A Kiss from the Marquess
Series: The Duke’s Lost Treasures #2
Author: Lana Williams
Published August 4th 2022 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.

Goodreads Synopsis
A reclusive marquess meets a spirited lady and nothing will ever be the same.

Norah Wright is filled with guilt for what happened the day her father died while digging for treasure on Oak Island. Determined his work isn’t forgotten, she finds the perfect museum to display the few artifacts he found. But convincing the absentminded marquess who owns it to agree is a challenge.

Simon Webb, the Marquess of Vanbridge, carefully cultivates the artifacts on display at the Museum of Antiquities. His quiet and reclusive life focused on history helps ease the pain of his youth. He doesn’t fit in with Society, nor does he care to...until Norah barges into his world.

Though her eldest sister wants her to find a husband, Norah seeks adventure after their sheltered upbringing on the small island. She has no intention of marrying until she’s had a chance to truly live.

An unexpected kiss with Norah, who is opposite of him in every way, shocks Simon. She’s strong-willed, has more friends from her brief time in London than he’s made his entire life, and stirs a passion within him that he didn’t realize was possible.

When one of Norah’s father’s artifacts goes missing from Simon’s museum, along with several others, the pair must work together to uncover the thief even as desire burns between them, putting everything they hold dear at risk.
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

Norah wishes she never spoke harshly to her father on the day he died. Trying to atone for it, she wants the Marquess of Vanbridge to open an exhibit at his museum in honour of her late father, but getting him to turn up to any of her meetings is proving to be difficult. Deciding to take matters into her own hands, she turns up at Vanbridge's home, and is shocked to see that he is just a shy man, more at home with his own studies rather than in society. Simon is intrigued by the beautiful woman who storms into his study and demands a meeting. Though not interested in pirate treasure himself, he finds himself agreeing to create the perfect exhibit for her father's items, to great success. But when items, including David Wright's coin, go missing, Simon and Norah find themselves involved in a plot which seems too big for them to manage alone, and which may be dangerous.

I like how the theme of the sister's time on Oak Island runs through the series. After Ella and Marbury have married, Norah finds she wants to have something to do, and a museum exhibit is perfect. Vanbridge's museum is the best, but she's angry he keeps forgetting her appointment. When they finally meet, the attraction is instantly there, and I loved that both characters came out of their shells, and were able to be vulnerable to each other, when they've always hidden those parts of themselves. Norah and Simon really were a great couple, made for each other, which was clear throughout the entire book. I hope book 3 explores Lena's 'feelings' a little more, as they were extremely useful here.

Dates Read:
December 18-19, 2022

Rating
3 Stars