A Lady Never Surrenders
4 Stars

Lady Celia Sharpe has two months to find a husband or her inheritance, and that of her siblings, is forfeit. In order to ensure that the three candidates are not after her fortune, she hires Bow Street Runner Jackson Pinter to investigate her suitors. Jackson, however, is appalled at the idea, but when Celia's memories of the day her parents were murdered place her in danger, he realizes he will do anything to protect her - even marry her himself.

Celia and Jackson's opposites attract romance has been developing since the first book, and readers are finally rewarded for their patience. Their snarky bickering is a delight, and it is fun following along as they come to terms with their growing attraction. That said, Jackson does have a tendency to run hot and cold, and his moments of pompous condescension made me want to slap him.

The mystery surrounding the murders of Lord and Lady Stoneville is finally resolved, and there are some compelling twists and turns. The eventual explanation is satisfying overall, and all remaining threads are tied up neatly.

So ends The Hellions of Halstead Hall, but the hints at stories to come for a couple of secondary characters in the spin-off series, The Duke's Men, are intriguing, and I look forward to continuing my read through of Jeffries backlist. ( )

It's possible I liked this book a little too much for my health as I stayed awake too long reading it, but I was so excited to get to Celia's story. The tension had been building between her and Mr. Pinter for FOUR books, and I loved the way their romance played out. I wanted to smack Mrs. Plumtree a lot, as always, but for once, every one stood up to her and told her to knock it off. I took way too long to figure out the answer to the mystery, even after having the final pieces of Celia's memories. Now I will have to get a copy of the sixth story to see how Pierce gets his act together (even though he's not a Halstead House hellion). ( )

Good book and conclusion to the Hellions series. Celia is the last of the unmarried Sharpes, and the deadline to meet her grandmother's ultimatum is rapidly approaching. She doesn't want to get married and is actively working to find a way to get out of it. In the meantime, she has picked three possible suitors. The next step is to make sure that there are no secrets in their backgrounds that would derail her plans, so she hires Jackson Pinter to investigate them. Jackson is the Bow Street Runner who has been investigating her parents' deaths.

I really liked both Celia and Jackson. Celia is the youngest in the family and known best for her shooting ability. She is an expert marksman and takes great delight in showing up the men who show an interest in her. She is also haunted by her parents' deaths and the circumstances behind it, which has affected her outlook on marriage. She also has little confidence in her appeal as a woman, thanks to something that happened when she was younger. She is spirited, smart, and stubborn.

Jackson is a hard-working, honorable man. He has built an excellent reputation and is up for a significant promotion. In spite of this success, he also has some rather deep insecurities, thanks to the circumstances of his birth. He is a bit rough around the edges but can be very kind and sensitive.

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Celia and Jackson. In the year that Jackson has been working with/for the Sharpes, the sparks have flown between them, and not always in a good way. Jackson isn't too happy about his attraction to Celia, as he sees no future in it, and reacts by finding ways that will keep her at a distance. All Celia knows is that something about him disturbs her, and she takes great pleasure in ruffling his feathers. By the time that Celia asks Jackson to investigate her suitors, he knows that he is in deep trouble. It was fun to see his jealousy of the other men, though I did ache for him also. I loved seeing her push him just a bit too far and him react by kissing her, starting a chain reaction of events.

The first half of the book was a little slow, but once Celia and Jackson started working together on leads regarding her parents' murders, things started to pick up. Jackson wasn't too happy about Celia's insistence on being involved, but her stubbornness makes it impossible to keep her away. The combination of danger and attraction set the scene for them to throw caution aside, and boy did they. They were quite spectacular together, but there are still obstacles to overcome. I loved how well they shared their insecurities and that they were able to support each other through them. I loved how finding out about Celia's past gave Jackson a deeper insight into what made her the person she is. There was also an interesting twist to Jackson's life that I didn't see coming, but did a forehead slap and "of course" when it was revealed.

Throughout the series, Celia's grandmother has been a master manipulator intent on getting her grandchildren married. In Celia's case, she has been pushing hard, creating a desperate situation for Celia. Though it is obvious that there is something growing between Celia and Jackson, Hetty allows her past to influence her actions. I hated what she said to both Celia and Jackson, which preyed on both their insecurities. It took a figurative slap upside the head from his aunt for Jackson to begin to see what an idiot he was, as well as a rather enlightening conversation with Celia's brother. I really did love Oliver's comment of "It's about time" and the dumbfounded reaction that Jackson had. I also liked Oliver's not-so-subtle assistance with Jackson's apology. I also liked that Celia didn't give in too quickly, but made Jackson work a bit for her forgiveness. Seeing Jackson stand up for Celia against Hetty and give her what was coming to her was great.

This book also wrapped up the mystery of what had happened to the Sharpes' parents. New pieces of information had been uncovered, which sent Jackson's investigation in a different direction. Celia had also remembered something she witnessed as a child that opened up some more questions but also put her in danger. The final confrontation had some twists and turns that I didn't see coming, but explained a lot once they were revealed.

The epilogue was terrific. I liked seeing Jackson and Celia settled into their life together. I enjoyed seeing Hetty and the General get their own happy ending, with Hetty having learned her lesson. The best part was the final conversation between Jackson and Celia. ( )

The plot of this historical romance was pretty good but I thought the action was slow going with characters thinking about the difference in social status over and over again. I skimmed a lot. Lady Celia asks bow street runner Jackson to investigate three men she is considering for a husband.
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This is the first book I've read by Jeffries, and I adored it! Great characters, interesting plot, enough tension to keep me going. None of that falling in love right away crap. ( )