A mistress. A mountain of debt. A mysterious wreck of a building.
Delilah Swanpoole, Countess of Derring, learns the hard way that her husband, “Dear Dull Derring,” is a lot more interesting—and perfidious—dead than alive. It’s a devil of an inheritance, but in the grand ruins of the one building Derring left her, are the seeds of her liberation. And she vows never again to place herself at the … never again to place herself at the mercy of a man.
But battle-hardened Captain Tristan Hardy is nothing if not merciless. When the charismatic naval hero tracks a notorious smuggler to a London boarding house known as the Rogue’s Palace, seducing the beautiful, blue-blooded proprietress to get his man seems like a small sacrifice.
They both believe love is a myth. But a desire beyond reason threatens to destroy the armor around their hearts. Now a shattering decision looms: Will Tristan betray his own code of honor…or choose a love that might be the truest thing he’s ever known?
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Great book. Loved the ladies reinventing themselves rather than succumbing to what society would demand. Looking forward to the next in series.
Julie Ann Long is one of my favorite historical romance authors. Fantastic writing, characters that make me truly believe in them, emotional yet funny. I never regret spending time in her world!
I received an ARC from the publisher in return for my honest review. This is a new historical series by JAL, it’s been 4 long years since she wrote in this genre, we anticipated greatness, it fell a little short but nevertheless it’s still a good story with humor, drama and angst. The HEA was well done and the relationship between Delilah and Angelique is what made this story flow so well…
Countess of Derring, Delilah Swanpoole, is now a widow with the passing of her husband, “Dear Dull Derring”. She learns the hard way that her husband has left her and his mistress penniless except for one building down by the docks that he won gambling. Delilah feels liberated and vows to never again place herself at the mercy of any man. The two women sell their jewelry, proceed to clean this grand building and open a boarding house called “The Grand Palace On The Thames”.
Captain Tristan Hardy is merciless when it comes to solving a case for his King. He is considered a hero by many. Tristan is tracking a smuggler and the Blue Rock gang to Delilah’s London boarding house known as the Rogue’s Palace. When he meets the prim and proper proprietress he knows the sacrifice will be well worth it.
Neither believe in love, it’s a myth to them but the desire that they are experiencing may destroy the armor around their hearts. A decision with shattering affects must be made: Can Tristan live up to his code of honor and have a love that might be the best things he’s ever known?
I’d call this book a slow burn. It takes a while for the first kiss to happen but Julie’s writing is excellent, as usual, and you will fall in love with these new characters. I”m so excited for this new series!
We begin at the end…which is in fact a NEW beginning.
The Earl of Derring was dead to begin with…no really, totally and unequivocally dead…and if he wasn’t, I would have had to crawl through the pages to give him a piece of my mind to CHOKE upon. The nerve of that “man”. What he did…and with whom…and why…ugh! It’s enough to make a lady step down a few notches and have to add some pence to the swear jar. The funny part is…despite what he did, and despite how it all comes to light, the two truly wronged parties come out all right, at least for the time being. The kinship that forms between the two ladies “Derring” is so GIRL POWER, so not of the times, but so smile inducing, and fist pump worthy, that you’ll have all you can do not to cheer loudly from your favorite reading chair as they show the people what two LADIES can do…
Now that all being said, it doesn’t mean that the ladies didn’t have some manly intervention along the way. Much to their chagrin, there is some sidestepping they have to do around the opposite of their kind, but it isn’t because they lack a choice, but rather MADE the choice because it was more beneficial to them and their endeavor. Tristan Hardy is a heck of a guy. He seems hardcore, he seems cut from different cloth and unattainable, but everyone has a weakness, and he’s about to meet his. The going is tough, the mission he is on can’t be compromised, but he’ll be darned if he isn’t the least bit distracted by a certain someone…
In the end, I was DELIGHTFULLY surprised by how much I enjoyed my time between the pages. Getting to know the characters, watching them battle the presumptions of the ton, coming along for the entrepreneurial endeavors, and seeing them struggle to come to terms with their feelings…why it made for an enchanting read from start to finish! Highly recommended to the adult Historical Romance reading audience.
**copy received for review; opinions are my own
It’s so great to have new Julianne Long historical to read again! This one is beautifully written, especially the scenes between the hero and heroine, which are not that many in number in the first part of the book. It does take a while for them to end up in a scene together of any substance. But when they do, it’s really beautiful.
Julie Anne Long is an auto-buy for me, and her latest (and the start of a new series!!!) didn’t disappoint. There was excellent character development, effervescent dialogue, and some fabulous LOL moments (the cigar smoking scene was especially memorable.)
