Review by Booklist Review
After enduring years of an abusive marriage and one year of fake mourning, Valencia, the dowager duchess of Dedham, is ready to live life on her own terms. However, just as she is about to immerse herself in a social calendar filled with fun and flirting, Rhain Lloyd, the new duke of Dedham, turns up. Expecting to now be relegated to the dower house in Yorkshire, Valencia is surprised when Rhain proposes something different. In exchange for Valencia's help launching Rhain's six unwed sisters in society, Rhain will give Valencia the money she needs to live the lifestyle of which she has dreamed. However, the more time the two spend together, the more Valencia and Rhain begin thinking about changing the terms of their arrangement. Lively writing, intriguing characters, and a plot seasoned with plenty of sensual steam and a pinch of danger helps power the second entry in Jordan's Scandalous Ladies of London series, following The Countess (2023), to a satisfying conclusion.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Jordan's scintillating second Scandalous Ladies of London Regency romance (after The Countess) follows Valencia, the Dowager Duchess of Dedham, whose freedom is finally in sight as her socially mandated year of mourning the accidental death of her abusive ex-husband draws to a close. Then attractive Welshman Rhain, the new Duke of Dedham, arrives at her London home (now his) with his six unwed sisters and mother in tow. Before Valencia can depart London for the remote dower house in Yorkshire, Rhain, who is unaccustomed to the rules of London society, asks Valencia to help his sisters navigate the social season. Valencia's continued residence at the townhouse puts her and the new duke in close proximity, especially as their quarters share a tempting connecting door. Though Valencia is reluctant to be under any man's control ever again, she can't help her attraction to Rhain, whose good-hearted kindness will make readers swoon. In a plot development that Jordan masterfully utilizes to expose the dark side of glittering Regency society, the stolen moments of happiness between this well-suited duo are marred by blackmail when someone claims to know a scandalous secret Valencia harbors. The resilient heroine, powerful emotional and sexual chemistry, and hint of intrigue make this one to be savored. Agent: Maura E. Kye-Casella, Don Congdon Assoc. (Mar.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
In the second book of the "Scandalous Ladies of London" series (after The Countess), Jordan focuses on Valencia, the widowed Duchess of Dedham. Her late husband was a high-status but terrible person, so after the customary year of mourning, Valencia decides to enjoy her freedom. Just as she's working up the nerve, her husband's distant relative Rhain arrives, sisters and mother in tow, to take over his title. Valencia seems destined to spend the rest of her life in a remote dower house until she strikes a deal with the handsome but seemingly humorless Rhain to get his sisters ready for society. Along the way, Valencia and Rhain begin to fall for each other, but Valencia is understandably wary of remarriage. Like The Countess, this novel doesn't flinch away from the ugly underbelly of the upper crust. It features some tough moments, including violence against Valencia by her late husband, but it also has a strong dash of drama that makes the book hard to put down. VERDICT The second entry in Jordan's high-society historical romance series is a grimmer tale than the first, but the deserving heroine's HEA will satisfy.--Jenny Kobiela-Mondor
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A young dowager duchess falls in love with another Duke of Dedham. Valencia, Dowager Duchess of Dedham, is ready to enjoy life. After several difficult years with her husband before his death, followed by the mandatory mourning period, she's celebrating her birthday with a boat ride to the "infamous dark walks" of Vauxhall. She may even look for a gentleman to enjoy it with, but unfortunately, the only ones she meets are the young bucks who rescue her after she falls into the Thames, including one attractive but judgmental man she can't stop thinking about. The next morning, she's stunned to find him in her house. He's Rhain Lloyd, the reluctant new Duke of Dedham, and he's arrived from Wales with his mother and six ill-mannered, unmarried sisters in tow. Valencia prepares to pack herself off to her dower house in the country, but the new duke invites her to stay and help his fish-out-of-water sisters acclimate to their new lives. Unsurprisingly, Valencia and Rhain feel an immediate spark, but it isn't until they both unwittingly attend the same debauched evening at a private "hedonistic playground" that the embers flare into intimacy. Though they tumble from infatuation to true love very quickly, Valencia soon finds secrets from her first marriage coming back to haunt her. The second volume in Jordan's Scandalous Ladies of London series tells an intriguing story, though it comes to a rather sudden end. The harsh realities of life for women in Georgian-era London add depth to the story, especially as readers come to discover, through flashbacks, just how dangerous Valencia's late husband had been. The darker elements are balanced with several intense intimate scenes and a sweet, true connection between Valencia and Rhain, and it will hit the spot for Jordan's many fans. A thoughtful and spicy historical romance. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
