I have been on
such a wonderful regency roll for the last week or so and I’m enjoying it
immensely. Lady in Waiting by Marie Treymane, featuring a high society woman
posing as a maid in an Earl’s household, is just another book in a long line of
fabulous writing and entertaining characters.
Blurb: When Clara Mayfield helps her sister elope, she’s prepared
for the scandal to seal her fate as a spinster. What she doesn't expect is to
find herself engaged to the vile Baron Rutherford as a means of salvaging her
family's reputation. Determined not to be chained to a man she loathes, Clara
slips out of Essex and sheds her identity: she becomes Helen, maid at the Earl
of Ashworth’s country estate. After all, below stairs is the last place anyone
would think to look for an heiress…
William, Lord
Ashworth, is attempting to rebuild his life after the devastating accident that
claimed the lives of his entire family, save his beloved sister and niece.
Haunted by memories of what was and determined to live up to the title he never
expected to inherit, William doesn’t have time for love. What he needs is a
noble and accomplished wife, one who can further the Ashworth line and keep the
family name untarnished…
From their
first encounter, the attraction between them is undeniable. But Clara knows
William is falling for Helen, a woman who doesn’t even exist. The question is,
if she reveals the truth about her identity, can she trust the broken William
to forgive her lie and stand by her side when scandal—and the baron—inevitably
follow her to his door?
Review: This is the sort of drama I positively
love. Sure, I’m partial to crime and
murder, but there’s something really exciting about someone pretending to be
someone they’re not. I’ve read a few
romance novels featuring men pretending to be someone else, but this is the
first romance novel where the heroine is the one hiding her identity. Every time Clara kept up the pretense of Helen,
servant girl, exhilaration licked at my veins creating a flicker of heat that,
by the end of the book, had me near panting with anticipation.
Clara ran away
from her wedding, but that doesn’t make her weak. In fact, she’s stronger than many women of her
time… even of this time. I don’t believe
there are many women who would give up their status in society to work as a
servant in someone else’s household, even if their husband-to-be was an abusive
asshole. Clara is kind, thoughtful,
adventurous, and scrappy.
She’s the
perfect match for the brooding William whose traumatic past has left him unable
to be in society for any length of time. He is temperamental, intelligent, and
head over heels for a servant girl he can never have. At least, not in the way he wants. I’m usually a little over gloomy men, but there was something about William that drew
me. Maybe it was the fact that his
brooding wasn’t unwarranted, but rather completely understandable. He was so human and leaped off the page to
grab my heart. I’ll be thinking about
him for a while.
I absolutely
loved them together. William could
hardly hold himself together around Clara and Clara had a hard time keeping up
her façade in front of him—she’s far too outspoken for a house maid, one of the
things I truly enjoyed about her. When
they came together time after unavoidable time I nearly squealed with
delight. Forbidden pleasure is the best
sort, you know?
I can tell that
Marie Tremayne’s series The Reluctant
Brides is going to be one of my favorites yet. There is nothing better than delectable
romance, especially when it’s written with such talent, such passion, such
vigor. Regency fans will delight in The Lady in Waiting. It’s out now, so click
here to download it!
Check out my Instagram @ instagram.com/romantically_inclined
Check out my Instagram @ instagram.com/romantically_inclined
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