His Lordship's True Lady (True Gentlemen Book 4)

Grace Burrowes always surprises me with how good her books are. There are so many formulaic Regency Romance stories available sometimes I'm hesitant to start another book because the authors use the same plot over and over. "His Lordship's True Lady" is different from any other RR I've read.The hero is a rather stick-in-the-mud type man who married at a young age and soon learned his bride was not who he thought she was. He is a widowed earl now and looking for a new bride. He has recently become the guardian of his late neighbor's children and is worried about how he will take care of them without a wife to help him. Two of the children are boys and are in boarding school, but Daisy is only 6 and has been sent to stay with him in London as he seeks a wife.The heroine of the story is Lily Ferguson. She is the ward of her uncle, Walter Leggett. You can tell from the first that there is something not quite right about their relationship but only hints are given about what it could be. Of course she is the perfect young woman for the hero, Hessian Kettering. She relates completely with Hessian's young ward and helps her come out of her shell just as Hessian is worried Daisy is drawing away from the adults in her world. Hessian is so grateful he starts to arrange visits with Lily and Lily brings another little girl, the daughter of a friend, so Daisy can have a friend to play with.As Hessian is starting to think Lily might be the perfect wife for him, his brother, Worth, is becoming suspicious about Lily and her uncle. Worth is a very wise business man with a reputation for making good investments so he is used to doing research on a project before sinking his money or friend's money he has been asked to invest, into a concern. He uses these skills to research Walter Leggett and has suspicions about Leggett's finances, and therefore, Lily's. He knows his brother's first marriage was a disappointment to him and he doesn't want Hession to make a mistake again. So he councils Hessian to slow down and give him more time to determine what is going on.Both Hessian and Lily become miserable as Hessian starts to hold back his feeling for Lily and Lily starts to wonder if Hessian doesn't love her after all. When Hessian starts to unravel the convoluted story of Walter Leggett's evil plots using Lily to maintain his own lifestyle it starts to look like he can never marry Lily because the scandal it will cause could mean ruin for him, Daisy, and Lily. Watching Hessian develop and carry out a plan to save Lily is facinating. I used to read mysteries until I burned out on them because I could recognise the plot as soon as I started the book. There is no way a reader could forsee what Hessian does to save the woman he loves.There are a couple pre-marital love scenes, but they are well written and not terribly shocking. The book has good editing, good descriptions of laws at the time of the story, as far as I can tell it has good period accuracy, and I noticed no typos. This is a terrific RR story with the added bonus of a mystery that is difficult to solve but leads to a HEA.

I have been binge reading Grace Burrowes' books for the past three weeks with more to go.Hessian showed up in another book ( WORTH ) featuring his younger brother who has been a supporting character in a number of books. I wanted to read his story.I started this book at 10pm thinking I would read a chapter before going to sleep. Alas this was an all-nighter ! I couldn't put it down and finished at 6 am. Luckily I am retired so I can feed my cat then go to bed unlike earlier years when I would have to drag myself to work after staying up to finish a book.Ms. Burrowes' books have all had good dialogue, interesting characters and plots. This one was no exception. I find myself invested in the outcome for her characters even knowing that as a romance there would be a happy ending.Another reason I enjoy her books is the number of people who show up in different books making connections in the stories even though each can be read as a stand alone. It makes for a richer reading experience.It is playing havoc with my reading budget, but I just HAVE to follow these characters she has brought to life from one adventure to another.

Misplaced siblings, minor wards, blackmailing relatives, oh my! This book has it all.Grace Burrowes has done it again! In her gentle, meandering conversational style she has presented us with another romantic masterpiece.Hessian Kettering, Earl of Grampion was introduced to us as the staid older brother of Worth Kettering. A stodgy boring type of fellow who likes nothing more than rusticating in the north of England away from the hubbub of London society. So, let's bring him to London in search of a wife on the infamous marriage mart. Let's throw in some minor wards for the childless widower as well. The chaos ensues from there.Burrowes manages to make his search fraught with the usual annoyances of too young debutantes and cougars out to trap a handsome marriageable aristocrat. Oh no! Enter Miss Lily Ferguson, an on-the-shelf spinster and heiress who charms and captivates effortlessly. But something is not quite right with Miss Lily.As in most of Burrowes' novels, her antagonists are evil and irredeemable and appear to be quite the threat to the protagonists.As Burrowes' bench is quite wide, our protagonists have a healthy mix of allies. Not only is financial genius, Worth Kettering available to lend a helping hand to his big brother, Devlin and Emmy St. Just are available to lend military strategy and the tacit backing of the House of Moreland. And wait... did I glimpse a cameo of Lord Valentine performing at a musicale. Ah Grace... you know how to please your devoted fans.There are many tangled webs of deceit and intrigue woven into this tale. The fun in getting lost in the prose and piecing together the various threads of the story to get to the many truths was exhilarating. The book was riveting from start to finish. This reader was captivated at all times.

Why on earth would someone be called Hessian? It's a kind of boot. Then on page two we are told he has an Alsatian Hound. 1) Alsatians are herding dogs, not hounds 2) German Shepherd Dogs were not recognised as a breed until 1899 (This book is supposed to be set in the Regency) 3) They were not called Alsatians until about 1918 due to anti-German sentiment. And why would a lady be called Jacaranda? This is a south american plant probably unknown in the Regency and certainly not a Christian name that a vicar would agree to when christening a child. Too careless and poorly researched. I couldn't go any further and will be getting a refund.

I don't know how Grace Burrows does it, but she is so very head and shoulders above anyone else who writes in this genre. Another captivating book. Just love her heroes and heroines, and her diligent attention to the tiny details which bring the scenes alive for the reader.

I really surprised myself by caring what happened to the characters towards the end, I couldn't see a way out for them. However I won't be keenly searching for another of the same type.

Is Lily's uncle the loving protector he says? Is Lily what she says? Are Grampion's wards? It seems that the only beings who don't have something to hide are the cats and dogs.

The story of Hessian and Lily is a wonderful and lovely tale. Grace Burrowes has produced a beautiful story once again.