I received a copy from Dragonblade Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Ever since the deadly fire that took her parent’s lives, Lady Charlotte Louise has lived a very sheltered life in seclusion. She’s wanted nothing more than to finally live, which is why she’s angry that her first chance at life has been stomped out by her brother. He’s insisted that Charlotte skip her first season as a distinguished lady looking for a spouse and accept an unwanted engagement. Charlotte isn’t going down without a fight, and she’s got a bucket list that could get her in trouble if she tries to complete it!
I was instantly drawn in by the cover, but it was the summary that really sold me on this book. We follow Lady Charlotte Louise and Hamish, the Duke of Camine, through their rotating perspectives as they slowly fall in love. I found that I was far more interested in the supporting characters than I ever was in Hamish, but I did find Charlotte entertaining. Hamish is supposed to be a mysterious character, but he was extremely boring. I also thought his business shenanigans weren’t worth following outside of getting to see Percy and Gregori.
Honestly, the star characters are Percy, Gregori, Camille, and then Charlotte. I really enjoyed the four characters and found them far more interesting than Hamish or Charlotte’s brother, Renard. Much of the story is centered on Charlotte’s bucket list, the romance between her and Hamish, and Hamish’s business dealings that are somewhat cloaked in mystery. Without any spoilers, the mystery isn’t all that mysterious, but I can live with that because we’ve got some great characters here. It would’ve been far more scandalous for Charlotte to have ended up with Percy rather than Hamish, which I would’ve liked to have seen!
I also wasn’t a fan of Renard, who is also supposed to be Hamish’s best friend. He’s a real stick in the mud who also doesn’t seem to be holding the brain cell at any point during the book. I also found it hard to believe that he and Hamish were best friends because they acted like distant acquaintances at best. I kept wishing that Charlotte got to end up with someone more exciting, and that Renard would either be written out or at least grow a personality. Neither happened, but at least some of his banter was funny.
All in all, it was a fun read, but the supporting characters stole the show. The romance lacked chemistry for much of the book, which is kind of funny because Charlotte had chemistry with nearly everyone but him! I’m debating on whether or not I want to check out the next book because I really like Camille, but I’m dreading following the person she’s being paired off with.
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