Series:
Lyon's Den
Vicars make the best spies…But should vicars be this sexy
and dangerous?
When Mr. Josiah Barrymore is summoned by the Black Widow
of Whitehall, he can’t contain his curiosity—and trepidation. After all, Mrs.
Dove-Lyon is the owner of a notorious gaming hell in London, and he is a vicar,
albeit one with a secret. When she produces the sister of his dead best friend,
he is shocked. What is Amelia doing in a notorious gaming hell? And when did
she grow into such a beautiful woman?
In desperation, Miss Amelia Fielding arrives on Mrs. Dove-Lyon's
doorstep seeking help. What she receives is unexpected. When a mutually
beneficial marriage is proposed between Amelia and Josiah by Mrs. Dove-Lyon,
Amelia is torn. She needs the protection he can provide, but doesn’t want to be
in his power. Or does she? Her time at the Lyon’s Den has opened her eyes, and
the pull she feels toward Josiah is no longer the simple tendresse of a young
girl, but the desire of a woman.
Josiah owes it to his best friend to protect Amelia, but
that’s not the only reason he submits to marriage. He can’t deny the blistering
attraction he feels toward Amelia even if bringing a wife into his secret life
will prove dangerous to them both.
This was a short but intense story from the Lyon's Den
series that I read in one sitting. When Josiah Barrymore left the army after
the war, he became the vicar in a small village near London. There, he receives
a message from the notorious Black Widow, Mrs. Dove-Lyon of the Lyon's Den,
summoning him to see her. He's shocked when she tells him that the younger
sister of his deceased best friend, Daniel, is in trouble and needs his
protection.
Amelia is alone in the world except for her profligate
younger brother. James is determined to get Amelia's inheritance and has tried
to marry her to one of his friends to do so. Desperate to escape that fate,
Amelia goes to her mother's old friend, Mrs. Dove-Lyon, willing to do anything
required. The last thing she expects is to have her arrange a marriage to Daniel's
friend and her girlhood crush.
Josiah is resigned to his fate until he sees Amelia again
for the first time in many years. He's stunned by the changes in her and
overcome by her beauty and his immediate attraction to her. He's no longer
reluctant to marry her, despite the complications she will cause. After a few
days in the Lyon's Den, Amelia is no longer quite as innocent as she used to be
and recognizes the feelings he stirs in her. Marriage to him will be no
hardship as long as she can adjust to being a vicar's wife.
The chemistry between Josiah and Amelia is explosive. Thanks
to their previous meeting and correspondence after Daniel's death, there is
already a connection between them. But Josiah has a secret and is unsure
whether he can trust her. That worry goes by the wayside when Amelia stumbles
upon that secret and shows she has the intelligence and courage to handle
whatever comes her way. The intrigue and danger of Josiah's other calling added
an extra layer of intensity to the story. They boosted the rapid realization of
their feelings for each other. I liked the epilogue and the surprise sent to
them by Mrs. Dove-Lyon.
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