Barbara’s rating: 3.5 out of 5
Series: Miss Prentice’s Proteges #3
Publication Date: 7/28/26
Period: Regency
Number of Pages: 336

As always, I was delighted by Virginia Heath’s wit and humor. She has a remarkable talent for slipping a touch of humor into even the most intense scenes, making it feel completely natural. That said, this is probably my least favorite of her books. Much of that stems from the seemingly endless misunderstandings between the hero and heroine, who repeatedly make assumptions instead of having honest conversations. These are two highly intelligent people, yet neither seems willing to communicate openly—a pattern that continues almost to the very end of the story.

Portia Kendall, a graduate of Miss Prentice’s School for Young Ladies, has been a devoted social reformer ever since reading a Mary Wollstonecraft pamphlet at the age of sixteen. After graduation, she supports herself as a governess while dedicating much of her free time to writing pamphlets, speeches, articles, and essays for The United League for Reform in London. When she is offered the position of assistant editor for the organization’s newspaper, Equitas, she eagerly leaves her governess position and relocates to Bath. Unfortunately, despite all of her intelligence and careful planning, she somehow overlooks one crucial detail—the newspaper position is entirely voluntary. Suddenly unemployed and without an income, she must quickly find paid work to support herself while continuing her reform efforts.

Leopold (Leo) Stone, the Duke of Debden, has more responsibilities than any one man should. His two headstrong younger sisters have already come perilously close to causing a scandal in London, aided by a mother who indulges them far too much. Determined to avoid further disasters, Leo relocates the family to their principal estate in Bath for the remainder of the summer. Realizing his sisters need someone capable of keeping them in line, he interviews several candidates before selecting one particularly prickly applicant. She is every bit as determined, resourceful, and stubborn as the young ladies she is meant to supervise. Surely she can handle them… can’t she?

While I enjoyed the story overall, I struggled to connect with Portia. Much of that was because she was so completely unyielding. Ironically, she never seems to recognize that her own views are every bit as prejudiced as those she condemns. To Portia, the entire aristocracy is morally corrupt—selfish, lecherous, and determined to oppress the lower classes. She leaves almost no room for the possibility that some members of the nobility might actually be honorable people. Although she eventually acknowledges that Leo is different, she clings to her broader assumptions throughout most of the novel.

What made the romance less convincing for me was that Leo appeared to shoulder nearly all of the personal growth. Despite already holding fairly liberal views himself, he is the one who continually bends, compromises, and adapts, while Portia changes very little. Because of that imbalance, I found it difficult to fully believe in their happily-ever-after. A lasting partnership, in my view, requires growth and compromise from both people.

I also felt several loose ends deserved more attention. I would much rather have seen the constable dealt with, the sedition charges resolved, and Abigail and Percy’s romance given a proper beginning than spend quite so much time in London. In fact, when I reached the final page, I was surprised to find the Author’s Note instead of an epilogue. For me, this was definitely a book that needed one.

Even with those criticisms, I did enjoy the novel, and I hope you will too. What ultimately won me over were Virginia Heath’s trademark moments of humor—the antics involving the cat and the raven, as well as the wonderfully entertaining escape from the King’s presentation ceremony. Those scenes reminded me why I continue to look forward to each of her books.

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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