Once upon a time, there was a witless man who not only couldn't hold his spirits, but apparently the deed to his own home! Now , he's suddenly worried about them being ousted from their home, but not enough to actually GO there to make a stand or plea. Word is sent, grudges are forged, and the circumstances under which the Marquess of Westmorland will have forgotten not only his mission (which was NOT ousting them!) but himself are put into action. Good thing for the Marquess, our leading lady Georgina Lucas not only likes to ride with the wind in her hair, but can think on her feet, consequences be darned.

Oh my goodness, I had SO MUCH FUN with this one! I didn't know WHAT was going to happen when the Marquess was found in the state in which he was found. I was over the moon when Georgina not only got her way with the horse groom, but saved the savaged soul with her blatant lie. I couldn't believe how even without his memory, he FELT when things were or weren't right, and when revelations came about a little under halfway through the book, my heart leaped for joy at his understanding. As things continued, I was at my wit's end trying to see what would or wouldn't happen for both her and him, while watching some things unravel, familial connections become further frayed, and Georgina come out of any remaining shell.

All in all, a WONDERFUL read for Historical Romance fans. The tension is there throughout the story, as are the stolen moments, but the steam factor is kept to a scene or two, so you won't have to hide your face behind a fan while stemming off a fit of reddening. While my first time reading this series, it stands perfectly on its own, so no worries about having to read the others first, though you know, the more the merrier!


**copy received for review; opinions are my own ( )

When Georgiana Lucas finds out that it's the rather snide Marquess of Westmoreland who won her friends house in a bet she is not best pleased. She's visiting them and when she comes across his unconscious, beaten body by the side of the road there is a temptation to leave him, but that wouldn't be right. She pretends that he is her fiance and nurses him. When he regains consciousness he has amnesia and his almost blank slate state have a romance blossom. Now she's in a bind, tell him who is and possibly lose him or have it all crumble on her.

It was a good story that I found very entertaining. There will be more books by this author read by me. ( )

This was quite fun. I was a little hesitant going in after reading the blurb, (often amnesia and fake engagement plots are held together with nothing but Scotch tape and end up preposterous), but Linden set it up well here, so it only required a small suspension of disbelief. The hero was delightful, so endearing in his affection for the heroine, and I really enjoyed watching their feelings develop despite their unusual circumstances. ( )

Beautiful book.... Once I've finished, I found myself rereading it again from the beginning.
Love the h so much... ( )

Review originally published at Romancing Romances.

I received an eARC at no cost from the author, and I am leaving a voluntary and honest review. Thank you.

3.75*


Caroline Linden has become one of my go-to authors. Her books are always romantic and amusing, and this one was no different.

The main trope that’s present in the book is amnesia, and it’s a trope that sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t. Here, I think it worked perfectly.

Georgiana is a sweet girl, who saves a man’s life by saying he’s her fiancé, instead of the man the family she is with hates. Lord Westmorland – Rob – is a rake/rogue, and he won a house in a bet. But he’s not a bad guy so, to make sure the house is never lost again, he decides to give it to the man’s family, so that they know what happened, and can keep their property safe. But Kitty, Georgiana’s friend, has been warned that a bad man is arriving at her house to kick her, and her family, out of their home. And Kitty is fierce, so she has all the guns ready to protect what’s hers.

When Georgiana finds a man beaten almost to death, she decides she can’t leave him to die in the street, and gets him to Kitty’s house, and when she sees his face, and discovers that he’s Lord Westmorland (and she was the only one there who had actually met him), she knows she has to lie to make sure Kitty will help him. And, because Rob was beaten in the head, he loses his memory for some time.

Georgiana tends to Rob, and when he wakes up, they start spending more time together, and… I’m sure you can guess what happens. Georgiana and Rob’s love is something at risk, because she’s engaged to someone else, so when Rob’s brother comes to get him, and Rob’s gets his memory back, they come up with a plan, and decide not to see each other again. Of course, days past, and they keep thinking about each other.

There are some family problems regarding Georgiana’s family, and this is more developed at the end of the book. There’s also some mystery that is mostly dealt with at the very end of the book, so it’s not very important throughout the book, but it does drive the story at the end.

It’s a sweet story, with romance and funny moments, with a rakish hero, and a sweet heroine who finds her voice. ( )