Between Courting and Kissing (Book 3)

Another great book from Charlie Lane. Thanks to Wolf Publishing for the ARC. Third in the series “A Gentleman’s Guide to Courtship,” we now get a closer look at the third sister, Prudence, and her brother’s (Duke of Clearford) efforts to get her married. He still hasn’t realized how unhelpful his gentleman’s guide is. Early in the book, he does something that irritates Prudence. Because she knows he always carries knives with him so he can target practice, she asks him, “Where is your knife? Come. I know you have it on your person.” He suspiciously asks her why she wants it, and she responds, “I would like to stab you with it.”

Just like her older sisters, Prudence is determined not to marry, so she spends a good portion of her time trying to evade suitors. And she’s pretty good at it. Unfortunately, Mr. Benjamin Bailey, the American, has an uncanny skill of finding her wherever she is.

Prudence has become best friends with Cora, the “naughty” poet who shares her risque works with women in the secret group from previous insttallments in this series. When her older sisters married, they decided to discontinue their involvement in the lending library, but Prudence has decided to continue the work alongside her friend Cora. Prudence is very organized and punctual. She is also, surprisingly, rather prim and proper and doesn’t wish to step outside of the lines that have been drawn for her (with the exception of marriage, which she is adamantly against). The truth is, she feels as if all of her other sisters outshine her so she tends to “embrace her habitual invisibility.” It’s true; most men don’t seem to notice her, and we find out more about her motivations later, but to her dismay, Mr. Bailey always does.

Ben came to America after his parents died and is single-minded in his commitment to opening a print shop called Bailey’s Prints to honor his dead parents and the business they had in Boston. He believes her drove the business into the ground after they died; it isn’t until much later that we find out he was only 15 and unequipped to handle a business. That doesn’t stop him from feeling guilt. Meanwhile, he hides behind a disheveled and untamed look that keeps proper society from acknowledging him. And his habits of disorganization and lack of discipline are the antithesis to everything that’s important to Prudence.

The Duke of Clearford is puzzled by his sisters and wants to find out what secrets they’ve been keeping from him. He promises to give his shares of the print shop to Ben if Ben will pretend to court Prudence and find out what they’ve been hiding. Due to the duke’s insistence and the goading of Viscount Norton, Ben changes his entire appearance—cuts his hair, shaves his beard, wears clothes that fit properly, and so on. I love what Norton said to Ben regarding courting Prudence (he thought it was genuine): “Can’t be trusted because you don’t take the clear steps to obtain that which you desire. You just sulk about wishing someone would pick you up when you’re a burnt, mangled tart, last batch of the day, and you do nothing to make yourself appealing… Because it’s about pleasing others so they wish to have you.”

Prudence is clever enough to realize he is not actually interested in her, and she’s not interested in him, but somewhere along the way that changes. For both of them. By the time Ben realizes he’s in love with Prudence, he’s afraid to tell her that her brother made him court her because he doesn’t want to hurt her. And Prudence is disappointed in herself because “She’d not allocated time for falling in love, but Mr. Bailey had never seemed to care for schedules, and he’d scrambled the ledger of her heart into utter chaos.”

The character development for both Ben and Prudence is deep and poignant. Both experienced the loss of their parents at a young age, and both were irrevocably changed by that. They are ideally well-matched to help one another heal from that loss. Over the course of the story, Ben comes to understand what’s most important to him, and the best way he can honor his parents’ memory is by putting love first. Meanwhile, with Ben’s help, Prudence comes to understand her worth and see herself differently. Predictably, Prudence finds out about Ben’s initial reluctance to court her and decides she can no longer trust him or believe that he loves her. Most of her anger, though, is reserved for her brother and she calls him the “arse-end of a…a…hedgehog!” Luckily, Ben had already helped Prudence to see herself through his eyes so the revelation does not destroy her as Ben had feared it would. And she still loves him; while he is disconsolate without her. She forgives him, eventually, and we get our HEA.

This series is full of surprises, Sister no 3, Prudence, the organiser, the sister who keeps to the shadows, who doesnt want a husband. Her Brother who is determined to find out why she does not wish to marry, and persuades his friend to find out. Enter Ben, prepared to go to any lengths to get what he wants, even a complete makeover, and a houseparty. Spending time with Pru changes his perspective, and he realises what he really wants and needs. The story was fun, and i like the banter between the characters, and the growth of the family. Each story is so different, I really am looking forward to the future instalments.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

...for Lady Prudence Merriweather and Mr. Benjamin Bailey of Boston. Between Courting and Kissing, the third book in A Gentleman's Guide to Courtship series, is a wonderful, heartwarming love story for anyone who has ever wanted to be seen truly for themselves. Lady Prudence has spent much of her life standing in the shadows of her beautiful, kind and "more" interesting sisters, relatively unseen while making order of the chaos around her. That is, until she gets to know one of her suitors, Mr. Benjamin Bailey, an American who co-owns a print shop with her older brother, the Duke of Clearford. Ben is the complete opposite of Prudence in many ways - messy and disorganized, bearded and unkempt - but underneath the superficial differences between them, they share the same heart and are able to see each other more clearly than anyone else has in the past, down to their souls. What follows is the development of their friendship, and Charlie Lane does a fabulous job of revealing their deepening feelings for each other, as Prudence helps Ben organize his busy life, while Ben helps Prudence appreciate her attributes and soothes some of her doubts about herself. It is easy to see why this couple, who are both vulnerable and insecure at times, fit together so perfectly and why they are perhaps Lane's favorite couple so far. In this series, they are my very favorite couple as well.

I adored this story. It's well-written and has depth and passion, tremendous heart and some steamy goodness along the way. It's about seeing and truly being seen by the person you love, and I was cheering for Prudence and Ben to get their happy ending from start to finish.

If you're a fan of Eloise Bridgerton and Theo, then you'll be charmed by Prudence and Ben's story, as they journey together to find love, security and their "home" in each other.

Lady Prudence Merriweather has always felt overlooked well with seven sisters and a duke for a brother, that’s not hard. But she knows exactly how she’ll prove herself interesting—organise a house party and invite her most scandalous friends. Benjamin Bailey may be the fifth Baron Brightly, but he was born and raised in America & would prefer to earn his own way in the world than inherit a thing, including a title. When his friend Samuel the Duke of Clearford asks him to discover his younger sister Prudence’s secrets, Ben sees an opportunity for the failing newspaper he owns.
The third book in the series & another well written delightful romance. I love the Merriweather siblings & I’m enjoying their stories. I loved both Ben & Prudence who had their differences but were perfect for each other. I loved their journey to a HEA & read this lovely romance in two sittings, I look forward to the rest of the series especially Ben’s story
I voluntarily read and reviewed a special copy of this book; all thoughts and opinions are my own

This is one delightful series. I kind of feel sorry for the poor young Duke suddenly left responsible for finding matches for eight unwed sisters, who really don’t want his assistance. This is Prudence’s story, and as the Duke finds suitors to court her, (none of which she wants) one big burly American, Ben, is assigned to find out what secret the Duke knows that she’s carrying . When Ben follows her to a house party Prudence realizes that he’s there for more reasons than courting her, as no man has ever really wanted her. How can he prove to her that the feeling between them is now very real , and she is worth everything?!