Brina Feld has settled into a life devoted to helping others since the sinking of the Salty Dove left her widowed. She has no need for a man in her contented life. But when the notorious and handsome Lord Blacknight returns and awakens her desires, her peace and serenity vanish. If she agrees to an alliance with him, she knows she will have to battle her heart to keep from being snared under his spell.
Zane, the Earl of Blacknight, was never supposed to inherit the earldom, so he didn’t much care to lead a respectable life before then. Fistfights, card games, and drinking are the order of the day. Now he’s determined to change his rakish ways and he knows the proper lady who can help him. There’s just one problem: He’s already bet he’ll win her hand before the Season is over. With her resolve to out-scheme him, how can he show her that his love is true?
This was my first Amelia Grey, and I was happy to discover a new author who knows how to write a satisfying historical romance.
Brina is a dedicated widow, spending her time devoted to causes including the care of girls at the school she started with her friends and in giving back to the Abbey near her house. She is very proper, driven to repent (by what it is not revealed until 2/3 in), and claims to be satisfied with her current and future life in service of others…by still attending Society functions. Her grief is present but not over emphasized (so I didn’t include a content warning).
By contrast, Blacknight is the black sheep of his family and an infamous rake, who has had the misfortune of inheriting the Earldom. The prospects of his duty are overwhelming and he hopes to gameify it a bit, using his infamous gambling skills, but engaging Mrs. Feld to help. Blacknight suffer from a hard case of insta-love, and will do anything to win over the widow who has vowed to remain single.
I actually really enjoyed how Grey played with the inheritance as a burden, and showed the real downsides of the aristocracy. His relatives haunt him with requests and their hand out, and he is supporting a multitude of loosely related people. Coupled with two older uncles who have made it their primary mission to school him into shape, Blacknight seeks out Brina who has entranced him after an initial meet-cute.
The romance between the two build sweetly as they transition from stranger to friends and then, finally, to lovers. When their love is challenged in the end, by some really brilliant writing, its nice to see how it is resolved. This was a fast paced read with really seamless writing, a good romance, and two characters with a fair amount of inner conflict. That inner conflict is never exhausting or overplayed, but does give both characters depth.
I enjoyed seeing the reforming of a rake (and maybe a bit of unwinding the widow) and the very sweet and romantic gestures that start to sway Brina’s stalwart feelings against marriage.
I think the only thing I didn’t like was that it didn’t make sense to me that this woman, who feels burdened by grief and dedicated to service, goes to so many ton functions. In some ways it makes sense as the happy middle between debauchery and nunnery (two options Brina explored for herself), but I think I could have used a tad bit of internal reflection on that to make it make sense. I also would have liked a bit more internal insight into what the rakehell payoff was for Blacknight. I suppose the thinking is that a life full of vice and adventure is payment enough, but given his transformation it felt like maybe there was just an emptiness there that was being fulfilled…but I am still not sure what.
Regardless of that feeling of wanting a bit more insight (which I think is probably a good sign of how I was invested in the characters), this was really an easy read with a sweet romance, some interesting scenes, and enough of those historical touches to create an immersive experience. Any violence, mature themes, and intimacy are handled deftly, with a light touch, so while kisses only readers wouldn’t enjoy it, I do think its appropriate for most other readers.
The third in a series, this worked great as a standalone, but I do think readers interested in second marriages for widows would enjoy the whole series. I recommend checking this book out when it is released on April 27th or preordering with our links above and below. That release date also gives you plenty of time to read the other two in the series.
4.75 out of 6 An easy read about a widow unwinding and a reforming rake
| Content Rating/Heat Index | |
|---|---|
| Mature Content |   |
| Gambling, grief, and a bit of villainy | |
| Intimacy | |
| A few scenes, fairly mild and vanilla | |
| Violence | |
| Very limited | |
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| Violence, intimacy and adult themes are mild but still present. | |
