4.5 Stars
Three years after being press ganged into the Royal Navy, the Earl of Merton returns to England along with his friend Dick Hodgson an American also pressed into service with the Navy. The end of the war has brought economic hardship and unemployment. Merton starts a shipyard, bringing employment to his neighbours but embarrassment to his family. They want him to marry suitably and settle down to a normal aristocratic life. He is not interested…until he meets Miranda Rokeby.
Miranda is the daughter of a Boston shipowner visiting her English relatives. She has an American disdain for useless aristocrats until she meets Merton at a house party his grandmother is holding.
A new author to me & I found it to be an engrossing read that kept me captivated all the way through. I loved both Tom & Miranda they both fell hard & fast for each other. I loved the chemistry between them & how they complemented each other. This book was a lovely mix of romance & mystery. Someone wants Tom dead, it's not hard to work out who but not everyone is as they seem & there were a couple of twists I wasn’t expecting. A well written book that I loved, however I did have one quibble & that was that some of the villains & one in particular got off scot free, I do hope they get their comeuppance later in the series
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Will they solve who’s behind the attacks before it is too late ...

Oh my!
What a delightful and lively discovery this book was.
It breaks my heart to not be able to read all the authors and new releases there are every day, so when little gem like this one lands on my shelves, it is even more comforting that I made the right choice by adding it to my list to read.

I just just loved the author’s writing style, her exquisite humor and how three dimensional her characters are. They came alive in my mind, I saw them breath and act, live and love.

After an attempt at dispatching him and taking profit of his absence to claim his title and wealth, Thomas Wortham is back, alive and not the same he ever was.
Why he is bewitched by his sunshine girl, this American young woman who let no one stepping on her feet. Nor a countess not even a duke.
Their romance is one whirlwind courting interspersed with death traps set to shorten Tom’s lifespan. But it does not deter them to be together, it is more their difference of status, as Miranda refuses to cower and will never be a meek demure peer’s spouse. But Tom is not looking for a wife bred to be the perfect countess, he wants one opinionated who will hold her own.
I do not known what look like the previous stories by the author, but this one is with many points of view, giving each protagonists, good or bad its limelight time.

The romance is easy with few impediments outside the murder’s attempts, but I loved this mix between a comedy of errors and manners, where peers mix with commoners and each learn (or not) from the other.
It is definitely a 5 stars read lovers of historical romances must absolutely do not miss.

I was granted an advance copy by the publisher Dragonblade Publishing, here is my true and unbiased opinion.

He's back.

Tom is an Earl "Merton" and he's just back from being shanghaied into the Royal Navy against his will (he was drugged and tied up) and kept at sea for three years. He's an earl who's family is suspect for ousting him so his cousin, his cousin's wife and father and aunt could benefit in his absence, as he is presumed deceased. He has enemies close at hand. His family and the lieutenant who kept him from his freedom.

A year later, all the same villains are still at play at his house party, only he's been introduced to Miranda, a tall American who's father owns ships and she is friends with Tom's business partner (they were both shanghaied on the ship together).

There's a romance between Tom and Miranda (with a cover of her cousin) but a lot of the focus is on the who wants him dead (although that is pretty obvious). It was engaging and flows quickly.
Recommend.
4.5