phyllish
Written on Oct 4, 2018
Mina had such big dreams and had only ever imagined what it would be like to experience treats in a posh tea room. She had read plenty of books and so she was able to picture it, however, she never expected to actually experience such luxuries herself.
Enter Will.
Though he was no longer the rogue he had been, a simple misdirection with his words had his uncle believing he had married – and now he needed to produce a wife in order to be considered as the man’s heir.
I appreciated that while neither Mina nor Will felt lying was something acceptable to do, they both got caught up in the lie to his uncle. Will’s desire to benefit from his uncle’s estate was more selfless than it would seem. His reason was actually quite noble. Convinced it would only be a one-time occurrence, they rationalized the deception. That was before they stumbled upon a devious plot that compelled them to perpetuate the ruse. Oh no!
This lovely story had fun twists and turns and had a surprise ending. There were several delightfully despicable characters to add an appropriate amount of interest. It was not the adventure/mystery that The Innkeeper’s Daughter or The Captured Bride were, but it was still quite enjoyable. The lesson learned was not as much about the importance of telling the truth as it was about being content in whatever state you find yourself.
I loved reading about the small secret society Mina was a part of (they had been unfortunate in their choice to make it for single women as their numbers continued to dwindle as the ladies married!) Learning a bit about the deplorable conditions in the health facilities was not necessarily new yet it was something I had forgotten about.
Perhaps I was influenced by the previous books I’ve read by this author, but it seemed like I was immersed in Dickens’ London from the very first line of the story. Mina loved Dickens’ writing and was constantly absorbed by one of his works.
This review was originally posted on Among the Reads
I was given a free copy of this item. This gift did not influence my opinion or review.