A Victorian enemies to lovers, forced proximity romance
Lady Wilhelmina,
once the darling of the ton, fled England in shame after jilting her fiancé.
Following a decade in disgrace, Mina’s returning to Society’s ballrooms on a
luxury steamship…and encounters her ex-fiancé’s distractingly handsome cousin,
Max Cavendish—her once friend, now enemy!
Max’s guard is
up, yet being in close quarters with Mina sparks a wave of dangerous attraction
that makes him want to discover the truth behind the scandal. Wealthy engineer
Max is used to being in command of his world and his emotions, but his
complicated feelings for Mina are making him feel decidedly out of control…
Review
The Scandalous Lady Mina by Lara Temple
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Ah, the Set is not one to forgive. Poor Lady Mina is 10 years out from a scandal of her own making and she is still not forgiven nor forgotten. Her ability to hold her head high despite the gossip makes her an ideal escort for a soft-hearted ingenue about to hit the operatic stage. Unfortunately, this means she will be forced to endure the anger of her stilted fiance's family.
Mina holds her own in the story. She is full of poise and gracefully avoids begging for anyone's good will. She guides young Eliza with kindness and realism. I wanted her to find her happy ending, so she made a good cornerstone for the story.
Septimus, Max's uncle and Mina's employer, is the unsung star of his own show and he standout player in this story. He is full of an artist's disdain and misplaced enthusiasm. He brings much of the humor and emotional drive to the story. It is no wonder that he's mentioned in nearly every review - he's an absolute delight even when he's being manipulative.
I struggled more with Max. Although he seems logical about his concerns, his dead-set refusal to look at a situation from all sides and make space for forgiveness hit me as a "red flag" - but maybe he will learn from the experience. Isn't that what we all fantasize about these rough-edge men in books?
The sexual tension is strong but not overly erotic. It's a good example of Harlequin heat. I enjoyed the romance despite some structural and character hiccoughs. Yes, it's a little hard to follow at times and I got lost in point of view more than once, but it's overall a fun story with well-structured characters.
View all my reviews
Purchase
Links
Amazon US: Amazon.com: The Scandalous Lady Mina eBook :
Temple, Lara: Kindle Store
Author Bio –
Lara Temple is an
award-winning author of strong and sexy historical romance. She lives in London
with her husband, two children, and one very fluffy dog, and they are all very
understanding about her disappearing into her little office where she looks out
over the garden as she dreams up her Happy Ever Afters.
Social Media
Links –
website: www.laratemple.com
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/laratempleauthor1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/LaraTemple
Facebook: www.facebook.com/LaraTemple1
Amazon
author page US: http://bit.ly/LaraTemple
Amazon
author page UK: http://bit.ly/LaraTempleUK
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