #3) by Christi Caldwell
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Series: Lost Lords of London #3
Author: Christi Caldwell
Published November 17th 2020 by Montlake
Goodreads Synopsis
For a heartbroken woman and a daring thief, the most tempting proposal comes after marriage in the unforgettable final Lost Lords of London novel by USA Today bestselling author Christi Caldwell.
Long ago, Dare Grey disappeared from privilege to help the downtrodden. Abandoning his future as a nobleman, he instead came of age as the most skilled—and wanted—thief in East London. But when the Robin Hood of the Rookeries is captured, his influential grandfather offers him a choice: face his heritage...or the gallows. And to step into his rightful role as marquess, Dare must find a wife.
Little do they know, he already has.
Marrying Dare rescued young Temperance Swift from a brutal life. Yet his commitments were elsewhere, and Temperance would not continue in the charade of a relationship that surely would end with her husband in Newgate Prison. It broke her heart to leave the righteous bandit, but she established a new life for herself as a seamstress. One who respected and obeyed the law and kept herself safe—if lonely.
But Dare finds her and offers to resume their role as husband and wife, and this time it will yield a fortune. A fortune that could be used to help the disadvantaged, without resorting to ever-more-daring thefts...
Once they're ensconced in the comfortable family fold of Mayfair, the romance they thought ended years ago stirs again. But when every kiss is shadowed by the mistakes of the past, and a haunting secret Temperance bears, will love be enough to save them from such an uncertain fate?
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.
Just as Dare Grey is about to meet the hangman's noose - with no possible way of escape this time - he is handed a reprieve. He left home when he was only a child, and was never allowed back by his controlling father, but now that his father, and brother, are dead, he's the rightful Marquess of Milford. Unfortunately, the marquisate is destitute, and he has a younger sister he never met in his care too. His grandfather gives him an ultimatum - find your sister a husband, or marry yourself and have an heir, and you can have £20,000. For Dare, that seems an easy choice. He's known as the Robin Hood of the East End, helping those less fortunate than himself by stealing from the rich, and he also happens to already be married - even if his wife left five years ago when he was arrested. Temperance Grey knew her marriage to her best friend, Dare, wasn't a normal one, but it allowed her the freedom to escape from her controlling father. However, she had enough with Dare's schemes and arrests, and after a vicious attack by her father 5 years ago, she left and never looked back. Working as a seamstress in Cumbria, she's shocked when Dare arrives, with the news he's now a marquess, and he needs her help. Back in London, can Temperance trust Dare enough to look after her, and not break her heart again?
This was a book that just drew me in straight away, and I needed to see if Dare and Temperance managed to get a happy ending or not. Dare always knew he was a 'lost lord', being 10 when he first ran away, and then was denied the chance to come home. He saw how people lived in the East End, and wanted to help them in anyway he could, even if that meant stealing from other lords to pay for food, etc. This has landed him in Newgate more than a few times, but each time he manages to bribe his way out, and return to the streets to help. He met Temperance when she was only 10, and her dad was already trying to pimp her out for cash, and Dare took her under his wing. They became fast friends, and it turned into something more when they decided to marry. Temperance had an abusive, alcoholic father, who beat her, her mother, and her brother regularly, and she needed all her wits about her to survive. She's fallen for Dare, against her better judgement, and trusts he'll return after one of his visits to the country to steal, but instead she's attacked by her father, and loses the child she was carrying. This left her even more heartbroken, and she tell's Dare never to return. I honestly felt so sorry for her at this point, and when she was recounting her tale to Dare later on in the book. They were perfect for each other, and though they had a number of obstacles to overcome, like caring for an orphaned child, and dealing with Dare's sister's attitude, but they did so together, and I loved the conclusion. Like with the previous book, the only thing I wished for was more of a conclusion, or an epilogue to see how they were doing following the events in the final pages.
Dates Read:
February 17-18, 2020
Rating
4 Stars
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