Series:
Lyon's Den (Book 40)
He's determined to find out the truth…
Alexander Douglas, the fifth Earl of Wrotham, returns
home from the war to discover his estate in financial ruin, thanks to his late
father's greedy mistress. Convinced that Mrs. Dorothy Marble duped his father
out of huge sums of money and forced him to sign over one of the family's
townhouses, Alex makes it his mission to expose her as the criminal she is.
With a widowed mother and younger siblings to support, Alex enters the
notorious Lyon's Den to use his considerable skill at cards to win enough to
repay the creditors. When he encounters a mysterious young man who manages to beat
everyone he plays, Alex uncovers the youthful cardsharp's clever ruse.
She's determined to hide the truth…
Lady Priscilla Gifford despairs she will never find a
husband. Her well-meaning but overbearing mother insists on purchasing horrible
gowns that make Priscilla and her sisters look like puffed-up peacocks. Worse
still, Priscilla and her sisters must perform in endless musicales, even though
they have no musical talent. Between the dismal dresses and pitiful
performances, Priscilla is finding it a challenge to control her stutter,
something she's had since childhood. Tired of being the focus of the ton's
ridicule and determined to break free, Priscilla devises a plan to boost her
financial independence and bolster her self-confidence, a daring plan that
requires the discrete assistance of Mrs. Dove-Lyon, the matron of the infamous
Lyon's Den. When she encounters Alex at the Den, Priscilla realizes the earl is
as clever as he is handsome.
But as feelings begin to bloom between Priscilla and
Alex, a sinister plot threatens to destroy any future they might have.
Another good entry in the Lyon's Den series. In this
book, we have Priscilla, a young woman suffering at the hands of an overbearing
mother. Mom has her ideas of what her daughters need/should do to catch
husbands, and her actions have made Priscilla and her sister Jane the
laughingstock of the ton. Her only bright side is the card games she plays with
her father. Pricilla has a knack for the cards and rarely loses. Desperate to
get out from under her mother's thumb, Priscilla hatches a plan to win enough
money to set herself up in her own home. With Mrs. Dove-Lyons's help, she
disguises herself as a young man and gambles at the Lyon's Den.
After years at war, Alex returned home after his father's
death to find the estate in financial ruin. He suspects that his father's
greedy mistress found ways to fleece his father of everything from money to a
townhouse in London. A skilled cardplayer, Alex goes to the Lyon's Den to win
enough money to repair his fortunes. There he encounters a mysterious young man
whose card skills match his own.
When Alex is attacked on his way home after another
winning night, it starts a rollercoaster of events. There is a link between the
attackers, the Lyon's Den, and his father's mistress, and Alex is determined to
follow it. He also meets Priscilla and almost immediately connects her to the
mysterious young man at the Lyon's Den. Fascinated by her talent and bewitched
by her beauty, Alex finds his protective instincts aroused. Though I didn't
care for him ratting out Priscilla to her father, it opened the door to them
spending time together. It isn't long before Alex's pretend courtship turns
real. The attraction and connection between Alex and Priscilla are undeniable,
and I loved watching them get to know each other.
The romance sometimes seems to take a back seat to the
mystery surrounding Alex's father. I enjoyed seeing Alex unravel the truth
behind his father's death and finances. The twists and turns of this mystery
kept me hooked from start to finish. The resolution was intense, with a
surprise heroine saving the day. I loved seeing justice done.
As always, Mrs. Dove-Lyons manages to bring together two
people who are perfect for each other, though, in this case, it wasn't
preplanned. I also liked her scene with Priscilla's mother near the end of the
book. Priscilla's mother had quite the wake-up call, and I was happy to see its
effect on her.
There are some possible lead-ins to further books with
these characters. I liked Alex's friend Montgomery and would love to see a book
with him. A line at the end indicates he is interested in Priscilla's younger
sister, Jane. There is also Maggie, the younger orphan girl that Priscilla
rescued. Comments about her resembling someone (currently unknown) show a mystery
that needs to be solved.
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