After her two tumultuous years wed to the Duke of Whiston come to a fiery end, all Bianca wants is to lead a peaceful life and regain her reputation. But when she meets Alexander Fraser at a house party, she finds herself falling into both love and scandal once again.

This is the last book in the Brazen Burrells series, which follows the three penniless but beautiful Burrell sisters as they try to find their fortune in London. I enjoyed the first book, was somewhat disappointed in the second book, and wasn't fully sure what to expect with this one - but I ended up absolutely loving it.

Bianca has had a tough few years, having been left widowed after her emotionally abusive husband died saving her sister from a fire. Her story has been so dramatic in the earlier books that I wasn't sure if I would like her, but being in her head made me understand her much better. I enjoyed her romance with Alex, watching it develop from attraction to affinity to romance. They make a good team, and I found myself rooting for them from the start. We also meet an array of complex supporting characters who had further depth to the story.

What really elevated the story for me, though, was the historical backdrop. I've appreciated how the author has brought the era to life throughout this whole series - by believing in the setting more here, you believe in the peril that the heroines face more as well. In this book in particular, Connolly engages in themes of class and race, which added to the conflict of the story and really raised the stakes. I'm glad I stuck with the series.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this ebook and this is my freely given opinion.

In this book, we return to Bianca, who in the previous books came across to me as a rather spoilt, narcissistic, immature young woman who is the beautiful younger sister of the other Burrell family, seduced by the rakish Duke of Whiston in book 1. She was fooled into eloping with him, though it was his intention to seduce and abandon her, as he had plans to wed an heiress with a large dowry. However, her sister and his friend caught up with them, and George, the Duke, was forced to wed the compromised Bianca. In Book 2, we were witness to the misery of their marriage, as they presented facades of wealth, privilidge, and beauty to the Ton, but George belittled Bianca, and flaunted his affairs, and her heart broke, knowing he did not love her, finally leaving him, and then their marriage ended tragically when George died in a fire, redeeming himself by saving her sister and mother before falling victim to the flames himself.

In her period of mourning, Bianca isolated herself away in Scotland, with her mother. She finds herself invited to the house party of the Marquess of Stonyhurst, an elderly lord who had married a fairweather friend of the Burrells. It was determined that this would be a good opportunity for Bianca to work her way back into Society again. But now she is more wise, cynical, world-weary, and wary in general. She has learned to guard herself more and be less open and trusting of the world in general.

Alex Fraser is the estranged nephew of the Marquess, but through a series of highly unfortunate incidents, he finds himself next in line as the Stonyhurst heir - a title and situation he never foresaw and certainly wants nothing to do with, considering his father had turned his back on his family many years ago, when they reviled his choice of wife, and his delving into trade. Regardless of their rejection, Alex and his family have become wealthy industrialists, and he is proud of their accomplishments, and famed as being the Midas of the North. When he is summoned to Stonyhurst, he is determined to do what he can to be overlooked as the heir, not understanding the laws of entail and primogeniture.

The Marquess of Stonyhurst had married again, the young friend of the Burrell's, in the hopes of siring a new heir, before he dies, as he does not want his three remaining nephews to inherit, especially Alex, who he reviles as being tainted, because of his background, and not worthy. Of note, his mother is not English, contributing to part of his uncle's views about him. He is a contemptible, manipulative snob who wants to control everything, including his nephews and the future blood lines of his revered title. Hence the house party and his various degrading actions through out it. But it is at this house party that Alex and Bianca meet, and become attracted to each other.

This is NOIT a sweet love story, but a deeper, more complex story of characters who have become cynical and world weary because of their past experiences. In Bianca's case, it caused her to become wiser and more accepting of herself as well, after what she had to suffer with her unhappy marriage to an emotionally abusive man. But through her suffering and loss, she grew, and matured, and in general became a more likeable, less selfish person, who is more aware of others and things around her.

But she and Alex are two people who are on the outside, and while they look in, they do not necessarily yearn to belong to the snobbish, back stabbing, hypocritical world of Society. This is a love story built from the foundations of hurt, and rejection; of two people who reject the false world of Society even when they have live with it, and find support, and eventually love in each other. As their affair and relationship grow in the poisoned atmosphere of the house party, while resisting the manipulations of and pressures of the Marquess and others, Bianca and Alex learn to support and trust each other, especially when things take a sinister turn and the story becomes a murder mystery/conspiracy story instead, and Alex finds his life in danger, and himself a suspect as well.

