Review by Booklist Review
Roman, Earl of Rochdale, knows he needs to marry someone wealthy, soon, to take care of the crumbling estate he just inherited. He sets his sights on Leonie Charnock, one of three so-called Spinster Heiresses. Roman knew Leonie years back in India, when she was 17, and he was starting his military career. She had played two friends against each other with dire results, killing a young soldier to prevent him from raping her again. Roman covered it up for her then, and now feels she owes him. Traumatized by her past, Leonie survives her high-society existence by drinking. Her neglectful parents accept Roman's proposal, and Leonie passes out drunk at the wedding. When they go to Roman's country estate, he demands that she stop drinking. Will Leonie finds things to live for in this new environment, while they both try to bury the past? Maxwell deftly handles Leonie's trauma and recovery with depth, while creating a warm love story. Fans of Grace Burrowes will enjoy this start to Maxwell's new Spinster Heiress trilogy.--Alessio, Amy Copyright 2018 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
Roman Gilchrist, the tenth Earl of Rochdale, needs a wife with a substantial dowry to pay off the ninth earl's debts and to address the neglect of his family home, Bonhomie. In their third Season and "on the border of being unacceptable," the three Spinster Heiresses are possibilities. Among them is Leonie Charnock, a young woman Roman knew in India years ago and whose actions negatively affected his life and his military career. Truth be told, he loved her then, and he loves her still, but Leonie wants nothing to do with Roman or marriage. As a result of the incident in her past, in order to stay in control, Leonie secretly indulges in the more than occasional sip of brandy. At the same time, Bonhomie needs more help than can be afforded by Leonie's £50,000. Neither of them has been completely honest. Verdict In her intriguing new series, Maxwell (A Date at the Altar) turns the trope of the flawed hero upside down by giving her heroine a drinking problem, which makes her a dubious choice for a wife or a countess. Can love conquer all? Another bewitching tale from the always reliable Maxwell.-Bette-Lee Fox, Library Journal © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A poignant and brave Regency romance between a traumatized heiress struggling to forget her past and the only man who knows her oldest and darkest secret.Practical and sharp, Leonie Charnock is dubbed one of three "Spinster Heiresses"wealthy and beautiful women who have remained unmarried because their fathers are seeking titled husbands for their daughters to elevate their own social standing. As for Leonie, she has no desire to get married. She's still reeling from the unintended consequences of a botched elopement she attempted when she was 17. If Lt. Roman Gilchrist hadn't come to her rescue then, the incident would have left Leonie's reputation irreparably tarnished. Newly coined the Earl of Rochdale through a surprising stroke of serendipity, an impoverished Roman now desperately needs Leonie's dowry to save the estate he has inherited. Since Roman staked his own career to save Leonie, he believes she owes him her sizable dowry and proposes marriage to her. Leonie accepts, hoping he will grant her freedom without making too many expectations. But her demons, and the pain of her past, come back to haunt the couple. Roman's palpable angst sets off Leonie's struggles with her trauma, and the couple's travails will tug insistently at the heartstrings of romance readers. The first installment in Maxwell's Spinster Heiresses series deftly establishes the personalities of the women who will form the backbone of the upcoming books. Given Leonie and Roman's history, the relatively swift development of the romance rings true, but the sex scenes between the couple strike a marginally discordant note because the duo's personal troubles never seem to be adequately reflected in their intimate encounters.Strains of pain and grief meld with notes of redemption and love, composing a tuneful and resonant love story. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
