This is the this book in the A Gentleman's Guide to Courtship Series by Charlie Lane, and every book just keeps getting better!
Once again, the duke is trying to uncover his sister secrets, he know that Prudence is hiding something, and is determined to find out what it is. So he offers a proposition to his American friend, Benjamin Bailey. Prudence often disappears during balls, so he makes an agreement with Ben, spy on her, pretends to be courting her, and in exchange, Samuel will sell him his part of the print shop they own together. In essence, he is blackmailing his friend.
Ben is not a typical gentlemen of the ton. He is sloppy, wears clothes much too big for him, they aren’t in fashion, his clothes and fingers are covered in ink, he wears his hair long, and had an unkept beard. He can’t kept his appointments straight and is always late. He definitely, isn’t someone that the ladies are eager to spend time with but he doesn’t care. He wants to recreate the printshop his family had in Boston, in their honor, because he wasn’t able to make it work, and never got over that failure.
Since he has been watching Prudence for a while, he is with her when Lord Norton is caught in a compromising position with her friend Cora, because he thought it was Prudence. They are forced to marry and are having difficulties which is another significant situation going on within this story. Prudence feels guilty about what happened, and is doing everything she can to support her friend.
Prudence is smart, funny, super organized, likes to control things, and understands people easily. She has always felt lesser in comparison to her sisters, not as pretty or sought after, but this makes it easier for her to hide in plain sight. She knows there is more to why Ben is paying attention to her, he isn’t after her but her secrets, no one truly sees her they are only interested in her for the connection to her brother. She is unsure of his true intentions, for courting her and spending time with her, but she is determined to find out.
When Ben cleans himself up, he is seen differently by others, and when he says he changed for her and needs his help with getting organized, she doesn’t know what to think. Loved this “You enjoy fixing the mistakes of clueless nodcocks?” Her reply “I enjoy ordering chaos”.
When he kisses her for the first time, and their kisses become steamy and frequent, Prudence starts to reconsider Ben’s attention. Could he truly want her?
Such a great story, about two people who have their own insecurities, doubts, and desires. This was another amazing, diverting, humorous, and emotionally filled story, the romance started off slow but the culmination was perfection, looking forward to the next book in this delightful series.
I enjoy everything Charlie Lane writes, I have my favorites, and like some stories more than others but each book grabs my attention and doesn’t disappoint. I received an ARC (advanced review copy) from Wolf Publishing for free, I am leaving this review voluntarily, all thoughts and opinions are my own.