This was a slow burn romance in my opinion. We meet Lady Beatrix who has been pining for war hero, Spencer Clement, the Marquess of Leighton. They met seven years ago at Vauxhall, but the war has Spencer away to do his duty by his country. He, being the second son is not likely to inherit so the fact that he does leaves him feeling guilty and battling PTSD following the war. Beatrix on her part has kept the flame of love and affection for Spencer high and has not thought to marry elsewhere so she now has a situation where her father is ailing, and she desperately needs to marry or else face destitution.

The story has a lovely ending that you will enjoy. I received an ARC from the publishers and NetGalley and submit my honest review voluntarily.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dragonblade publishing for a chance to read this. Another amazing read from Dragonblade.
If you like
Tropes / Themes:
Second Chance Romance
Wounded Hero
War Veteran Returns Home
Missed Connection
Slow Burn Romance
Hero with PTSD
Ballroom/Garden Party Setting
Hope and Healing
Light/Dark Symbolism
Gentle, resilient heroine

The Wounded Hero got me interested in a flash. Lady Beatrix Chichester her fiancé passed away and men only old enough to be grandfathers are interested in marriage. Spencer Clement who returned from war meeting and dancing with Lady Beatrix and fireworks only bringing the memories back of the war. He really is as broken as they come. I have my own military man who suffered alot so reading about this was right down my own memory lane. It is what attracted me to this story and i could read this over and over again and recommend it a 100 times.

This book was okay. The premise of the initial meeting playing a major role in "falling in love" seemed a little implausible. After 7 years of separation, Bea and Spencer's stories run in parallel for most of the book instead of showing more interaction.

Lengthy but lacked substance where it mattered most.

#TheladyoftheLamps #NetGalley

I really liked the plot of this story and the characters. The concept of a dance under the magical night at Vauxhall Garden for Beatrix was so romantic and moving. Life however doesn't follow what we dream of and in this case it takes many years of pain and heartache to find the dream of happiness. What holds me back from a higher rating is the length of the story as it has a number of places that drag causing me to struggle with reading it completely. I'm not a huge fan of so many chapters unless there is a ton of dialogue involved. That said, this is only my opinion and I'm still a fan of the general story, characters and outcome.

Talk about a love story! Dancing with a stranger under the lamp light. It is a moment in our dreams. Not a fast-paced story, it is a good heartfelt story. We need to enjoy those sometimes. With wonderful characters and back stories that complete it all.
Faced with lives they didn't plan on Beatrix and Spencer think they will never that happily ever-after. The war and life have changed them and hardened their hearts. But has it changed their feelings and their longing for each other?
Daphne Quinn always writes with such a talent for storytelling and well thought out storylines. It had everything I love about historical romance. The story, the heart and the love all together for a twisted and tangled stunning romance, great for those true romantics at heart.

You will love this little romance adventure.

Such a good story and a peek into English society….glad there is more to come in this series! Moving on! Loved the characters and the fact that they have found each other at the end of the road. Vote for the happy ending.

The Lady of the Lamps by Daphne Quinn is a slow-burn, second-chance Regency romance between Lady Beatrix and war hero Spencer Clement, Marquess of Leighton. The sweet moments and likable MC make it an enjoyable read in parts.
However, the romance falls flat. MC are having separate storylines for nearly 75% of the book, limiting their interactions and stunting the development of their chemistry. I would have expected some flirtation, growing affection, and meaningful dialogue, but this story leans heavily on a love-at-first-sight premise that feels underdeveloped. The reliance on their initial meeting, without substantial communication afterward, made it hard for me to invest in the romance, since I’m skeptical of instant love. While both characters shine individually, the lack of connection between the leads left me frustrated. It’s a sweet but underwhelming tale for those craving a more engaging romantic journey.
P.S. thank you NetGalley for ARC, all opinions are my own.

I liked the main characters of this story, Spencer and Beatrix, but I did feel their connection was poorly used at times. They were clearly connected from the moment they met, but fate separated them for seven long years. When they finally reunited, Spencer didn’t think he was capable of love after his tragedies from the war. So much of the story was from a perspective of them being apart and longing for one another instead of them interacting and growing the love story. They both had these feelings that they thought would never be reciprocated. She almost made a dangerous decision that would have made them permanently unavailable to one another out of desperation. This was a second chance romance that dealt with a tortured war veteran that was dealing with PTSD, the circumstances of a single woman alone in the world, the grief of losing a beloved family member, and finding healing through love. I would have preferred more time between the couple as opposed to all the outside secondary relationships. You have to wait to get to the HEA, but it was worth it.

I received an ARC from Net Galley and am voluntarily leaving this review.

I wanted to give Beatrix and Spencer a hug.

Beatrix's father has just passed away and she is left to the whims of a distant cousin. Spencer is recently returned from war and has what we know now as PTSD.

If two people just needed a break in life and someone to love, it's these two! I'm very happy it finally had a HEA, but we went through twists and turns to get there!

I hope Spencer's friend Timothy is next.

Thank you to Daphne Quinn and Dragonblade for the copy of this book. Opinions are my own.

This book felt really just okay. It lack dialogue between the main characters and that romantic longing for one another that made the book not enjoyable to me. I can see why that first meeting might have been magical for her but I didn’t really understand from his stand point.

Also her distant cousin seemed a lot like a caricature of a villain rather that a fully developed person.

