He’s known her for her whole life, but he’s never thought of her like this until now. House parties are notoriously dangerous for the gentleman who wishes to remain single, and Roger Shelton would be avoiding the one at the Abernathys’ if it wasn’t his best friend’s birthday. Victoria Hamilton is only attending the Abernathys’ house party to please her mother. She has no thought of finding a … to please her mother. She has no thought of finding a husband amongst the hopeful gentlemen in attendance. In fact, she expects that the party will be rather dull. However, when her friend arrives, boredom becomes the least of her worries.
While Roger is not ready to give up his bachelor ways just yet, he’s not opposed to helping others find their way to marital bliss — especially, if that someone is a marriage-minded miss who seems to be fond of him. Therefore, when Roger enlists Victoria’s help in his matchmaking scheme, he only means to keep himself safe from being caught in the parson’s trap.
However, his intentions change along the way, when he discovers that avoiding marriage is the last thing he wants to do for there is a lady who has long held his heart. It is a realization that has been a long time coming, but with schemers playing their games, is it a realization which is made too late?
His Darling Friend is book 2 in Leenie Brown’s Touches of Austen series of sweet Regency romances. If you like stories featuring roguish heroes with a flair for being shocking and heroines who blush and scold as a result, you’ll enjoy this tale about best friends discovering that sometimes the perfect match is as close as boy or girl next door.
So, put the kettle on, grab your copy of His Darling Friend, and join Roger and Victoria at the Abernathy’s house party where scheming gone wrong is the entertainment of choice.
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Rating: clean and sweet, Austen influenced [Emma]. This is ‘book two in Leenie Brown’s Touches of Austen Collection of sweet Regency romances. It is a story of best friends discovering that sometimes the perfect match is as close as [the] boy or girl next door.’ Follows book one: ‘His Beautiful Bea.’
Oh, the dreaded house party. This is the Regency equivalent of The Bachelor, Bachelorette, Bachelor in Paradise, Survivor, Big Brother and all those reality shows where both sexes are thrust together and hope runs eternal that someone will make a match that hopefully leads to wedding bells. Oh-my-goodness.
“’She’s my best friend, and I’m hers. Nothing needs to change between us.’ He was afraid, not because he thought she wasn’t the one. He was terrified, because he knew she was.’” –Mirella Muffarotto, Every Boy is a Book
She [Victoria ‘Vic’ Hamilton] was the girl next door, his best friend since they were children and she invited him to her pretend tea party. He brought a special hostess gift and she, unphased by the gift, had scolded him for having dirty hands. He had been hopelessly in love with her ever since. So, what on earth prompted him to attend a house party? His sister Diana, also her friend, was serving as Vic’s chaperone and he rationalized that he just wanted to help keep an eye on his friend and make sure she was safe. From what, he wasn’t sure. Perhaps, from a rake and a scoundrel looking for easy access to a fortune, of which she had a substantial one. A confirmed bachelor, he needed to be on his guard against the matchmaking mammas and chaperones looking for a match of fortune and connections… from him.
Egad… what was he doing in a place fraught with danger at every turn? When he walked in a room, all he saw were eyes everywhere, calculating, measuring, evaluating and cunning. He was determined that none of their scheming machinations would work on him. He let it be known, he would NOT be compromised into a marriage. He would let the schemer reap the consequences of their own ruin. Besides, his heart was already engaged and she wasn’t even aware of his love. Oh, what a predicament.
“He was her dream. Her fairytale prince in scuffed up cowboy boots. The only man she wanted for the rest of time.” –Kimberly Lewis, Luke
He [Roger Shelton] was the boy next door, her best friend since they were children and he brought a special hostess gift to her pretend tea party. She, unphased by his gift, had scolded him for his dirty hands and had been hopelessly in love with him ever since. His sister Diana, also her friend, had agreed to be her chaperone during this mad scheme of a house party her mother insisted she must attend. Nearly on the shelf, she was determined to endure the visit for her mother’s sake. She wanted to marry, to have her own home and family but there was only one problem… her heart was already engaged and he wasn’t even aware of her love. When she walked in a room, all she saw were eyes everywhere, calculating, measuring, evaluating and cunning. She was pretty, had a fortune and was determined that none of their scheming machinations would work on her. Egad… what was she doing in a place fraught with danger at every turn? She must be on her guard and not allow herself to be compromised into a marriage against her will. That would never do… oh, what a predicament.
I loved the Roger and Victoria characters. They were so adorable. The nod to Austen’s ‘Emma’ came through in subtle ways and were so amusing when I encountered them. The reader does not have to have a working knowledge of ‘Emma’ to enjoy this novella. The story wraps up rather quickly and I was a bit startled as it picked up the pace toward the conclusion. The angst hit and hit hard as we could see the machinations working against our H/h. OMG! I was furious at the villains and their scheming attempts. The nonchalant attitude and disregard for proper behavior and propriety were frustrating and annoying. I wanted to shake our villains and shout at them. OMG!
Although there wasn’t a cliffhanger, Brown announced [via her webpage] that she was working on a continuing novella with one of the characters from this story. I look forward to seeing how Brown gives this character their own HEA. They deserve it after the treatment they received in this story.
I originally followed this story on Brown’s website, received an ARC [advanced-reader-copy] and then purchased my own when the novella launched. This is an honest review and the views expressed are my own thoughts and opinion.
I really enjoyed this book. Once, as I read it a chapter a week in Ms Brown’s newsletter, and now, complete in one sitting!