A secret venture, a regrettable love letter, and a heart he can’t afford to lose.
When faced with an unwanted marriage, Alice Rosemeyer accepts an invitation to the estate of Larkhall. Determined to earn her future security without a husband, she begins operating as the anonymous Ace of Hearts, writing letters and offering advice on behalf of the men eager to secure a match at the close of the … close of the London season. If she can manage to keep her identity secret, her reputation intact, and avoid the arrogant house guest, Mr. Thomas Herring, she might just call herself successful.
When Thomas Herring’s sister marries an indebted man because of a love letter, he has no choice but to marry into money himself. Invited to stay at Larkhall, he sets his sights on the wealthy sister of his host. When she appears indifferent, he stumbles upon an advertisement: a gentleman offering assistance in matters of the heart. An ace, so he is called. But when he turns out to be she, and also a guest at the same house, his task is further complicated—especially as Alice proves herself to be as captivating as she is clever.
With reputations, secrets, and more than one heart at risk, Alice and Thomas become trapped in a game with no rules, a game neither intended to play. Had they been wrong to play love for a fool?
The Ace of Hearts is a sweet regency romance novel, book one in the Larkhall Letters series by Ashtyn Newbold.
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I admit that I purchased The Ace of Hearts by Ashtyn Newbold because of its cover. It’s really pretty and it called to me. Then I read the back cover and knew I had to read this book ASAP. Unfortunately, life hit me hard and I completely forgot about this book until about a week ago when I was cleaning out my Kindle. I am sorry it took me so long to get to because The Ace of Hearts is a great story — a total Historical Romance #mustread! The Ace of Hearts is a great Historical Romance where the pages simply fly by! I hated when I had to put this book down. The enemies-to-lovers trope is not typically my favorite, but I really love how it’s utilized in this story. My issue with the trope stems from the harshness of the characters when they are enemies. It’s usually so in-your-face harsh that I struggle to believe when the hero and heroine finally fall for one another. But in The Ace of Hearts, the hero and heroine do something amazing — they actually communicate. And, not just at the 3/4 mark. They have genuine conversation and get to the bottom of their initial issues pretty early on in the story. Yes, there is still conflict and struggles they have to deal with as the story progresses, but the initial “enemy” feelings dissipate efficiently. It’s nice to read a story where the characters act like adults and clear the air early rather than drag out the hate through most of the plot. In fact, if more authors utilized the enemies-to-lovers trope as Ashtyn Newbold does in this book I would be inclined to read more of those types of books. There’s nothing more annoying than to read almost an entire book where the characters don’t communicate well and act immaturely towards one another only to find out their reason for hating one another is just a simple misunderstanding that could have been cleared up early on in the narrative. Another aspect that I loved about this story is how well Alice and Thomas problem solve together as friends. I know that sounds like a goofy thing to like, but for me, it really works well in this story and adds to their friendship and romantic chemistry. Both Alice and Thomas have serious financial issues. They never whine or gripe about it. They vent to one another their concerns, but they never whine. I LOVE it! Instead, they act as friends and listen to each other. They come up with potential solutions. They talk things out. When things seem like they won’t work out, they encourage each other to not give up. Alice and Thomas’s relationship is a good illustration of what a great relationship looks like.
There is actually quite a bit more I could say about this lovely story, but instead I’m just going to highly recommend you pick up a copy of this novel ASAP if you haven’t already done so. If you enjoy a solidly good Historical Romance then The Ace of Hearts is definitely the book for you!
I purchased a copy of this novel in eBook form from Amazon.com on April 15, 2020, in order to review. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Praise from the Clean Romance Team:
“A unique, delightful romance about making your own path and overcoming obstacles.”
“I loved how unique this book was and the strong side characters.”
I so enjoyed this delightful, clean Regency tale that gave me several hours of pleasurable, diverting reading. Some of the poetry contained within had me literally laughing out loud. The progression of Alice and Thomas’ relationship was hard fought, but oh, so sweet as many lessons in trust and forgiveness were learned along the way. Can’t wait to read the next book in this series!