Intriguing story and happy to see follow up for Bianca's story as she and her marriage has been a significant background story line in the previous two books. I am glad to see the maturation of her character and how she grew, matured, and become a stronger, more aware, and introspective character that I could like and respect.

4.25 stars out of 5

I would have liked to see a wee bit more of an epilogue of how things turned out for Alex and Bianca in the future.... I hope that will be something we see in future stories?

The Talk of the Town. Well I have read the story and I was pleasantly pleased with how the story turned out. Of course Alex is my favorite character among the so many characters at the house party. I was so happy to read the jumpstart into the beginning romance of Bianca and Alex. Their courtship seems so real, just how the two communicate with one another and how their chemistry reacts to one another. The romance did seem like a slow growing process, but as I said I enjoyed the earlier friendship aspect of it. Of course the entertainment of the book is their passion which is very hot. The excitement is the mystery that lands Bianca in the middle of it. I like her character which she is depicted as an educated, strong and sensible person. Besides Alex I thought all the others were chaos.
The story was very interesting. I really enjoyed reading the book. Until next time my fellow readers. Read on! I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Bianca has been spending time in Edinburgh, since her husband's death and is now ready to re-enter society. Putting the scandal behind her husband's death behind her, she's ready to start her life again, but she never expected to meet someone that would have her thinking about marriage again. She meets Alex at a house party and is completely drawn to him. Alex has ties to the Marquess of Stonyhurst, but his family has steered clear of his aristocracy heritage after his father made a name for himself in the world of industrial enterprise and married an Indian woman. Alex is quite wealthy, thanks to his father, and has no need to mingle with the ton, but when his uncle, the Marquess, loses his sons in battle, he is left as the only surviving heir and has no choice but to accept his heritage. Alex wants nothing to do with the aristocracy, but Bianca encourages him to reconsider. When the marquess ends up brutally murdered and Alex is the prime suspect, these two find themselves both engulfed in scandal and mystery.
This is the third book of The Brazen Burrells and is an exciting addition to the series. It was well-written and engaging and kept my interest the whole time. The characters were interesting and I enjoyed following the intrigue and mystery that ultimately led them to their HEA. I am looking forward to reading more and continuing the series.
I received a complimentary copy from Dragonblade Publishing via Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

A real page turner, bursting with romance, adventure, and lashings of fascinating historical detail. Bianca and Alex are attracted to one another from the beginning, but Bianca has a troubled past to put behind her and Alex is caught up with dealing with an inheritance he does not want. There is a villain and a shocking crime before all is resolved. The third book of a trilogy, this works very well as a standalone.

Scandal follows at the Marquess of Stonyhurst's house party at his estate. Uncle to Mr. Alexander Fraser, he ridicules him and his two cousins. The marquess wants his own son to inherit, but he doesn't have one with his younger wife, yet. Bianca, Duchess of Whiston, has her own past to deal with. Suspicion over her late husband's death. A passionate lover affair between Bianca and Alex will take second place when murder and attempted murder creates mistrust within the family. Or is it someone else?
Multiple entanglements and drawn out issues create a slow pace .
Steamy romance and murder.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

Nothing is as it would appear at first glance, as Alex Fraser grudgingly accepts his uncle's invitation to a house party. He quickly comes to realize that the invited guests are the marionettes and the Marquess of Stonyhurst the puppeteer. Each one has a role to play whilst the autocratic and despicable old man sits back to watch the show. Tension mounts as Stonyhurst plays one person off against another, but when a crime is committed, the blame falls on Alex, and it is Bianca, the Dowager Duchess of Whiston who stands by his side and helps him to decipher the clues. Bianca is as much a victim of the old man's ploys as anyone else in the scenario being played out, but the feelings that develop between her and Alex go deep and they come to depend on one another. Discovering the truth of what lies behind the crime is a shocking surprise, and this well-sculpted novel comes to a successful and happy conclusion. I enjoyed this engrossing book and am finding that the characters continue to live in my head even though it is a couple of days since I completed it. I received a copy of this romance as a gift through Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

