Lady Caroline Lovell is beautiful, wealthy and the only daughter of an Earl. She’s also in her third Season and with no betrothal on the horizon, her parents are beginning to despair of marrying her off.
The thing is that Caroline doesn’t want to be married off. She dreams of adventure, of travel, of being in control of her own destiny, and if she can just stay unmarried until she is twenty-one, she’ll be able to do whatever she wishes.
The return of her eldest brother from the continent with an interesting companion promises to at least relieve her tedium. Lawrence Sinclair, a former army officer, is unlike any other man she’s ever met. The nephew (and titular heir) of an earl, he was given an education only grudgingly and sent off to war in the hope he would actually die.
Knowing he’s doomed to a life on the fringes of society, especially as his uncle is hurrying to marry again and try to get another heir, Lawrence is well aware that Caroline is out of his league. She’s even more unique than she thinks he is, and he can’t stay away, no matter what it costs him.
This is a beautifully written period romance, and I really enjoyed the dynamic between Caroline and Lawrence, especially when they both made their final decisions to take a leap of faith and trust that together, they could make a good future even without certain prospects. Of course, everything turns out all right because this is a romance, but it was done in a very intriguing and unexpected way I didn’t see coming at all. This was such a good read from start to finish, I’m really looking forward to reading more from this new-to-me author. Five stars.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for review through NetGalley.