The duchess has finally settled on a young lady to sponsor, and in true duchess fashion this young lady is quite a noble one, with the blood of the Plantagenets running in her veins. Now if only she wouldn’t insist on entangling herself with a recent baron!
This is the conclusion of A Series of Worthy Young Ladies, a comic Regency romance series I have been following all year, and it was a good book to wrap up the whole saga.
The hero is Harry Vance, a likable young man we have seen throughout the series, but in this book he displayed an unexpectedly ruthless side to his personality as he pursues Isabel, who he thinks might be perfect for him. I enjoyed the interplay between the two, as the conflict that keeps them apart is well-defined and logical consider Isabel’s past. I liked how Harry is persistent in his suit without becoming overbearing. I also really liked how he goes about persuading Isabel that he can keep her safe and secure.
However, I did not enjoy the foibles of the supporting characters as much in this book, which was a shame as it had been a highlight in all the previous books in this series. The author is gentle as always in her handling of the silly personalities depicted, which I did appreciate. However, I did not really find the Duchess, her butler, or Isabel’s horse-mad suitor to be as entertaining or likable as I wished.
Still, this was a nice way to cap off the series and the year, and I will certainly keep my eyes peeled for further books by this author!
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.
