This story drew me in from the start. I enjoyed the idea of a double Cinderella story, also that the main characters are in their 40s. It is also interesting that both the h & h love art yet feel that they must hide their talent because of their gender. The fun ways the h & h run into each other throughout the story kept things lively. The twist at the end made me smile.

A second-chance romance with Cinderella overtones. Kenneth, the unexpected heir presumptive to his uncle, an Earl, is not your usual romance hero. In his late forties, a widower, father of two sons (unseen), meek, non-confrontational, and ambivalent about inheriting the title. He switches clothes with his valet to escape from his responsibilities for a time, riding his horse around the countryside. He meets Rebecca after nearly running his horse into her. She is also in her forties, a widow with a grown daughter. She went into service at the age of fourteen. Since her husband died eight years ago, she moved back in with her increasingly abusive father. Two lonely people, they feel a connection and share a kiss. Kenneth continues the charade of being a valet, giving Rebecca hope they will have a future. When she finds out the truth she is devastated. There is a theme of inequality and social hierarchy throughout the book. Rebecca's daughter Rose is a companion to the Baroness, making her a higher status than her mother. An Earl shouldn't even acknowledge a maid is in the room, let alone socialize with one. Kenneth's uncle is determined he will marry a woman from the local gentry, but he can't get Rebecca off his mind. This is a gentle and melancholy book. Nothing beyond a few kisses. When the clock strikes midnight on the equinox, day and night are equal, does social class matter more than love?

This was a very sweet second chance clean romance novel. The regency setting was well done and the addition of popular silhouette paintings of the time period was very interesting. It was nice to experience a story about two mature adults realizing that they could experience a second love.

The Valet’s Secret was a delightfully sweet Regency novel. The romance that blossomed between Kenneth and Rebecca did so under false pretenses. It was frustrating to know that Kenneth had lied to Rebecca during two of their meetings, yet it set up the situation that they found themselves in and provided some good angst for this story. I wondered how they could ever overcome their differences in station and everything that Kenneth was expected to inherit.

The chemistry between these two was spot on. They connected with each other deeply and were drawn to each other despite their differing places in society. I appreciated that Kenneth was a gentleman and that at no time did he ever consider the notion of carrying on some type of sordid affair with Rebecca.

The way the author wrapped things up into a happily ever after for these two was nicely done, although I desperately needed an epilogue after the last chapter. I needed to see Kenneth and Rebecca living their lives happily together perhaps a year or two in the future.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

My first read by this author I found it well written and interesting although a little slow. I liked that the hero and heroine were older than your typical and that it was a second chance for both as both are widowed. Clean and any anx is due to misunderstandings between the two.
I received this book in exchange for an honest review as given above.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and this is my honest review.

I liked this story. However, I wished it was longer and delved into the characters more and or course their romance too. It felt a little lacking to me. I do want to say that I was surprised about the age of the characters. They are older than what I was expecting but it was a nice.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The characters are so endearing. I love Rebecca's strength through adversity and her fiery determination. I love Kenneth's willingness to step into a new role and learn new things without losing himself in the process. Great story!

The Valet's Secret by Josi S. Kilpack

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
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Story Notes

I had some pretty high hopes for this story given all the ones I've read from Josi previously. Unfortunately, those hopes were very deflated after the first 50 pages. I did finish the story but wasn't pleased with how it turned out except that Kenneth and Rebecca got together. There were so many threads to the story that were added in haphazardly and while most of them worked, I felt like some of them were left dangling. Like, what happened with Rebecca's father? What happened with Rebecca's husband? What kind of future would Kenneth and Rebecca have? Do they have any children? It just felt a bit too thrown together to really enjoy. Plus, I hated all the lying and deception. Kenneth definitely got off easy with Rebecca too. She was entirely too forgiving for my taste. Not that I think she should have been mean or spiteful but I'm not convinced he really understood how deeply he hurt her and made her feel so used. Honestly, my favorite part of the story was the Baroness Konold. She was smart, funny and had excellent deduction skills. Plus she was exceedingly kind to everyone, except those who were snobby. The Baroness definitely redeemed a lot of the story for me and kept me finishing the book. The writing of the story was good even if the plot was a bit scattered. I think some readers will be good with it but I don't think this one will be going on my read again shelves. Perhaps the next book will be better.

