Once Upon a Maiden Lane by Elizabeth Hoyt

Series: Maiden Lane, #12.5

Release Date: November 14, 2017

Tracy’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

I thought this was such a sweet book! Mary Whitsun has been a reoccurring secondary character throughout the entire series and it was so nice to see her get a HEA.

Mary Whitsun is an orphan, former of the Home for Unfortunate Infants and Foundling Children in St. Giles but now she is a nursemaid for Lord and Lady Claire. Mary has spent her entire life not knowing her real family, but all that changes the day she meets Henry, Viscount Blackwell.

Henry spies Mary at a bookshop and mistakes her for his fiancé Lady Joanna, but he soon realizes his error and is convinced that Mary is the long lost twin of the Earl of Angrove and Henry’s true fiancé

Mary thinks Henry is just a rake looking to seduce her and refuses to give him her name or her direction. She returns home and tries to forget about the handsome lord. But the next day, Henry shows up at the Claire’s home and he is not alone. He brings with him the Countess of Angrove and her mother the dowager Marchioness. The ladies are sure that Mary is the lost twin, Lady Cecilia and ask her to come home with them. Lord Claire intervenes and tells the ladies to return the next day for Mary’s decision.

Mary can’t believe how much her life has changed and after a visit from her sister Joanna, she decides to take her rightful place and agrees to marry Henry.

Henry is thrilled, he likes Joanna, but Mary sparks something primal in him. As they grow closer, they both begin to fall in love.

But just when it seems Mary will get her fairy tale ending, a surprise twist changes everything and a HEA seems impossible.

I loved this story and it was so fitting that Lord and Lady Claire played such a big role in the book, it brought the entire series full circle. The book is short, but well written and beautifully paced. if you have been following this series, you MUST read this book, but if you haven’t, it could easily be a standalone title. I highly recommend this book and while I am sad that the series is over, I couldn’t have asked for a sweeter ending.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC*