Francis, the Earl of Wolverstone, has been in love with Virginia, Lady Dulverton for years but she married someone else so he put away his heart. Overly dramatic on my part, perhaps, but....Now, Virginia is widowed although she's still being controlled from beyond the grave by the ornate provisions of her husband's will. Chief among these, by the way, is that she can not remarry for 10 years after his death. She meets Francis again and then he's jumped in the street and warned off her. Why? That's the mystery at the root of this. They join forces to find out who is after Francis, who is trying to sink Virginia, and well, they fall in love. This is told by both of them, which adds to the story. I hadn't read the earlier books but this is fine as a standalone. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's a fun guilty pleasure with likable characters and a zippy plot.

I liked this book and thought the characters were very well done. Virginia spent years in an unfulfilling marriage to a controlling man and has found that widowhood suits her just fine, even if there are strings attached. Francis has wanted Virginia since he first met her when he was a young man and has been biding his time to make his move. He can't believe it when she rejects him and doesn't understand her reasons. Still, when she is in danger all he wants to do is protect her. The closer they get the more they realize that the only life either of them wants is with each other Unfortunately someone is hellbent on keeping that from happening.

I received a free eARC from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I would like to start off with saying that I did enjoy this book and would consider reading the first two in this series (they can be read as stand-alones).
I really liked Lord Wolverley as a character and I enjoyed Virginia to an extent. I didn't enjoy that she suddenly went from not want to remarry to suddenly wanting it desperately.
I also really enjoyed the mystery aspect of the story and to be honest I didn't see the 'who-did-it' coming.

Overall I would give this a 3.5 (round up to a 4 for goodreads).

I received a copy of this title from the publisher for an honest review. 3.75 stars rounded up to 4. Virginia and the Wolf is the third title in the Society of Single Ladies, but easily works as a standalone. Virginia, the widowed Lady Dulverton, is trying to avoid pursuit by Lord Wolverley and thus scandal. Francis, Lord Wolverly for his part has been drawn to Virginia for years since shortly after her marriage and is determined to finally capture her. Sparks immediately fly between the two from the get-go of this book. Virginia is determined to resist and asks him to leave her be and decides to flee to check out one of her late husband's estates. Under the terms of his will, she is obligated to open a series of orphanages throughout England. Before she could leave, Francis is injured while visiting her; she leaves before he can fully recover causing him to chase her. Luckily for her, he saves her and they travel together to her estate and discover a mystery.

I always appreciate the historical accuracy and details that Ms. Connolly includes in her books. Her characters always act within the bound of the restrictions of the time period so this is no wallpaper historical. I loved how we slowly came to understand Virginia's marriage and how it influences her current feelings and actions towards Francis. Francis's determination to assist Virginia and convince her that they belong together is refreshing. The mystery aspect of who is trying to kill Virginia is well done and kept me guessing. I'm sad that this appears to be the last title in the series for now, but found this to be a fitting ending.

I love The Society for Single Ladies – what an intrepid bunch of single ladies. They solve crimes and find romance, what could be better than that? While this is the third book in the series, it can easily be read as a standalone. Yes, you meet characters from the earlier books and there are some references to them, but you don’t need to have read the books to understand them. The book is well-written, nicely paced, and populated with lovely characters.

Francis Collingwood, the Earl of Wolverstone, is now a well respected and wealthy man, but that wasn’t always the case. Francis’ parents were a love match – but a very unequal one. His mother was always referred to as a milkmaid though she was the daughter of a wealthy farmer. Society never accepted her though she was the loveliest of women in every way. With only a modest fortune, Francis was always looked upon as inconsequential mostly because of his mother’s background. At least he was until he made his Grand Tour and rather than partying his way across Europe, he used his time to make contacts and learn ways to increase his wealth. His father fell in love with his mother at first sight and nothing else mattered to him. Francis also fell in love at first sight, but sadly the woman he saw and loved, Lady Virginia Dulverton, was a newlywed, so there was no chance for them. At least not until her husband died some years later.

Virginia’s homelife was unhappy, to say the least, so she was very happy when Viscount Ralph Dulverton offered for her. She was so happy to escape her parents that she even fancied herself in love with Ralph. That changed on their wedding night and it never changed. Now, he is still controlling her in death. She was taken with the young Wolverstone when she met him ten years ago, but she was newly married and nothing could come of it. Now, he’s showing interest again and she still can’t let anything come of it. But goodness, she is drawn to him.

There are a number of factions at work – most of them against Virginia – and she isn’t aware of any of them. She’s carrying along with the terms of Ralph’s will and living her life. She loves her independence and has no desire to ever marry again. She cannot stomach the idea of another man having control of her and her life. Yet, Francis makes no secret of pursuing her.

