Lady Derring Takes a Lover by Julie Anne Long Series: Palace of Rogues #1
Published by Avon on February 26, 2019
Genres: Historical Romance
Pages: 384
Format: eARC, Kindle or ebook
Source: purchased, the publisher
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Also by this author: Hot in Hellcat Canyon, Wild at Whiskey Creek
A mistress. A mountain of debt. A mysterious wreck of a building.
Delilah Swanpool, Countess of Derring, learns the hard way that her husband, "Dear Dull Derring," is a lot more interesting—and perfidious—dead than alive. It's a devil of an inheritance, but in the grand ruins of the one building Derring left her, are the seeds of her liberation. And she vows never again to place herself at the mercy of a man.
But battle-hardened Captain Tristan Hardy is nothing if not merciless. When the charismatic naval hero tracks a notorious smuggler to a London boarding house known as the Rogue's Palace, seducing the beautiful, blue-blooded proprietress to get his man seems like a small sacrifice.
They both believe love is a myth. But a desire beyond reason threatens to destroy the armor around their hearts. Now a shattering decision looms: Will Tristan betray his own code of honor…or choose a love that might be the truest thing he's ever known?
I received a review copy of this book from purchased, the publisher.
Review
Oh, this was delightful! Both feminist and romantic, with wonderful characters and plenty of humor intertwined with deeper feelings. I loved both Delilah and Angelique for their determination and chutzpah, and warmed up to Captain Tristan Hardy quite quickly once Long let us see beneath the duty-driven mask.
Among her many other talents as a writer, Julie Anne Long is able to make the improbable believable. In this case, the biggest “improbable” is the Grand Palace of the Thames itself, with its ability to attract a variety of residents who wouldn’t otherwise encounter one another. There’s the young man fleeing a marriage he doesn’t want (and the coincidence that follows), and the unlikely Misses Gardner, and… but I mustn’t spoil it for you. Just trust me when I say, you’ll happily suspend your disbelief just to see what happens next.
I can’t wait to read the next book, Angel in a Devil’s Arms, in which Angelique meets the mysterious gentleman who… oh, well, you’ll see when you read Lady Derring Takes a Lover.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- COYER with Friends (Winter 2019-2020)
