ABOUT THE BOOK

England 1801: Lady Louisa, daughter to the Earl of Whickerton, never thought she would ever have reason enough to hate anyone; especially not Phineas Hawke, Viscount Barrington, the man with the most wickedly dark eyes she has ever seen.
 Yet, at an innocent ball, Louisa is suddenly forced to realize that the man she could easily have lost her heart to has discovered her most shameful secret. And that is not all. 


Lord Barrington makes it a habit to tease her endlessly about it, his devilish grin and knowing eyes mocking her, testing her resolve time and time again. Struggling to maintain her composure, Louisa vows to never surrender, to never allow him to see how deeply his flippant words wound her. Anger settles in her heart, burying all tender emotions, as she tries her utmost to ignore him.
 That, however, is easier said than done. 



Phineas Hawke has known the lovely Lady Louisa almost all his life; not well, but at least from afar, they have always been acquainted. Her face is a familiar sight, and although he cannot deny that she possesses certain appealing charms, Phineas has never looked at her and seen someone other than simply one of Lord Whickerton’s daughters.
 At least not, until another gentleman rather unexpectedly voices his partiality toward her.



Suddenly, Phineas realizes that the woman he has known all his life is one he has ignored for far too long, and to his utter dismay, she has come to loathe the very sight of him. Why? He does not know; however, he will not yield easily.
 As it seems, neither will she.


MY REVIEW

Holy buckets! I finally picked up my first Bree Wolf novel and now I know what the praise is all about. I couldn’t put this beautiful book down.

Lady Louisa Whickerton is a strong, independent young woman with a secret. A secret that was revealed so cruelly two years prior by none other than the wicked rake Phineas Hawke, Viscount Barrington, her future brother-in-law, and bain of her existence. Since that horrible night, Louisa has endured Phineas’ teasing banter (calling her LuLu of all things) and following her everywhere she goes. Why can’t the loathsome man leave her alone? How many times must she demand he leave her alone? 

The growing love Louisa and Phineas have is so precious and promising as Phineas fights to find out why Louisa hates him so and Louise fights her attraction to a man who cares not for her feelings. I adore Phineas Hawke as he pursues and teases Louisa relentlessly to get some sort of reaction out of her. He would prefer passion, but he will settle for her unwarranted anger instead. Watching this rakish man struggle with his feelings for this one woman who loathed him is poignant and so heartbreaking when she reveals her secret.  After she finds out his comments two years ago were not intentional to hurt her, Louisa is lost in a haze trying to disassociate her hate from a man she despised for so long. The thing is she was interested in Phineas years ago and when she thought he betrayed her with his words, it hurt more than normal. After their first passionate kiss which started to change their relationship, it was so charming and many times very funny to see how they would meet again and handle the chemistry between them. I admit I laughed, I cried, and I cheered so hard for these two deserving people.

Add in Phineas and Louisa’s lovely family members and this book is so enchanting to read. The side story of Louisa’s sister Leonora is both heartbreaking and very unique in a historical romance. Assaults on young unmarried women are rare historical storylines and I think Ms. Wolf wrote about this subject matter in a tasteful and realistic way. I can’t wait to read Leonora’s story and her surprising encounter with the Marquess of Pemberton. 

The emotions are many in this lovely story as misunderstandings are discovered, secrets are revealed, and passion turns to love. I highly recommend you pick up this wonderful start to a series.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

USA Today bestselling and award-winning author, Bree Wolf has always been a language enthusiast (though not a grammarian!) and is rarely found without a book in her hand or her fingers glued to a keyboard. Trying to find her way, she has taught English as a second language, traveled abroad and worked at a translation agency as well as a law firm in Ireland. She also spent loooong years obtaining a BA in English and Education and an MA in Specialized Translation while wishing she could simply be a writer.

Although there is nothing simple about being a writer, her dreams have finally come true. “A big thanks to my fairy godmother!” Currently, Bree has found her new home in the historical romance genre, writing Regency novels and novellas. Enjoying the mix of fact and fiction, she occasionally feels like a puppet master (or mistress? Although that sounds weird!), forcing her characters into ever-new situations that will put their strength, their beliefs, their love to the test, hoping that in the end they will triumph and get the happily-ever-after we are all looking for.

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