The Virgin Who Vindicated Lord Darlington by Anna Bradley was a very satisfying read, one I especially appreciated because the last couple of books I've read were meh. This book is the second of a series, but stood on its own quite well. Only the prologue is a little vague as it takes place when Cecilia was a mudlarking child and is rescued by Lady Clifford. Presumably, the first book would have helped put that part in context.

Cecilia is sent to Kent by Lady Clifford to pose as a housemaid in Gideon's castle. In truth, she is supposed to find out if Gideon really is guilty of murdering his first wife. While there, she befriends the castle's few remaining servants, takes care of Gideon's young niece, tangles with a gothic "ghost" and the ghost's secrets, and, of course, falls in love with the marquess. That's the story in a nutshell.

The story is beautifully written and unfolds at a perfect pace. In spite of some dark undertones, the story manages to also be joyful, funny, and sexy. Yes, it's a little hard to believe Gideon would find himself in the company of a simple housemaid as often as he was, and yes, I do wish Cecilia had come clean a bit sooner, but the story was good enough for me to suspend my disbelief and just enjoy the ride.

I was grateful to receive an ARC of this book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion. Thanks!

This is a review of Anna Bradley's The Virgin Who Vindicated Lord Darlington, which comes out on 2/2/2021
.4. 5 stars.

I have to say that Anna Bradley never disappoints! I adored this book from the very first paragraph right through to the end. This was a fun, gothic read

Cecilia Gilchrist, our heroine, is one of Lady Clifford's girls from the Clifford Charity School for Wayward Girls, a secret society of brilliant, fearless women who are bringing justice to London's most corrupt aristocrats when necessary. Her first assignment is to discover if Lord Darlington, the "Murderous Marquess" killed his wife. She enters his household as maid and has trouble keeping her opinions to herself. The scenes between Gideon and Cecelia are so descriptive you can feel the heat between the two of them. During the course of the book you really start to understand the two of them as individuals and as a couple, while hints reveal themselves about what really happened to the prior Lady Darlington.

This is a great book for anyone who likes a dark Marquess, a fearless heroine, a slow to burn romance with a gothic mystery to solve and a "ghost" on the premises. While this book is part of a series, it can be read as a standalone.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC of this book. This is my honest review.

Anna Bradley is an auto-buy for me and this book did not disappoint. I LOVED the first book in the series so was really excited to read this one.

Cecilia Gilchrist is one of Lady Clifford's girls from the Clifford Charity School for Wayward Girls, a secret society of brilliant, fearless women who are bringing justice to London's most corrupt aristocrats. She's also a "classmate" and friend to Sophia from the first book. Lady's Cliffords girls are never fully explained but are plucked from the streets and traumatic situations by Lady Clifford. The book starts with Cecilia's rescue, though I was a little confused as to what was going on when Lady Clifford found her.

This is Cecilia's first case on her own, she travels to Lord Darlington's castle to investigate the supposed murder of his wife as a personal favor to Lady Clifford. What transpires is a nice gothic romance/mystery to solve the mystery before Lord Darlington (Gideon) gets married and Cecilia is found out.

I loved the attraction and tension between Cecilia and Gideon. While steamy, the h/H don't really get together till about 60% in. He has a fiance which is sometimes used as an annoying plot device in some books but she was easily discarded in this book and didn't take away too much from the main characters. Both had a lot of emotional depth, Gideon was a really beautiful portrait of the devastation of grief. I spent the entire book trying to picture what he looked like, the author spent a lot of time documenting how grief had transformed his handsomeness.

There wasn't a lot of setup from the previous book. This can be read standalone but it might be a little bit confusing because names come up from the previous book. I kind of missed Lady Clifford and her band of misfits. I hope they make an appearance in the next book. We also don't really get Cecilia's back story which was really disappointing.

I do feel like there could have been more lead up to the villain. I felt like it literally could have been anyone and the writer was like [insert name here].

Overall 4 out 5. None of these things really took away from my enjoyment, mostly I just wanted more and I had some lingering questions! I am really excited for the next book in this series. Overall, this series is really clever and refreshing from your usual spy/mystery romance.

An amateur sleuth masquerading as a maid!
A member of the peerage labelled by the ton as the Murderous Marquess!

This has the making of a fabulous narrative and it is indeed a terrific tale. There's murder-mystery, a crazy ghost, an imposing castle, a couple of gorgeous Lords, a vindictive woman, a pretty girl and a black feline. Not to mention the fiery attraction between Cecilia and Gideon! Their intimate congress is absolutely red-hot!

Cecilia Gilchrist has definitely warmed the cockles of the heart of Gideon, the widower Lord Darlington. These characters are truly endearing. This is a five star read.

This is an eGalley copy from NetGalley which I voluntarily read. This is my honest review.

"The Virgin who Vindicated Lord Darlington" is the second book in Anna Bradley's newest series. Cecilia Gilchrist was literally pulled out from the mud by Lady Amanda Clifford when Cecilia was just a small child. Lady C. then continued to raise her as part of a group of young ladies who dare to do the impossible. Cecilia's present task is finding out the truth behind the gruesome death of Cassandra Darlington, possibly by her own husband, Gideon, the present Marquess of Darlington. Cecilia shows up at his castle, pretending to be a maid, one who is urgently required as Gideon is about to remarry and his home is in total disarray.

