STORY: Once the Countess of Riverdale, Viola Kingsley throws all caution to the wind when adventure calls in the form of a handsome aristocrat. . . .
Two years after the death of the Earl of Riverdale, his family has overcome the shame of being stripped of their titles and fortune–except for his onetime countess, Viola. With her children grown and herself no longer part of the social whirl of the ton, she is uncertain where to look for happiness–until quite by accident her path crosses once again with that of the Marquess of Dorchester, Marcel Lamarr.
Marcel Lamarr has been a notorious womanizer since the death of his wife nearly twenty years earlier. Viola caught his eye when she herself was a young mother, but she evaded his seduction at the time. A prize that eluded him before, she is all the more irresistible to him now although he is surprised to discover that she is as eager now for the excitement he offers as he is himself.
When the two defy convention and run away together, they discover that the ties of respectability are not so easily severed, and pleasure can ensnare you when you least expect it.
REVIEW: This is the fourth book in Mary Balogh’s Westcott series and I loved all the stories before it, but this one was the closest to my heart because it tells the story of two mature people in their early forties. Not many authors dare to venture into telling grown up romances.
This story touches on many topics and beautifully told from both points of view, the heroine’s and hero’s. After the death of her husband who in the end turns out to have never divorced or annulled the marriage to his first wife, this strong woman is shaken to the core and left to deal with the aftermath of a broken promise, and broken family.
She is confused, angry and has a need to vent and finally come to terms of who she really is and who she wants to be. In order to do that, she decides that she needs to be alone and think things through. Leaving a family gathering and attempting to do just that, Serendipity has a totally other plan for her and puts her right in the middle of the path of a man that fifteen years ago had intended to have an affair with her, which she had rebuffed.
Marcel Lamarr, Marquess of Dorchester is the perfect man for Viola Kingsley. Actually, they are both what the other needs and they agree to spend some time alone, away from their families. Both of them are hiding the attraction they felt for one another all those years ago, and both feel that this chance meeting will only lead to a short affair.
This was one of the best grown up romances I’ve read to date. It had heart and warmth and plenty of grown up sex. Between listening to it and reading the ARC, I was really touched by this love story. I highly recommend it.
Melanie for b2b
Gift ARC provided by the publisher
Audible audio purchased
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