Desires of Lady Elise

Rachel Ann Smith

Lord Harold Thornston/Lady Elise

desiresofladyelise-ras — Published July 18, 2019

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

BookBlurb

One scandal. Two broken hearts. A decade apart.

Lady Elise knows all too well the risks of falling in love. Her heart, shattered by a rake ten years ago. Instead of hunting for a husband, she helps other ladies escape the nefarious plans of unscrupulous gentlemen.

After a scandal costs Lord Thornston Elise’s hand and heart, he has lived on the fringes of the beau monde. But when his best friend, the Duke of Fairmont, requests his assistance, Thornston is torn. Helping Fairmont means facing the woman who holds his heart and soul.

Succumbing to temptation, Thornston re-enters Society to find Elise still unwed. But as he seeks to reignite her desire for him and earn back her trust, he becomes entwined in one of her investigations. When events take a dangerous turn, he might lose the woman he loves before he can win her back.

Review_RmA

Desires of Lady Elise is author Rachel Ann Smith’s debut novel. I always love to read debut novels, it’s great to see a new author starting out and to see what they have to offer. Ms. Smith starts us out with a Novella in “Desires of Lady Elise” and then has a connected series coming out this fall called “Agents of the Home Office”.

Harold and Elise were in love ten years ago, she was sixteen and he was twenty. Elise’s father the Duke of Fairmont along with a scandal at a ball tore these two lovers apart, and they have not seen each other since. When Elise’s brother the current Duke of Fairmont asks his friend Harold to return to the ton to help him find a wife, Harold reluctantly agrees. With Harold now attending ton events with Elise’s brother, it’s inevitable that their paths will cross again.

I really liked Elise and Harold from the start. It seems that neither really got over the other and that they still cared for each other. They were a sweet couple and the epilogue was absolutely perfect for them! Besides the obvious romance, Ms. Smith wove some drama and intrigue into the story that kept readers on their toes! There were also a lot of interesting secondary characters in this story and I would love to have gotten to know them better and see more of their backstories. I’m hoping that we will catch glimpses of them in her new series or possibly get their separate stories in the future.

Overall a very enjoyable read! I enjoyed Ms. Smith’s writing style, her characters were interesting and the storyline intriguing. I believe she’s an author to watch in the future and will definitely be reading her new series. I honestly wish this book was a full novel. The storyline and characters along with secondary characters had my attention and I definitely would have liked to have read more. This was a great start to what looks like a very promising series!