The only
solution to William’s inheritance of an impoverished Earldom is to marry a
wealthy heiress, but instead, he meets Ellie, who needs a husband before her
stepfather forces her to marry a disease-ridden roue.
Newly come to the title, poor and cynical William attends
the masked ball at the Lyon's Den, hoping to find a wife with enough money to
help him get his estate back to a profitable state. He doesn't expect to
encounter Ellie, the daughter of his former commanding officer, for whom he had
a great deal of respect. He was drawn to her the moment she arrived. Ellie was
there to find a husband to rescue her from the marriage her stepfather had
planned for her.
William may be a hedonistic rake but also has a strong
sense of honor. He knows the man her stepfather is going to give her to, and
there's no way he can let that happen. I loved their honesty with each other as
they decided to take a chance on each other. William's protectiveness was
fantastic, and his kindness made all the difference to Ellie. I loved seeing
William stand up to her stepfather.
The epilogue was great.
A deceived lady learns the truth and finds love.
Lady Eva became a seamstress after her parents' deaths and the loss of his money. Her employer knows who she is and arranges an invitation to Mrs. Dove-Lyons' birthday ball. There, she meets the charming Lord Amherst, and they connect over their appreciation for honesty and fairness. But Eva has no idea Drew has a secret connecting him to her family. I ached for Eva and her feelings of betrayal when he revealed that secret. I hurt for Drew because he had tried to make things right and felt terrible about what had happened. I liked Mrs. Dove-Lyons' words to Eva and the difference it made.
Astrid had a hard
upbringing but was given a hand up by a good Samaritan. Years later, she can
both thank him and indulge in fantasies with him.
Astrid goes from a seamstress in one of the poorest parts
of London to the widow of a viscount thanks to a helping hand from a man
determined to help those less fortunate than himself. Years later, thanks to an
invitation from Mrs. Dove-Lyons, she gets the opportunity to see him again. Sutton
has always remembered the hazel-eyed beauty he saw that day. When the
invitation from Mrs. Dove-Lyons allows him to reconnect with her, he can't
resist. I loved their instant connection over their desire to help others. The
attraction that flared between them brought them even closer.
Alasdair vowed
years ago to protect his commanding officer’s daughters if anything should
happen to the Colonel. It appears the Colonel is dying, and now he must once
again face his former love, the feisty spitfire Eglantine Merriweather.
Alasdair and Eglantine come face to face when he is
called to his former commanding officer's bedside. He and Eglantine were in
love and planning to marry until she forced him to choose between her and his
duty to his country. Not long after, he was injured and left the military. He
now lives in London and offers his healing services to the poor. Eglantine
recently broke off another engagement with a man who refused to give up his
mistresses.
Years ago, Alasdair promised the colonel to watch over his
daughters if something happened to him. Now, the colonel may be dying, but
Alasdair suspects Eglantine won't be happy to hear of her father's decision.
He's right - her reaction is explosive and decidedly negative. It was fun to
watch the confrontation between them - it's evident that their feelings for
each other are still there if somewhat overshadowed by antagonism. Eglantine's
solution is to appeal to Mrs. Dove-Lyons for help, not realizing that the lady
knows exactly what Eglantine needs. Eglantine and Alasdair both receive
invitations to the masked ball. I liked how Alasdair's protectiveness brought
them together.
Some shared characters with the author's Duke's Guard
series also played a part in this story.
Bessie
Dove-Lyon ventures into Jewish matchmaking.
The companion story to Don't Wake a Sleeping Lyon. Seth is Alfred's brother and the one Alfred turns to for help. While disguised as Alfred, Seth met and fell quickly for Lucy. Lucy has been compromised thanks to a sprained ankle and a late-night trip to the doctor's office - but by who? Thanks to the deception, an emotional scene at the Lyon's Den nearly ends in disaster.
Lizzie suffers from a
debilitating stutter around male strangers. Will a mask and costume allow her
to channel someone else and enjoy a ball? Perhaps finding a match?
