Series: King's Elite (Book 4)
He's got iron control…
But she might be his undoing!
Haunted by Penny Penhurst's courage on the witness stand,
meticulous barrister Lord Hadleigh offers her a housekeeper position at his
estate. Despite trying to stay detached, Hadleigh is charmed by her small child
and surprised by how much he yearns for this proud woman! Can he break through
his own -- and Penny's -- barriers to prove he's a man she can trust…and love?
This was an excellent conclusion to the King's Elite series.
"The Boss" is in custody and it is up to Lord Hadleigh as Crown
Prosecutor to build a watertight case for conviction. Hadleigh is well known
for his meticulous and thorough preparations, and his unemotional prosecutions.
The book opens at the trial of Lord Penhurst, who was captured in the first
book of the series. Lady Penny Penhurst is on the witness stand, and Hadleigh
can't help being moved by her courage. Haunted by what she endured both before
and after her husband's capture, Hadleigh takes steps to help her secretly.
Penny endured three years of hell at the hands of her
physically and mentally abusive husband. With her husband's estates and funds
confiscated by the Crown, Penny is left with nothing but her determination to
start a new life. It is harder than she expected, but she intends to stand on
her own two feet. When she finds out that Hadleigh has been helping her on the
sly, she is furious and reads him the riot act.
I loved the development of the relationship between
Hadleigh and Penny. Overall, it is an emotional rollercoaster with both of them
having to face the demons of their pasts before they can move on to a happy
future. Hadleigh is a fixer. He is compelled to right wrongs when he sees them,
which is why he is so outstanding as a prosecutor. He is consumed by guilt over
what happened to Penny and feels partially responsible for it. Partly driven by
his feelings of not having been able to help his mother, it helped him to know
that he was helping someone who suffered as she had. Penny was furious at his interference.
Having been controlled and manipulated by one man, she was not going to allow
another one any control over her life. I loved the way she laid out her
objections in a manner that Hadleigh could understand, and how it opened his
eyes to the consequences of his actions.
But Hadleigh still isn't able to let go of his need to
help. The perfect solution falls into his hands when he offers his country
estate as a place to prepare witnesses for the upcoming trial. The house was
closed for a decade, so he offers the job of housekeeper to Penny. This gives
her the employment she craves and Hadleigh the satisfaction of helping her. But
there are also consequences to his actions. Hadleigh avoided the house for
years because of the memories he associates with it, memories he is now forced
to confront. I ached for him as those memories frequently overwhelmed him.
The interactions between Penny and Hadleigh were
fantastic. Penny refuses to be a victim and has no trouble standing up to
Hadleigh when she feels that he oversteps. Hadleigh isn't a man who feels he is
always right and can see the error of his ways when they are pointed out to
him. It takes him a while to realize that there is more to his need to help
Penny than just reparations for the past. I liked seeing them slowly get to
know each other. There were some heartwarming scenes of Hadleigh with Penny's
son, as she sees a different side to him. There were also some intensely
emotional scenes, such as when she breaks through the walls he erected around
his memories of his mother. At the same time, the attraction between them
continues to grow. Penny is reluctant to trust herself after her disaster of a
marriage, while Hadleigh is ready to have it all. I loved his understanding of
her feelings and his willingness to be patient while she works through them. The
epilogue was fantastic and perfect for this series. I loved seeing the extended
length of time passed and where they all are in their lives.
The secondary characters were all people from the earlier
books. I loved Clarissa and Seb's support of Penny and laughed out loud when
Seb confronted Hadleigh over his clandestine efforts to help Penny. Seb is
caught between a rock and a hard place as he wants to help Penny but also
understands Hadleigh's actions. When the action moved to the country house, I
loved seeing Jessamine again. The instant friendship between her and Penny was
great, helped along by their shared experiences. The Dowager Lady Flint and
Harriet were both a riot with their uncensored comments and advice. Flint, Gray,
and Seb were all willing participants in giving Hadleigh a hard time over his
relationship with Penny.
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