I loved this story! I can hardly wait for the next book in the series. This book had me reading into the small hours of the morning – not wanting to put it down. It had a few twists and turns I wasn’t expecting and the character development was just what I would hope for. I love the interactions between all the main characters but lost especially Thomas and Alice. Sigh. I hope Mathew and Bridget as well as Louise all get there own stories. Another superb read by Ashtyn Newbold. Based in the Regency era, this a clean and wholesome romance that will leave you wanting more of the same. I received an ARC of this book but am under no obligation to leave a review.
What a wonderful, fun book to read. A clean regency romance, full of wit and entertaining banter. The title of this book, definitely puts a interesting spin on the story. Alice could not let her awful stepfather, force her to marry Mr Crossley, so she and her younger sister, ran away. They went to a friends estate, which her stepfather didn’t know. Alice’s motivation was to find wealthy men they could fall in love with or find some form of income for themselves. While at Larkhall Estate new friends were made and a familiar face took Alice by surprise. She also finds an interesting way to earn some money. The story kept me reading when I should be sleeping! Wonderful characters and lots of great twists and turns to keep you guessing. This is the first book in what will be a great series. Can’t wait for Bridgets story in “The Captain’s Confidant “.
Alice is an imperfect matchmaker and completely unqualified. She’s never been in love and doesn’t really believe in or want marriage. She does, however, need to escape her stepfather’s puppeteering. After sneaking away with her sister to a friend’s estate, Alice agrees to become the Ace of Hearts, advising men on how to capture the heart of the lady they want.
Thomas is dreamy. I love a male lead who has a tough exterior and a marshmallow center. The banter is beyond enjoyable.
I loved this book. Ashtyn did a fantastic job reeling me in. I cannot wait for the rest of this series.
This lovely novel has wonderful characters. Ashtyn Newbold weaves their introspections into the narrative and you know exactly how they are feeling and what they are thinking throughout the story. Lovely setting and a fun concept. I am looking forward to the stories of the other friends that were introduced at the Larkhall estate!
Such a unique twist on a familiar regency plot! Alice or her sister needs to marry – the sooner, the better – in order to escape a dreadfully unwelcome future. But with help from an eccentric older woman, Alice enacts a plan that does not include marriage. Her antics result in hilarity and a better understanding of the one man whom she had crossed off her list.
This was such an entertaining book and I laughed and smiled my way through. I loved some of the side characters and hope we get to hear their stories in future books. This is a delightful read for any fan of regency romance!
I received an advance copy but this is my honest review.
What a wonderful, fun book to read. A clean regency romance, full of wit and entertaining banter. The title of this book, definitely puts a interesting spin on the story. Alice could not let her awful stepfather, force her to marry Mr Crossley, so she and her younger sister, ran away. They went to a friends estate, which her stepfather didn’t know. Alice’s motivation was to find wealthy men they could fall in love with or find some form of income for themselves. While at Larkhall Estate new friends were made and a familiar face took Alice by surprise. She also finds an interesting way to earn some money. The story kept me reading when I should be sleeping! Wonderful characters and lots of great twists and turns to keep you guessing. This is the first book in what will be a great series. Can’t wait for Bridgets story in “The Captain’s Confidant “.
While the buildup was a bit slow to begin with, The Ace of Hearts was a good clean Regency romance that piqued my interest and kept me invested in the plot and characters throughout the story. What I enjoyed most was how unpredictable the romance between Thomas and Alice was; I couldn’t quite figure out how their story was going to end and if it would be happy. Thankfully this book does indeed have a sweet happily ever after and a great kiss (or two) towards the end that give the reader satisfaction.
There were a lot of fun and endearing characters introduced which I hope we will see more of in the next book(s) in this new series. I particularly loved great aunt Mrs. Crauford and hope she makes more appearances as her carefree character added a lot of fun and mischief to the story.
I look forward to seeing what comes next from this author for this series and recommend this book.