September 23, 2019
The charming seventh Westcott regency (after Someone to Honor) delights with an unconventional, older heroine. Lady Matilda Westcott, now in her mid-50s, has accepted her role as the quiet spinster daughter of the Dowager Countess of Riverdale. When, in the previous book, Matilda uncharacteristically persuaded Viscount Charles Dirkson, the estranged, illegitimate father of Matilda’s nephew-in-law, to claim his son, she unintentionally made Charles a member of the sprawling Westcott family. Now, Matilda must learn to cope with his nearness at family gatherings and try to forget that, 36 years earlier, the two of them were sweethearts. But encountering each other proves unavoidable, forcing Matilda to see that Charles has outgrown his rakish youth and Charles to remember the Matilda he fell in love with. Much of the page count is taken up by an appendix containing synopses of each previous Westcott regency, but new readers may still have trouble untangling the complicated family dynamics. Series fans, however, will be pleasantly surprised to see fussy Matilda’s unexpected sentimental side in this second chance romance that proves love is ageless. Agent: Maria Carvainis, Maria Carvainis Agency.
