Unmasked by Her Lover
Series: Season of Scandal #4
Author: Mary Lancaster
Published January 12th 2021 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.

Goodreads Synopsis
Revealing the true love of her life! The thrilling conclusion to the Season of Scandal series!

Lady Meg’s parents decide that the best solution to the scandal breaking over her head, is to marry her to her old childhood friend, Harry. Meg will not allow it. Instead, she persuades Harry to take her secretly to her twin sister’s house in Kent to ride out the storm.

Captain Lord Harry de Vere, a brave and dashing veteran of the Peninsular war, has never forgotten the enchanting playmate who once won his heart and rejected him. He is happy to enter one more adventure with her, though he has no intention of falling in love with her again.

But this is Meg, and inevitably their simple plan is quickly complicated. Her sister Martha is mysteriously missing. Her brother-in-law. Lord Calvert, talks her into masquerading as Martha – which might have been more amusing had she not once been Martha’s rival for Calvert’s heart and hand.

But Lord Barden, the architect of the scandal that was supposed to ruin four innocent young women, is expected for Martha’s masked ball. Meg and Harry prepare to bring him down once and for all – and invite the other three ladies and their new husbands to assist.

Will Barden finally get his just desserts? And will Meg’s feelings finally be unmasked by the man she never wanted to love?
Goodreads

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

The final lady in waiting to the Princess of Wales, Lady Meg Winter knows that the scandal she and her fellow ladies are facing could ruin her whole family. As the unmarried daughter of the Duke of Dearham, being implicated in a scandalous orgy is the worst thing imaginable. Her parents plan to marry her off to her childhood friend, Captain Lord Harry de Vere, who once asked to marry her, but was refused for being the younger son. Now a noted war hero, he's a respectable choice when there aren't many left, but Meg won't do that to Harry. No, instead she asks Harry to help her flee to her sister's estate in the country, and put out that she was never at the Palace, but has been with Martha the entire time. However, when they eventually arrive, it's clear that Martha is missing, in the middle of a house party she had planned, and now Meg's brother in law is begging her to masquerade as her twin sister so no one is the wiser. Will Meg be able to weather the storm, and help save her sister's marriage, all while serving Barden the just reward he so desperately deserves?

I have really enjoyed all of the books in this series, and was desperate to see how the sorry saga all four ladies found themselves in was finally dealt with. Meg was a lovely main character, who was well placed in society as the daughter of a duke, but she never wanted to marry, and had always been more at home with her family and friends, like Harry, making plans and messing around, rather than settling down. When Harry left to go fight on the continent, she was heartbroken, but even then she didn't understand her feelings were anything more than friendship for her oldest friend. Now that he's returned, injured but alive, and seemingly will be forced to marry her imminently, she will do anything to ensure he isn't forced against his will, and instead decides to go along with Calvert's harebrained scheme of masquerading as her twin, Martha. I loved her strength and sheer will to help others, not even really thinking of herself. For Harry, he suited Meg so well, and they were made for each other. He, on the other hand, had always loved her, and never forgot her while abroad, so finding himself as her hero was almost a blessing in disguise. Yes, there were a lot of twists and turns, trials and tribulations that got in the way of their happiness, but I loved the conclusion of the book. Seeing all four ladies again, happily in love, and working together to stop Barden once and for all, was amazing, and the epilogue was just that added bonus that nicely tied the whole series up. A perfect ending to such an enjoyable series.

Dates Read:
December 31, 2020-January 1, 2021

Rating
4 Stars