Undressed with the Marquess

(Lost Lords of London #3)by Christi Caldwell

Published:November 17th 2020

Publisher: Montlake

Length: 364 pages

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Blurb:

Long ago, Dare Grey disappeared from privilege to help the downtrodden. Abandoning his future as a nobleman, he instead came of age as the most skilled—and wanted—thief in East London. But when the Robin Hood of the Rookeries is captured, his influential grandfather offers him a choice: face his heritage…or the gallows. And to step into his rightful role as marquess, Dare must find a wife.

Little do they know, he already has.

Marrying Dare rescued young Temperance Swift from a brutal life. Yet his commitments were elsewhere, and Temperance would not continue in the charade of a relationship that surely would end with her husband in Newgate Prison. It broke her heart to leave the righteous bandit, but she established a new life for herself as a seamstress. One who respected and obeyed the law and kept herself safe—if lonely.

But Dare finds her and offers to resume their role as husband and wife, and this time it will yield a fortune. A fortune that could be used to help the disadvantaged, without resorting to ever-more-daring thefts…

Once they’re ensconced in the comfortable family fold of Mayfair, the romance they thought ended years ago stirs again. But when every kiss is shadowed by the mistakes of the past, and a haunting secret Temperance bears, will love be enough to save them from such an uncertain fate?

My Review:

I haven’t read the other books in the series but it can be read as a standalone. This book had such a great setup. Dare and Tempest had known each other since childhood and Dare had married Tempest to protect her but his unwillingness to change caused her to leave him. I would have like to have seen some flashbacks to the beginnings of their relationship.

The ending was rushed and anti-climatic. I felt our two main characters deserved more. There is little mention of difficulties the two of them would have faced with society, in particular Temperance. It feels as though the issues between Dare’s grandmother and Tempest are left unresolved.

Overall this was an okay read but not one I would read again.

I received an arc of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. *Blurb and cover image via Goodreads.