Series: Widow's Brew (Book 2)
The “fallen” ladies of Puddledon Manor’s Benevolent Home
are determined to rise above scandal—and forge a sparkling new future operating
their own brewery and alehouse…
With Christmas around the corner, Miss Caroline Anderson
hoped to persuade a London tavern owner to carry the Home’s Widow’s Brew—only
to discover the dastard was more interested in her ankles than her ale! To her
further annoyance, her stagecoach back to Little Puddledon is waylaid by louts
and a snow-covered ditch. Amid a nasty storm, Caro seeks shelter at a nearby
estate—only to be greeted by Viscount Oakland, aka Nick, her brother’s
childhood friend—and her schoolgirl crush. Now he’s the half-dressed host of
what is clearly a holiday bacchanal. Still, his house is irresistibly warm…
Ever the free spirit, Nick has invited the wilder
gentlemen of the ton, and an assortment of London’s lightskirts, to celebrate
Christmas in a more traditional, pagan fashion. So he’s surprised to find Caro
at his door. Now, with a blizzard raging, he must take her in—despite his fear
she won’t take to his guests, and worse, upend his party. But she may surprise
him—and upend his life…
This was a fun and fast-paced story about two people haunted
by their pasts. I loved how the healing process was wrapped in humor and
romance. Caro is the brewmaster for the Benevolent Home where she lives. She
took that post after an event that caused a rift with her family and has affected
her life ever since. After an unsuccessful trip to London searching for new
markets for her ale, Caro is stuck on a coach with some unpleasant passengers
and increasingly bad weather. When the coach ends up in a ditch, she recognizes
their location and tramps off to seek help at the estate of Viscount Oakland,
aka "Lord Devil," her brother's old school friend and Caro's girlhood
crush.
Nick recently became the Viscount after the death of the
uncle he loathed. Orphaned at a young age, he was wrenched from his mother's
family in Italy and forced to live with his cold and bitter uncle. He usually
avoids Oakland, but due to unforeseen (and hilarious) circumstances, he had to
vacate his townhouse. To thumb his nose at his uncle's memory, Nick invited a
couple of his wilder friends and some lightskirts to celebrate with a Christmas
orgy. Only, now that he's there he finds himself less than enthusiastic about
the festivities.
I loved the opening meeting between Caro and Nick. It has
been almost twenty years since they last saw each other and neither immediately
recognized the other. Caro mistakes Nick for his butler an is pretty brash in
her zeal to procure help for her fellow passengers. She's shocked when she
realizes her mistake, but no less determined. Nick didn't recognize Caro at
first either, though he did think she looked familiar. He was immediately
attracted to her, something that surprised him in light of his earlier disinterest
in the available "ladies."
I enjoyed seeing the relationship develop between Nick
and Caro. In a hilarious conversation, Caro offers a trade with Nick. She will
pretend to be his lover, thereby negating rumors of his "problem" in
exchange for his protection from any of the men who get the wrong idea about
her. Thanks to their pasts, neither one has any interest in settling down, but
their hearts don't get the message. As Nick learns about Caro's past his protective
instincts are aroused along with other parts of him. I loved the way that he
helped her let go of the pain of that past event and see that it wasn't her
fault. Though her heart wants to believe that there is hope for more between
them, her head still believes that a "fallen woman" is no match for a
viscount.
Meanwhile, Nick begins to realize that he has let his
feelings about his uncle control his life for too long. Caro's presence reminds
him of happier times when he felt a part of her family. I loved seeing his metamorphosis
from rake to responsible. His protectiveness toward Mrs. Dixon and her
children, and his kindness toward young Edward was only the beginning. Learning
more about Caro's new life made him take a fresh look at his and realize that
he was ready for a change.
The interactions between Caro and Nick were great. The
attraction between them was incendiary but tempered by Caro's fears. I loved
Nick's patience as he helped her move past them. Their conversations were frank
and frequently funny, and their inner monologues added to the hilarity. Nick's
were especially amusing as he dealt with the feelings that Caro aroused. As he
came to accept and embrace his newfound feelings for Caro, Nick struggled with
finding a way to convince her of his love and to believe that they can have a
future. I felt for him with his rambling attempts to tell her how much he
needed her. I liked seeing Caro's thought processes as she worked through her
feelings and fears to the realization of the dreams she thought she had given
up. The ending was sweet and sexy and perfect for the two of them.
The mixture of people thrown together could have been
awkward and uncomfortable, but the Christmas spirit seemed to take hold of
everyone. I enjoyed seeing different sides emerge of the people who didn't make
the greatest first impressions. The baker and his wife left their quarreling
behind to prepare a special dish for the group. The "Weasel" turned
out to be less of a threat than expected, and the judgmental preacher showed he
had a heart after all. The two young peers learned a bit of humility, with one
of them also experiencing an eye-opening revelation. The lightskirts found a
new direction for their lives, and their boss played a big part in bringing
Nick and Caro together. I loved Nick's servants and how the relationship between
them and Nick changed as he did.
I did have a few questions at the end. Why was Caro in
service as a nanny at seventeen? She is the daughter of the gentry, with
parents and seven brothers. Shouldn't they have been helping her find a husband
rather than sending her out alone into the world? Nick's realization of his
feelings about his Italian family at the end left me wondering if he was going
to do anything about it. I would have liked another chapter or an epilogue,
maybe showing him and Caro honeymooning in Italy and visiting his family. I'd
like to see what happens with the new residents of the Home and hope that maybe
they will appear in the next book.
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