The Lyon’s Lady Love by Alexa Aston
Publisher & Release: Dragonblade Publishing, May 14, 2020
Time and setting: Regency England, London
Genre: Historical Romance
Length: 131 Pages
Heat Level: 1 Flame
Rating: 5 Gold Crowns
Book Description:
Enter the world of the most notorious gambling den in London, where matches are made... unusually. Welcome to the world of THE LYON'S DEN: The Black Widow of Whitehall Connected World, where the underground of Regency London thrives... and loves.
Can an earl put aside the ghosts of the past and accept a future with his scandal-plagued wife?
On the night of her come-out, Lady Emma Spencer learns her father has bilked numerous peers. Not only is she humiliated, but her father flees England, leaving Emma penniless and homeless. She finds work as a companion and years later, she winds up with a fortune. All she lacks now is the children she so desperately desires. That means finding a husband—and she turns to The Black Widow of Whitehall, Mrs. Bessie Dove-Lyon, who pairs women touched by scandal with men in desperate need of money.
Upon his father’s death, Marcus becomes the Earl of Rutherford and finds he’s bankrupt, thanks to his father losing the family fortune to poor investments and gambling. Though Marcus had wanted to wed for love, he turns to an infamous matchmaker, who arranges a marriage for him. Lady Emma Spencer is everything he dreamed of in a woman, and Marcus gallantly refuses to discuss her past, telling Emma he is her future.
But secrets have a way of coming out and Marcus learns he’s married to the one woman he never would have chosen.
Can Marcus put aside the ghosts of the past and accept a future with his wife?
Can an earl put aside the ghosts of the past and accept a future with his scandal-plagued wife?
On the night of her come-out, Lady Emma Spencer learns her father has bilked numerous peers. Not only is she humiliated, but her father flees England, leaving Emma penniless and homeless. She finds work as a companion and years later, she winds up with a fortune. All she lacks now is the children she so desperately desires. That means finding a husband—and she turns to The Black Widow of Whitehall, Mrs. Bessie Dove-Lyon, who pairs women touched by scandal with men in desperate need of money.
Upon his father’s death, Marcus becomes the Earl of Rutherford and finds he’s bankrupt, thanks to his father losing the family fortune to poor investments and gambling. Though Marcus had wanted to wed for love, he turns to an infamous matchmaker, who arranges a marriage for him. Lady Emma Spencer is everything he dreamed of in a woman, and Marcus gallantly refuses to discuss her past, telling Emma he is her future.
But secrets have a way of coming out and Marcus learns he’s married to the one woman he never would have chosen.
Can Marcus put aside the ghosts of the past and accept a future with his wife?
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Vikki’s Musings
Thanks goes to the publisher and Net-Galley for the complimentary copy of The Lyon’s Lady Love by Alexa Aston for the purpose of reading and reviewing prior to publication. My opinions are my own and no one has influenced them.
The Lyon’s Lady Love is a well-written novella with compelling characters and a plot that will pull at your heartstrings. The pacing is excellent keeping me enmeshed from the first page to the last.
Lady Emma Spencer’s character is endearing, and her backstory is heartbreaking. From the time she lost her mother, she had no one to watch out for her. On the night of her come-out, her father returns and grabs his belonging and rips her mother’s jewels from her neck, leaving her to face the men who arrive to capture her father. My heart ached for her bewilderment and fear.
Marcus, the Earl of Rutherford is a fantastic hero. When his father dies, he discovers he’s inherited nothing other than the entailed estate and London townhouse. He must find a wife with a generous dowry. While he’d dreamed of a union with a woman he loves, that must be put aside. I could feel the pain and loss, and the fear of providing for his mother and tenants. When he meets the heroine, he’s relieved to find such a charming young woman through the matchmaker. His optimism for the future touched me.
The romance between Emma and Marcus is sweet and fulfilling, perfect for a Regency historical. Each have suffered through no fault of their own. I truly wanted them to find their happy ending.
If you enjoy historical romances set in the glittering Regency period with engaging characters and a heartfelt plot, then you will love The Lyon’s Lady Love as much as I did. I look forward to reading the next book in this delightful series. Happy reading!
Excerpt:
Mrs. Dove-Lyon said, “You have one hour in which you may get to know one another. In that time, you will also share a single kiss. At the end of the hour, you should know if you suit one another or not.”
A kiss?
Emma had never been kissed. Ever. The thought of sharing a kiss with Lord Z flustered her. She could feel her cheeks heating.
She felt Lord Z’s eyes upon her, which caused her face to flame further. All thoughts of conversation fled as she inhaled the subtle spice of his cologne. He was broader than he’d appeared from a distance and took up too much space. He was much too close for her to think.
“Tell me something about yourself,” she said.
“I am an only son of a peer. I adore my niece and nephews. Having children is part of the reason I am here tonight.” He smiled ruefully. “And I seek a bride with a large dowry.”
“Many young women making their come-out possess one.”
“They were all so young. So green. I am thirty, Lady A, and felt old enough to be their father. I long for a woman I can converse with. One who wants to be a good wife and mother and yet remain her own person, interested in all manner of ideas.”
Lord Z squeezed her hand. “Family is very important to me. Are you open to this possibility?”
“It is the only reason I seek a husband,” Emma said. “I have longed for children.”
He smiled and it was as if the sun had come out from behind the clouds. It filled her with a warmth she’d never known.
“Do you have anything else you wish to ask of me, Lady A?”
She didn’t. Her heart told her he would be her choice.
“No, Lord Z.”
“Then I suppose we must accomplish the task Mrs. Dove-Lyon assigned to us.”
Emma’s pulse quickened.
“May I kiss you, Lady A?”
Author Bio:
Award-winning, internationally bestselling author Alexa Aston lives with her husband in a Dallas suburb, where she eats her fair share of dark chocolate and plots out stories while she walks every morning. She loves reading, watching movies, and attending sporting events when she’s not watching Survivor, The Crown, or The Great British Baking Show.
A former history teacher, Alexa’s historical romances are set during the Regency and Medieval Eras—where she brings to life loveable rogues and dashing knights.
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