3.5 Stars – Rounded down to 3
Series:  Spinster’s Society #6
Publication Date:  1/31/18

I have read and enjoyed all of the books in this series, but the last book and this one have left me . . . wanting.  I wanted more – I just didn’t ‘feel’ the solutions and wanted to see some other outcomes.  Again, I enjoyed the story, but it sort of felt like wanting pizza for dinner and having to eat asparagus instead.  I just didn’t care for the ‘solutions’ that really weren’t.  Several avenues for the solution were discussed, but evidently not pursued since there wasn’t any further mention of them – for instance – getting the King to recognize the marriage.  This almost total lack of action and involvement just doesn’t sound like the kind of effort the Men of Nashwood would normally make.  There was also only a sort-of halfway end to the plot.  The last two books just haven’t been as good as the first four.  The pairing in the last book was totally improbable and this one is improbable as well – not as improbable as the last, but still improbable.  Hugh is a Marquess – very rich and very handsome, he doesn’t need to marry for money, but his mother’s first choice of bride for him is the daughter of a very rich mine owner.  Just not probable, but none of the books are – maybe that is why I enjoy them.  I’ll be looking hopefully toward the next one!

If you have read the previous books you will know who the Men of Nashwood are and how they got their name – but just to remind you.  There are ten men who met at school and formed a strong bond.  They were all from rich families, but many had unsupportive or uncaring families or had already lost their families and assumed a title, etc.  They looked out for and helped each other.  They were a mix of aristocracy and rich landed gentry.  The gentlemen are:

1. Emmett Starr, Earl of Ashwick – featured in book 1 with Lorena Cullip
2. Calvin Lockwood, Very rich landed gentry – featured in book 2 with Alice Wilkins
3. Francis Cullip, Duke of Valdeston – featured in book 3 with Genie
4. Morris Kidd, Duke of Cort – featured in book 4 with Sophia
5. Rollo Kerry, Rich landed gentry – featured in book 5 with Florence Crew (a lady’s maid)
6. Hugh Vance – Marquess of Edvoy – featured in this book with Taygete as heroine
7. Sir William Tift
8. Aaron Walsh, Earl of Jeanshire
9. Julius Hext, Marquess of Darvess
10. Franklin Lockwood, Very Rich Landed Gentry

Through the other books in the series, we learned that Hugh is a widower.  In this book, we learn the circumstances of the marriage and the loss of his wife and daughter.  We also learn that he was always in love with his wife’s sister Taygete Bellenger.  He was only 18 (say what) when he married Maia and he did it because his mother chose her.  Something about the timing and ages sounded off to me – or I missed something – If he was 18, that meant that Taygete was only 15 or so when they met.

It seems everybody feels responsible for the deaths of Maia and Artemis and they are all keeping it to themselves.  Then, as stories begin to be told and information shared, they discover a bigger plot – against the entire Bellenger family.  There are some absolutely heartbreaking revelations in this regard and that is part of my dissatisfaction with the solutions.  Titan, Taygete’s older brother suffers a terrible blow and there is no resolution for this.  It could have been so easily done, yet the author chose to let it ride.  That did not make me a happy camper – thus the rounding down from 3.5 to 3 rather than up to 4.  The final solution to the villain was sort of just mentioned in passing – no chase – no turmoil – no suspense — just a blurb that Hugh had found evidence and that Livingston had been thrown in prison and was being transported to Australia.  Say what?

The story itself is sweet.  Hugh and Taygete had been drawn together for a long time, but since Hugh had been married to Taygete’s sister Maia, they couldn’t marry (it was against the law in England).  So, each fought the attraction to the other – but neither had married anyone else.  Their journey to expressing their love is sweet and I just loved Hugh.  He’s long been one of my favorites in the series.  So – how do they end up with their HEA and marry when it is against the law?  Well – they just marry.  According to the author, and I have no clue if it was really possible or not, they could marry, but any judge at any time could declare the marriage invalid.  There was also the question of heirs and inheritance.  That wasn’t answered either.

While this is an enjoyable read, if you like all the loose ends tied up, all of the villains to be punished and all the good guys to get HEA’s, then this book will leave you wanting.

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“I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.”

3.5 Stars rounded up to 4
Series: The Spinster’s Society #5
Publication Date: 12/20/2017

I’m not sure why I enjoy these stories so much. They are all highly improbable, don’t follow the forms of address or societal norms of the time and could be set at any point in time rather than the Regency. They are really a modern tale – only with ball gowns and carriages. Still, given all of that – I enjoy reading them. This book is the most improbable of all of the books and, while I thoroughly enjoyed it, it is my least favorite of the series so far. We have a very rich, untitled member of the Men of Nashwood paired up with a ladies maid and that is pretty improbable for the time. I don’t think I got enough information about our heroine’s background to really understand how things are so disparate between the three siblings (one is a curator, one a madam and one a ladies maid). Are they all illegitimate? They all had the same father and three different mothers. How did they come to know each other? Each was apparently raised by the mother and the father showed up when he felt like it. They can’t all have been legitimate because each was raised by their mother – to all be legitimate, the mother would have had to die and the children raised by the next Mrs. Crew. They also all had the last name of Crew – ??? I don’t know – it just left me wondering.

This tale picks up where the last one left off. The Men of Nashwood have rescued Sophia from the Baron of Helsby. Helsby has taken his own life and Aaron, the Earl of Jeanshire, is now the guardian of Helsby’s little girls. The group (Men of Nashwood and Spinster’s Society) have chosen to await the arrival of the two little girls at Helsby’s small cottage in Gretna Green. The men have also planned to stay until the ladies finally decide to marry them. When they arrive at the cottage, they find that it is already occupied by a visitor – a cousin of Helsby and her ladies maid, Florence.

Florence Crew, ladies maid to Elipha Thrup, has endured a lot during their stay in Gretna Green. Finally, Elipha’s baby has been delivered and has been given up to an orphanage and Florence can look forward to Elipha’s recovery and their return to London. Florence is a very lovely and caring young woman and wants the very best for her mistress and she’s very protective of her. Florence knows that Elipha is broken and needs to heal and wouldn’t think of leaving her before she has a chance to do that healing.

Rollo Kerry is a very rich and very lonely young man. He has always felt his parents loved him, but he also felt left out because their world revolved around each other rather than him. So, when they took off on a vacation and didn’t return, he felt totally abandoned. He didn’t even know where they went. I have to say, this part bugged me. He is exceedingly rich and there is no reason he couldn’t hire enough folks to track down information on his parents to at least verify if they were alive or dead. He didn’t do any of that. Even after he had the clues he needed he just assumed they were dead and didn’t verify it.

As soon as Rollo sees Florence he is in insta-lust. He plans to seduce her and have a liaison until they leave for London. Florence is also in insta-lust, but plans to resist his advances – after all, she’s only a ladies maid and he’s a gentleman, so nothing can come of it.. The story revolves around these two dancing around each other before they finally realize it is more than lust.

We finally get four marriages and an engagement out of this! Yes, the weddings do finally happen! I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did.

Please check out my reviews at:
Blog: https://flippinpages.blog/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/flippinpagesweb.wordpress/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FlippinPagesRev
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BarbBookReview

“I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.”