DARE TO FALL IN LOVEAlexander Savage, the Duke of Blackshire, is known throughout the ton for three things: the burn scars on his neck, his ornery disposition, and the trail of broken hearts behind him. None of which would concern Miss Elizabeth Lacey in the least if she weren t living under his roof. As his grandmother s companion, Beth is all too concerned with the moody and compelling duke. … the moody and compelling duke. Incensed by his plans to banish the sweet dowager duchess to the country, Beth refuses to do his bidding. If Alex wants her help, he s going to have to take her dare and grant her three wishes.
Alex adores his grandmother, which is precisely why she must leave. A string of unfortunate incidents has him worried for the safety of everyone around him including the dowager s loyal and lovely companion, Beth. But the notorious wallflower isn t as meek as she appears, and as their battle of wills heats up, so does Alex s desire. He s dangerously close to falling in love with her and revealing secrets he d rather keep hidden. How can he convince her that his darkest days are behind him and that, for the first time in forever, his heart is true?
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DNF. I really am feeling bad about dropping this novel but OMG Alex needed to get over himself and report the accidents so they could catch the culprit. And he should’ve been straight forward with Beth about EVERYTHING from the beginning or at least the beginning of their bargain. He kept getting into his own way … then his “big reveal” before sex wasn’t the main thing he needed to be telling her. Therefore, because I kept on being annoyed with Alex I gave up by Chapter 27.
If you pick this one up … best of luck and I hope you’ll enjoy it more than I did.
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Get ready for another fun romp with the wayward wallflowers. This time sister Elizabeth Lacey takes center stage as she moves into the Duke of Blackshire’s house to be a companion for her uncle’s friend who is also the Duke’s grandmother. Alex Blackshire is physically scared and not known for his sweet disposition but of course he is a worthy match for trading barbs with Elizabeth. I enjoyed the friendship between the Duke’s grandmother, the Dowager Duchess and Elizabeth Lacey which is part of the story and not placed as a sideline. The other two sisters of the wayward wallflowers are also included but not as a large part of the story. The book reads like a stand alone though it is part of series. There is a hint of light mystery which will occur in trying to guess who is attempting to kill the Duke. A nice easy read, where you know the ending will be happily ever after but getting there is pleasurable. [If you are like me and prefer not to read “adult situations” – you may skip over those pages and still enjoy the book]
Anna Bennett should be the Queen of Regency Romance as this book completely blew me away. It is so unbelievably good that I could not put it down. In fact, I read it in one sitting. It is one of those kind of books.
So, Alex is meant to be this notorious rake, but gossip has made him sound more notorious than he actually is. Which tells the reader a lot about gossip. Beth, is a wonderful lady who just seems to click with Alex. Their relationship was beautiful to behold.
This novel has it all, romance, action and drama. I throughly enjoyed every minute of it.
Ms. Elizabeth Lacey is the companion to the dowager duchess, grandmother to the infamous rake, Alexander Savage, the Duke of Blackshire. He is of no concern to her and hopes to avoid him at all costs. Of course, that’s not easy when she’s living under the same roof. Dubbed a Wilting Wallflower years ago, Beth is anything but and her lively conversations/arguments with the Duke are a welcome change from the simpering young ladies of the ton that you found in regency romances.
Ms. Bennett does an excellent job of writing complex characters and she slowly teases out the details for both Beth and Alexander and the events that have shaped their lives. The murder mystery was a nice touch, but I would have liked to see a more fleshed out ending for this part. The would-be killer was revealed and over with in only a few paragraphs. That was a little disappointing as I would have enjoyed learning more about the motivation behind the attempts on Alex’s life. The chemistry between Alex and Beth was believable, although I wished a little more time had passed before they were declaring themselves.
All in all, this was a delightful book and fans of regency romance will thoroughly enjoy it.
4.5 stars – due to rushed ending
Alexander Savage, the Duke of Blackshire, is known throughout the ton for three things: the burn scars on his neck, his ornery disposition, and the trail of broken hearts behind him. None of which would concern Miss Elizabeth Lacey in the least, if she weren’t living under his roof, as his grandmother’s companion. Incensed by his plans to banish the sweet dowager duchess to the country, Beth refuses to do his bidding. If Alex wants her help, he’s going to have to take her dare and grant his grandmother three wishes.
Alex adores his grandmother, which is precisely why she must leave. A string of unfortunate incidents has him worried for the safety of everyone around him, including the dowager’s loyal and lovely companion, Beth. Someone is trying to kill him & he won’t let his Grandmother nor Beth become involved. But the notorious wallflower isn’t as meek as she appears, and as their battle of wills heats up, so does Alex’s desire. He’s dangerously close to falling in love with her and revealing secrets he’d rather keep hidden.
This is the second book in the series & whilst it could be a standalone read I’d recommend reading the first book. This is another well written book from the author, the characters are well portrayed & the plot keeps you turning the pages. Alex is tortured about the fire that killed his parents & likes to keep his past to himself. Beth is a Wilting Wallflower but there’s nothing wilting about her & she challenges Alex all the time. The would be murderer is quite a surprise. I thoroughly enjoyed the book & it was well on it’s way to being a 5 star read until I felt the ending was a little rushed. I’ll certainly be looking for more books from the author & I look forward to Julia’s story.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of the book
It did have a bit of a story with all the steam and the villain wasn’t one of the three suspect mentioned early. But clearly that story was not the aurtors main focus.
Once more, the haughty duke is front and center this time engaging in battles with his grandmother’s companion – Miss Elizabeth Lacey, one of the wilting wallflowers. What delicious battles between the haughty duke, Alexander Savage and Miss Lacey. He wants his grandmother out of town and her companion gone, but like so many men of that era, doesn’t explain himself. He’s not trying to get his grandma out of town; he’s worried that someone is trying to hurt his family. But explain? Not the duke.
So Miss Lacey is ready to do battle. She loves the old lady and wants her to remain in town where she is enjoying herself. That sets her and the duke up for one fight after another, with the banter (barely) disguising the growing heat between the two. Since this duke is responsible for the name given to Beth and her sisters, the Wayward Wallflowers, there is plenty of bad blood between them.
What he thought of an offhand remark hurt Beth and her sisters, nearly ruining their marriage prospects and causing real pain. The lessons of this (without being preachy) really remind us that words can hurt. Dial in one damaged duke, one forthright heroine, a touch of mystery, and Anna Bennett has another winner in this delightful series.
(I received a NetGalley eARC in return for this honest review.)