Series:
Lyon's Den (Book 92)
Seven years ago, Anastasia Banks ruined herself.
On the day of her mother's death, Anastasia had an
afternoon of passion with the man she thought she loved. It was a mistake.
Between rumpled sheets and a soldier's sneering smile,
she realized the man she loved didn't really exist. After throwing away her
virtue, she discovered that her mother had died of a fever in her absence.
Since then, Anastasia has vowed to protect her younger sister at all costs and
to never let such a disreputable man re-enter her life, nor let her sister
follow in her footsteps.
Years later, Anastasia is a spinster more concerned with
her sister's love life than her own. When she discovers that her sister's
paramour is the younger brother of the rake who deflowered her, she wants to
separate the happy couple immediately. But a polite misunderstanding leads
Anastasia to cross paths with Mr. Theodore Hardwicke, one of the most handsome
men she's ever seen.
Theodore isn't looking for love. But Miss Banks distracts
him, when he should be trying to rebuild his family's finances. Openly, he
finds her fiercely independent, willful, opinionated, and taciturn. Privately,
he finds her willfulness attractive and the flash of her eyes like fire. He
just has two problems: his sister's friend, a widow, has taken a liking to him
that is beyond the bounds of friendship, and the lovely Miss Banks seems
determined to be a spinster.
Can Anastasia protect her sister from repeating her past
mistake, or will she overlook a good man? Can Theodore convince Miss Banks to
end her plans to be a spinster and give love a chance? All is fair game in the
Lyon's Den, especially when Mrs. Dove-Lyon is brought in to help.
Good story of overcoming past mistakes and finding a
happy future. Anastasia fell victim to a smooth-talking soldier who implied
marriage but took her innocence and mocked her naiveté instead. Adding to her
guilt, her mother died of a sudden fever the same day. She vowed never to trust
another man and to do everything possible to protect her younger sister,
Betsey, from the same fate.
As the book opens, Ana is a spinster who has given up all
hope of marriage after her "ruin". Betsey is of marriageable age,
full of dreams of romance and happy-ever-after. Ana is very protective of
Betsey, which frequently causes them to butt heads. Matters become complicated
when Betsey falls for Percy, the younger brother of the man who ruined Ana. Ana,
determined to keep them apart, arranges for her and Betsey to visit relatives
in London, where she hopes to find more reputable suitors for her sister.
Once in London, Ana meets Theo Hardwicke. Their initial
encounter is antagonistic, but the sparks of attraction are undeniable. Theo's
family has been encouraging him to marry his sister's widowed friend, Mrs.
Sherwood, but after meeting Ana, he loses interest.
I enjoyed the development of Theo and Ana's relationship.
There are plenty of sparks of attraction, but Ana is wary of trusting Theo. There
are twists and turns that complicate their growing feelings, from the
reappearance of Ana's past to a scheming widow who wants Theo for her own. I
liked how Theo supported Ana and how he stood up to his own challenges. The
ending was entertaining and brought everything to a satisfying conclusion.
Betsey was a spoiled brat through most of the book. I
understood her frustration, but her actions could have backfired badly. Though
I, too, was suspicious of Percy at the start, his attitude was a pleasant
surprise. She grew up some by the end of the book, but she still has a way to
go.
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