Delilah, the widow of an earl who was pretty much a waste of space, is left with nothing. No home, no family, no money, just a property down near the London docks. A chance meeting at her solicitor’s office introduces her to her husband’s mistress and these two unlikely allies, aided by the most inept lady’s maid ever, pool their resources to open a most singular boarding house.
I really loved this book, and it filled a weekend afternoon with delightful reading. I can’t wait for the next book in the series and while I love Ms. Long’s contemporary novels too, it’s her Regency era books that have a prominent spot on my “keeper” shelf.
Long does a deep dive into the choices of a recent, impoverished widow, and makes friends and allies out of characters who are often cardboard enemies in other historicals. Can’t wait to read the next book in this series.
I was so excited to see a new historical from Julie after she had been writing a lot of contemporary. This story did not disappoint that anticipation! What does a Countess do when he husband departs this earth but leaves behind a mountain of debt? One building, yes one building was left to Delilah that she had to make the most of to survive. Of course it was near the docks, not the best of locations but when she runs into Angelique, her former husband’s mistress, they devise a plan. What? Really? Well a lady has to do what a lady has to do to survive! They sell what that can and end up opening a boarding house on the property.
Tristan is the Captain of the King’s Blockade and has been in charge of rounding up smugglers. There is a group of smugglers left he is determined to catch because they committed a heinous crime against a peer. All paths lead him to a piece of property owned by a man who had just died and his widow had taken over the property.
Well let the adventure begin! Wondering if Delilah is involved in the smuggling he gets close to her and takes a room at the boarding house. There is a definite connection between these two and he does what he must to see if he can learn information from her. (ok yes there is lust!)
I really enjoyed this story and watching the building of the relationship between the two and would recommend to all!
Lady Derring Takes a Lover by Julie Anne Long is book One in The Palace of Rogues. This is the story of Captain Tristan Hardy and Delilah Swanpool, Countess of Derring.
Delilah has been pretty much sold by her family to a husband that is several years older than her, used by him as a means to get an heir. But now he is died and she is a young widow with nothing to show because her husband left her in debit. But she does find one property that she can claim that she can make into something. Delilah happens to run into her husband’s former mistress to learn she too is left high and dry. They both set out to sell their jewelry and make the property into a respectable boarding house. Tristan is the Captain of the King’s Blockade and has been sent to look into smugglers one being Delilah’s former husband. Now he is out to see what she knows or if there is something that he can find to lead him to answers. Both Tristan and Delilah do not believe in love, happiness but the more they get interact the more they start to think otherwise.
Enjoyed their story!
I haven’t read a historical romance from Julie Anne Long since the conclusion of her Pennyroyal Green series. And I’d almost forgotten just how much I enjoy her books. Though this story didn’t have the laugh out loud moments I associated with the other series, the romance was just as good and the black moment/reconciliation hit me right in the feels.
The book follows the title character, Lady Derring (Delilah), in the immediate aftermath of her husband’s death. The man left her penniless—and with nothing, save for an abandoned building on the docks. She discovers this at the same time she learns he kept a mistress, and left her in the same dire straits. Delilah finds she likes Angelique, despite herself. After all, neither of them really loved her husband, and neither needs to be ruined by him. They band together, sell all their jewelry, and turn the old building into a boardinghouse to support themselves.
It turns out that the late Derring was even more of a scoundrel than the women in his life knew. He was somehow tied up in a smuggling operation. One that Captain Tristan Hardy has been tasked to ferret out. He goes into the boardinghouse undercover, to figure out who was involved with the plot and bring them to justice.
I loved Tristan. He is hard and stoic and he keeps everything to himself. Born in St. Giles, he is no nobleman, but understands how to live among them—how to get the information he needs. Delilah is a breath of fresh air in his life. She is genuinely kind and lovely and he can’t help the way he is drawn to her. She brings light to his life. And she does it without being saccharine. There is stern stuff beneath her soft exterior and that makes her such an interesting combination. Remember, this is a woman who has never known love, one who has been insulated by her life as a lady. But she is willing to do hard work to be independent and in control of her own future.
The smuggling mystery was kind of meh. And the reveal on that was a bit lackluster. But the fallout—at least in the romance—was magnificent. Long did a fantastic job making my heart break along with Delilah’s, and Tristan’s redemption/grovel was totally top notch. She nailed it.
Big props for the lovely friendship between Delilah and Angelique. And a slow burn romance with a great payoff at the end.
Glad to have JAL writing historicals again. I look forward to reading more from her.
Rating: B+