As her first London Season looms before her, the thought of the impending social whirl fills Daphne Lancaster’s timid heart with dread. She hasn’t her sisters’ beauty nor their talent for conversing easily. Even her family’s enviable connections may not be enough to prevent disaster. But Daphne’s misery turns to surprised delight when the first event of her Season brings an unexpected visitor to … to her door—James Tilburn, whose tender kindness stole her heart in her youth. When the handsome young gentleman expresses his desire to court her, Daphne is elated. Their feelings for each other quickly grow, and it appears that, much to Daphne’s disbelief, her happily ever after is within reach.
Yet nothing is as it seems. The couple finds themselves caught in a tangled web of greed and deceit, leaving James and Daphne to determine whether they are willing to risk everything for true love. “Sarah M. Eden has a knack for just the right pacing in her books while endearing the characters to us and showcasing a more universal human dilemma.”
—Meridian Magazine
“Eden is truly a master of creating personalities for her books that draw readers into the story and make them feel at home.”
—Deseret News
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I couldn’t help it: I loved Daphne. Possibly because I relate to her a little, feeling so shy and awkward in social settings and hating the idea of being put in the limelight.
I also liked James. His father is a miserable person and I hated him from the very first word out of his mouth (it helps that the reader on the audiobook makes him sound like a mean hearted person right from the get-go). How such a good man as James came from such a deplorable man, I’ll never know.
Adam’s fierce protection of Daphne is really quite endearing. I loved how Adam and Daphne’s brother came to her rescue and helped make things right. Just a charming, lovely story.
I love Sarah Eden’s books! I do a little happy dance every time I see that a new one is coming out. I was very excited for this one! I love Adam and I was curious to see how he would react to Daphne being courted. I knew from Courting Miss Lancaster that he and Daphne have a very special relationship, and I knew he would be extremely protective of her. He didn’t disappoint. The Dangerous Duke was in fine form, and it was so fun! He makes me laugh and cheer and I just love him!
Daphne has always been the shy sister. It was wonderful to get to know her! She is the most kind, humble, unassuming person. She is witty and bright. She deserved an amazing guy. And she got one! James is just looking to be Daphne’s friend at first, but as he gets to know the girl behind the shyness, he realizes what a treasure she is. He becomes so devoted to her, and it was so tender and sweet to watch.
We get to see more of Linus and Artemis in this book, and it just made me more excited for their books to come out. Artemis is quite the character! Her book is going to be so fun! While I wait for their books, I guess I’ll just have to read the rest of the series again. 🙂
I absolutely loved this book!! Sarah Eden has a way of writing that draws me in from the very beginning and holds me to the end. She is a master storyteller! She is one of my favorite authors, and I’ll be waiting anxiously for her next book!
I have finished 3 of the Lancaster Family books in 2 days! They’re just that good, and my favorite one so far was probably Romancing Daphne. Daphne is so relatable, and she and James are adorable together. I loved their relationship together! It was so fun to see everyone else again too. The parts with Linus in it just made me want to read his book more 🙂
Daphne Lancaster is terrified to be making her way into Society. She already knows she is both plain and completely incapable of making a conversation. She is certain it will be a complete disaster, and she will spend the rest of her life alone. So she is overjoyed when James Tilburn shows interest in her and begins to court her. His kind manner captured her heart when she was a girl, and it seems like her happily ever after is within her reach. But her courtship is not what it seems, and suddenly, Daphne’s fragile heart looks like it is in danger of being broken again. James and Daphne will have to decide whether they will risk everything for true love.
Let’s start off with Daphne because she’s awesome! Daphne is convinced that she does not measure up or is enough for anyone. When she was a child, she was constantly dismissed by her father, and those scars stayed with her. I felt for her soo much. I think almost everyone can relate to her feelings at some point in their lives, and Ms. Eden masterfully wrote her in a believable way. She had to choose whether she was willing to give her heart to James even if it meant more pain.
James was such an honorable character. He was determined to protect his family even if it meant pain for himself. I loved watching him fight for Daphne. He was soo nice to her, and it was sweet to watch him fall in love with her. This book was honestly amazing! The characters were so compelling, and the story was interesting without being too intense. I’m not a huge Regency fan, but I loved it! Sarah M. Eden is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors
Update: I just reread this one and loved it even more. I choked up multiple times as I felt Daphne’s pain as she struggled to overcome her feelings of loneliness and rejection. So sad for her. And I love James. I love that his integrity makes him able to stand before the Duke without showing fear, proving him to be what the Duke admires in people. (Though he may not show it). And I feel so touched by Adam’s loving care of his family even when he sounds so severe and harsh all the time. Every time I read a book with Adam in it, I love him all the more. And I can relate to the Lancaster’s feelings of losing a parent long before their death as I saw both my parents deteriorate in their minds and in the case of my mother well before her body. It is a difficult thing to experience. Anyway, as I am rereading this series I am loving it more and more.
*****
I enjoy all of Sarah Eden’s books I think. I enjoyed hearing Daphne’s story. I love the Duke (as long as he is on my side) so it was fun to hear all his threats and be able to see all his tender care for those he loves at the same time. In the first book of this series he was pretty much a jerk for most of it so it is nice to get to know him even better and see that he really isn’t a jerk. He is fiercely protective.
I missed Harry in this one. I love his character so I’m hoping he shows up in the next one.
I felt sorry for Daphne and was glad to see at the end that not everything was entirely as she had perceived it to be. And James was a good guy although he took too much of a burden onto himself that could have been shared with other family members.
