From courtesan
…to society wife?
When Evander, Earl of Westix, returns from the continent
to claim his bride, he is shocked that the innocent vicar's daughter he once
loved has become a notorious courtesan. But Lottie is so much more than the
insult society hurls at her. She is resourceful and strong -- after all, she's
had to be to survive. Her charms are undeniable, but her heart is beyond his
grasp. To win it will mean taking her from bedroom to ballroom…
Good second chance love story. I've been intrigued by
Lottie and her story since the first book in the series,
How to Tempt a Duke.
She wasn't the selfish kind of courtesan frequently portrayed in other books.
Instead, you can see an innate kindness and desire to help the young ladies she
teaches. The hints of her background made me even more curious about how she
got there, and the scene at the end of the book sealed the deal.
Finally, in the third book of the series, we get Lottie's
story. It opens in the current day of 1816, as Lottie looks at a bouquet of
flowers and a ring and considers what accepting them would mean to her life. It
then jumps back to 1809, where her story begins. We see how she and Evander
meet, fall in love, and part ways due to unforeseen circumstances.
When Evander returns from his longer-than-expected
journeys to finally claim Lottie as his wife, he is stunned by the changes in
her. No longer the innocent vicar's daughter, Lottie is a notorious courtesan. Her
experiences changed her, and she became strong, intelligent, rich, and
independent. All Evander wants is Lottie, but she isn't ready to risk her heart
on him again.
I enjoyed seeing the rekindling of the relationship
between Evander and Lottie. He knows that he made many mistakes and freely
confesses his acceptance and remorse for them. Lottie's past doesn't matter to
him; he still wants her as his wife. He also realizes that regaining her trust
won't be easy, but he refuses to give up. I loved his weekly bouquets to her,
with flowers he selects himself, flowers that have specific meanings. He treats
her with all of the love and respect he feels for her in hopes of breaking
through the wall she erected between them.
Evander's return brought all the love Lottie felt for him
back to the surface, along with all of the pain she's endured. She tries to
keep him at a distance, afraid of risking her heart with him again, but he
slowly chips away at her resistance. Lottie shares that pain with Evander in a
deeply emotional scene, opening the door for forgiveness and reconciliation. However,
there remain concerns that continue to hold Lottie back from fulfilling Evander's
deepest desire, concerns that prove to be valid. I loved how Evander showed
Lottie that she was more important than others' opinions, and his demonstration
of that belief was fantastic. An unexpected twist at the end provided the
perfect comeuppance to the naysayers.
The epilogue was a terrific look into the lives of all of
the couples several years later. I also enjoyed catching up with some of those
young ladies that Lottie helped.
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