A Perennial Wallflower…
When Mira Fitzhenry’s guardian arranges her engagement to one of the most scandalous, yet devastatingly handsome lords to ever grace the peerage, all of society is abuzz. After all, the man has left a trio of dead young women in his wake, including his first fiancée.
A Gothic Villain…
Expecting to scare the chit away within five minutes of meeting him, scarred and brooding Nicholas, the Viscount Ashfield, is intrigued by the unfashionably lovely Mira, but his family’s dark secret means he must fight his attractions. No matter what his heart wants.
As the wedding approaches, Nicholas and Mira grow ever closer, yet so does the very real danger. Will the truth bring Nicholas and Mira together or tear their love apart?
I kept thinking this was going to turn paranormal at some point, but no, it was just an old fashion murder mystery with a Regency setting. The tone is a little gothic, but mostly its standard mass market fare with an alpha leaning hero (although he actually is kind of sweet and likeable) and a spinsterish, sassy and smart heroine.
I found Mira to be a bit annoying, for all her supposed cleverness. Mostly, it was because her proclamations about solving the murder mystery felt diametrically opposed to her position, her education, and the era. I also felt like her backstory was a little like Swiss cheese, or if it was there I skimmed over it because it was too much exposition.
The book is generally a marriage of convenience story with a few twists, including the suspicions surrounding the hero who is said to have murdered three young women. I guessed the true culprit pretty quickly, so that took some of the suspense and fun away for me. What’s left is decent romance among windswept cliffs in a castle.
I would like to see what else the author has on offer, as this one rang a little hollow for me. However, for the darker dreary days, the tone worked. The romantic tension was great and although the heroine was a little off, I nonetheless wanted a HEA for the pair.
3 out of 6 With some elements of the gothic, and a murder mystery, an entertaining book to cozy up to during the bad weather days of Autumn
| Content Rating/Heat Index | |
|---|---|
| Mature Content |   |
| Adultery, murder, and other scandal | |
| Intimacy | |
| One intimate scene, lots of kisses | |
| Violence | |
| Murder, kidnapping, attempted murder | |
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| Best for mature readers who don't mind a bit of adult content, including violence and sex. | |
