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An Heiress's Guide to Deception and Desire

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available
Former lovers become reluctant allies in this delightfully witty historical rom-com from the bestselling author of A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem—for fans of Evie Dunmore, Enola Holmes, and Netflix's Bridgerton!
England, 1867: As half of the writing duo behind England’s most infamous crime column, Miss Caroline Hardcastle has quite the scandalous reputation. It may have cost her a fiancé, but she would much rather bring attention to crimes against those ignored by society than worry about what the ton thinks of her.
After Caro’s dear friend is kidnapped, however, she has no choice but to work with Lord Valentine Thorn, the same man who broke her heart. Worse, when her actions put her father’s business at risk, a marriage of convenience may be her only solution . . . but can she trust Val to stand by her? Or will their past repeat itself?
Val—the new Viscount Wrackham—is in an untenable position: His father is demanding he find a respectable bride to secure the succession. Yet the only woman he’s ever loved, Miss Caroline Hardcastle, is notorious for behaving improperly. And she’s never forgiven him for his youthful transgressions, missteps made in the name of familial duty, but ones he still regrets to this day.
As they grow closer to unmasking the culprit, Val sees an opportunity to show Caro he’s a changed man. But can he convince her to give their love a second chance—before death does them part?
 
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    • Publisher's Weekly

      August 30, 2021
      Collins follows A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem with a fun second chance romance between Miss Caroline “Caro” Hardcastle, a manufacturer’s daughter, and Lord Valentine Thorn, the heir to a dukedom. Collins classifies her work as “historical romantic suspense,” but there’s little suspense and a minimum of romantic development here; it’s more a workmanlike historical mystery with romance trappings. Caro, having ended a brief betrothal to Val four years earlier, is drawn into his orbit again when her dear friend and Val’s cousin Frank’s fiancée, Miss Effie Warrington, disappears and Frank falls under suspicion. The estranged couple fall into a squabbling collaboration to find Effie and exonerate her betrothed. Class snobbery spurred their breakup and continues to drive their present conflict: Effie is an actress and deemed unworthy by Val’s family, just as Caro was. The mystery and romance plots unfold in expected tropes from this premise, and period atmosphere is noticeably thin. Still, Caro is feisty and Val is angstily ripe for reform, making for enjoyable banter and a handful of plainspoken confrontations that, if anachronistic, are nonetheless satisfying. Readers are in for a frothy romp. Agent: Holly Root, Root Literary.

    • Kirkus

      September 15, 2021
      A formerly betrothed pair rediscovers their feelings for each other when they team up to find a missing woman. When Miss Caroline Hardcastle's friend Effie, an actress, is kidnapped, Caro takes on the case with assistance from friends. As co-author of a newspaper crime column called "A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem," Caro is fully aware of the danger Effie could be facing. Effie's fiance calls on his cousin Lord Valentine Thorn to help with the search efforts. No one knows that four years ago, Val and Caro were engaged. Caro's middle-class upbringing made her unsuitable in the eyes of Val's father, and Caro eventually broke off the engagement. She's been harboring negative feelings toward Val ever since, and matters become more complicated when working on the case leads to their being discovered in a compromising situation, with a marriage of convenience the only solution. Following their wedding three days later, Caro and Val rekindle their friendship and old emotions arise. Opening themselves up to love is difficult, however, not only because of their past, but also because they become increasingly entangled in the case, which could lead to danger. The mystery drives the action while the romance provides the heartbeat of the story, and the two weave together to create a well-plotted, entertaining tale for fans of both genres. Expectations and prejudice based on class and gender are scrutinized throughout, while the leads are witty, fierce, bighearted, and easy to love. A successful and thoroughly enjoyable mix of mystery and romance.

      COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • Booklist

      October 1, 2021
      Valentine Thorn has some nerve asking Caroline Hardcastle for help. While it is true that Val once held the key to her heart, ever since she broke off their engagement, Caro has tried to maintain as much social distance as possible between herself and Val. However, when actress Effie Warrington--Caro's new friend and Val's cousin Frank's future wife--mysteriously disappears, Caro agrees to help Val track her down. While pursuing their investigation, Caro and Val find themselves unexpectedly caught in a compromising situation, which then leads to a marriage of convenience. But how convenient will this new arrangement be once Caro and Val realize they still harbor real romantic feelings for one another? After delighting readers with A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem (2020), Collins is back in fine fettle with another fetching mix of sprightly wit, nimble plotting, and engaging characters that is certain to endear her to fans of historical romances and cozier historical mysteries.

      COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • Library Journal

      November 1, 2021

      The second installment in Collins's Victorian England series (following A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Murder). Caroline Hardcastle is heiress to a sizeable fortune and is also half of the writing duo behind the newspaper column "A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Murder." Indifferent to the snobbish opinions of the aristocracy, Caro makes no apologies for her father's successful food business or the backgrounds of her friends and acquaintances. When her friend, a famous actress, is kidnapped, Caro is thrown back into close contact with Valentine Thorn, the man who broke her heart when he failed to stand up to his family and denounce their classist attitudes towards Caro and her parents. Now Caro and Val vow to work together--in spite of their past--to find the missing actress and her suitor (who happens to be Val's cousin). VERDICT Affable characters and rom-com banter make this an enjoyable read, even if the plot is a bit sparse. For fans of Julia Quinn's "Bridgerton" series or Anne Perry's historical mysteries.--Nicole J. Suarez, Frankfort P.L. Dist., IL

      Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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