Bianca, the Duchess of Whiston finds herself invited to a house party at Stonyhurst. Following the death of her husband in a house party, her reputation has been impacted. Her only reason for attending the house party is to restore her reputation but instead, she finds herself facing scandal, due to Alexander Fraser. Alex is an industrialist who attends the party at the request of his uncle, the Marquess of Stonyhurst. When events transpire to make Alex the prime suspect in a murder, Bianca and Alex find themselves working together to clear his name.
The series has been entertaining and this book, was a great addition, can be read on its own. Bianca is a strong-minded woman who when faced by her attraction to Alex, doesn’t let him take control. This book was an entertaining read, with romance, murder, and an interesting uncle, who proves himself to be a master manipulator.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

There is so much more to this book than what the summary suggests. There are interesting characters and situations, as well as red herrings and misunderstandings. A well-written plot backed up an intriguing cast of characters. I love the historical facts she weaves into the story and the journey towards a happy ending the main characters made. Honestly, if you like romance, mystery and and an absorbing plot then I would absolutely recommend this book!

The Talk of the Town by Lynne Connolly is a complicated book, both a romance and a mystery, featuring Alex Fraser, an industrialist who has been summoned by his uncle, the Marquess of Stonyhurst, to a house party. He wasn’t interesting in attending, but was persuaded by his manager to go. In Alex’s mind it gave him an opportunity to test the manager, to see if he could run the operation on his own. There he met the Duchess of Whiston, Bianca, a widow with a reputation she didn’t wholly deserve. As time progressed they became intimate and he wanted them to marry. She refused because, as the future marquess, he would need heirs and she didn’t seem able to produce them. The gathering became more and more uncomfortable and then the marquess was brutally murdered. Alex was the prime suspect.

There is so much more to this book than what the summary suggests. There are interesting characters and situations, as well as red herrings and misunderstandings. Alex’s father had been ostracized by his uncle as he had married a woman of mixed race. Alex had never looked back. Bianca wanted more from her life and as newly out of mourning for her husband, she thought this house party could be a new beginning. The entire story was an interesting mess. A well-written plot backed up an intriguing cast of characters. The setting was a manor house in rural England, a huge and beautiful house, lorded over by a master manipulator who would do anything to to keep Alex from inheriting. It is truly amazing the things the nobility got up to in 19th century England.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of The Talk of the Town by Dragonblade, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #Dragonblade #LynneConnolly #TheTalkOfTheTown

Mr Alexander Fraser wants nothing to do with his uncle, the Marquess. That side of his family have always rejected his, because of his mother's mixed blood. He will answer the unrelenting summons in person and put the man off for good.
After the death of her husband Bianca, Duchess of Whiston has stayed away from the scandal that surrounded her. Her first foray back into the fringes of society proves that others will not allow her to forget. There are many wicked people at this house party.
This historical romance is filled with mischief, some of it really nasty. The old Marquess is a very manipulative character. There is danger and excitement for most.
This is part of a series but easily read on its own.
Good fun.

A reluctant heir a widow just out of mourning a manipulative peer and a murder to be solved. There was plenty going on in this to keep my interest as the character's of Alex and Bianca's attraction grows into love as they try to stay safe while solving the murder at a house party. Well worth the read well written well paced and entertaining. It can be read as a standalone although I have read them all. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Bianca, Duchess of Whiston is widowed when her husband dies in a house fire. She is invited to a house party at Stonyhurst. Mr. Alexander Fraser, draws her as no other man has, not even her late husband. Events escalate, until Bianca finds herself in the middle of a scandal she may never recover from. Alex's father turned his back on his aristocratic heritage. He made a name for himself in the new, exciting world of industrial enterprise. He was so successful that his son came to be called the Midas of The North. But when the Marquis of Stonyhurst's three heirs die in battle, Alex becomes the heir, despite his desire not to be so.
The third book in the series but it’s easily read on its own although Bianca has featured in earlier books. I really liked both Alex & Bianca & thoroughly enjoyed their journey to a HEA. They were attracted to each other from their first meeting but had to deal with the very manipulative Marquis & there’s also a mystery to solve. Another well written book, which is a delight to read & as with all the author’s books I love the historical facts she weaves into the story
My review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

"The Talk of the Town" by Lynne Connolly is an engaging historical romance that takes readers on a journey of love, redemption, and unexpected twists. The story revolves around Bianca, Duchess of Whiston, who longs for a quiet life after enduring scandal and tragedy. However, her plans are disrupted when she attends a house party and finds herself drawn to Mr. Alexander Fraser, the Marquess's heir. Their attraction intensifies, but a scandal threatens to shatter Bianca's newfound peace. With skillful storytelling, Connolly explores the complexities of love and resilience, creating a tale that keeps readers captivated.

