This one was kind of disappointing, and my least favorite of the series. Their attraction was apparent, but I didn't really see much evidence of actual appreciation or closeness or anything, it's just suddenly claimed as love in the end. Both characters are largely clueless, the heroine has been sheltered, so she has kind of a childlike understanding of how the world works I guess, (which wouldn't entirely be her fault, but still wasn't very appealing either), and there's hardly anything at all to the hero beyond that he's attracted to her 'yet still must somehow try to resist ruining her' because she's his innocent ward and all. *eye roll* I didn't care for either of them that much, separately or together, and there wasn't much keeping them apart except for both of them just getting in their own way. The entire book can be summed up to 'both want different things but are still attracted to the other anyway (also despite their annoyance with the other in general), and then the hero slips up and acts on his attraction which causes him to then avoid her after in an attempt to resist her, and she misunderstands his avoidance until she pushes him into losing his resolve again, and then they repeat the whole process'. For the entire book. The whole thing felt kind of like it was just going through the motions. ( )

Jonathan Deverill promised his partner to look after his daughter. Jonathan assumed that she was young and is quite shocked to discover that she is in fact an adult, who really wants to break away from the world she has always known and have a life in London; some adventures. He's heading to London, to see his sisters and she's a distraction. They're attracted to each other but she's his ward.
It was a fun read, with characters that sparked well and while the resolution of the problems was a little messy it did seem to be a good resolutoin for them. I would read more by this author. ( )

Review originally published at Romancing Romances.

I received an eARC at no cost from the publisher, and I am leaving a voluntary and honest review. Thank you.

3.75*

This was my first Laura Lee Guhrke book. I don’t know why it took me so long to read this author!

I’ll admit, some things in the book were a bit too much for me, but in general this was quite fun!

I really liked Marjorie, she was fun, and she was very determined. And for someone who pretty much lived her whole life between the walls of a school, she was very courageous. Because it courage to actually do what she did. It’s all good when you’re thinking about going on an adventure, but actually doing it, takes a lot of guts!

The romance trope in this book is the ward-guardian trope. But not to worry, Marjorie isn’t a child, or teenager, she’s a young woman – which the hero knew nothing about, and he was very surprised to find a beautiful woman instead of a young girl in pigtails.

Jonathan does seem a bit annoying sometimes, but we have to keep in mind he is trying to protect both Marjorie and himself. He wants her to have her dream, but at the same time he wants his sanity. Whenever Marjorie does something crazy, we can clearly see all the mechanics in his head, and sometimes it does come out, but it’s mostly #internallyscreaming.

This book was a lot of fun, as we accompanied both the hero and the heroine to discover new (and old) dreams, and what they actually wanted out of their lives. It really pushes some of our buttons, and force us to, alongside the characters, see what we’re looking for in our lives. Is it really the ballrooms and gossip, or do we want something more? This was the question for Marjorie. And for Jonathan? Well, for him it was even a bigger question, as he had no idea what he wanted to do, besides what he already did. But he wanted a new dream… he just didn’t know what that would entail. And together, they find a new, adventurous dream. ( )

Fun book about two people who seem to be opposites, but are more alike than they know. I thoroughly enjoyed watching these two people drive each other crazy on their path to happily-ever-after. Though I haven't read the earlier books in the series, this one works well as a stand-alone. There are hints of the earlier stories, enough to fill in the blanks without bogging down the story with recaps. It was also motivation to read the previous books as soon as possible.

Marjorie is a young woman who is ready to take on a new life. She was dumped in boarding school at the age of seven by her father who promised to come back for her. Infrequent letters promised it would be "soon" but the years passed. She dreamed of having what her friends had - a London season, a titled husband, children, and a beautiful home of her own. She's saddened by the passing of her father, but more determined than ever to pursue the life she wants. A stuffy English guardian with plans to leave her at school until it's convenient for him to take her to London is not in her plans.

