Midsummer Madness
Series: A Lord for All Seasons #2
Author: Nadine Millard
Published June 9th 2022 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.

Goodreads Synopsis
He wasn’t ruined by past mistakes. He’d just been waiting for Hope. For his salvation.

Hope Templeworth has established herself as the flirt of the notorious Templeworth girls. Having spent her life being told that her beauty is her only true asset, it’s no surprise that she uses it to her advantage on occasion.

Hope wants adventure, and epic romance. Anything but the humdrum life of a small village.

A chance encounter with a tall, dark, and handsome stranger has Hope believing that she might be on the way to getting what she wants. That is until she finds out he’s the new village vicar.

Gideon Bell, Earl of Claremont doesn’t think he’ll find anything to distract him from the mess he’s made of his life. That is of course until he comes across a half-naked woman walking out of a lake. A woman who just so happens to be the most beautiful creature he’s ever seen.

But if the past has taught him anything it’s that the more beautiful a woman is, the more likely she is to cause you trouble.

Yet he can’t seem to keep away from the beautiful Hope. Especially when he realizes that contrary to being after his title, she has mistaken him for his brother, the reverend. Because if there’s one thing Gideon is sure of it’s that he’s about as far from a man of God as one can get.

Hope and Gideon clash again and again in a series of misunderstandings, mishaps and mayhem. But the more time they spend trying to avoid each other, the more they realize that even though it’s madness, there’s something between them that neither is willing to let go of.

And when Gideon’s past catches up to him, both Gideon and Hope will need to decide if the feelings growing between them are worth the madness they can’t seem to escape.
Goodreads

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

All the residents of Halton know the Templeton sisters, and Hope is the beautiful and flirtatious one. But, she wants people to see her as more than her face, so when she comes upon a stranger as she leaves the lake following a swim - half naked to top it all off - she decides to brazen it out. Coming across the handsome stranger again, and realising he lied about being the new vicar - that was his brother Kit - and he is in fact Gideon Bell, Earl of Claremont, Hope is determined to hate him. But the longer the pair are in company, it's clear the attraction between them is more than either can fight, but their past won't allow them to trust their instincts, and they may be doomed to lose their love.

As soon as Gideon and Hope met, it was clear they were bound for an epic romance. I think I liked this book even more than the first one, as the characters seemed more right for each over. Gideon had had a traumatic experience with the woman who later became his step mother, and was determined to not fall in love, and not marry any time soon. But meeting Hope, here was the only woman who made him feel more than a touch of lust, and he found himself imagining a future, with children and happiness, for the first time. I liked that Hope didn't back down from her ideals, and she wanted to be more than just a pretty face. This was such a fun read, and I'm really looking forward to reading the next book now!

Dates Read:
October 1, 2022

Rating
3 Stars