When the guarded King of the Underworld collides with a maddeningly reckless lady, the road to ruination becomes impossible not to take.
Lady Frederica Darlington isn’t prim, obedient, or appropriately dispassionate as a proper lady of the aristocracy should be. Nor is she interested in securing a husband, whether rake, rogue, duke, or lord. Freddy wants to live as she pleases in a place she feels she belongs, and for a unconventional lady, the bohemian world of Covent Garden seems the perfect spot. She has a plan to achieve her goal, but when one of her secret missions goes awry and the King of the Underworld rescues her, danger never looked so enticing. And the future she was certain of now feels utterly confusing.
Born and bred on the cutthroat streets of London, Gabriel Beckford has known his share of struggle and loss. He even obtained a few enemies, one of whom is waiting to destroy any lady Gabe falls in love with, so Gabe lives by one simple, necessary rule: never get close. It’s a dictate that’s been easy to abide—until the day Frederica sweeps into his life like a storm. Her passionate nature and impossible impetuousness tempts him beyond reason, and when she declares to make the territory he rules her home, he’ll do everything in his power to stop her and keep her out of his life, head, and heart.
But when a threat to Frederica brings Gabe to her side once more, keeping her at a distance becomes impossible. As Gabe’s enemy closes in, Frederica and Gabe must learn how to trust themselves—and each other—and either submit to the love they thought they never wanted or risk losing the very thing that could save them both.
Giveaway!!!
One randomly chosen, release day (May 10, 2021) commenter will will a copy of this title! No purchase necessary – just leave a comment on May 10th 2021 to be entered, then check back on May 11th 2021 to see if your comment was the winner!!
Tracy’s Review:
Lady Frederica and the Scot Who Would Not by Julie JohnstoneTracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Series: Scottish Scoundrels: Ensnared Hearts, #4
Release Date: May 10, 2021
Now that her eldest sister Guinevere and her friends in the SLAR (Society of Ladies Against Rogues) have all married and her sister Vivian is on the cusp of getting betrothed, Lady Frederica “Freddy” Darlington has a plan for her life – one that does not include marriage to a Lord or living in Mayfair. After meeting Blythe Beckford, sister to Gabriel “Gabe” Beckford, (owner of the Orcus Society, a gaming hell in Covent Garden and business partner of her brother-in-law, the Duke of Carrington) and recruits her to help with rescue missions now that the SLAR is basically defunct – Freddy and Blythe come to an agreement, Freddy will teach Blythe how to be a lady, so she can marry a lord and Blythe will teach Freddy how to survive in Covent Garden, which is perfect since Freddy plans to live there once Vivian is safely married. But when a rescue goes terribly wrong and Gabe has to rescue them – her plans might be permanently on hold once Gabe assigns himself as her protector.
Gabe is attracted to Freddy in a way that he has never been before and he would love nothing more than to make her his, but a betrayal years ago that cost his first wife her life and promised more of the same to any woman Gabe loves has him trying to keep her at a distance. Too bad Freddy is not listening to him and keeps ending up falling in his path. He is determined to resist her, but when she ends up ruined and only marriage can save her, he will have to come up with a new way to save her and protect his heart.
This was a well-written, fast-paced story with very likable characters and a bit of suspense. Gabe and Freddy are clearly made for each other and Gabe’s reactions to her kept this story from becoming too dark. The book has a little of everything, betrayal, murder, steamy love scenes, a hero who refuses to fall in love, a heroine who doesn’t fit the ton’s mold of a lady, a great cast of secondary characters as well as a secondary romance, a really awful villain and finally a much deserved HEA. I did feel like the story ended a bit abruptly and I would have appreciated an epilogue or at least a bit of closure for Blythe and Huntley, but even without that, this was a great story and I would happily recommend this title. This is the fourth book in the series, but it could be read as a standalone title with no problems.
*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. *
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