At the age of eighteen, Jonathan was disinherited by his father, leaving him to make his way in the world alone. After ten years in America doing many things, he and his business partner struck it rich in Idaho. Though extremely rich, Jonathan has just seen his best friend and partner die a terrible death from consumption (tuberculosis). Before Billy died, he begged Jonathan to take care of his "little girl." Of course, he promised to do so, expecting to find a child that he can leave in school.

Jonathan received quite a shock when Billy's "little girl" turned out to be a beautiful twenty-year-old woman. Not only is Marjorie not a child, she has no intention of being left behind and makes that perfectly clear. The sparks flew between Jonathan and Marjorie from the start, each intent on having their own way. Marjorie is an intelligent and determined young woman, and I was not surprised to see her take her destiny into her own hands. Jonathan's plans were completely upended when he found Marjorie onboard the ship to London. He and Marjorie butt heads as his protectiveness runs up against her determination to pursue the life she wants. That protectiveness goes a little overboard, though he did have reason to be concerned.

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Marjorie and Jonathan. The sparks of attraction were there from the beginning, with Jonathan realizing that he could be in deep trouble. Lusting after the daughter of his best friend was not appropriate, and his attempts to fight it became more and more difficult. Marjorie started out pretty naïve, unwilling to believe the trouble she could make for herself. I could feel her frustration at the restrictions she faced on the ship, but she was also smart enough that she learned from it. Things got even livelier once they were in London and joined forces with Jonathan's sisters. I loved the way that they upended his plans, forcing him to stay in London.

Thrown into each other's company regularly, the attraction between Jonathan and Marjorie continues to build. Neither of them knows quite how to handle it. Jonathan has no interest in settling down. Even after all of his success, he still feels that he is searching for something which keeps him on the move. His growing feelings for Marjorie cause him to take a good look at himself and what he really wants for his future. I loved seeing him accept his feelings and look for the way to make his new dreams happen. I ached for him when Marjorie allowed her fears to push him away. Those fears made her look at her future with tunnel vision, refusing to face the truth about her true desires. Advice from an unexpected source opened her eyes. I loved Marjorie's big moment at the end and seeing her open her heart to the possibilities.

The secondary characters helped things along quite nicely and were lots of fun themselves. Marjorie's new friend and ostensible "chaperone" was quite a character. I leaned a little bit toward Jonathan's belief that she was a fraud. There were a couple of scenes on the ship that reinforced that idea, and yet I felt that there was more to her. She was a good foil for the Countess of Stansbury, who was very different from the Baroness. Though the Countess was a royal pain for Marjorie, she did provide a good look at what Marjorie would face when she reached London. Jonathan's sisters and their husbands were great. Jonathan's trepidation overseeing them for the first time in ten years was understandable, especially his sister Clara. I liked that she made him sweat a little before forgiving him. I loved the two sisters and their immediate support of Marjorie, as well as their refusal to let Jonathan bail on them. ( )

I received an ARC of this book to read through Edelweiss+ in exchange for a fair review. Heiress Gone Wild by Laura Lee Guhrke is the fourth book in her delightful Dear Lady Truelove Series. This book could be read as a stand-alone but it’s an excellent series so I do recommend reading them all. Jonathon Deverill has been entrusted by a close friend with the guardianship of his daughter, thinking she is a young girl he goes to visit it her at the school his friend left her at only to find she is 20 years old no longer a school girl but now a teacher at the school. Marjorie McCann is surprised to find that she is an heiress, and hurt and angry that her father never sent for her as he promised vows that she is going to go out and find her life, that she is tired of being left behind and is not going to stand for it any more. She follows Jonathon on the ship he is taking to England.The chemistry between these two is hot and the story is a lovely slow burn of a romance between two people who’s lives have been upended and now need to figure out what it is they want to make of their lives. Medium Steam Publishing Date September 24, 2019 #Edelweissplus #HeiressGoneWild #LauraLeeGuhrke #AvonRomance #HarperCollinsCanada #AvonBooks #HistoricalRomance #Bookstagram ( )