ARC Review: Unmasking the Hero (Pleasure Garden #1) by Mary Lancaster
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Series: Pleasure Garden #1
Author: Mary Lancaster
Published August 31st 2021 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.
Goodreads Synopsis
“He is the core of all my hate—and all my love.”
Welcome to book 1 in the the exciting new series from USA Today Bestselling author Mary Lancaster.
Two years ago, the charismatic young Earl of Wenning abandoned his bride on their wedding night, leaving her to face the humiliation and inevitable suspicion of guilt alone, while he pursued his diplomatic ambitions abroad.
But the resilient Grace refused to crumble. Setting aside her bewildered grief, she has become a fashionable socialite living on the edge of scandal, surrounded by male admirers. Now, she awaits her husband’s return with a little revenge in mind.
However, a foolish wager has caused her to lose his wedding gift during a masquerade ball at the infamous Maida Pleasure Gardens, and she is worried it could be used against her. And, by the time Wenning comes home, she has befriended a mysterious stranger she met at Maida whom she believes might just serve as her means of revenge.
The earl and the countess circle each other in a wary, dangerous dance where either might win—or ruin what’s left of their marriage. Meanwhile, a more deadly enemy stalks them.
Can the couple rise above the past and unite before death parts them forever?
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.
After an enjoyable wedding night, Grace, the new Countess of Wenning, expected her life to be perfect. In love with her husband, she was heartbroken to wake up and discover he had left, for China, with a curt note and no word in the last 2 years. After facing the ton and all of their ridicule, she had created walls around herself, and courted a following of rakes and rogues, to act as if Oliver's abandonment didn't affect her. But he's on his way home, and following a drunken wager in which she ends up losing his wedding gift, she has to return to the infamous Maida Pleasure Gardens, where she meets the handsome and mysterious Rudolf. With her feelings for Oliver being all over the place, and the fact that Rudolf seems to understand just how she is feeling, will Grace be able to discover why Oliver left, or will he and her be at risk of losing more than just their marriage?
I forgot I'd had this book on my kindle until the second one was available on NetGalley. I'm somewhat glad I waited a little for this book, because after reading it, and getting to know the characters and the location of Maida Pleasure Gardens, I can't wait to read more. Grace and Oliver were a decent couple, and both loved the other before their marriage. When Oliver discovered a letter supposedly written by Grace to a past lover, claiming she hated that she was forced to marry Oliver, he was heartbroken, and fled the country. Everyone treated Grace as if she had done something wrong, and she only had a handful of people she could truly trust - or thought she could at least. When Oliver returns, and she meets Rudolf, she starts to fall just as hard as she had two years ago, but someone is trying to keep them apart - even going so far as to nearly kill them at Maida. I liked the mystery around who wanted to keep them apart, and why, but one of my main bugbears with this book was just how little communication happened. Honestly, if Oliver had asked Grace about the letter, everything could've been sorted immediately, and even when he returned, it was weeks, if not months, until they actually sat down and spoke about it all, rather than tiptoeing around each other. I did like them as a couple though, and the ending was extremely enjoyable. Knowing book 2 will be about a character we met in this book, I can't wait to start it, and hope we might see more of Grace and Oliver, hopefully living happily ever after once and for all!
Dates Read:
October 9-10 2021
Rating
3 Stars
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