Tag: Diana Lloyd

The Last Lord Standing by Diana Lloyd

On By TracyIn Georgian Era (1714-1837), Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820), Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

The Last Lord StandingThe Last Lord Standing by Diana Lloyd

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: What Happens In The Ballroom, #3

Release Date: May 15, 2023

Lady Olivia Liberty “Libby” Chalford is the youngest child of the Earl and Countess of Winchcombe and the only child who is still unmarried, she is sure her parents want to marry her off, which is something to which she is adamantly opposed, she has other plans for her future, plans her parents and society at large would probably balk at, she wants to start a “modern” charity for the poor. She has given this a lot of thought and plans to put herself in the shoes of the poor to truly understand their plight and thanks to the help of her maid, she has been given the opportunity to work as a shopgirl in the theater district. She just needs to figure out how to work there without her family learning of it. The answer to that dilemma comes in the form of a handsome man spilling punch on her and then insisting they dance as if nothing happened. That dance leads to a kiss and the start of an unusual friendship.

Kerrigan “Kerr” Northam is the second son of a second son, he hasn’t decided what he wants to do with his life and currently runs a charity for widows of sailors, he also claims to be England’s greatest liar. He meets Libby when he accidentally spills punch on her at her birthday ball, an event he was not invited to. He notices her distress over a friend giving her the cut direct and insists that they dance, despite the punch staining her gown. When they part, she kisses him and he believes that they will never meet again, but fate has plans, and when three different friends approach him thinking he is acquainted with Libby. Each of them expresses interest in courting her, but for different reasons cannot court her for a few weeks and want Kerr to “watch” her and keep other potential suitors away. Kerr thinks this is hilarious and agrees because it will give him some more time with her, but his lies are piling up and when their feelings deepen, he doesn’t know how to make things right. Can he prove to her that not everything was a lie or is it too late?

This was an interesting read, I have never read this author before and her writing style took me a little time to acclimate to, but once I did, I found her approach to dialogue very refreshing. This book has a lot going on, there are lies, secrets, witty banter, wonderful secondary characters, social differences, more lies, steamyish love scenes, a guillotine that causes marriage, a couple of triggers, misassumptions, surprising twists, and finally a HEA complete with an epilogue. This is the third book in the series, but I had no problem reading this book without the benefit of reading the first two, however, now I want to read them too… I enjoyed this book and am happy to recommend it, but be warned that there are some triggers that may upset sensitive readers such as sexual assault and physical abuse – I thought the author handled them very well and with sensitivity, but they are both a bit graphic.

*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.*

About an Earl by Diana Lloyd

On By TracyIn Georgian Era (1714-1837), Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

About an EarlAbout an Earl by Diana Lloyd

Tracy’s rating: 3 of 5 stars

Series: What Happens in the Ballroom, #2

Release Date: January 27, 2020

Juliana “Jewel” Latham has come to London to visit her father’s sister and to recover from a broken heart. When she learns that her cousin means to entrap the Earl of Winchcombe into marriage, she intervenes. She sends a note to the Earl and when he arrives, he realizes he is not the target, his brother Penry is and he compels Jewel to point out her cousin so he can warn his brother. He manages to save his brother, but ends up compromising Jewel.

Oliver Chalford, the Earl of Winchcombe came to London to claim his seat in parliament, this was his first visit to the capital and his first society event. Oliver is scarred and past experiences have turned him into a hermit, rarely venturing from his country estate. At first he refuses to offer for Jewel, but when his brother threatens to give up his own love match to save Jewel, Oliver gives in. But marrying Jewel will not be easy – her uncle has banished her to Scotland.

Oliver tracks her down and saves her from exile and promises to help her get in touch with her father in Boston – he learned from her uncle that her father was arrested for sedation, but she is not aware. They arrive at his estate and learn that he has visitors. Oliver is stunned and angered to learn that someone has objected to his request to take his seat in parliament, claiming he is insane and practices witchcraft. Jewel overhears the exchange and rushes in the room claiming to be his betrothed. And so it begins…

This was an odd story with interesting characters, a bit of steam, a decent mystery and finally a HEA with an epilogue. The story does tend to ramble on and there are several inconsistencies and contradictions (that may or may not be corrected prior to publication). I felt the author had a good idea, but then added too many other elements to the story and fell back on the “misunderstanding trope” way too much. This is the second book in the series, but I didn’t read the first book and had no problems following this story.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher.*