I received this temporary, complimentary E-book from Shadow Mountain Press via NetGalley. I am not required by anyone to write a review but am glad to do so. I will receive no fiscal compensation for this review and the opinions expressed herein are entirely my own.

The Valet's Secret is a lovely romance novel of two people getting a second chance on love during a time when class differences mean everything. I loved the two characters- Rebecca and Kenneth. I loved their friendship, their backstories and character development. I really loved the characters of the baronness and Rose and how the story touches on class differences, slightly older characters in romance novels and being who you truly are.

Admittedly, this book took me a while to get into. But once the story got going, I was hooked! I appreciate and adore that Josi Kilpack beings new storyline and complex characters into her books. It is refreshing to read new stories instead of carbon copies of old tales. You'll really enjoy this book!

Really cute story! I really appreciate that Josi Kilpack writes about such diverse characters and circumstances. I feel like a wide range of readers can relate to her books because of it.

*Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book for review, all opinions are my own*

I've read several historical romances and I can say that this one is quite different.
First, we have an older couple, both have already been married and have children, and at the moment of the story, they are widowers.
The book also has a class difference between the couple, which brings an interesting discussion to the book and it's the conflict of the story too, as they cannot be together because they are of different classes.
Another thing is that the story takes place in the countryside, so society is quite different from London society.
We also don't have any sex scenes in the story.
I would say it's a quick book to read, but nothing special, if you want something different in the genre it can be a good choice but don't go with too many expectations, because the romance itself I found a little underdeveloped and the story itself falls into lots of misused clichés but it wasn't a bad reading experience.

A really enjoyable historical romance with a distinctive turn: Main characters are real people, widow/widower both, with normal diffidence and faults amid a compelling romance.

The plot conflict concerns upper class marrying lower class in the 1800s England, and the author successfully situates and satisfyingly resolves the issue when significant, supporting characters step in to make a difference.

I particularly enjoyed the interaction of all the characters, good and bad, and the relevant details of life and occupations in these times. Publication date March 8, 2022 - go get a copy! You will enjoy it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for the chance to read in the first week after publication. Great, quick read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Let me start off by saying this is one of the best books I’ve read this year. I adored the characters and the romance between them. The different character dynamics and relationships shone through. It signified the depth of character development done by the author. While some might say the romance in this happened too quickly, it was actually something I loved about it. It happened quickly, but that didn’t make it any less impactful. The love the characters had for each other was shown from their first meeting.

There is absolutely nothing in this book I would fix. The only thing I would ask is for a sequel because I’d love to know what happened after the final pages of the book!

There are some interested elements that make this a different read. The main characters are both older (42 & 48) and widowed. This leads to them being both lonely and loath to jump into marriage. The book also explores class differences in a country community with some depth. I enjoyed the heroine, Rebecca, and exploring her position in society as a window and working for her father as well at various houses in the area. She meets Kenneth while he is pretending to be his own valet. I found the hero's lie and actions around it frustrating, as he really did not seem to understand how hard things would be for her. But lying is something I find hard to forgive.

At times, the secondary characters were my favorite part of the story. It is a sweet romance, with only some kissing and hand holding. The Cinderella aspect has a good twist which raised this from a 3 to a 4 for originality for me.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher.

It's totally on me, but I was expecting younger characters that I would relate to more, despite the time difference in the setting of the book.
I still very much enjoyed this book, it was a fun, cute read, and I can definitely see myself picking up more of this authors work in the future.

