Series:
Rebellious Young Ladies (Book 1)
Her rival in business…
Her suitor in Society!
When debutante Lady Amelia Lambourne is presented to
self-made entrepreneur Leo Devenish at a Society dinner, he has no idea she has
a scandalous secret: she runs a magazine for women! He might be charismatic and
handsome, but she knows he's keen to take over her magazine. So she permits him
to court her -- but only to keep her enemy as close as possible…
Good enemies-to-lovers story. Amelia is the daughter of
an earl who doesn't believe in education for women (and barely for men). She
has always had an inquisitive mind, and after catching her studying Greek with
his sons' tutor, the earl sent her off to finishing school to learn proper
ladylike behavior. There she met three other young ladies of similar mindsets,
and they became fast friends. They still meet regularly, and her friends are
the ones who encourage Amelia to start her magazine,
The Ladies' Enquirer.
After borrowing some money from her aunt, Amelia began the magazine targeted
toward women like herself who are not interested in fashion and gossip but in
real issues. Unfortunately, the magazine is not doing as well as she would
like, and she needs more funds to make the improvements she wants. Her father
is no help, and no bank will give her a loan.
It doesn't help that her father is determined to marry
her off as soon as possible and constantly pushes her toward
"eligible" suitors such as the "Vacuous Viscounts." Amelia
has no interest in marriage to anyone. When he drags her to a dinner at the
home of Leo Devenish, he intends for her to impress the other nobles at the
dinner. Instead, she gets into a discussion of women's rights that results in
laughing disdain by most of those present. Leo is the only one who stands up
for her, but even he is dismissive of women's abilities.
Leo is the son of a blacksmith and was provided an
education as part of a cruel bet. However, he parlayed that education into a
media empire and great wealth. He has a reputation as a cold-blooded businessman
who scoops up troubled publications and makes them his own. Amelia is dismayed
to hear him disparage her magazine and, without giving herself away, asks
what he would do to improve it. Though she doesn't like his advice (add a
gossip column), when she witnesses the end of his relationship with his
mistress, she writes that column about him. Stunned by its success, she soon
writes another, and that's where the trouble begins.
Amelia is intelligent but also a bit naïve. When another
encounter with Leo results in a chaste but moving kiss, she writes about it,
though she uses no names. Leo is infuriated by the column he sees as damaging a
lady's reputation and immediately apologizes to Amelia. When she goads him into
another, more potent, kiss, Amelia's father catches them. He insists that they
marry, and Leo agrees. Meanwhile, Amelia is caught in a web of her own making.
She knows Leo has no interest in marriage either and plans to find a way out of
the engagement before the wedding.
I enjoyed watching the relationship between Leo and Amelia
develop. They spend time together "courting," and each discovers more
to the other than suspected. Amelia found that she and Leo have far more in
common than she knew, and the more time she spends with him, the stronger her
feelings for him grow. But she feels guilty for her part in their situation and
is determined to find a way to release him without causing harm to anyone else.
My heart broke for Leo as each part of his past was
revealed, from the abuse he endured at school to his treatment at the hands of
the woman he loved. The more he gets to know Amelia, the more he admires her,
and the greater his attraction to her grows. I loved Amelia's visit to his
parents and its impact on him. Having been burned once, he resists the idea
that he might be falling for Amelia, but all too soon must admit the truth.
I ached for Amelia as she realized she would be happy to
marry Leo if they were marrying for love, but she couldn't stand the idea of a loveless
union. When she can return her aunt's money to her, Amelia knows it is time to
come clean with Leo. I ached for both during that confrontation, as Leo felt
duped and betrayed and reacted with anger. There were some heartfelt scenes
with Leo and his parents as he nursed his broken heart and received timely advice.
Meanwhile, Amelia's friends and aunt give her sympathy and advice. They can see
the truth that Amelia and Leo belong together. I loved the bit of deception
that Amelia's aunt carried out to get the two together. Leo was adorable in his
awkwardness as he tried to express his feelings. The ending was terrific.
I liked seeing both Leo and Amelia overcome the
prejudices of their time to find happiness together. The changes in Leo were
wonderful, especially when it came to his relationship with his parents. I
enjoyed Amelia's dedication to providing intelligent reading material to women
like herself and how that dedication affected Leo. I hope to see more of them
in the following books of the series.
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