...for Lady Prudence 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 ever 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 lots of fun 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.