Things really heat up when Francis rescues her at a ball – and is then attacked and warned to stay away from her. As he continues to pursue her, he’s attacked again, on her doorstep, and nearly dies. Off across the country, she goes with him in hot pursuit. There are villains aplenty – we just don’t know who they are – and they are bent on harm to both of them now. Oh! My goodness! What an exciting chase. Then there are cold drafty houses right on the sea – with cliffs and cellars – and more villains. Our couple certainly have to work for their HEA.

I loved the story and the chase and the romance. Francis was absolutely wonderful and I loved absolutely every minute of his page time. I liked Virginia as well, but her TSTL moments just made me doubt that she was as smart as we were supposed to think she was. Her constant ‘doubts’ also carried on way too long. I understand her life and yes, she suffered mental abuse at the hands of both her parents and her spouse – but – good grief – it was time to move on long before she did. I wanted to reach into the pages and shake her.

I hope you’ll enjoy the book as much as I did – and I’m looking forward to the next entry in the series.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Virginia feels worthless and unworthy from the treatment of her parents and her husband. Francis, Earl of Waverly, has loved Virginia since he met her soon after her marriage. After two years a widow, he's determined to court her, but she rebuffs him, until accidents endanger his life. His goal is to protect her instead, even after learning the stipulations of her dead husband's will. Several secrets are in play that Francis is determined to solve. At the same time to keep her safe, he must convince Virginia to marry him. I consider this book a Gothic romance. A definite page turner for what happens next. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

This book is one of a series, so there are many references to other people in other books. The heroine is a widow who is part of a group of woman who like to solve mysteries. They have their own name. The hero and heroine met before she was married when they were both young. He has loved her since the moment he met her and it has grown more over the last 10 years. She does not know how he feels and thinks he is pushing her into marriage or an affair. She had a very controlling husband and therefore refuses to get married again. Then the story gets a little muddy. It is as if the story is forced. The flow of the story is slower. The interaction between the hero and heroine is stilted. What starts out as a wonderful story was slowing changing. By the time the end came, it was just hard not the be done. The ending was so far past the climax. It needed to be more concise. The grammar and spelling were correct, but the lack of cohesiveness causes me to give the story 3 stars. I wished that I had liked it more, but there seemed to be a disconnect.

I think the author does a great job with this story. I love the way this new to me author and series stands alone and didn't make me feel like there was a gap or make me think I'd missed out on something that was shared in a previous book. Love the determined nature of the Earl and the independence of Virginia. They have great chemistry, the mystery is very intriguing and the story flows a good pace while providing depth, understanding and of course the shocking behavior of the gentry.

Virginia and the Wolf is a strong romance with a compelling suspense/mystery component.

Virginia was married quite young to an older lord. Between him and her cruel parents, she has no self esteem. She inherited quite a lot from her husband when he died but there are many strings attached and she is not allowed to tell anyone what they are at the risk of losing it all. After her horrible experience of marriage, she likes the independence that she now has.

Francis met Virginia at her wedding and it was love at first sight for him but has kept his secret over the subsequent years of her marriage and widowhood. He approaches Virginia because he wants to buy one of her properties for his much loved mother-she's ailing and it was her childhood home. She refuses as her husband's will requires her to convert it to an orphanage. He can't understand why she can't use another, better suited property and she can't tell him why. He is upset and as a revenge, decides to show his interest in her because he knows she doesn't want to be courted and she was proud of her reputation for correctness. And his price for backing down is the manor property. But other people are interested in the manor as well.

Francis is attacked and warned to stay away from Virginia. Virginia witnesses another attack when Francis is leaving her home and takes him in to recover from a head injury.

A trip to the manor is in Virginia's plans and Francis wants to accompany her as he feels she is in danger. But she tricks him and leaves alone and he is left to follow.

And thus the suspense part of the story follows-there are challenges and danger along the road and they continue at the manor.

This was an enjoyable read and the mystery is wrapped up nicely as is the romance.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. However, the opinions expressed are my own.

Another adventure with the SSL... This time it is a little different since this single lady is in fact a widow. Virginia, Lady Dulverton had settled into her life of independence and widowhood until there was a wolf at her door shaking up absolutely everything....
Francis, Earl of Wolverley is a determined man and has been in love with Virginia since he first saw her years ago. Unfortunately he only met her after she was married to another man. For years he’s kept his distance and tried to put her from his mind but when she denies a seemingly simple request he decides to take it as a challenge. And this begins their courtship....
What neither of them know is that their are other people interested in Virginia and the inheritance left to her by her late husband and they aren’t just of the fortune hunting kind. When Francis is warned away from her and an attempt is made on his life it doesn’t discourage him from being close to her it in fact brings them closer together. Despite Virginia’s determination not to allow anything to happen with the man she has secretly long felt affection for. Another marriage was not in her plans but she quickly learns a lot of her plans weren’t truly of her own making. During a dangerous journey to a manor house that seems to somehow be at the center of the trouble Virginia is forced to re-examine her life and choices and the damage her past has left her with so that maybe she might find love again. And you know stop some criminal activity from going on because the ladies of the SSL somehow are always ending up in some crazy life threatening situations.
So....
I like this series a lot I absolutely loved the first and second books but I didn’t love this one I liked it. Virginia was kinda annoying and frustrating and I get it that she had reasons for her behavior and her fears and insecurities. However for someone supposedly smart it took her forever to realize something shady was going on and I wanted to smack her when she tried to leave London without Francis. And her insistence on getting to the manor like she didn’t know that danger was all around her. She was not as cautious as she should have been. Of course she couldn’t have known the truth but really she gambled with her own life as well as the lives of others. And I can’t see how she didn’t realize part of the reason her husband set up this detailed crazy will. I could see the truth before she even told Francis the whole of it and he could see it immediately but she somehow couldn’t. And how did they not know who was behind this? If three people approach you about the same dang house and You eliminated two of those people as suspects then duh it was the third person!!!! Especially when that person specifically wants a room in your house where the family stay!
Despite the obliviousness issues I will say that the mystery was interesting. You can guess what it’s leading to but the whole organization of it all is kinda impressive. Though I have to wonder what life was like for the orphans in the orphanages that she managed to set up were like? This book though did have a few characters from the previous books making an appearance. Well other non-Angela people. Angela Childers the fearless leader of the SSL/Lady Banker who seems to have wings because she always manages to end up somewhere nobody expected her. I’m still waiting for her book and it see if she would ever settle down.
Anyway...
I did like Virginia and Francis and I was happy they finally got to have their happily ever after. And I did feel bad for all that Virginia suffered, Ralph was a truly terrible person. Though I do wonder how her parents reacted to learning she finally decided to remarry. They seemed like awful people too no wonder her husband and father were friends. So not in love with this one but I still liked it and will be hoping for more in the series.

Wow, what great story! Well developed characters, interesting plot, murder, smuggling, and such love! I was genuinely sad when I got to the end.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me an eARC of this book in return for a fair and honest review.

This book follows Virginia, a widow who finally has independence (sort of) and will do anything to keep it, and Francis, a man who has been in love with Virginia since he first saw her. Virginia staunchly refuses his advances, until he gets hurts because he is pursuing her. What follows is a cute romance with a bit of a mystery sprinkled on top.

My thoughts:

This book was okay, nothing fantastic, but nothing terrible. A simple, quick romance with an interesting mystery attached. I like the characters and would not mind reading more in this series (also you do not need to read the others in the series to read this).

I was a little disappointed that Virginia went from "no marriage, I'm independent" to "yes marriage" in like no time at all. Like I know she's in love and all that but it was a little meh to me.

Also slightly spoiler-y but I HATE the accidental pregnancy trope and it is present in this book.

Again, thanks to NetGalley for providing me an eARC of this book.

A brilliant work with wonderful characters and twists at every turn. A great recommendation for fans of Regency romance.

Virginia and the Wolf has great depth of characters with features from the basic walks of life for the times. Depth in romance and enough twists to make you get to the end of the book.

I would 100percent recommend.

This was an easy and fun romance read! The plot revolves around Virginia and Francis, Virginia being a recently widowed lady and Francis being someone who has been in love with her since he first met her. Virginia is trying to live her best life after escaping a traumatizing childhood and equally bad marriage, finally having the independence and means to live happy and stable life, on the condition she doesn’t remarry anyone for 10 years after her husband’s death or else she loses everything. Francis, wanting to buy one of Virginia’s late husband’s estates for his sick mother, decides that he’ll do whatever it takes to get it and pursuing Virginia is just a welcome way to get it. Thus begins a harrowing journey as these two deal with not only their emotions for each other and their circumstances, but having people after both their lives and trying to narrowly escape death. We get to read from both their POVs, which is something I always love in romance novels, and understand both of their struggles. The story was interesting and the romance was quite nice, I had a really fun time reading it . The plot wraps up nicely and there is a lot of intriguing schemes and plotting done. The banter and interaction between the two protagonists was enjoyable to read and all in all, I had a nice time reading this!

*Thank you Netgalley and Kensington Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review. *