The Lily of Ludgate Hill

October 1, 2023

Lady Anne Deveril has accepted Mr. Felix Hartford's offer of marriage, but the death of her father delays the engagement as Anne enters a period of mourning. Hart waits a year for Anne, but when she asks for more time, he is hurt by her reluctance and lashes out, ending their relationship. Several years later, with Anne still in mourning, she learns her best friend has been abducted and taken to Yorkshire. She seeks out help from Hart, who agrees to assist only if Anne will attend his grandfather's Christmas house party in the country--and not dressed in her perpetual black mourning attire. Hart hopes this might finally be his chance to win Anne back. Unfortunately, the pair's hurtful history is never far from the surface, so they continually snipe at each other. Only once they truly start communicating and confront some of their respective problems at home can the two repair what they thought was lost. VERDICT An engaging series installment offering a second chance at love to a spunky heroine and a hero with hidden depths. Best read in sequence, starting with The Siren of Sussex.--Eve Stano

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November 15, 2023
This Victorian second-chance romance reunites a man and a woman who have put caring for their families above their own needs and desires. Ever since Lady Anne Deveril's father passed away six years ago, she and her mother have been clothed in black and wading through grief. In the immediate aftermath, her mother's utter devastation had led Anne to reject a marriage offer from Felix Hartford so she could focus on caring for her. Anne and Felix's falling out included cruel, judgmental words from both parties, so they've kept their distance since. Now, Anne requires a favor from him, which leads to them spending time together again as old feelings reignite. Anne learns that fun-loving, carefree Felix has more depth to him than she ever knew. His father was not the moral paragon he claimed to be, and Felix has been doing his best to right the man's wrongs while keeping his family's reputation intact. He's also secretly been working in trade--unthinkable for a man of his societal standing. Anne's and Felix's family issues still get in the way as their relationship deepens, but they realize this time that perhaps they're mature enough to work through it, together. In this third installment of her Belles of London series, Matthews delivers another richly detailed and emotionally tender closed-door romance. The lovingly crafted leads are both trying to do the right thing for their loved ones. The beauty and complexity in this story is that there isn't always one right answer to every dilemma. Anne and Felix try, and they err, and they try again. It's this realness that makes these characters interesting and their relationship captivating. A lovely romance with sophisticated emotions.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

December 4, 2023
Grief and familial duty separate a couple, but a road trip brings them back together in Matthews’s sparkling third Belles of London Victorian romance (after The Belle of Belgrave Square). In December 1855, Lady Anne Deveril and rakish Felix “Hart” Hartford are on the cusp of engagement when Anne’s father dies and Anne, who fears Hart is frivolous and undependable, chooses to remain with her widowed mother over marriage. Six and a half years later, Anne is still too terrified of losing anyone else to let love into her life. Hart, meanwhile, is no longer a reckless youth, and when Anne comes to him to request he escort her and her superstitious mother to Yorkshire to check on a friend, he’s determined to win back her heart. Both face upheaval that strains their reunion; Hart is struggling under the weight of providing for a secret set of half siblings and balancing the needs of his mining company, while Anne is facing eviction from her home. Their beautifully fleshed out arcs offer a poignant portrait of the destabilizing effects of loss and the strength in forging a new life with the help of loved ones. The plot dovetails nicely with the previous two books while standing alone enough to be appreciated by newcomers. Historical romance fans are sure to be moved. Agent: Kevan Lyon, Marsal Lyon Literary.

Starred review from November 1, 2023
It is truly a wonder how Matthews can consistently craft fresh romances featuring unique, multidimensional characters who face huge obstacles to their relationships. The third book in her best-selling Belles of London series is as surprising and exciting as the first (The Siren of Sussex, 2022) and the second (The Belle of Belgrave Square, 2022). Lady Anne Deveril, who has been wearing the black of mourning in solidarity with her mother, Lady Arundell, comes up with a clever ploy to be able to travel to Yorkshire to save her best friend, Julia Wychwood, whom she believes was abducted by scary Captain Blunt, by enlisting the aid of her former secret fianc�, Felix Hartford. She begs him to write an article under one of his many pseudonyms to inspire her mother to consult a Yorkshire spiritualist. But rules of primogeniture soon force Anne and her mother out of their home, and Felix faces issues that could make him an outcast. The Victorian era, in the years following the death of Prince Albert, with all its social restrictions, prejudices, and technological innovations, is an intriguing background for this lovely story of secrets and love lost and found.

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