A group of highborn matrons, daughterless, start a society to sponsor young ladies through their seasons. Now it is the turn of Lady Heathway, whose chosen girl, Grace, is perfectly well-mannered and well-qualified – now if only she wouldn’t persist in running home!
Archer has delivered again with an amusing Regency romance. This is the second book in the series and can be read as a standalone, though I enjoyed the humorous references to the first book. The main characters, Grace and George, are engaging, the side characters memorable, and the plot nice and low angst. Again I appreciated how gently the author handled characters who could have easily been thought ridiculous.
However, this gentle lack of plot does work against the book sometimes, as some sections such as the mystery dinner felt like padding for the word count. I again wish the romance was more ardent – not necessarily steam, as this is not the author’s style – but more of what drew the characters to each other. I also found the butler interludes less interesting this time round, because they did not really add to the plot.
A sweet clean Regency read, and I am excited to have read that Lady Easton has picked up a protégée of her own for the next book!
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.
