An Heiress's Guide to Deception and Desire
September 26, 2021
Oh, this book was delightful. I sped through reading it, finishing it in a little over a day.
Caroline "Caro" Hardcastle writes for England's infamous crime column, preferring to bring light issues ignored by society rather than worry about what people think of her. However, when a close friend is kidnapped, Caro has to work with Lord Valentine "Val" Thorn, her former fiancé and the man who broke her heart, to try to figure out where her friend might be. When her actions result in a marriage of convenience to Val to protect her family's reputation, she must figure out how to protect her heart while working with Val to solve the mystery of her friend's disappearance. Meanwhile, Val is desperate to prove to Caro that he has learned from his past mistakes and is ready to dive wholeheartedly into their relationship.
While I haven't read the first book in the series, I found myself easily following these characters and this world. Unraveling the mystery of what happened to Caro's friend was really fun. I appreciated the different tactics that Caro, Andrew, Kate, and Val would employ to get the information that they wanted - all different, and all effective in their own contexts. So many of the side characters were fully-fleshed out characters in their own right, and I enjoyed watching them all interact, especially when Val is very careful to toe the propriety line and Caro is fine fully ignoring it.
Learning about Caro and Val's past was fun, although I wish I knew more about some of the nicer parts of their past relationship, rather than the small hints we got in comparison to the many negative aspects of their past relationship. As I learned more about their past together, I found myself enjoying watching how Caro and Val both grew in the four years apart, especially finding the moment of understanding that Caro has on how or why Val would have behaved as he did (despite it being upsetting) was a great moment of growth for Caro. It was hilarious to see how in the beginning, Val and Caro would butt heads in person but end up having very similar trains of thought when it came to the investigation and possible suspects. I loved watching them grapple with their feelings for each other as their relationship grew back to what it once was and more.
Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for the ARC.
More about An Heiress's Guide to Deception and Desire here:
Title: An Heiress's Guide to Deception and Desire
Author: Manda Collins
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?