Such a lovely love story between Philip and Sarah.

Orphaned at a fairly young age Sarah is taken in by the old Duke, a friend of Sarahs father. Their marriage was happy despite their age difference.

Phillip has just returned from war with one eye, but grateful that his injuries were not debilitating. He succeeds yo the Dukedom, and is stipulated by his uncles will to allow Sarah to stay indefinitely and to learn how to run the dukedom with her guidance.

Phillip is in for a shock, when he arrives at his seat to find a young beautiful dowager. The friendship between Sarah and Phillip was amazing. He respects her, and sees how indispensable she is. Her step daughter Lizzie, also lives in the castle, so while Phillip and Sarah are attracted towards each other, they ignore it.

However the situation changes and both Sarah and Phillip seek Mrs Lyons service to find a spouse. Phillip fights hard to win Sarah over and eventually all sorts out between them for a hea.

This is another book in the Lyon's Den universe.

In this book, Sarah, the Duchess of Buckingham, has been widowed after 9 years of marriage. Not a love match, the marriage had given her three step-daughters, security, and a home.

Phillip, a war hero and her nephew by marriage, inherits the title of Duke. Having never met before, he is stunned to discover that Sarah is closer in age to him than to his uncle, the previous Duke.

They become friends, hiding their mutual attraction for each other. There is an obligatory misunderstanding and Sarah leaves, causing Phillip to finally address his feelings for her.

There were several secondary characters that were not developed enough, and a lot of superficial details that were interesting, but could have been fleshed out more instead of being skimmed over.

A simple, light read, easily finished in an hour.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this in return for my review.

A quick, sweet read! Exactly what I was looking for when I went in search of a light historical romance. I only wish that there'd been less telling and more showing; I wanted to feel more of our leads' connection, and I feel like I had to take the book's word for it. But, overall, I enjoyed reading this.

This is the 2nd book I've ready by this author, and by chance it was connected to the first book from "Night Of Lyons," 'Unmasked By The Lyon' (Lizzie's story). This book alludes to drama, but there really isn't any. No outside force to keep Sarah and Phillip apart, only each other and their perceived view of what the Ton expects. There are a few storylines going on, and they all come together for a good ending, but it could have been better.

Ami writes such descriptive details that you see everything as you read. There were a few personal notes for Bessie Dove-Lyon that added to her character and it added a sense of loss and longing to her general story. All in all I enjoyed this book.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this story and this is my freely given opinion...

This is another contribution to the Lyon's Den interconnected universe. In this one, the owner of the Lyon's Den, Bessie Dove-Lyons, comes across more as a friend and secondary character at times, and less of a mysterious master manipulator of marriages. There is still some of that there, but perhaps in a more subtle way... and there is a hint of a the paranormal as well with a couple of interactions with a mysterious gypsy.

In this story, Sarah Farnsworth Villiers, the Duchess of Buckinham, has been widowed after 9 years of marriage to a man much older than her. But it was a good marriage, all things considered, because she was orphaned a decade earlier, and left destitute and tarnished by her father's poor choices. Despite a lifetime of neglect and being ignored, Sarah's father did make on final attempt to secure a future for his daughter before his scandalous death, and arranged for his best friend, the Duke of Buckingham, to take Sarah into his own family. This lead to a second marriage for the Duke, and while it was not a love match, it grew into a loving and supportive relationship for Sarah and the Duke, and her three grown stepdaughters. Sarah had security, respect, a loving home, and family.

Before his death, the previous Duke, not having a heir of his own, arranged in his will for Sarah's continued financial security and for her to have a home at their estate, Waverly Castle, and to still have a hand in the management thereof, with Sarah showing a passion and aptitude for estate management. After his death, the search started for his heir, since there was a rift may years previously between the Duke and some of his family causing them to lose track of each other.

Phillip Villiers is a veteran of the Napoleonic Wars, and a noted war hero, but released after suffering injuries including the loss of his eye. He is alone, and without much to his name, and with no apparent prospects, not a desirable suitor for any eligible heiresses. He is at loose ends, and making do occasionally with some gambling at the Lyon's Den when he is found by the lawyers for the previous Duke and informed of his new title and wealth. He makes his way to Waverly Castle, where he joins the previous Duchess, and his remaining unmarried cousin, the youngest daughter of the previous Duke.

Phillip had presumed that the widowed Duchess was of similar age to his uncle and was stunned when he discovers that his so-called aunt by marriage is instead a beautiful, intelligent, vibrant young woman who sparks his attraction. Likewise, Sarah finds herself thinking far more than she would like of the virile, ruggedly handsome Phillip. They forge a pleasant friendship over the next several months, tamping down their mutual desire for each other.

