Book Review
Mar. 17th, 2022 03:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kenjariLady Derring Takes a Lover
by Julie Anne Long
Lady Delilah Derring has the misfortune to find herself suddenly a widow and suddenly impoverished when her debt-ridden husband falls over dead. To add to this, she also discovers Derring had a mistress, Angelique, after they have an awkward encounter at a lawyer's office. The only thing Delilah has left to her name is an unused building down by the docks of London. After another, less awkward chance meeting with Angelique, Delilah decides to invite her to go into business together and transform the old building into a comfortable boardinghouse, which they dub The Grand Palace on the Thames. As the two women get established, Captain Tristan Hardy is tracking a smuggling ring and his investigations lead him to The Grand Palace. He takes a room there and starts trying to discover which of the denizens are smugglers. He expects to unravel the mystery, but not to fall in love with Delilah.
This romance was a bit different than the others I've read in that the love story shares the stage with two other plots: Delilah and Angelique building their business and learning to work together, and the mystery of the smuggling ring. The latter was the least interesting and fairly easy for me to work out. The other two plots were both very satisfying. Delilah and Angelique develop a good friendship as they build their dream of independence and respect. The romance was not the most compelling I've read, but did have its good points. I especially loved that both Tristan and Delilah had a sarcastic, dry wit, making their banter absolutely delicious.
by Julie Anne Long
Lady Delilah Derring has the misfortune to find herself suddenly a widow and suddenly impoverished when her debt-ridden husband falls over dead. To add to this, she also discovers Derring had a mistress, Angelique, after they have an awkward encounter at a lawyer's office. The only thing Delilah has left to her name is an unused building down by the docks of London. After another, less awkward chance meeting with Angelique, Delilah decides to invite her to go into business together and transform the old building into a comfortable boardinghouse, which they dub The Grand Palace on the Thames. As the two women get established, Captain Tristan Hardy is tracking a smuggling ring and his investigations lead him to The Grand Palace. He takes a room there and starts trying to discover which of the denizens are smugglers. He expects to unravel the mystery, but not to fall in love with Delilah.
This romance was a bit different than the others I've read in that the love story shares the stage with two other plots: Delilah and Angelique building their business and learning to work together, and the mystery of the smuggling ring. The latter was the least interesting and fairly easy for me to work out. The other two plots were both very satisfying. Delilah and Angelique develop a good friendship as they build their dream of independence and respect. The romance was not the most compelling I've read, but did have its good points. I especially loved that both Tristan and Delilah had a sarcastic, dry wit, making their banter absolutely delicious.