The emotional ups and downs I felt with the rapport between Gideon amd Cecilia are indescribable. Each scene is so vividly clear in my mind. There is mystery, romance and intrigue;  the epilogue brought me to tears and my only complaint is that the book ended far too soon for me.

I am new to this series and after reading this book, I am going to hunt down the first book and am looking forward to the next one! I liked both the heroine, Cecilia, and the hero, Gideon, They had great chemistry as a couple. The subplot of the White lady was pretty easy to figure out Iin that I figured out the ‘who’ early on but it was the ‘why’ that was interesting and kept me turning the pages. I thought the author included just the right amount of mystery and romance so neither overshadowed the other. All in all, I would recommend this book and cannot wait for the next in the series to come out!

I enjoyed reading The Virgin who Vindicated Lord Darlington by Anna Bradley.

The prologue I didn’t quite understand and then it jumped years ahead and it felt like I’d missed reading some information. But I think chapter 2 or 3 it finally came together and made sense.

It was easy to figure things out as the reader but it was fun to see how Cecilia would figure out the mysteries regarding the rumors and if she could help Lord Darlington.

I liked the banter and openness between Cecilia and Gideon. I do hope there’ll be a book about Lord Haslemere.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ebook arc copy in exchange for an honest review.

My Recommendation
I received an advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Sexy, romantic, proto-feminist fun. Very enjoyable pleasure reading

I recieved a free copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Anna Bradley has become one of my go to authors and this book doesn't disappoint. While this is part of a series it can absolutely be read as a stand alone.
Cecilia has been sent my Lady Clifford to uncover the truth about the wife of the so called murderous marquess before he can remarry.
Cecilia was a relatable Hermione. She is sent as a undercover investigator but this is the first time she has ever done something like this and she doesn't see herself as capable as the other women at lady Clifford's school.
Gideon has survived the tragedy of his wife and son dying but now he is haunted the rumor that he killed them. Gideon was a sweet and caring man.
I liked the relationship and the mystery alot. The only complaint I have is that Gideon really never found out anything about Cecilia's past and therefore there relationship feels a little shallow.
Can't wait for the next book in the series.

I am really enjoying this series by Anna Bradley. I don't read a lot of Historical Romances book but I am so glad that I have read this series so far. As these books are not like the normal historical romance. These are much more fun and entertaining to read. I like the added mystery. Each book focuses on a new relationship and a new mystery. It's fun to watch the Lords fall in love with each lady. It takes them by surprise how much they like the lady and how much they intrigue them. In this case the mystery was an easy on to solve but it was fun reading how they get to the answers in the end. It is also fun watching Cecilia and Gideon tap dance around their feelings for each other. I can't wait for the next book to come out.

*I received this free book from NetGalley and am leaving my honest opinion*

This book had everything you could want in a great read. There was a strong woman and a Lord who had a dark past. There was a mystery to solve involving murder and a ghost. Cecilia and Gideon made a wonderful couple and they fought for their HEA.

This was my first Anna Bradley book but won't be my last.

I love the first book in the series and I enjoyed this one too. It was nice to revisit this world again. You don't have to read the first book to understand this one but it would be more enjoyable. I like the heroine and hero. They are both great on their own. They are even better together because they balance each other. Anna Bradley is a terrific and I have enjoyed all her books so far. Looking forward to the next one this series.

I enjoyed all of the twist that, The Virgin Who Vindicated Lord Darlington. Cecilia is a breath of fresh air. She speaks her mind, sometimes to her own detriment. She definitely tried Gideon's patients repeatedly.

Q: do you think that you’d be good at maintaining a lie about your identity if it was your job to do so?

A terrifying ghost dressed in white, rumored to be haunting the husband who supposedly killed her. A bedchamber door that’s mysteriously unlocked, but only for the heroine. A hero who has more secrets than coins (<—this is a purely hyperbolic statement made for effect).

Anna Bradley’s romance The Virgin who Vindicated Lord Darlington takes an intriguing walk on the gothic romance side, offering a slow burn class difference/everyone’s keeping secrets/widower’s second chance at love tale.

Cecilia Gilchrist is posing as a housemaid in Lord Darlington’s home to discover if he really is in fact the Murderous Marquess. Believed to have murdered his wife, Gideon faces malicious gossip & things really start boiling over when a ghostly apparition believed to be his dead wife starts appearing in advance of his upcoming marriage to someone who is not our heroine.

Will Cecilia solve the case? & will Gideon actually marry someone who is not our Cecilia (also remember: our heroine isn’t being honest with him ).

This secret-driven atmospheric romance is an entertaining change of pace. I love how Cecilia challenges the lordly Lord Gideon & how she’s a genuinely nice person who, as Gideon says, enlivens his world. His devotion to Cecilia & his niece is pure sweetness.

But I didn’t care for how the deception plot unravels. Cecilia shares very little about her actual life w/ Gideon & what she does share is a lie, & that doesn’t feel adequately or sufficiently corrected by the end. I didn’t really feel like he “knew her” knew her & that’s important to me.

Also, & this could just be a personality clash, I was annoyed with some of the risks she continued to take .

My reading of this one was a little uneven but I’m looking forward to trying more in the series, especially book 1, which I’ve seen great reviews of.



CW:


there’s a disturbing plot element related to the death of Gideon’s first wife. Please contact me if you'd like more info.

3.5 ⭐️. The Virgin who Vindicated Lord Darlington publishes on 02/02. Thanks to Kensington Press & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.