Things are ramped up when they return to London together to attend a party at the Lyon's Den, at the invitation of the owner. Sarah comes to the conclusion that she has to consider another future, as other men seek to court her, and that Phillip must proceed with securing the line, and finding himself a bride. Besides, they cannot go on living together at Waveryly Castle without sullying their names and reputations, especially when they are left alone when Phillip's cousin leaves to wed.

Sarah makes the decision to leave abruptly when she was going through her husband's old correspondence and comes across something that sheds light on her father's financial failures, and his death, that devastates Sarah, and changes how she views Phillip, and she decides she must get away from him. But her leaving and being courted by other men causes Phillip to acknowledge how much Sarah has come to mean to him and he goes after her to try to win her back.

This is a bit of a second chance romance with two older main characters, and a slow burning strangers to friends to lovers romance. There is a bit of extra muddying of the story with the paranormal gypsy component, which I did not feel was needed, and some convoluted overlap of the past interfering with the present, which acted as a further barrier for Phillip and Sarah's relationship. But I found myself quite enjoying their developing relationship, and liking the characters. There were several secondary characters that I felt were not developed enough; for example, there was the single cousin/stepdaughter, Lizzie, who was labeled a bit of a shy, wallflower spinster with a passion for gardening, but also a speech impediment. But after that initial introduction, there was no indication of her speech impediment later, and then her story, with the secondary romance, were treated quite abruptly with no real background or development. There were a lot of superficial details that were interesting, that were given, but could have been fleshed out more - such as Phillip growing up in France, speaking French well, and it was hinted that he did spy work or something along those lines (and linked to the loss of his eye?), and had a strong connection to France, but this was all hinted at and skimmed over.

But I did find it an enjoyable and engrossing read, just wished for a bit more...

3.75 stars out of 5

The only fault I have with this book is the romance between Phillip and Sarah. I felt a jump from friends to lovers and not even a plausible build-up. It was more of friends now then full-blown love. I would have wanted an easy build and heroic type of romantic realisation.

Mystical Magic, Struggles, Destiny:
We first meet Sarah a duchess and new widow.
A year later Sarah will finally meet her late husband's nephew Phillip who has just discovered he is now a duke.
The hidden attraction each character has for the another is undeniable but also hidden from each other until destiny will come along in a strange way and they both will finally face and admit their true feelings for each other.
Again Mrs. Dove Lyon and the Lyons Den seems to play a small part in Phillip and Sarahs romance. I credit the gypsy or fortune teller a bit more. Or is it some mystical part of Lady Dove Lyons magic skills?
This is a charming story that is filled with emotional struggles, endless desire, and an ending that had my heart pounding and the pages smoking enough to get out my lady's fan.
💋 Mature Advisory:
⭐ Cover gives you a good look at the very handsome Duke.
👍My first time reading this author.

It was a wonderful book to read! The attention to detail made me feel like I was there experiencing their story unfold right in front of me. The way the characters grew over time and for them to overcome their problems was beautifully written. It’s a must read! I will be recommending this book to fellow readers!

If you have been reading the Lyon's Den series for a while you will probably agree that the more recent stories (Luck of the Lyon included) have strayed a bit from the original premise. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but if you are expecting the wagers and challenges from the earlier books you may be disappointed to find there is none of that in this book. Mrs. Dove-Lyon's matchmaking was a bit of a stretch here, but the rest of the story is so well done I'll let that slide. Also, if you have read 'Night of the Lyons' you will recognize the character of Lizzie and already know where her storyline is headed. In this story I liked that both Sarah and Phillip had to bend a little in order to find their happy ending - she needed to care a little less about what society might say and he needed to learn to care a little bit more. In the end they did decide to follow their hearts rather than society's whims. I wish it hadn't taken being a coma for two days for Sarah to realize she did want to have a future with Phillip, but it at least finally got her to admit her feelings. Also, I can understand why she would be upset to find that the man she loved was the son of the man who ruined her father's life, I didn't understand why she would blame Phillip for the whole situation.

I loved this book! Read it in just a few hours. Could not get enough. Didn’t see the ending coming. Would definitely read again and buy it.

I loved Phillip and Sarah’s story as a new addition to the Lyon’s Den series. I just wish Mrs. Dove-Lyon played a bigger role in the match making of these two. They are perfect for each other, they just need to wake up and see it for themselves. The story is well written and entertaining. I think the gypsy added a nice touch to the story. I would highly recommend this story as a great read,
I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley and are voluntarily leaving a review.