Though a good story, plot development was slow and then rushed at the last 50 pages or so. Characters were developed well and not difficult to believe in. In some ways, I felt like I was reading a Disney princess movie especially with the little dog Jasper and the symbolic nightmare, turning the plot. Interesting to note that the description of costume, travel and language (well done) clued me in to the time setting rather than the predicament of women in this plot, the other theme here. Perhaps because the issue of women as single parents without employment or enough aid is still prevalent today. I will end by thanking the author for an electronic copy of this book in exchange for this review and saying that if you are a fan of romance novels, you will not be disappointed with this one. ( )

A great sequel and lovely continuation to Lilth's story

Series: The Enchantresses #3
Publication Date: 8/7/19
** 4.5 Stars **

I do believe this author has definitely hit her stride in the great addition to The Enchantresses series. It is delightfully engaging and filled with endearing characters, humor, heartbreak, and a lovely HEA. It is a well-told, realistic tale, but it is a bit slow-paced. If you are looking for excitement, you will not find it in this book. The story is steady and develops step-by-step just as it would in real life.

Lilith Chambers

We first learned of Lilith in the first book of the series, The Earl and The Enchantress. Lilith was ripped from her brother, Sebastian, at the age of eight and dumped in an orphanage where she lived until she came into adulthood. After that, she became a teacher at the orphanage as well as a talented midwife.

Lilith had a real dislike and distrust of anyone from the upper classes – from landed gentry on up. Why would she ever trust them? Her mother didn’t want her anymore and her cruel father dumped her off at the orphanage and she never heard from her brother again – well – until she did – not too long ago. He thought she was dead all of this time. Sebastian’s father had convinced Sebastian that it was his fault that his sister was dead.

Sebastian has made a substantial donation to the orphanage where Lilith was raised and it is managed by the local rector, Harold Sands. Lilith has dreams of being able to help the orphans but also being able to help the women who have fallen in one way or another and have to place their children in the orphanage.

Sebastian has been visiting with Lilith in her small village of Allshire off and on for the last months and now, it is time for Lilith’s first visit to his home. She’s acting as a midwife for Sebastian’s wife, Lizbeth, who is about ready to give birth.

To me, it seems that Lilith doesn’t just dislike the upper crust, she has a large inferiority complex. She’d never admit it – but she never feels quite adequate around them and is sure that all of them are looking down on her.

Walter Hobbs, Baron Collingwood

Walter has been adrift – all of his life, but especially for the last few years, since his father died. He feels guilty for his father’s death and he feels guilty for all of the time he wasted and didn’t spend with his father. He wants to make his mark on the world but just can’t decide what that mark should be or even how to get started if he did know. He thinks he’d like to start an orphanage but isn’t sure just how to go about doing it and just procrastinates. In a way, he actually suffers from melancholia – or maybe it is ennui – whatever, he just can’t get himself motivated.

He and his mother are spending time with his cousin Lizbeth as she awaits the arrival of her first child. He’s excited for his cousin and can’t wait for the arrival.

His mother has been encouraging him to wed, but he just hasn’t seen anyone who interested him. Those young, immature debutantes can’t even carry on an intelligent conversation.

I loved Walter. It was so much fun to watch him come to grips with himself. He is such a priggish fellow – always immaculately attired, not a hair out of place nor a speck of dust anywhere and the model of decorum, manners, and propriety. Then, this goddess comes gliding across the lawn toward him and he is absolutely gobsmacked! She is the exact opposite of him – she isn’t dressed in anything fashionable, nor does she care to be, she says what she thinks when she thinks it, she is intelligent – and she doesn’t like him a bit.

I loved Walter’s description of Lilith’s smile. “Oh, he had missed that laugh. Low and sultry, a velvet kiss on the ear.”

My thoughts:

I loved this book even with the slow pacing. I came to really like and admire each of the main characters and could fully see how they came to care for each other over a period of time. Even after Walter came to think that Lilith was the one with whom he could spend his life, he realized the ramifications of a life with her – especially if she chose NOT to be the full sister of Sebastian. I also loved that Lilith realized that she had to come to terms with what she wanted in her life – could she forsake everything she’d worked for and her place of respect in the village and embrace the aristocratic life in order to be with Walter?

I didn’t care for the villain because he was basically a milquetoast villain. He acted more like a spoiled little brat than a real villain – and yet with all he did do, he didn’t pay any price at all. This bloodthirsty reader wants the villains to pay – commensurate with the harm they cause. So, for this villain, I would have liked for him to have been transferred to a parish at the end of the world with no chance of moving up in the clergy – but that didn’t happen.

I would have loved it if Lilith had her grand epiphany not long after leaving the village the second time and then she and Walter would work together to figure out how to undo the damage wrought by the villain AND to avoid a scandal while introducing her to society. Walter was left out of all of that part of the story and I hated that. Having them work together would have given them more bonding time and solidified their relationship rather than just ending abruptly as it did. But then – if it were written my way, I would be an author rather than a reader. Still…

I definitely recommend this book and hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. ( )