This was so fun to go back a generation and get the love story between Hazel and Harold. Hazel has been one of my favorite characters in the series since the first book so this one was probably one of my favorites. I liked how Paullett Golden also made the Georgian time period come alive through her writing.

I think the characters have depth and the story itself was well written and lovely. One thing I’ve enjoyed about this series is how we get to see how all the characters grow but it was fun to go back and see who Hazel was prior to the wonderful aunt we see in the previous books.

The whole series is worth a read if you like historical romance and I’m looking forward to the next book!

3.5 stars

A flighty gentlewoman in search of romance & a baron’s heir recently returned from business in India are drawn to each other in spite of their preconceived disdain for one another. Smoothly written, with risky business schemes at stake, this is a fun romance with enough emotional depth to keep it engaging.

[What I liked:]

•As much as I like regency settings, it’s really nice to see historical romances from other eras, & I enjoyed this Georgian period novel. The descriptions of fashion & places were spot on.

•I like the writing style. Not too heavy on description, attentive to emotions amid the action, & decent dialogue.

•Harold is a stand up guy, a pretty sympathetic character, & someone who I respect. The descriptions of his artist’s perspective were pretty cool.

•Oh god! I love Nana! She’s so sexy & smart & funny :))


[What I didn’t like as much:]

•Harold’s big dilemma is being forced to go along with a bad plan cooked up by his father. He feels guilt about what he considers his father attempting to take advantage of his friends; so why not just privately warn them it was a bad deal?

•I know Hazel is young & naïve, but she’s quite shallow & flighty early on. I didn’t see much depth in her to respect at first.

•It’s unrealistic how casually Patrick & Harold tell others about Patrick being gay, considering how dangerous that would be for him if gossip spread. And also that everyone seems to just accept it without a second thought. I get why Harold trusted Hazel with it, but really, Patrick telling Agnes, who he’s barely met?

•Ugh. There is a bit of a “big misunderstanding” at the end that was unnecessary imo. Overreacting & refusal to talk, you know the drill. Fortunately it happened near enough the end not to overshadow most of the book, and wasn’t too dragged out.

CW: minimal physical violence (in a rapier duel)

[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]