England, 1867 : As half of the writing duo behind England's most infamous crime column, Miss Caroline Hardcastle has quite the scandalous reputation. It may have cost her a fiancé, but she would much rather bring attention to crimes against those ignored by society than worry about what the ton thinks of her.
After Caro's dear friend is kidnapped, however, she has no choice but to work with Lord Valentine Thorn, the same man who broke her heart. Worse, when her actions put her father's business at risk, a marriage of convenience may be her only solution . . . but can she trust Val to stand by her? Or will their past repeat itself?
Val--the new Viscount Wrackham--is in an untenable position: His father is demanding he find a respectable bride to secure the succession. Yet the only woman he's ever loved, Miss Caroline Hardcastle, is notorious for behaving improperly. And she's never forgiven him for his youthful transgressions, missteps made in the name of familial duty, but ones he still regrets to this day.
As they grow closer to unmasking the culprit, Val sees an opportunity to show Caro he's a changed man. But can he convince her to give their love a second chance--before death does them part?
Caroline Hardcastle and Lady Katherine Eversham are summoned to their friend Effie Warrington’s home. Effie has been kidnapped and her fiancé Francis Thorn was left unconscious and bleeding at her doorstep. Caro discovers that her former fiancé Valentine Thorn has arrived at Effie’s home ahead of them. Loved the heated and entertaining conversations between Caro and Val as they form a truce to find Effie's kidnapper. The couple must put aside their feelings and work together when Francis Thorn suddenly disappears.
Manda Collins creates an emotional, entertaining second chance romance for Caro and Val. Both characters have grown since they ended their engagement. Caro is very independent and politically savvy. She a newspaper columnist with a huge following, a cookbook author and she hosts salons. Val is the new Viscount Wrackham and is feeling pressured by his father to marry. Caro is the only woman Val has ever loved and he deeply regrets not standing up to his father and brother when they insulted Caro’s family. He has never forgiven himself and this endeared him to me.
Manda Collins chooses to have Caro and Val’s story play out slowly during the first part of the novel. This choice worked for me as the couple had so much to work through—old hurts, new feelings and family concerns plus the kidnappings. I liked that neither character was perfect. Val owned his mistake and knew he needed to speak up to his father before telling Caro his true feelings. And Caro needed to forgive Val before they could move forward.
Manda Collins kept me intrigued with many characters, twists and turns in the storyline. The differences between the social classes is threaded throughout the novel during this time of moral and political reforms. The combination of the romance and kidnapping mystery worked for me.
An Heiress’s Guide to Deception and Danger is well plotted whodunit, the romance between Caro and Val tugs at your heartstrings and I screamed when the identity of the kidnapper was revealed! Thank you Manda Collins for another fabulous read!
Reviewed by Susan Gorman
ARC provided by the Publisher
Manda Collins grew up on a combination of Nancy Drew books and Jane Austen novels, and her own brand of Regency romantic suspense is the result. A former academic librarian, she holds advanced degrees in English Lit and Librarianship. Her books have been favorably reviewed in Entertainment Weekly, Library Journal, Booklist, Publisher's Weekly, Bookpage, and USA Today. Her novel Duke with Benefits, was named one of Kirkus Books Best Romance Novels of 2017. When she's not writing she can be found advocating for disability rights on Twitter, watching true crime documentaries, and knitting very inexpertly. A native of Alabama, she lives on the Gulf Coast with a very stubborn cat and more books than are strictly necessary.
Contact Info
Manda Collins
manda@mandacollins.com
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Twitter: @mandacollins
Instagram: @mandacollinsauthor
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/manda_collins