This was not fully clean but I would consider it very close to closed door.

During a ball at Vauxhall Gardens, Lady Beatrix falls in love with a young, charming man, Spencer, who promises to meet her again. Unknown to her, he joined the war and suffers psychologically and feels unable to face society. Louise has reached the ripe age of 25 without any prospect of marriage. When they meet again, Beatrix does not let her 2nd chance slip away.

Seven years ago...

Seven years ago, Spencer asked Beatrix to dance at Vauxhall Gardens, under the lamplight.
Fast forward seven years, Spencer is back from war, he is now a marquess and suffers from PTSD. While un wounded during the war, he's pretty messed up inside. Beatrix is a spinster with a failed engagement to a notorious rake, who died in a dual and she never wed.

Seven years later, they share another dance at Vauxhall Gardens.
Recommend.

When Lady Beatrix dances with Spencer Clement at a magical evening in Vauxhall Gardens, she thinks that her future is set, in that he promised to call on her when she came out. Life takes a different direction for both Beatrix and Spencer, and it is a number of years later when they once again come face to face. Unfortunately, the intervening years have brought about hardship and pain, resulting in Spencer backtracking from his original promise to her. It takes an extreme situation to force Beatrix to call upon Spencer, now the Marquess of Leighton, to ask him to rescue her from an unimaginable plight. The novel comes to a sweet conclusion, as their story comes full circle. I received a copy of this sweet romance as a gift through Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley, and this is my honest and voluntary review.

Lady Beatrix is young and has her first adventure at Vauxhall.
She dances with Spencer under the beautiful lamps.at the gardens.
They don’t meet again for several years. Beatrix is now a spinster and Spencer is traumatized from his years at war.
Slow burn romance and heartwarming.
Finally a deserving happily ever after.

Book is available August 5, 2025! The Lady of the Lamps is the first book of the Vows in Vauxhall Gardens series. 

Overview

Lady Beatrix is entering her first season when her father escorts her to the Vauxhall Gardens. She is swept off her feet by the dashing Spencer Clement.  When the evening is over, he promises to call on her after her official debut. But he never shows. 

After five failed seasons of a dead fiancé and a questionable reputation (by no fault of her own), Beatrix finds herself very much at risk of becoming a spinster. She returns to the Vauxhall Gardens and runs into Spencer, who is not the Marquis of Leighton. Their sparks are rekindled, but is it enough to overcome the past?

Positives

The Lady of the Lamps is a sweet romance. Tackling PTSD in a historical romance, especially in the Regency Era, isn’t something you see often. It was handled very well and complemented the romance. 

Characters were well developed—even the supporting characters, like Thomas, who inherits Beatrix’s father's title. The author can imply certain aspects without sacrificing the romance. 

Negatives

I don’t buy the beginning. I find it unlikely that the simple meeting they had would have left them both lovesick for years. That scene just needed more work for me. From their second meeting on is entirely believable, especially for the Regency Era; that first meeting just needed more. 

Recommendations

The Lady of the Lamps is a sweet, cozy Regency Era romance. You spend the whole book waiting for them to come together finally. I give it three stars; it's good, but with that intro, there’s nothing memorable about it for me—great for some light, casual reading.

We have Lady Beatrix Chichester daughter of an Earl and Lord Spencer Clement Leighton meet at Vauxhall Gardens under the Lamplight! An instant connection formed but it would be many years before they see each other again!
Spencer will have survived war and the death of a sibling that will forever change him!
I did like the indecisiveness in Spencer he knew full well the lack of choices women had in those days! There were times he could have followed his heart but Beatrix did most of the chasing!
Spencer had nightmares and relived the war even in the daytime but he was drawn to Beatrix from the first! It was only after an act of cruelty did he wake up!
It was an interesting story with a HEA but Bravo Beatrix for going to get your man!

Second Chance Meeting 3.5*
Beatrix and Spencer first meet at Vauxhall and feel a spark but 7 years pass before they meet again. Spencer is plagued by grief and PTSD from his war experiences, whilst Beatrix is now a wallflower with an ailing father and a need to marry if she is not to find herself without a home. When they meet again Beatrix’s dreams of marrying for love are reignited but Spencer, as a second son who didn’t expect to inherit and feels guilty and broken, doesn’t think he is able to inflict his nightmares on a wife. Poor Beatrix has to therefore consider others for whom she feels dislike.
I found it strange that as the only offspring of an Earl, that her father left her with no money, particularly as they seemed very close. He had chosen not to remarry to gain a son and so had plenty of years to put aside money for his daughter, only his title and entailed estate would go to a distant cousin, his money was his to do as he wished. Would have made more sense to me if she had a brother who had recently died and whom her father had expected would look after her if she never married. I quite liked this book but felt the story was rather drawn out.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I absolutely love this book- so cute, heartfelt, emotional, and a dozen other beautiful things. Spencer and Beatrix will live in my heart forever.

I really enjoyed getting into this time-period and thought it worked overall in this type of book. I enjoyed getting to know Lady Beatrix and Spencer and the rest of the characters in this world. It was everything that I wanted and enjoyed in this type of book, it uses the historical romance element that I wanted and was invested in the overall storyline of this. I thought it uses the PTSD element in a respectful way and was glad I got to read this. Daphne Quinn does a amazing job with this and am excited for more.