I ached for Lizzie and the childhood trauma that caused
her to stutter. The suffering it caused her was compounded by the teasing she
endured as a debutante, and she retreated to the family estate. She spends her
time in her greenhouse surrounded by plants that do not judge. Her initial encounter
with her cousin's friend Lucien does not go well, and she flees in
embarrassment. But Lucien is smitten and, with Mrs. Dove-Lyons' help, finds a
way to meet her again under better circumstances. I loved the scene at the
ball, with Lizzie's unexpected boldness and Lucien's growing love. There's a
hiccup in his plans when Lizzie goes her own way, but Lucien's patience pays
off in the end.
A second chance
romance. Bessie Dove-Lyon brings together a couple who have not seen each other
for ten years.
Two lovers, parted by families who disapproved of their
relationship, find each other again after ten years apart. I liked Ella's first
reaction when she saw him again. She expressed her hurt and anger quite
forcefully. I liked Gordon's determination to make things right with her. Their
talk of the past was very brief before the flames of their reunion consumed them.
The Duke of Welwyn
makes two wagers, rescues a lady from an unwanted marriage, and defeats a
blackmailer.
Charles, Duke of Welwyn, loves making wagers. The story
opens with him making a wager with his best friend about invitations to Mrs.
Dove-Lyons' ball and his plans for that ball. Meanwhile, Bess is forced by love
for her father to accept the proposal of a man threatening blackmail. When Bess
receives one of the coveted invitations, she defies her fiancé to attend. There,
she and Charles reconnect after her father had refused his suit months before.
When Charles learns of her predicament, he has the perfect plan to win his
wagers and the girl.
Bessie Dove-Lyon foils
a vengeful plot and uncovers a secret.
Good story about misunderstandings and wrongly focused
revenge. After the scandal of their father's death, Ursula and Lenora struggle
to find their feet. Eventually, both find positions that suit them and friends
who look out for them. But when invitations arrive for Mrs. Dove-Lyons' ball,
both need clarification about why. Their confusion turns to anger at the
arrival of suspiciously decorated masks, and they take their anger to the
source. There, they discover there is more to the story than they knew. Along
with them are their friends, the Beaumont brothers, who are determined to
protect the ladies.
I liked Mrs. Dove-Lyons' reaction to what had happened
and her steps to foil the revenge seeker. There were a couple of unexpected
twists that changed the expected outcome. The epilogue was great.
A story
featuring Agents of the Crown attempting to find and capture the traitor in
their ranks.
Charlotte and Elijah are agents for the Crown. Charlotte
is frustrated by leadership's unwillingness to give her missions overseas while
the men get all the best assignments. The current big mission involves
unmasking and capturing the traitor in their midst. On the night of the ball, Eljah
and Charlotte have their ideas of who the traitor is and use their attendance
to capture him. Neither realizes the problem with their deductions until it is
almost too late.
Forced to recognize each other's abilities, they decided
to work together to find the real traitor. They also discover that underneath
their professional competitivity is an attraction they were reluctant to admit.
I enjoyed seeing their banter and cooperation as they pursued their quarry. When
their pursuit is interrupted by a devious trick, both must call on their strengths
and trust each other to complete their mission. The epilogue and the lead-in to
another Lyon's Den book were good.
The Lyon’s Last Chance by Aurrora St. James
A wager and
a promise has kept Owen from the woman he loves for years, but seeing her once
more at the Lyon’s Den masque, he knows he cannot give her up again.
Good second chance story. Grace's brother George is
Owen's best friend. Years earlier, Owen gave Grace her first kiss, partly
because of a bet but mostly because he wanted to. But when George gave Owen an
ultimatum about leaving Grace alone, Owen disappeared from Grace's life,
breaking her heart. The reasons behind Owen's agreement were heartbreaking, and
I ached for the pain it brought to both.
Ten years later, they meet at Mrs. Dove-Lyons' ball. Owen
has never stopped loving Grace and is happy to see her. However, Grace's
reaction isn't as pleasant. Mrs. Dove-Lyons steps in to enlighten Grace about
some things she didn't know and sends her back to Owen. I liked seeing them put
the past to rest before looking forward to the future. The only remaining
obstacle is George. It was interesting to see the struggle between love and
friendship in the scene with Owen and George. I liked how it ended.
No comments:
Post a Comment