Series: The Castleburys #1
Author: Jennifer Seasons
Published January 4th 2024 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.
Goodreads Synopsis
A cold heart meets blazing passion . . . can it be love?
Stifled by the rigid confines of Mayfair society, Lady Carenza Castlebury lives a secret life. One full of passion and color in the heart of London’s rookery, where she sings in a tavern as the infamous Masked Meadowlark. Coveted by many, claimed by none, Carenza refuses to conform to a life dictated to her by her controlling father, the powerful Earl of Castlebury. She will run away from his every attempt to quell her freedom, regardless of what her father believes—and regardless of any man he sends to bring her home. Or so she thinks, until she encounters the one man who stops her—and her heart—dead in her tracks.
Commoner Damon Crowe has made a lucrative living digging through the secrets of the rich and titled. In the recovery business, Damon thinks nothing of assisting the Earl of Castlebury in retrieving his spoiled daughter from her covert nighttime escapades before her ruse is discovered. Damon sees only a hefty payout on an easy assignment. Truly, how big a problem can one nobleman’s bored and pampered daughter be?
Turns out, she’s a rather large one. But when Carenza’s brazen nature puts her directly into the path of the Revivalists—a group of murdering noblemen rampaging London—Damon can no longer deny his feelings for the passionate hellion.
Now he must use all his impressive tracking skills to find her . . . before it's too late and he loses the only woman he has ever loved.
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.
Lady Carenza Castlebury is sick of her life. She may be the daughter of an Earl, but with the gowns and the balls comes a lack of control and being stuck in a box. All she wants is to sing and perform, but her father reach is almost too much. Especially when he hires Damon Crowe, a commoner from the East End, who is well known for doing the dirty work of toffs who would rather keep their hands clean. And for Damon, it's a no win, right? How hard can it be to dig up information about a spoiled lady?
This was another new series and author to me, and it's definitely off to a good start! The Earl of Castlebury runs his household with an iron fist, but his five children all do what they can to push against this. For Carenza, she's a talented performed, and masquerading as the infamous Masked Meadowlark is her way to take back some control for herself. Unfortunately, her father is starting to get suspicious, and also the vile Revivalists group that is terrorising the city has her in their sights. Damon was a commoner, but that never stopped him from accessing parts of London that realistically wouldn't be open to him. He and Carenza had a chemistry that was immediate, and no one and nothing could break their connection. They fought against each other and for each other, time and time again. It was great to see their relationship progress, as well as learning more about why the Revivalists were so important.
Dates Read:
February 22-23, 2025
Rating
3 Stars
