Does gossip always has a little bit of truth?

Synopsis

The notorious Viscount And the most gossiped-about lady…

After years as a diplomat in the Napoleonic wars, Lord Eastwood is reluctant to return to London society. His scandalous divorce has made him infamous, not to mention cantankerous! To halt the rumour mill, he should marry a quiet noblewoman – instead it’s bold, vibrant artist, Faith Brookes, who’s caught his attention. They are the least suitable match, so why is he like a moth to a flame…?

My review

Faith Brookes is used being subject of the London gossip. Together with her sisters she is having a good laugh reading about the things they are “accused” of doing.
Despite knowing how the gossip twist and turn the truth, when the Brookes family read about the scandalous divorce of Lord Eastwood, they nickname him as ‘Lord Beastly’.
When Faith’s father, a famous artist, has to paint a portrait of the whole Eastwood family, she assist her father as usual.
Will Faith be able to see the truth from the gossip? And will her strong character cause her more trouble and gossip?

Again a story from this author that I enjoyed reading, I just devoured it!

On one hand, we have the Brookes family. They are not the usual family we know, because the mother is a famous singer, the father a famous artist and 3 daughters, each different in their own way. Yet despite their differences, they are truly united. The daughters are really close and help each other out.
And even if the mother is a bit hysterical at some times, only reinforced because she is so often on the stage, the other members of the family accept it all with a grain of salt, knowing exactly what to say to calm the waters.

And then we have Piers Eastwood. He is the main subject for gossip, because of his divorce. That makes him reluctant to be seen in the public, and when he has no other choice, he prefers to stay in the shadows, minding his own business.
But he also realizes that his actions are having consequences for his family…

When Faith and Piers meet, it’s written in the stars that they will clash.
Faith her upbringing learnt her to think for her own and her own character is that she makes her opinion clear. Yet that causes also that she speaks before she thinks.
But she also has a darker, sadder side, because her trust has been taken advantage of, in one of the worst ways. And that made her adamant to never trust a man with his words, and is not planning to fall in love easily.

And Piers… no matter how cold he seems, there is just more to him than thought. He shows his family a warm, kind side that is strictly for those he cares about. And his love for his niece is just too adorable!!!

Despite their differences, and also their fears, they find a way to clear the air between them. And even their fear is not strong enough to ignore their attraction!
When these two characters are together, they manage to put the other at ease and they give each other this boost of confidence. Thanks to the input they dare to do what they thought would be impossible.

This is a story about two strong characters finding the courage to put the past behind them. But there is also a message of how gossip and rumours can live their own lives, without having a second thought about the consequences for the affected people, taking liberties with the truth.  And unfortunately, that is still something very actual… 

Another very funny and enjoyable story that kept me entertained from the start until the end!