The Captain Claims His Lady - Annie Burrows (HHS #482 - Aug 2018)

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.

 

The Marquess Tames His Bride - Annie Burrows (HH #1363 - Feb 2018)

Series: Brides for Bachelors (Book 2)

“I have just announced our betrothal.”

The Marquess of Rawcliffe has always found his feisty childhood friend Clare Cottam enthralling. Forbidden by her strict father to pursue a relationship, he’s kept his distance. But the couple is embroiled in a heated argument that puts Clare’s reputation in danger, and Rawcliffe is forced to declare her his fiancée! It will be his pleasure to tame his independent, innocent bride…

Good book. The story opened with Clare on her way to take up a position as a companion after the death of her father left her homeless and penniless. The last person she expected to encounter at the coaching inn was her nemesis, the Marquess of Rawcliffe. They had been childhood friends, but a misunderstanding over a proposal drove them apart, leaving each feeling humiliated. In the years since then, Rawcliffe has delighted in provoking Clare's temper. This time was no different, except that Clare's temper erupted into the physical when she punched him in the nose. Unfortunately for her, it was witnessed by many people. To save her from scandal, Rawcliffe announced that they were engaged.

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Rawcliffe and Clare. The scene at the inn was amusing. Rawcliffe had developed his snarky teasing as a way of protecting his heart because he had never stopped loving her. Clare always reacted strongly as a way to hide the fact that she was in love with him for years. The possibility of scandal gave Rawcliffe the perfect opportunity to get what he has always wanted - Clare as his wife - not that he was ready to tell her that. Clare didn't want him to feel forced to marry her and tried to talk him out of it. But it didn't take too much convincing for her to decide that she could get her wish to be his wife, and hope that he would come to care for her.

When Rawcliffe took Clare to London to stay with Lady Harriet (The Major Meets His Match), he was devastated by the news of the death of a close friend. Rawcliffe and his friends were investigating the theft of some jewels and Rawcliffe was certain that Thomas's death was no accident. He was pretty sure that Clare's brother Clement was involved, and realized that his marriage to Clare gave him an unexpected chance to investigate further. The downside was that he feared Clare would think that was why he married her. The guilt he felt over this had him blowing hot and cold whenever he was with Clare. Sometimes he would be kind and considerate, reminding Clare of the boy she knew and loved, and then he would turn around and be cold and disdainful. The physical passion between them was intense, but then Rawcliffe would coolly and calmly walk away afterward. This behavior frustrated and confused Clare, who tried her best to be the wife that Rawcliffe said he wanted. There were times that her temper got the best of her, and I loved seeing her let go, making it clear to Rawcliffe that she was ticked.

I ached for both Clare and Rawcliffe as he carried out his plan to use Clare to investigate Clement. Clare was moved by Rawcliffe's taking her to see her brother, even though she knew he didn't like Clement. But Clement's words and actions made Clare suspicious of her husband's motives. As Rawcliffe's investigation progressed, he realized that he was caught between a rock and a hard place. If he pursued his suspicions, he took a chance on alienating the woman he loved, but if he didn't, Clement would get away with murder. I was truly impressed with Clare, who except for one brief moment, handled the discovery of the truth very well. I loved how she took the little bits she learned and put them together into an accurate picture of what was going on. Their big moment on the cliff, as truths were revealed and feelings shared, was fantastic.