“If a maid wants nothing but a husband, how can a brother give her everything?”
As the illegitimate daughter of an earl, Lily Harkins spent her early years toiling as a scullery maid and later as a lady’s maid. When her brother, Gabriel Wellingham, paid a call to claim her as his sister, Lily was surprised and a bit overwhelmed. With recognition as the Earl of Trenton’s half-sister came the … came the responsibility to learn the ways of the ton as well as the promise of a substantial dowry—an irresistible draw for many a man who might require the income to pay off gambling debts or shore up flagging bank accounts.
William Overby may have started his life as a street urchin in the Seven Dials, but he worked his way from being Thomas Wellingham’s caddie to clerking at the man’s business. Having outfitted his bachelor quarters with excess inventory from Wellingham Imports and rather satisfied with his lot in life, William has no need to wonder what’s next. That is, until he meets the comely blonde chit who’s paying a visit to her cousin, Thomas. The idea of courting—the idea of taking a wife—are suddenly all William can think about.
Thanks to patient tutoring, Lily had a successful come-out—too successful. Having read the stories in the gossip sheets from London suggesting his sister is being courted by no fewer than four aristocrats, Gabriel sends for her. He’s determined to hear her side of the stories before deciding which man is worthy enough to be her husband.
Having suffered a good deal of embarrassment in her encounters with gentlemen claiming they wished to court her, Lily wonders if any of her suitors are sincere. And just who is the young man who works for her cousin Thomas? Is he a suitable suitor? Or just another fortune hunter after her dowry? While on her way to meet her brother in Staffordshire, Lily decides she may have to spin a few tales of her own to get her way in “The Desire of a Lady”.
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Lily Harkins was a ladies maid that has recently been acknowledged by her brother Gabriel Wellingham who is now the Earl. This means going from poor to rich overnight. Lady Samantha who was the lady she worked for was now the Lady who helped her in society. Of course as an eligible lady of a certain age she has to have a season or two and find a suitable husband. William Overby grew up poor but worked his way to a stable life; while he is not rich he is comfortable. When he really meets Lily he suddenly realizes he does want a family and wants Lily to be his wife. He of course is worried that since he is a clerk and Lily is a Lady that he might not have a chance with her.
In this book I had no trouble keeping the stories straight, since there were a few being told even if briefly. I really liked the retelling of the suitors’ stories by Lily to her brother they were quite comical. I actually laughed at a couple of the shenanigans and I don’t usually so that.
As I started reading the book some of the names and stories sounded familiar. I realized I had read one other book in this series and one in another so that is why the stories sounded so familiar. This book can easily be read as a standalone without being lost but reading all of them would be entertaining. The main Characters William and Lilly are both very strong minded and independent people. I liked several of the other characters as well as they had spunk and did not always stick to the norm. I thought this was a good read and I will be reading more from this series and other series of Linda Rae Sande.
I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily review this book. This is my honest review. The opinions in this review are 100% my own
I very much enjoyed this book. I loved Lily described her suitors, it made me feel as if I knew them. Loved the relationship she had with her brother and his wife. This book had me laughing through so much of this book, I wanted it to never end. You won’t be disappointed with this wonderful book.
I received this book for free from eBook discovery. I voluntarily reviewed this book.
This tender Regency romance is highly entertaining and humourous as Lady Lily navigates her way through society. Recently discovered by her brother and acknowledged as his sister, Lily is far more comfortable being in service than having to survive the gossiping ton. Apart from being beautiful and having bountiful dowry, Lily also has a good head on her shoulders and her direct approach to her suitors draws out their true intentions, even before they realise it. However, there is one man that she has dreamed of for years and when she meets him again, Lily is thrown into a quandary as she weighs her options. William Overby has never forgotten the pretty maid Lily and is shocked to see her dressed as a lady. He is a self-made man, having come from humble beginnings and through hard work and perseverance, has proved himself worthy of the trust that has been put in him. Whether he is good enough to win not only Lily to his side but her brother as well, William is uncharacteristically clumsy and inept until matters are taken out of his hands. This charming romance is fast-paced and well written. There are so many characters that one has difficulty placing them at times, but suffice to say that they are one big, happy, and raucous family where keeping the relationships straight is a tale in itself. I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily post this review. This is my honest review.
Loved it! Lily was a maid who was acknowledged as the illegitimate sister of an earl. Her brother hopes she finds a suitable man to be her husband. Lily has a way with describing her interactions with the nobles at the various functions she attends. She meets William at her cousin’s business and is attracted to him. Can a lady have a life with a clerk? Loved how the story weaved through Lily’s eyes. Great story!
I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily review this book. This is my honest review.
After Gabriel Wellingham found out that Lilly was his half-sister, everything changed for her. A juicy dowry, suitors galore, and of course, not all with the best of intentions were raining upon her. Her past as a maid also an illegitimate, weighed heavily on the Ton. Her fate put her back in the path of William Overly, a man who had saved her from a dire situation and now Lily had new hopes. How many muddles and complications to get what you want! She liked the down-to-earth character of William, making good use of his resources, weighting pros and cons, romantic and passionate man. Lily was judicious and funny, as was the Earl of Trenton and his wife. What a pair! I liked Lily’s accounts of her experiences with different suitors which were entertaining and fun and contributed to the narrative. Being William an inventory clerk he and Lily had little or no opportunity to frequent the same places or him to call on her. All uphill to achieve her wishes. I have not read many of these stories but the ones I have read are intriguing, with many characters in humorous and romantic situations that have me chuckle most of the time.
The well written storyline and the wonderfully created characters made this book a very delightful read that had me totally enthralled until the turn of the very last page!
Romantic Second Chance!
A beautiful second chances story about Lily (the ex-maid) and William who works for her cousin.
There are some rather amusing recountings of how she met the four other men in her life who are all interested in her. The fifth one is William, of course, and the man who saved her virtue all those years ago.
Cleverly written, this story was very gripping for me and I just loved how it had me laughing most of the time.
It was a delight from beginning to end and I also enjoyed learning about the two main characters and being allowed to join into their lives. The other characters complimented them and filled out their story beautifully.
Michael Troughton’s narration of the audiobook which I listened to is amazing and his voices are really good. He made it a pleasure to listen to.
My voluntary review above are unbiased and based on my own thoughts about this version of the story.
There is a lot going on in this book. I like the way the author allows Lily to look back on her season as she tells of her experiences to her brother. This shows the growth of their relationship and also gives some great comedic relief. The story could have benefited from a family tree drawing because the family is so complicated and there is a lot of them to keep up with. It was funny to see that all her relatives thought they were playing matchmaker when she had already made her decision.