Series: Brides for Bachelors (Book 3)
A mysterious stranger…
Can she trust in their attraction?
In this Brides for Bachelors story, shy Lizzie Hutton knows her height and clumsiness alone make her a debutante to avoid. Until she meets tall, strong and striking Captain Harry Bretherton, who takes a surprising interest in her! Their intense chemistry makes him hard to resist -- if only it weren’t for the secrecy around his past…
Good conclusion to the series. In the previous two books, The Major Meets His Match and The Marquess Tames His Bride, the group of men stumbled onto a jewelry theft ring. At the beginning of the previous book, they learned that one of the men had died under suspicious circumstances while investigating a lead, leaving the remaining friends determined to avenge his death. They had a suspect, but no proof, only a plan to get the proof - a plan that used an innocent young woman.
Lizzie was unusually tall for a woman, which made her very self-conscious and shy. She also has terrible eyesight, which contributed to her reputation for clumsiness. She spent most of her time caring for her grumpy grandfather and reading to an invalid old woman. Her forays into society were disastrous, and she all but gave up on the idea of marriage. That was until she (literally) ran into Captain Harry Bretherton.
Harry had recently returned to England after being held as a prisoner of the French. His body was well on the way to recovering, but he was still haunted by what happened to him. Archie's death hit him hard and finding those responsible gave him the kick he needed to start living again. He was willing to do whatever necessary, including fake an interest in a woman.
I was predisposed to like this book anyway because I was intrigued by the ongoing mystery and wanted to know how it turned out. Be that as it may, I was sucked into the story from the first page, as Harry confronted his friend about their plan. His innate honorableness was clear as he realized that the other candidates were not the type to be trusted with the virtue of a young woman. Though he had a few misgivings, he was determined to follow through. He did not expect to be thoroughly enchanted by the lady in question. I loved their first meeting and how quickly they connected over a silly bit of wordplay. They connected further that evening while dancing, as each admitted to the problems related to their sizes. Harry felt an unexpected rush of protectiveness toward Lizzie, which was doubly disturbing because he was the one she needed protecting from. I ached a bit for Lizzie, who couldn't believe that she had drawn the attention of someone like Harry, especially with the way she was continually laughed at and mocked.
I enjoyed the progression of the relationship between Lizzie and Harry. When her grandfather moved them back home early to get her away from "that jackanapes," Harry was right behind them. Yes, that's where he needed to be for his investigation, but he increasingly wanted to spend time with Lizzie. I ached for Harry because of the growing amount of guilt he felt for his deception. This caused him to blow a bit hot and cold in his treatment of Lizzie, which in turn confused her. She was always sure that it was something she did that made him pull back. Meanwhile, she was certain of her feelings for him, and couldn't understand why he was holding back.
When circumstances, and Lizzie's poor eyesight, landed them in the middle of a dangerous situation, the truth finally came out. Lizzie was hurt and angry, but there was no time to give in to it. She and Harry were in grave danger, and I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen. The final confrontation was intense, and Lizzie played a huge part in its successful resolution. Her quick thinking was amazing, and I loved that Harry respected her intelligence the way he did. But their troubles weren't over. How could Lizzie believe that Harry's attentions were real when she now knew why he was there? Did he really want to marry her, or was it because of what had happened? I loved the arrival of the other two couples and the unexpected twist provided by Harriet and Clare. I loved the ending and the unique way that Harry proved his love to Lizzie.
I liked the successful resolution to the mystery of the jewel thefts. The bad guy was even worse than suspected, and he certainly received his just desserts. The revelation of how the scheme worked showed how horrible he was. I understood the frustration at the final decision on how it would be handled, but the reasons were logical.
No comments:
Post a Comment