The Secret Daughter by Anne Gracie

Tracy’s Rating: 3.5/4 of 5 stars

Series: The Brides of Bellaire Gardens

Release Date: December 24, 2024

Zoe Benoit grew up in the slums of London, the daughter of an aristocratic French emigrant and an unknown English gentleman, and when her mother died, she was sent to an orphanage. But her life changed when Clarrisa Studley found her and claimed her as a sister. Clarrisa along with her other half-sister Izzy, realized that they all shared the same father and decided to introduce Zoe to society. They sent her to France with their dear friend Lucy and her husband to learn to be a lady away from the prying eyes of the ton and planned to launch her once she returned. While in France Zoe attends a house party not far from her mother’s former home and when there is an incident that leads to her leaving the party early, she decides to use it as an opportunity to visit her mother’s home. She switches places with her maid and calling herself Vita, she sets out on her own. But it isn’t long before she realizes that it isn’t safe for a young woman to travel alone, lucky for her she meets a vagabond painter named Reynard, who gives her a ride to her mother’s old home and then later offers her shelter. She plans to return to Paris immediately, but after spending time with Reynard, she decides to stay and even helps him with his painting. She falls in love with him and can envision a life with him, but a misassumption of his character has her fleeing without a word. Back in England, she tries to forget him, but it seems impossible and when he finds her, it is clear that she was not the only pretending to be someone else.

Julian Fox, the Earl of Foxton never expected to inherit the earldom and never wanted it. But he takes his responsibility seriously, but that doesn’t mean he is willing to give up his freedom or his passion for painting. So, he takes a sojourn to France for three months and then plans to return to England to assume his responsibilities. What he didn’t plan on was falling in love and then losing her, all without knowing who she really is. He tries to find her but has to accept that she is gone. He returns to England and is stunned to see a painting that he is sure was done by his Vita. He tracks her down and discovers that he was not the only one hiding something, but that doesn’t matter to him, can he convince Zoe that her secrets don’t change the way he feels?

This was a well-written, interesting story with wonderful characters, and while I did enjoy this book, but it was not really the story I was expecting and while I definitely felt the connection between Zoe and Julian, I found myself wishing they spent more time together and let the reader experience the development of their romance. I loved catching up with Clarrisa, Lucy, Izzy and Lady Scattergood and enjoyed the secondary storyline with Millie, but it ends rather abruptly, and it really needed an epilogue to give readers a bit of closure. Overall, this was a good book, and I am glad that I had the opportunity to read it, but it is not a book I would read again. This is the final book in the series, it could be read as a standalone title, but I would recommend reading the series in order for the best reader experience.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *