How to Wed a Courtesan - Madeline Martin (HH #1589 - July 2021)

Series: London School for Ladies (Book 3)

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.

How to Tempt a Duke - Madeline Martin (HH #1478 - Dec 2019)

Series: London School for Ladies (Book 1)

A lady's lessons…
 
…in temptation!
 
When her almost fiancé proposes to someone else, Lady Eleanor is suddenly the talk of the ton! With her family in financial dire straits, Eleanor must marry before the end of the Season. Secret lessons with Charles, the dashing, infuriating -- and devastatingly charming -- Duke of Somersville, should help Eleanor shake off her shameful Ice Queen moniker. But how can she tempt a prospective husband when it's the duke who ignites her desire?
 
Good book. Eleanor is in a predicament. The man who courted her suddenly proposed to another woman, and the gossip papers gave her the name "Ice Queen". Raised by her father to believe that showing emotion is a sign of weakness, Eleanor must find a way to overcome that training and find a husband. With the family at the end of their financial rope, Eleanor's mother sends her to a courtesan for lessons in flirting and how to show warmth in her interactions.
 
Charles recently inherited the title. He struggled all his life to earn his father's love and approval, even taking up his father's search for antiquities. Charles returned to England after his father's death, wracked with guilt over his failure to find the Couer de Feu, a legendary ruby. All he needs to do is find the right journal with the information. Unfortunately, some of those journals belong to the Murrays, the family of his father's greatest enemy.
 
When Charles returned to London, he found that his childhood friend Lottie, a vicar's daughter, had become a courtesan. When she begged for his help so that she could change her life, he couldn't say no. Imagine his surprise when she asked him to assist her in training Eleanor, one of the Murray family members. If he helps her, perhaps he can get his hands on those journals.
 
I enjoyed seeing the development of the relationship between Eleanor and Charles. The attraction sparks between them from the beginning, but both try to resist. Eleanor must marry by the end of the Season to save her family. Charles believes that marriage is not for him, having seen what his father's travels did to his parents' marriage. Their attraction awakened the passion hidden beneath Eleanor's icy shell, and Charles soon found it difficult to resist the woman revealed. I loved seeing the changes in Eleanor as she learned to love the passion she feels. She also realizes that her heart is in trouble, as that passion focuses on a man who refuses to marry. Charles is a harder nut to crack, as his fixation on finding the ruby overrules his growing feelings for Eleanor. It isn't until he nearly loses her to another that he realizes that his priorities have changed, and a hilarious elopement scene follows.
 
When Eleanor finds out about Charles's quest for the ruby and need for the journals, she makes an interesting bargain with him. I enjoyed seeing them work together to uncover the secret. An unexpected twist brings disturbing revelations about their fathers' methods. Charles and Eleanor also learn that they aren't the only ones looking for the ruby. An intense confrontation with an unexpected enemy puts both of them in danger. I was on the edge of my seat until it was all over. The ending was terrific. I loved the solution Eleanor provided for Charles's dilemma, and the epilogue was fantastic.