My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Publication Date: 7/28/20
Number of Pages: 256

This was a fun and entertaining read from a new-to-me author. She brings the whole range of emotions into it – I giggled, I teared up, I sighed – it was a really nice read. I will mention that it is not in the least steamy, so if you like steam, you won’t get it here. Since I just love a good romance – with or without steam – it was good for me. The writing is good, the characters are pretty well-developed, and the plot was mostly tight and excellently paced.

I believe this is a re-release as the author mentions that she enjoyed being able to go watch the filming of the movie made from it. You’ll like the characters – even the baddies aren’t really so bad. Plus, you get two romances for the price of one, so you can’t go wrong there.

Jeremy Malcolm is one buttoned-up dude! He’s rich, handsome, and has his own estate. If he were female, he’d be a diamond-of-the-first-water. He’s decided it is time to marry, but he is very, very, particular, and has a list of qualifications his bride must meet. Can anyone live up to that perfection? When he fails to pursue one female in particular, she decides to have her revenge on him. Imagine him embarrassing her by not at least calling the following day after escorting her to the opera.

Selina Dalton is the daughter of a vicar. She is very sweet, giving, caring, and very beautiful. She’s been working as a lady’s companion to an older friend of her mothers until the lady died. With her future unsure, she decides to write to a friend from school – and then hope for an invitation to visit London. She could return home to her parents, but that isn’t what she wants to do – at least not right now. When the invitation from her friend arrives, Selina has no clue it comes with some very tightly laced strings.

Now, you must be wondering why this isn’t a 5-star rating for me. The character development – especially for Julia and Cassie – just wasn’t there. For Julia, it was like there was a line down the middle of the book – on one side she was one person and on the other side, she was a different person. For Cassie, well, I felt sorry for him as it seemed his only character trait was that of a buffoon. Anyway, I enjoyed the story – even with Jeremy annoying me regularly.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.