Return to Satterthwaite Court by Mimi Matthews

Tracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Somerset Stories, #3

Release Date: April 11, 2023

After almost a decade in Her Majesty’s Navy, Charles Heywood is disenchanted and resigns his commission, he plans to find an estate and settle down into the life of a country gentleman, but first, he needs to reconcile with his family – he didn’t leave under the best of terms and that weighs heavily on him. So after a quick stop in London to purchase some Christmas gifts, he will return to Heywood House in Somersetshire and try to mend his fences, then find his own estate and then maybe, he will think about marriage. But fate has other plans for Charles and thanks to a mangy mutt, Charles crosses paths with one of the most lovely women he has ever seen. But Charles doesn’t have time for ladies, no matter how lovely, and after a brief exchange, Charles is off, with the dog, not the lady.

Lady Katherine Beresford has just met the only man in London that has interested her, too bad she doesn’t know his name or situation. Kate is in town for the season and to find a husband, her family has a bit of scandal attached to their name, and they are hoping that if Kate marries well, it will help ease the gossip that still surrounds them, but she wants a love like her parents have and so far men have only been interested in her looks or her fortune. The man she met today didn’t seem interested in either, making him almost irresistible to Kate. A little digging provides her with his name and direction, he lives near her parent’s estate, which as luck would have it, she is traveling to for Christmas in a few days. Once home, she writes to him and then finagles her youngest brother to escort her to his family estate. The reception she receives was not what she expected and she learns that a threatening letter was sent and Charles thought she sent it! Undaunted, Kate makes it her business to help Charles figure out who sent the letter and what it means. Because despite Charles’ frosty demeanor, Kate hasn’t given up on finding her HEA with him! Now she just needs to help him solve his mystery and convince him that she is the perfect woman for him! Too bad she forgot that the course of true love never did run smooth.

This was a delightful read, it was well written and flowed nicely with wonderful characters and an interesting plot. I hadn’t read the previous books in the series, which were their parent’s love stories, but since the author did such a great job explaining their backstories, I had no problem understanding the connections in this book. I was hoping for a bit of steam, but this book is kisses only and didn’t need the smexy stuff to give the reader romance between Kate and Charles. The book has revenge, lots of dogs, wonderful secondary characters, a possible secondary romance, mystery, a heroine who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to “chase him until he catches her”, a hero who thinks he knows what he wants until she shows him he is wrong, gunshots, surprising discoveries, disappointments, kisses and finally a HEA complete with an epilogue. I did feel like the ending was a bit rushed and a little anti-climatic, but it was still good and I would happily recommend this title. This is the third book in the series, but it could easily be read as a standalone title.

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