Alexandra Vasti: In Which Winnie Halifax is Utterly Ruined

In Which Winnie Halifax Is Utterly Ruined by Alexandra Vasti
Published by St. Martin's Publishing Group on February 6, 2024
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Historical / Regency
Pages: 120
Format: eBook
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The final novella in Alexandra Vasti's “hot, smart, funny, and charming as hell”* Halifax Hellions series.

In 1811, Winifred Wallace told one tiny lie. To secure her future as an independent sheep farmer, she invented an estranged husband named Mr. Spencer Halifax and forged their marriage record. Ten years later, her deception catches up with her: in the form of the disturbingly real, distressingly attractive earl on her doorstep.
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Spencer Halifax wants to set a good example for his beloved hellion sisters. Ever since their father’s death, he’s tried to play the role of steady, sensible earl—and involving himself with a moderately felonious sheep farmer is decidedly not sensible. But Winnie’s unfettered passion and fierce self-reliance draw him in, even as her closely guarded secrets keep him out.
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When Spencer asks Winnie to travel with him to London to disentangle their semi-legal union, she’s horrified. London, after all, is where her infamous mother pilfered several lavish necklaces from besotted noblemen. But she cannot pass up the chance to return the stolen jewelry—so she agrees to travel with Spencer and give back the gems on the sly.
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Returning the jewelry, however, is more difficult than Winnie imagined. Monkeys commit theft. Footmen tryst in inconvenient locales. And Winnie realizes that the only way forward is to trust Spencer with the truth of her past—even if doing so threatens their pretend marriage and the all-too-real feelings between them.

* Alix E. Harrow, New York Times bestselling author

The third and final novella in the Halifax Hellions series was my favorite.  Winnie has stepped out on her own, only by telling a few, small lies.  After ten years, she has grown a successful business and is living a quiet life in Wales.

But her lie has caught up with her.

Mr. Spencer Halifax, her reported dastardly husband, has shown up in search of his errant bride.

There is a fair amount of slapstick humor, very steamy-spicy intimate scenes, and good character development in this short novella.  It has some gleeful tropes, including a fake marriage and masquerading, but otherwise the joy comes in seeing how these two navigate their budding attraction.  Its fairly low angst, but their is a modern cadence to the writing that feels very like a contemporary rom-com–something Regency Readers will either love or hate.

I enjoyed this series, and in particular this novella, for its surprising elements, a fairly good understanding of the era yet with that contemporary story-telling that I think makes it more accessible to the average reader.  The romance here was relatable, both struggling with their childhoods and looking to step out from their parents shadows (both good and bad).

There is a class difference between the two, similar to the first book, which is also nice to find and this is less of a road trip book as most of the action takes place in and around the ballrooms of London.

This was an easy series to read for those short on time but look for the sweetness, spice, and silly moments that keep readers coming back to romance.

I think this would work fine as a standalone, for while there is one cameo by book 1 MCs, otherwise the action is focused on Winnie and Spencer.