Lost: One duke's sister. Found: The unexpected love of a lifetime. Edmund "Dare" Blakeley, the Duke of Dareford, is on a mission to find his younger sister who has been ruthlessly abducted. The only problem? He needs the help of his housekeeper to do it.
Before she was his servant, she had another name… and all of London swooning at her feet. Miss Laurel Spencer has no wish to cavort with a duke–even if he is her brother-in-law. In her younger days, she saw how love can utterly destroy a woman.
But when the duke's younger sister and Laurel's elder brother go missing, she reluctantly agrees to accompany Dare to London to search for them. As Laurel calls upon old friends in low places, including the most notorious gaming hell in London, her past begins to resurrect itself. Soon Dare is forced to realize how little he knows about the enigmatic woman by his side... and how desperate he is to uncover everything he can about her.
As the Blakeley family mysteries are uncovered, not everyone is glad to see the truth coming to light… and one man will do anything to see that it stays buried.
This was a wonderful continuation of Wren and Briar’s story! The storylines run along side each other as Edmund, the Duke of Dareford, Briar’s brother and Laurel Spencer, Wren’s half sister search for the missing couple. Laurel has had a crush on the Duke for sometime but she knows that’s all it can be. Laurel is a fascinating character and I truly loved getting to know her. We learned more about the Spencer family and their time before working at the Dareford home. Laurel was a nearly famous singer at a club in London. While working there, she befriended the owners sister. Unfortunately, the woman died during childbirth and Laurel agreed to care for the child and take her to Dareford’s with her. Little Cassie knows her uncle lives in London and often will sneak away to visit him so she has become quite accustomed to the underbelly of London. When Dareford meets Cassie, who is dressed as a little boy, she agrees to assist him with his search for his sister in exchange for some special outings…ices at Gunther’s for example!
All of this gets more complicated as Laurel is asked to sing again and her friends brother declares his love for her. She agrees to one night as she feels obliged to help boost the clubs business. But, this adventure is opening Dare’s eyes to see Laurel for the first time and their connection develops into something more than housekeeper-Duke.
I am loving this series! The plot was so interesting and twists kept me on my toes! Laurel and Dare were perfect for each other and I’m so glad he didn’t play the whole ‘different classes’ card to strongly. The little ward Cassie added such a great dynamic to the story and was really the key that brought the story together. Now I need to wait until March to read Leigh and Marigold’s story!
Historical Romance, Regency Era, Gaming Hell, East End London, Gamma Hero, Orphan Hero, Titled Hero, Independent Heroine, Musician Heroine, Orphan Heroine, Performer Heroine, Single Mother Heroine, Virgin Heroine, Working Heroine, Class Difference, Unexpected Virgin, Workplace Romance, Forced Proximity, Mystery Romance, Five Star, Two Flame
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