Bonded by books and united by a purpose, The Mayfair Literary League has taken on a new mission—For Better or Worse. The bachelors of London won’t know what hit them when these bookish ladies set their sights on the men in their lives who don’t see them for who they truly are—yet.
When Lady Winifred Barnes is jilted a week before her wedding, her longtime friend Caleb Godwin comes to her rescue with an offer of a marriage of convenience. As a second son, he has little to offer other than his name. Despite facing ruin and a broken heart, Winifred won’t set aside her wish to marry for love and refuses him.
Humiliated, Caleb ventures to America for a fresh start, swearing to never again rescue a damsel in distress, especially one he’s secretly loved for years. However, Winifred’s frequent letters help ease his loneliness and make it impossible to forget her.
Winifred’s regret grows along with her feelings for Caleb as she realizes the man she refused might be the only one for her. Three years later, tragedy and a title bring him home, and her sweet obsession is now a brooding marquess whose cool indifference further intrigues her.
With no chance of winning Caleb’s heart, Winifred is forced to consider marrying another…until a heated kiss rekindles her hope that a second chance might be possible after all.
What’s a lady to do except make a bold move to prove true love is worth fighting for?
Review:
Sweet, but aggravating. The friends-to-lovers trope will always be one of my favorites, and the snippets of letters between the two of them when Caleb was in America were a nice touch.
But…even when Winifred was going out of her way to kiss him (and clearly not with the intention of getting caught, to “trap” him), Caleb couldn’t even entertain the possibility that she might actually like him. Then he takes the opinion of a man he doesn’t even like or trust over the word of his wife…argh. The bulk of the story is really more slow pining than slow burn–they barely have a relationship until the very end, even though they very much have one on paper until the end.
Obviously, his mother was a troll and his family really did a number on him…if ever a Regency hero needed therapy, it’s Caleb!…lucky for him, Winifred has the patience of a saint and was able to wait his pigheaded self out so they had the HEA they both very much deserved at the end.
Overall this won’t be my favorite of the series, but it was a sweet love story. We don’t see a ton of the other League members here–mostly at social occasions– so I’m not sure which member will be next; whomever it is, I’ll be ready for them!
Rating: 4 stars / B
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.