Series: The Three Graces #3
Author: Alanna Lucas
Published March 30th 2024 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.
Goodreads Synopsis
And then there was one…
Evelina Grace, the last of the three Grace sisters, has vowed to only marry for love, and nothing less. But Fate intervenes.
Notorious rake, Lord James Raine, never overreacts. His sister may have eloped with the lowly third son of a viscount, but the situation provides him an opportunity to seduce Evelina Grace, Daisy’s friend. Since the moment he met her, he’s been unable to get the alluring beauty out of his mind.
When Evelina met James, she decided to avoid him at all cost, but through no fault of her own, he’s present at every turn, disrupting her thoughts and stirring unwanted feelings. However, when James confronts her at a social event regarding her involvement in his sister’s elopement, anger quickly turns to passion, then almost immediately sours. With just one touch of his lips, her fate is sealed when they’re caught in the act and James declares they’ll marry.
Evelina has vowed to wait for true love, and will not go into a forced marriage without a fight. She has her conditions—she’ll keep her freedom, engaging in a salon with the ladies of the ton she and her sisters entertain, as well as her dowry. James has no other choice but to agree, although he makes a demand of his own—he wants an heir. Now Evelina’s stuck between a rock and a hard place.
She may be a wife in name only, but she despises her husband, and she’ll never allow him into her bed!
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.
Evelina Grace has seen her sisters find love and happiness, and that is all she wants for herself. Unfortunately, the only man who has caught her eye is the infuriating Lord James Raine, who ever fails to get her blood boiling, or her heart singing. Trying to avoid him at every turn has failed, and when a moment's passion leads to them being seen by the ton, and forced to marry, Evelina will not go down the altar without a fight. Vowing to marry only if she has her freedom, her dowry, and her own bed, Evelina refuses to be anything other than a wife in name only. Her heart has other thoughts though.
I have been waiting for this book since I read the first in the series. Evelina and James' romance had the perfect buildup of tension in the background of the previous books, and their story did not disappoint! Both were very passionate and headstrong characters, and clashed regularly. However, they weren't really "enemies-to-lovers", but rather fighting their attractions. I loved that James seemed to be the one the most affected by his feelings, and though his lapse of judgement in kissing her at a ton event forced them to marry, he was always true to his feelings. He even went so far as to stay away from her after they married because that's what she wanted, even though being away from her was breaking his heart. Evelina just needed a push to realise she wanted him, always, and was already in love, but just in denial. James' mother was vindictive, and I hated everything she did, but luckily the couples love was strong enough to overcome it.
Dates Read:
April 20, 2024
Rating
3 Stars
