The Lily of Ludgate Hill
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4.6 • 23 Ratings
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
A BookBub Best Romance of Winter 2024!
Fortune favors the bold—but is a confirmed spinster daring enough to loosen the reins and accept a favor from the wicked gentleman who haunts her dreams?
Lady Anne Deveril doesn’t spook easily. A woman of lofty social standing known for her glacial beauty and starchy opinions, she’s the unofficial leader of her small group of equestriennes. Since her mother’s devastating plunge into mourning six years ago, Anne voluntarily renounced any fanciful notions of love and marriage. And yet, when fate puts Anne back into the entirely too enticing path of Mr. Felix Hartford, she’s tempted to run…right into his arms.
No one understands why Lady Anne withdrew into the shadows of society, Hart least of all. The youthful torch he once held for her has long since cooled. Or so he keeps telling himself. But now Anne needs a favor to help a friend. Hart will play along with her little ruse—on the condition that Anne attend a holiday house party at his grandfather’s country estate. No more mourning clothes. No more barriers. Only the two of them, unrequited feelings at last laid bare.
Finally free to gallop out on her own, Anne makes the tantalizing discovery that beneath the roguish exterior of her not-so-white knight is a man with hidden depths, scorching passions—and a tender heart.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Grief and familial duty separate a couple, but a road trip brings them back together in Matthews's sparkling third Belles of London Victorian romance (after The Belle of Belgrave Square). In December 1855, Lady Anne Deveril and rakish Felix "Hart" Hartford are on the cusp of engagement when Anne's father dies and Anne, who fears Hart is frivolous and undependable, chooses to remain with her widowed mother over marriage. Six and a half years later, Anne is still too terrified of losing anyone else to let love into her life. Hart, meanwhile, is no longer a reckless youth, and when Anne comes to him to request he escort her and her superstitious mother to Yorkshire to check on a friend, he's determined to win back her heart. Both face upheaval that strains their reunion; Hart is struggling under the weight of providing for a secret set of half siblings and balancing the needs of his mining company, while Anne is facing eviction from her home. Their beautifully fleshed out arcs offer a poignant portrait of the destabilizing effects of loss and the strength in forging a new life with the help of loved ones. The plot dovetails nicely with the previous two books while standing alone enough to be appreciated by newcomers. Historical romance fans are sure to be moved.
Customer Reviews
The Lily of Ludgate
Loved it, fabulous story about second chances. Mimi Matthew’s always delivers a story with class.