ARC Review: Unmasking Sin (Pleasure Garden #3) by Mary Lancaster
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Series: Pleasure Garden #3
Author: Mary Lancaster
Published December 14th 2021 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.
Goodreads Synopsis
A more intriguing option…
Rebecca, Lady Cornish, is lonely. She comes to Maida Pleasure Gardens, masked and alone, just to feel part of a world that still dances and laughs. But she repels all company—until the mysterious Ludovic Dunne refuses to be dismissed. Intrigued and unwillingly attracted, Rebecca begins to wonder if he might become a friend.
And she is badly in need of friends.
Twice widowed by the age of two-and-twenty, Rebecca is shunned by the ton and reviled as “The Black Widow”, convicted by rumor of murdering her husbands. She endures her isolation but refuses to give up her son to hostile family. Surely Ludovic, a solicitor who specializes in solving people’s knotty problems, is the man to help her fight?
Ludovic, however, is already on a mission to find evidence against her. Haunted by the past, he will never let his heart interfere with justice. By the time he proves the sin is not Rebecca’s, he has lost her trust. But that will not stop him from helping her, even if she never knows.
Mystery and danger culminate inevitably at Maida Gardens, but when Ludovic’s past catches up with him, will love be enough to save him and the woman he loves beyond reason?
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.
Rebecca, Lady Cornish, has been widowed twice at the young age of 22. There's rumours about her late husbands in the ton, and so she is gossiped about, and reviled as a murderess. Her only solace is her young son, though her in laws want to take him from her, and have her punished. Enter Ludovic Dunne, hired to find evidence about her crimes by the in laws, and who needs to get close to her and hope she slips up. So when she goes to Maida Gardens, it would be the perfect opportunity, yes? However, it soon seems that Rebecca has cracked Ludovic's hard shell, and though he prides himself on always achieving his goal, he may have to admit defeat this time around.
The mystery in this book wasn't too hard to crack. I felt sorry for Rebecca, and all she needed, really, was a friend and confidante. Neither of the main character's were trusting people, and it was hard for both to allow the other to get too close. They had been through heartbreak in the past, so were wary to open themselves up again, but I liked the way they came together, especially with Rebecca's son too. This was a really quick book to read, enjoyable though not entirely memorable, and I'm hoping we'll see the couple in subsequent books.
Dates Read:
February 19, 2022
Rating
3 Stars
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