Lady Charlotte Lovett should have never run away upon discovering her betrothal. But when one has been promised to a man who, rumor has it, killed his previous two wives, one does what one must. The only thing that can get her out of this engagement is proving that Viscount Hawley is as sinister as she thinks he is. And the person who would know best is his very own brother.
In many ways, Dr. Matthew Talbot is the exact opposite of his sibling—scholarly, shy, and shunned by society. But like his brother, he has secrets, and he doesn’t need Charlotte exposing them in her quest to take down the viscount. It only seems prudent to help her while keeping her from poking her nose in all the wrong places. But as they put their hearts at risk to grow closer to each other, they are also getting closer to a dangerous confrontation with Hawley.
Lady Charlotte Always Gets Her Man by Violet Marsh which takes place in Georgian England is a story full of intrigue with an interesting cast of characters including a truly vile villain, a one eyed parrot who runs recognizance and did I mention a companionable monkey? All this adds up to a delightful five star reading for me!
While at the modiste, Lady Charlotte’s mother blithely announces that she is to be married to Lord Hawley. Lord Hawley is a duke’s heir. The joining of two ducal houses is a common occurrence for the time period. But sinister rumors swirl around him as he has already buried two wives who have both died under mysterious circumstances. Lady Charlotte does what any level headed person would do. She gathers her skirts, pulls her panniers sideways through the door and RUNS!
She heads to her cousins' coffee house, the Black Sheep. Naturally Charlotte’s family shuns them for being in trade <gasp!> and for her mother’s sister who ran off and married a pirate <double gasp!>. Lady Charlotte knows that she can start there to learn all she can about who Lord Hawley is and if he really has killed off his wives. Her cousins, the mistresses Wick, are leery of her being there but Lady Charlotte has a plan. She proposes a secret salon in the back room of the coffee house that allows both men and women so she can ferret information on Hawley.
Lord Hawley’s brother Dr, Matthew Talbot happens to be Charlotte’s twin brother Lord Alexander’s best friend. Matthew is a third son and is Lord Hawley’s opposite in every way. He has secrets of his own. One of those is the regard Matthew has always had for Charlotte. Another is that he, too, suspects his brother of foul play and, unbeknownst to Charlotte, is also investigating him. But time is running out for Charlotte as their official engagement looms on the horizon.
Matthew and Charlotte along with their friends come together to work on Hawley’s downfall. There were times when I highly doubted they would meet that goal. Hawley seemed to be one step ahead. That is a credit to Ms. Marsh’s writing. I really wanted to see what would happen. I also became invested in Charlotte and Matthew and their friends. I also look forward to reading more about these characters in future books. I do love a series! I highly recommend you grab this book and the beverage of your choice and settle in for a great read!
Thanks, Santa! I'm looking forward to reading this one.
ReplyDeleteThis one sounds good. Thank you for the review and recommendation.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds great! Thanks for the review, Santa!
ReplyDelete