This was sweet!!! I didn't love it and felt disconnected from it at times, but overall it was fun and Ella and Leo had their moments

I honestly found myself more invested in the side characters, I wish Ella and Leo had been fleshed out more (for instance, we kept being told Ella's father had recently died but there was no mourning him, nor do we know much about him as a father, outside his treasure hunting). And EVERYONE NEEDED TO GET OVER LADY BETHANY OH MY GOODNESS. The conflict that created was understandable, but also not fleshed out enough to really seem compelling enough

Also, I called who the villain was the moment they were introduced and was honestly surprised more of the book wasn't spent pursuing them

All in all though it was a fun read, I enjoyed it. Would recommend to anyone looking for a little more plot and a little less romance in their historical romance :3

Thanks for NetGalley and the publisher for a free e-copy. All thoughts are my own

This is a lovely story and I gobbled it up in one sitting and didn’t want it to finish. Would have liked more interaction with the Duke once he decided to accept his granddaughters into his life and more conversations with/about the dowager countess, perhaps in the epilogue but these are minor points. Overall I loved it.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Since the recent death of her father, Ella Wright has brought her two sisters to England in the hopes that their grandfather will take them in. Their mother eloped with their treasure hunter father years ago and had no further contact with her family.
Leo Stanton, Earl of Marbury is worried about an old friend, and will do anything to protect him and his own family from heartache.
This is a lovely historical romance with a good mystery to solve. Our characters have to face a past that's not of their making before the future can be seen. One or two persons decisions can affect the lives of many.
Emotional and fun with fabulous characters. This is the first book in a series of stand alone stories. I will definitely be reading the rest.
Great fun.

I was quickly sucked into this fast-paced book! So many twists and turns had me devouring this story in one sitting! I won’t spoil the end but I will say Leo and Ella are great together!

3.5 stars, rounded up

When Ella Wright’s father passed away, she made the decision to leave Oak Island in Nova Scotia and travel to London with her two sisters in the hope that their estranged grandfather, the Duke of Rothwood, would take them in and help her sisters find good matches. The Duke cut all ties with Ella’s mother when she jilted the Earl of Marbury and ran off with David Wright, a treasure hunter, and a commoner. Ella is not sure of their reception, but with no other options, she and her sisters set out with not much more than the clothes on their backs and their father’s most recent journal.

Leo Stanton, the Earl of Marbury has been friends with the duke for years, as was his father, they were all members of the Royal Geological Society and Leo is an expert in pirate lore. Leo knows that the duke is lonely and has never gotten over the loss of his daughter, so he is surprised to learn that not only has the duke let Ella and her sisters into his home but is asking Leo to help them find their father’s missing journal! As first Leo wants to refuse, his father deeply loved Ella’s mother and never got over losing her to David Wright which made it impossible for him to be happy, something that trickled down to Leo and his mother, so there is no way he wants to help them, but out of loyalty to the duke he agrees. But he refuses to let himself fall for Ella, no matter how lovely she is or how much he admires her! But when Ella is in danger, Leo will have to decide if holding on to old hurts is worth missing out on new joy.

This was a very well-written, slow-burning romance story with wonderful characters. The book has a decent mystery, a bit of drama, mild love scenes, great secondary characters, a nice ending, and an epilogue. I did like the story, but honestly, I never really understood the conflict keeping Ella and Leo apart – I understood why her grandfather felt as he did, but Leo’s reason didn’t really seem quite as compelling to me. So overall, this was a nice start to a new series and I will definitely read the next installment and hope that the future books delve a bit more into their father’s search for Captian Kidd’s treasure.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*