Grace Alnott must marry a titled gentleman to gain control of her dowry. Her young brother is at the mercy of an abusive guardian and the only way to save him is to have guardianship transferred to her but this is an expensive endeavour.
Everett Hetherington, Earl of Westbury never expected to inherit the Earldom. He was happy serving in the army. After the deaths of his father and brother he discovers the estate is destitute and he has to marry a wealthy woman or lose everything.
The two strike a bargain, they will marry, split the dowry and go their separate ways. Everett has one stipulation, they must live together for six weeks before going their separate ways. Everett hopes that Grace will fall in love with him, and stay, giving him control of the entire dowry.
Grace is loath to give up her independence and is anxious to start her quest for guardianship, but she can’t help being drawn to her irresistible new husband.
This is the debut offering of author Eve Pendle. She crafts an interesting tale with compelling characters. The only flaw I have is the lack of honesty between the two characters. If Grace had told Everett of her wish for guardianship of her brother a lot of angst could have been avoided. The misunderstanding at the climax of the story would also have been overcome if they had just talked to each other.
Overall I did enjoy this story and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys the themes of marriage of convenience and a slow burn romance.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. For more reviews please visit my blog:
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