Kenneth Bartholomew Winterton, age 48, has returned to society after serving the military for years. He is the heir to his uncle Lester, the fifth Earl of Brenston. Kenneth was widowed many years ago after the birth of his two sons, now grown. He is headed to Wakefield where is is expected to reenter society and chose a wife from the local gentry. Malcolm is Kenneth’s valet and they served in the military together.

Rebecca, 42, is a widow and mother to a grown daughter, Rose, who is working as a companion to a baroness. Rebecca lives with her father, an artist, and a very temperamental man. He had been asked to paint silhouettes of Lady Beth’s 3 daughters, but insists that he does it at his home and not hers. Lady Beth is the widowed daughter of Lester, the Earl of Brenston, and the hostess for his household.

When Kenneth is riding a wild horse, he nearly runs over Rebecca walking on a road. Heading back to her, he apologizes and makes sure she is OK. They share an unexpected kiss. Kenneth happens to be dressed as his valet to remain incognito on a mission.

When they learn they are from different social classes, Rebecca tells Kenneth that they must not be seen together. However, the occasional time they run into one another, they realize that their love is not to be denied. When a special dance is coming up, some great surprises are on the agenda.

This is a very sweet romance and I am delighted to see this author write a book like this. It is a big step from her other milder romances. Kenneth and Rebecca are great characters. A big Boo-Hiss to Lady Beth. This book is wonderful and I know readers will enjoy it.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

What a great “second chance” romance! But it’s not your typical second chance and you don’t have your typical main characters.
Josi writes beautiful stories that have very unique and beautifully relatable characters. In this newest, and great, addition to her works is a story about Rebecca and Kenneth. Why do I love these two so much? They’re older than most regency MCs, both being in their forties, and with that they have so much more experience and wisdom to bring to this enchanting story. They’ve both had previous marriages and children and are now able to have that “second chance” romance. In short, they’ve both lived, and have (and continue to have) moments of love, pain, hardship, and triumph.
I really enjoyed the parallels to Cinderella and the sweet romance throughout this book. A “sweep you off your feet” romance isn’t just for young adults, and Josi does a beautiful job of proving that in this story. Everyone is capable of love and can find their HEA at anytime in their life.
Like every single other book I’ve read by Josi I feel so happy and content at the end of it. I will gladly always read a book by this incredible author.
This book is a great read for anyone looking for a sweet, clean and outside of the box regency romance.

I loved how this story unfolded. It gave me all the things I look forward from a Josi Kilpack novel and I can't wait to read what she comes up with next.

*I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley. My review was not required nor influenced.

Cute retelling of Cinderella, I loved it. Definitely a keeper.

You can’t go wrong with a book by Josi S. Kilpack. Her mysteries are great, and her proper romances are even better. This is a fun retelling of Cinderella. It starts out a little bit like a reverse Cinderella since Kenneth is suddenly moved up in society when his uncle’s only son dies, leaving him to inherit the title. He is uncomfortable with this and misses the freedom he had before his standing in society changed. To escape those demands, he dresses as his valet and meets Rebecca by accident.

Rebecca Parker is a widow needing to remarry to escape her dangerously abusive father. She wants love but is afraid that might not be an option until she meets Malcolm, Kenneth’s valet. It is love at first sight for both of them, but he is really Kenneth in disguise. Rebecca thinks Malcolm is the answer to her problems until learning he’s really Lord Winterton and marriage isn’t an option because of their different positions in society.

Both Kenneth and Rebecca are in their 40s. She has a grown daughter Rose, and he has two grown sons. Kenneth’s widowed cousin Lady Beth and her three daughters will lose their home when he marries. As a result, she goes to extremes in an effort to get him to marry her oldest daughter Josephine, who he has no interest in because she is only 19.

The pacing is perfect, with some tense moments and swoon-worthy romance. I loved it, 5 stars. Thanks to Shadow Mountain Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC to use for my review.