A spy on a mission.
A governess with a secret.
And a slipper lost at a ball.
Miss Emma Glass wants nothing to do with noblemen. From
experience, she knows that deceitful minds hide behind their most charming
smiles, and thus, she keeps to herself, her sole focus her precious little girl
as well as the means necessary to ensure her future.
Dedicated to fulfilling her role as governess to Lord
Markham's young daughter, Emma finds relief in seeing her own child grow up in
safety, far away from the threats of a society she herself barely escaped...if
not unscathed. Nightmares still haunt her, and yet, Emma is willing to endure
anything she must to ensure her daughter's well-being. Until she finds her
heart reawakened by a most inconvenient and utterly unsuitable man, a nobleman.
After long years in service to the Crown, Hugh Lawrence, Duke
of Ashhaven, returns from the Continent upon a friend's request. A most
gruesome murder has occurred, one which his friend trusts no one else to solve
but him. Dedicated to serve justice above all else, Ash begins his
investigation...only to find himself distracted by thoughts of a most
inconvenient nature.
Tender emotions spark in his heart whenever he glimpses
Miss Emma Glass, governess in his friend's household, for she reawakens hopes
he had never dared admit even to himself. Something about her draws him near,
upending his world as he finds himself incapable of being rational of thinking
clearly wherever Emma is concerned. What makes matters worse is that she
appears to be connected to the very culprit he is investigating for murder.
Before long, Ash no longer knows which to trust: his mind
or his heart?
Good Cinderella story with a nice mix of romance and
mystery. The story opens as Emma, a former maid, trudges through the snow
looking for help for her sick daughter, Susan. Her past has made her fearful of
men in general and the aristocracy in particular, so she is hesitant when Lord
Markham offers his assistance. But she is desperate and accepts his help, and
eventually his offer of employment as governess to his adopted daughter.
Jumping ahead three years, Emma has made a place for
herself in the Markham household. Her daughter is safe and happy, and Emma is
content. Lord Markham asks his friend, Lord Ashhaven, to investigate his
daughter's parents' deaths. Ash, who has been working for the Crown for a long
time, jumps right into the puzzling crime. Spending time with Markham also
brings Ash into contact with Emma, who intrigues him to the point of distracting
him from his mission.
I liked Ash. He is intelligent, determined, and
honorable. I liked his dedication to solving the murders and that he didn't settle
for the most obvious solution. He has a reputation for being cool and focused,
having learned over many years to keep his emotions under control. Locking away
those emotions enables him to survive the memories of some of the things he has
seen. I had a more challenging time with Emma. I liked her devotion to her
daughter, Susan, and her charge, Daphne. She clearly loves them both.
Unfortunately, her constant state of fear irritated me after a while. She'd
been a valued member of Markham's household for three years and is regarded as
a friend by all of them, so I couldn't understand her fear of being dismissed
for any little problem.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Ash
and Emma. Her jumpiness around him drew his attention first, his innate
protectiveness kicking in. I liked his sensitivity around her as he showed her
she was safe with him. The more time he spent around her, the more she stirred
up his long-buried emotions and dreams. I especially enjoyed how his friends
could see his growing feelings for her while Ash tried to convince himself it
was just friendship. Emma was equally drawn to him and surprised that he didn't
stir her fears. His actions slowly worked their way into her heart, but she saw
no future for them. After all, a governess and a duke are not a suitable match.
The emotions between them intensify as Emma becomes involved in Ash's investigation.
It takes nearly losing each other for Ash to admit his feelings and Emma to trust
in him.
The mystery part of the book was excellent. I could feel
Ash's frustration over his inability to get the entire truth about the murders.
He has one person in custody but suspects that someone else pulled the strings.
He has his suspicions about Lord Amhurst, but the man is publicly spotless. I
liked seeing how he and his partner went about digging beneath the surface. Discovering
that there was a link between Emma and Amhurst raised Ash's suspicions, even
after Emma offered to help. The intensity ramped up the longer Emma had to make
nice with Amhurst, and I could feel her fear each time. The final confrontation
was a nail-biter as Emma faced her worst fear. The culmination had me on the
edge of my seat until it was all over.
I liked the use of earlier books' couples in this one.
Though I haven't read the others in the series, there was enough information
given to understand their places. The epilogue showed where they stand at present.
The bits of each one's story whet my appetite to read the other books in the
series.
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