Series:
Lyon's Den (Book 101)
A handsome rake meets his match in a red-headed
enchantress who is his enemy!
They may be on different sides of the law, but Lord Navan
Beaufort is not going to permit that to stop him from protecting Miss Audrey
Moreau. Navan has never thought truly to love anyone, but when he laid eyes on
the red-headed beauty, his world shifted. Unfortunately, the lady appears to
prefer Lord Alexander Dutton to him, though Navan has rarely had the
opportunity to speak to her privately. That is, until he saves her from a fire
one miraculous night. From there forward, she is his hope. His future.
Miss Audrey Moreau depends exclusively on her Uncle
Jacobi for a home and protection. The man rescued her from a bayman's
plantation in the West Indies when she was five; yet, she well knows the "Marquis
of Honfleur's" schemes. She thought once Jacobi was caught, all would be
well, but even from his jail, the man means to rain down harm upon her.
Can two lost souls find happiness together, when everyone
in whom they had previously placed their trust have left them alone in the
world?
This is the third book in a miniseries set in the larger
Lyon's Den world, with the events of the books overlapping and told from
differing viewpoints. There is one mystery running throughout the series, with
an additional mystery that concludes in each book. The overarching mystery
begins in the first book with the shooting of Lord Duncan and the efforts of
his six adopted sons to discover who and why. It may or may not have something
to do with an investigation into the flood of counterfeit notes happening in
London. Mrs. Dove-Lyon is only peripherally involved, as the shooting happened
at the Lyon's Den, where Lord Duncan enlisted her help in the investigation.
The investigation has focused on a man claiming to be a
French marquis, his daughter, and his niece. As a result, Lord Duncan and his
sons have set up a constant surveillance of the Frenchman's residence. One of
the watchers, Lord Navan Beaufort, finds himself drawn to the niece, Audrey. He
met her once before beginning the surveillance and hasn't been able to forget
her. As he witnesses more of her uncle's treatment of her, his protective instincts
awaken. I enjoyed watching their clandestine friendship develop. Audrey is both
naïve and worldly, as her tragic past reveals, yet despite everything, she
still wants to believe in people's goodness. Navan, on the other hand, is
rather cynical and has the reputation of a rake. The focus on the Marquis reveals
his involvement in the counterfeiting scheme. The subsequent investigation becomes
dangerous before it is resolved, and several incidents kept me glued to the
pages until it was resolved.
After the danger passes, Navan learns the truth about
Audrey's past. I laughed out loud at the scene between Navan and his
"brother" Alex. The strain doesn't stop Navan from pursuing Audrey
and gaining her hand. But Navan still has things to learn about relationships, and
manages to put his foot in it when he takes his new wife to his lands in
Ireland. His behavior exacerbates Audrey's fears of abandonment, and it takes
desperate action by her to open his eyes to the truth. Matters become complicated
by the ongoing danger posed by the counterfeiting scheme and a shocking confrontation
and revelation. There is another hint in the mystery of who shot Duncan that
leads into the next book in the series.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. However, there was far more
overlap than I expected. There were times when I felt I was reading a
regurgitation of the previous book instead of something new.
No comments:
Post a Comment