Series:
Society's
Most Scandalous (Book 1)
He could have any deb
Except his best friend's sister…
Jasper, the Earl of Beaufort, hasn't seen Lady Harriet
Fitzroy since her serious riding accident. She has grown into a kind, spirited
woman, whose sinful smile plays havoc with his jaded emotions! Hattie's family
disapprove of Jasper's rakish past, but when she risks her reputation to help
him, the least he can do is pull her from the wallflower chairs and out of the
shadows…
This is a terrific friends-to-lovers/best friend's sister
book. There are several obstacles between Hattie and Jasper and their HEA, and
I loved seeing them overcome each.
Hattie dreads the upcoming Season. The riding accident
that left her with a permanent limp means she cannot dance, which means she
will be relegated to the wallflower chairs with the rest of Society's misfits.
It doesn't help that her overprotective brother, Freddie, plans to introduce
her to as many single men as he can. She's already been subjected to one who is
interested in her for her connections and has made it plain that she's lucky to
have his attention. Hattie would much rather spend her time at the children's
hospital, helping the doctor who saved her life and leg. On the way to one of
these visits, she encounters Jasper, her brother's best friend.
Jasper is a man with a scandalous reputation. Jasper
opened a gentlemen's gaming club when his family fell into financial straits.
The Reprobates' Club has done very well, and Jasper is now a wealthy man. He
also has a reputation with the ladies. So much so that Hattie's brother,
Freddie, who is Jasper's best friend, warns him to stay away from Hattie for
fear of Jasper's reputation ruining her. When Jasper sees Hattie for the first
time since her accident, he is stunned by her beauty and kindness. He knows he
should stay away from her, as his reputation would do her no good. But when she
comes to his rescue after devastating news turns his life upside down, his
honor demands that he help her, too. This began a slow-burn romance that
started as friendship and grew to be much more.
I loved the development of the relationship between
Jasper and Hattie. Both are nurturers/protectors and bond quickly over their
efforts to help each other. Their banter is fun, and their chemistry is
obvious. One of my favorite things is that Jasper sees Hattie for the
beautiful, kind, and intelligent woman that she is. He knows her handicap, but
it doesn't define her in his eyes. I enjoyed his growing respect for her as he
got to know her. There are multiple scenes where his eyes are opened to
situations that he would never have noticed without her pointing them out. I
adored his protectiveness toward her and his ways of demonstrating it. Seeing
him run interference with men like Lord Boreham was fun, and his formation of
the Wallflowers of 1813 Club was inspired. He did mean to keep their
relationship to friends, but the more time they spent together, he realized he
wanted more. But with the scandal about to break over him, he doesn't want it
to rub off on her, so he tries to distance himself from her.
Hattie had a crush on Jasper when she was younger but put
it behind her after her accident. Those feelings are resurrected when they meet
again, but with her handicap, she doesn't expect anything to come of it. I
loved seeing her step in to help the overwhelmed Jasper deal with Izzy's
arrival. I loved that she didn't judge him and saw how hard he worked to
overcome past mistakes. She sees the caring, intelligent, and honorable man
beneath the scandalous reputation and does everything she can to support him in
his efforts. I loved the shopping scene with Jasper's cluelessness and Hattie's
amusement at his panic. When the expected scandal broke, I laughed out loud
when Hattie faced down a pair of gossipy, judgmental women with an excellent
rebuttal. She didn't shy away from blunt language, and it was a pleasure to see
her lay into them.
I loved the ending and seeing Hattie lay waste to
Jasper's attempts to protect her rather than make her part of the solution. Her
anger and hurt were understandable, and I loved seeing Jasper realize his mistake.
Unfortunately, Freddie's interference created another hurdle, but Jasper
overcame that one quickly with his emotional response to Hattie. I also loved
their decision to embrace the scandal rather than hide from it. I wish there were
an epilogue, but I hope to see more of them in the following books.
I loved how Hattie's family supported her during her
recovery after the accident. Unfortunately, they have become overprotective,
and it drives her nuts. They also judge Jasper because of his past and don't
look past his reputation at the man he is. Freddie was incredibly frustrating, considering
he's supposedly Jasper's best friend. There appears to be some scandal attached
to his romance/marriage, and I'd love to know if he has his own story.
I loved the two children in this story. Izzy is adorable
in her love for Jack and how she took to Hattie immediately. I enjoyed seeing
how she brought out the softer side of Jack. Young Jim was just the opposite. In
the hospital with the same type of injury, Hattie had, his fear of his future causes
him to lash out at everyone. Hattie's determination to help him runs up against
his stubbornness and fear. It was interesting to see what broke the stalemate
between them. I also loved how Jack's feelings for Hattie spilled over onto Jim
and the solution he devised.
No comments:
Post a Comment