The book stands out with its remarkable protagonist, Bianca, who showcases strength and determination in the face of adversity. She refuses to let others control her life and emerges as a multifaceted character, vulnerable yet courageous. The chemistry between Bianca and Alexander is undeniable, and their relationship develops naturally, transcending mere physical attraction. As they embark on a journey of self-discovery and trust, they challenge societal expectations and overcome personal obstacles. The supporting cast adds depth to the narrative, with a manipulative antagonist and intriguing secondary characters who heighten the stakes for our protagonists.

While "The Talk of the Town" presents a compelling love story, it also delves into themes of inheritance and identity. Alexander grapples with his aristocratic heritage and personal desires, navigating the complexities of his position as the Marquess's heir. Connolly expertly weaves romance and mystery together, incorporating a well-executed subplot that keeps readers guessing until the end. However, it should be noted that the book may not strictly adhere to historical accuracy, with certain elements lacking authenticity. Despite this, the captivating storyline and the chemistry between the main characters make it an enjoyable read, showcasing Connolly's talent for crafting relatable characters who transcend time.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

After her estranged husband dies in a house fire, and is lauded as a hero, Bianca, Dowager Duchess of Whiston, retreats to Edinburgh to grieve, before she makes her return to society. When she is invited to a house party hosted by a former friend, Bianca decides it is time to live again, but she never expects she would meet someone who makes her consider marrying again. Alexander Fraser has always known he was descended from aristocracy, but after his father (the third son of a Marquess) married a woman from India, they were cut off. Making a name for himself, and his family, Alex's father leaves him wealthy, and with no need to rub shoulders with the ton. However his uncle is old, and has no heirs of his own, and Alex is next in line. Arriving at Stonyhurst's home, he is told he is the last choice, but he needs to learn how to act in case he ever inherits. Alex wants nothing to do with his uncle, or his uncle's young wife, but Bianca makes him reconsider.

This book was a lovely story for Bianca, though not an easy one. After what she went through in the previous books, she deserved a happy ending, but didn't believe it was ever going to happen. I loved that she was strong and stood up for herself, and didn't let Stonyhurst run roughshod over her, or play along with his games. Even so, she could still be vulnerable, and was able to open up to Alex, and he to her too. They may have started out with a simple basic attraction to each other, but it was soon obvious that they were the only thing holding the other at the house, and after some events put them more in the spotlight, they trusted the other enough to get through it all, even when it seemed like all was lost. A great ending to Bianca's tale, and the series as a whole!

The Talk of the Town is the third book in Lynne Connolly's The Brazen Burrells tells the story of Mr. Alexander Fraser and, widowed Bianca, the Duchess of Whiston. Biance and Alex attend a house party hosted by the Marquees of Stonyhurst where they meet for the first time and are instantly attracted to one another.

This is the first book I've read from Lynne Connolly and unfortunately I found it couldn't hold my interest. I couldn't get into the mindset that it was a historical fiction. We have Bianca, who has a reputation as the other half of an open relationship (or it was so hinted as such, even though he was the only one had other partners) and apparently was a bit wild. Because of this, she is invited to a house party and placed on the 'wild side' of the house with the other widows and gentlemen who are there to have a little fun. I have nothing against this, but in a historical setting I just find it hard to believe.

The romance was okay and the mystery did keep me guessing.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC, opinions are my own.

A reluctant heir to his uncle’s estate, Alex goes to a house party to persuade the man to leave it to someone else. Coming out of mourning for her husband, widow Bianca decides a house party would be a low key way to reenter society. Sparks fly when they meet. Working together they must help solve a murder, and in doing so try to control their mutual growing attraction. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Dragonblade Publishing for my honest review.

This is awesome romance! I liked it a lot! It is steamy and suspenseful, with danger and adventure. Kept my fingers crossed for their HEA.

The Talk of the Town by Lynne Connolly

Excellent read, it's an enjoyment and definitely a book I'm going to pick up when it's released.

I just reviewed The Talk of the Town by Lynne Connolly. #TheTalkoftheTown #NetGalley
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