"Like her four sisters, Lady Audrina Bradleigh is expected to marry a duke, lead fashion, and behave with propriety. Consequently, Audrina pursues mischief with gusto, attending scandalous parties and indulging in illicit affairs. But when an erstwhile lover threatens to ruin her reputation, Audrina has no choice but to find a respectable husband at once.
Who would guess that her search would lead her to Giles Rutherford, a blunt-spoken American on a treasure hunt of his own? When a Christmas snowstorm strands the pair at a country inn, more secrets are traded than gifts—along with kisses that require no mistletoe—and Audrina discovers even proper gentlemen have their wicked side…"
My Thoughts:
I was in the mood for a great holiday read and found this book sitting on my kindle unread. It had sat there way too long because this was honestly a delight to read. I haven't read a ton of historical romances this year but each one that I've read was enjoyable with this being an easy favorite. Set near Christmas time, Lady Audrina and Giles Rutherford are thrown together unexpectedly when Giles comes to Audrina's aid at the request of her parents. They find themselves in a situation that neither truly wants afterwards where Audrina is forced to accompany Giles and his father on their hunt for a secret box that possibly contains their inheritance from Gile's deceased mother. If that isn't excitement enough for you, Audrina is also caught up in her own scandal thanks to previous choices she has made and now needs to find a suitable husband or risk not being able to attend her own sister's wedding. All of this combined into such a great read where I was never sure how everything was going to work out. I had to just sit back and enjoy the ride that the author was taking me on which was completely worth it!
One of the things I loved about this book was all of the different characters. Lady Audrina comes across as a bit haughty and spoiled at the beginning of this book but it isn't long before the reader begins to see a different side of her. We also begin to learn the reasons behind this facade and I liked her character all the more for it. The chemistry between Audrina and Giles was almost instantaneous and I found myself eager to see how it would all play out. Really I managed to read this entire book in a matter of days because I just didn't want to set my kindle down. The snowy setting of this book had me wishing for snow (and yes I am bummed as there still is no snow on the ground) on a constant basis. Add to all of this the adventure that the characters found themselves on and you can basically figure out why I loved this book so much. The author took a scenario that seemed completely improbably and made it work with such ease that I just fell into the story. And the ending was just icing on the cake for me! I loved it! I loved the little surprises here and there which meant a better happy ever after for the main characters. I loved how strong Audrina was and how much more confidence she had in her self worth by the end of this book. I just loved it all and now want to read all of this author's books. Does that tell you enough?
Overall, I found this to be a wonderful read for this time of the year and a really great romantic read! I'm lucky that I have more of this author's books to look forward to which I've already added to my TBR list. I loved that this author was able to wrap me up so completely in this story and make me wish that it wouldn't end. I'm glad that I finally took the time to read this one- shame on me for waiting so long to read it! Easily recommended!
Bottom Line: A delightful read that is just meant to be devoured in a day or two!
Disclosure: I received my copy of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley (an embarrassingly long time ago).
