She's got nothing left to lose…
With her fiancé suddenly engaged to another and her reputation in tatters, Merribeth Wakefield needs a bold plan to reclaim her life. She must be brave. Confident. She must … kiss a rake? The suggestion is ludicrous! Yet when Merribeth finds herself alone with the dark and brooding Lord Knightswold, suddenly the plan doesn't seem so farfetched. So she does something she never thought she'd do—she kisses him.
But he has everything to gain…
The Marquess of Knightswold—Bane to most—has no use for the affections of women. Well, none lasting longer than a single night. A plot for revenge weighs heavy on his mind, leaving no room for romance. But then a shy, witty miss borrows a kiss from him in a darkened room, and everything he thought he knew about innocent debutantes vanishes along with her.
When a twist of fate brings Merribeth within Bane's grasp, he'll have to resist her charms—or risk losing everything—for the sake of his heart.
Publication Date: June 10, 2014
With her fiancé suddenly engaged to another and her reputation in tatters, Merribeth Wakefield needs a bold plan to reclaim her life. She must be brave. Confident. She must … kiss a rake? The suggestion is ludicrous! Yet when Merribeth finds herself alone with the dark and brooding Lord Knightswold, suddenly the plan doesn't seem so farfetched. So she does something she never thought she'd do—she kisses him.
But he has everything to gain…
The Marquess of Knightswold—Bane to most—has no use for the affections of women. Well, none lasting longer than a single night. A plot for revenge weighs heavy on his mind, leaving no room for romance. But then a shy, witty miss borrows a kiss from him in a darkened room, and everything he thought he knew about innocent debutantes vanishes along with her.
When a twist of fate brings Merribeth within Bane's grasp, he'll have to resist her charms—or risk losing everything—for the sake of his heart.
Publication Date: June 10, 2014
I loved Winning Miss Wakefield! What a great story with
characters I fell in love with from the very first pages. Bane was such a
tortured soul, I just wanted to reach through the book and shake him. I loved
how he changed after a chance meeting with Merribeth. The two of them had serious
chemistry.
Books like Winning Miss Wakefield are the reason I kick
myself for not reading more historical romances. I was hooked from the
beginning and enjoyed everything about the novel: the setting, the characters,
the pace. Everything just worked in the book and I couldn’t wait to see if
Merribeth and Bane would get their happily ever after.
Merribeth has the best transformation over the course of the
book. She starts off as a mopey and heartbroken character who can’t seem to get
over the fact her pseudo fiancé has fallen in love with another. But when she
meets Bane, she starts to realize that what she had before with her fiancé was
not love.
Bane’s single drive is for revenge. He hates his dead
grandfather so much for his family’s mistreatment that he vows to never marry
and never have any children. He wants his family name to die with him. I felt
for Bane as he must decide if revenge is more important than love.
I loved the back and forth between Bane and Merribeth. They
obviously love each other, but their issues keep them from making it work.
Besides Bane’s revenge plans and Merribeth’s former fiancé, the couple must
face the scheming of Bane’s aunt. I actually didn’t like the aunt character at
all and didn’t get the bets between her and Bane. The bets seemed like a
convenient plot device to move things along.
I can’t wait to read more from the author! Fans of
historical romances should definitely pick up a copy today.
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the novel for review!
