Series: None
Author: Emma Orchard
Published September 5th 2024 by Boldwood Books
Goodreads Synopsis
Autumn, 1816...
Lady Ashby is grieving the death of her beloved husband, just two years earlier. Although still young and beautiful, Isabella is resolved never to marry again, and plans to leave London, return to her parents’ Yorkshire house, and resign from society before the year is over. But first, she wants one more taste of life…
Isabella has written a list, the contents of which, if discovered, would create a scandal that neither she nor her family would recover from. A list of things she would like to experience, just once more, before she surrenders herself to the life of a widow. And she knows just the man to help her: her friend, handsome and honourable Captain Leo Winterton.
But Captain Winterton has a secret of his own. He is in love with Isabella – and when she makes her most improper proposal to him, he is powerless to resist her, even if she is resolved never to love again. Can he persuade her they are destined to be together? Or will their impropriety be discovered, to the ruin of both?
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.
After struggling following her husband’s untimely death, Lady Isabella Ashby is resolved to find herself again. She’s created a list of all the things that she is missing since widowhood, the intimate things, and has chosen the man who will help her explore her sensuality. Unfortunately the man she has chosen, the honourable Captain Leo Winterton, just happens to be in love with her, and will do anything she asks to have a small chance with her.
When this book was advertised on NetGalley, I decided that I needed to request it as we had met Isabella in A Duke of One’s Own, and her story had been so tragic that she just deserved a happy ending. I did like her character and resolve, and she and Leo definitely had the right chemistry for their agreement, but something was missing. I don’t know what it was, but I was always wanting a bit more, and the first 1/3 of the book was a little bit of a drag to get through. However, it definitely made up for it later on, and though the path to happiness wasn’t easy, it was worth it.
Dates Read:
August 16-18, 2024
Rating
3 Stars
Emma Orchard is the author of several well-reviewed regency romance novels published by Allison & Busby. In her other life she is a literary agent. Her first book with Boldwood is a raunchy romp set in Regency London.
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