Looking forward to the book about Linus…
Sweet story! I related to this one more than Artemis’ story because Daphne is quiet and thoughtful. The romance is about a boy she’s had a crush on since she was a girl. I liked the apothecary aspects, and I love that Sarah Eden incorporates the mythology of Daphne’s name in the story!
This book is a reread for me for sure as I totally loved everything about this heartfelt and beautiful story! Daphne is shy and feels insecure as the plain sister of the Lancaster bunch. She’s incredibly intelligent, but most people only see her outward appearance and timid nature, never allowing themselves to know the amazing woman she is. When it’s her time for a season, she has very low expectations. I loved the honesty of her character and how relatable it was.
James is a wonderful character as well. Little did he know Daphne has been carrying a torch for him since he showed kindness to her years ago. When his father forces him into calling on Daphne, he is reluctant to do so. As the two spend time together, though, James comes to see the incredible woman Daphne is, but will he be able to prove to her his feelings are sincere?
This might be one of my top Sarah Eden books, which is really saying something. I loved Daphne’s story so much. I also truly enjoyed her relationship with Adam and seeing that tender side of the Duke of Kielder as he cares deeply about Daphne.
Inspiring, charming, romantic, this is an incredible book!
Coerced by his father, who wishes for his family to climb the social ladder by any means necessary, James Tilburn pays court to Daphne Lancaster, a shy young woman making her first bow in society. Can love blossom when is is built on a lie?
The set up for this story is straight forward. From the start, the reader knows what will cause what will cause this couple grief. This could be predictable and bland, but the author does a fantastic job of making us feel for these characters. It is heartbreaking to watch the lie be revealed.
Daphne is a sweet character and I love seeing her affection for the intimidating Duke of Kielder (who I love in every scene he appears in). Her shyness and reluctance to trust her feelings is very relatable. James’ own journey through the book is one of growth. I was cheering from him from start to finish to do the gentlemanly thing.
It was lovely to be reacquainted with the Duke and Persephone once again. Artemis, the youngest Lancaster girl, has a personality that shines and I very much look forward to seeing her courtship when she grows up.
For fans of the Regency era, Sarah M. Eden’s novels are a must-read. They are sweet, clean, and highly entertaining.
I was provided with an ARC file for review purposes from NetGalley.
For the most part, I enjoyed the book. Sometimes it felt like it was moving too fast or that actions and words weren’t matching the character. But I will always love a book with the Duke of Kielder! (Autocorrect for Kielder immediately changed to murder! Which we all know Adam is capable of and love his threats!)
Another book for the Lancaster family!
Daphne is a very shy and timid girl who has often been ignored in life. The squeaky wheel always gets the grease, and she never caused any trouble or needed anything. Now, the time has come for her first season among the ton in London. I loved watching how her confidence grows as love grows between her and James. I also loved Adam and Persephone’s heavy appearance in this book (especially Adam). I think you could read this as a stand alone though and be just fine.
Clean Romance with a couple very mild kisses.
This quickly became one of my favorites of Ms. Eden’s books. This doesn’t have any action or high drama like some of her other books, but I found the characters so endearing that it wrapped me right up in the story. Mostly, I identified and felt for the hero and heroine a lot. Their emotional struggles were believable, endearing, and engaging. I don’t know what more to say than I loved it, and it’s definitely one worth picking up.
This is an excellent read, as expected for any of Sarah Eden‘s novels. I absolutely loved reading more about the Lancaster family in this sister novel to the many English sisters named after Greek Myth characters. This is the story of Daphne Lancaster, the timid, quiet sister who has so much more going on her beautiful mind than others suspect. Her character is one of contrasts from the expected or perceived and the reality and James Tilburn’s character is the same, although in a very different point of conflict. There are definitely villains in this book, very well written and easy to dislike, which makes it all the more enjoyable to root for Daphne and James! One of my favorite things about Eden’s writing style is the wit and charm that she effortlessly weaves into a compelling romantic tale that is wholesome and clean. I laughed out loud in several places as I read and read every second I could grab to reach the satisfying conclusion. I love happy endings!
The Lancaster family has been through a lot of grief and challenges over the years, and each sibling has dealt with it in a different way.
Daphne Lancaster has always had a quiet nature; however, when the difficulties started to overwhelm her family, she was only a little child, barely able to comprehend what was going on. With the elders so distracted trying to put their lives together and tend for a newborn, she was somewhat cast aside. Unnoticed, unnintentionally forgotten, Daphne was mistakenly judged to prefer to be left in her own quiet space due to her shy nature. But no one truly knew the inside turnoil and hard lessons this small child was going through. Lessons that would increase her insecurities and create in her the belief that people always leave her. There must be something wrong with her, then, no?
James Tilburn is used to be the glue trying to keep his family in one part. Not only his family, but their house, the servants, the land… anyone who calls upon him, actually. Even though he’s not the master of the house. The one who truly is, his father, has no hesitation in using his own son to accomplish his greedy desires.
James has an honest conscience and it’s only the threats made by his father that eventually convince James to agree to his father’s latest deplorable scheme.
And so James and Daphne find themselves spending more and more time with each other. James thinks his attentions to the Season’s quiet wallflower will eventually encourage other suitors to try to court her despite her brother-in-law being the Dangerous Duke. However, as they get to know each other, will James truly be able to let her go? Most importantly, can he continue with his father’s scheme knowing how much it will hurt Daphne once she learns he was meant to be just one more person to leave her?
James and Daphne’s journey is seasoned with enough laughter and heartfelt moments. Add an overprotective and abrupt brother-in-law and a sister who has no fear of speaking her mind, and you’ve just been caught in a story impossible to put down.