When an inheritance becomes so much more.

Synopsis

A docile wife is what he wants. A husband is the last thing she needs. Can a quest for a killer teach them that they are both wrong?

Emma Smythe and her brother arrive at Easterby Hall to discover that a handsome stranger has laid claim to their ancestral home and the family title. Have her relatives been murdered, and is her brother next? Determined to find the answers, she has no option but to trust the gentleman who insists that he will help. But danger appears in many guises, and for a woman intent on remaining single, her intriguing protector may prove the biggest threat of all. 

The attempts on Richard Lacey’s life begin when he inherits a title and a rundown estate. A coincidence? He’s not so sure. Problems multiply with the unexpected arrival of Jamie and Emma Smythe. Long thought dead, they too are potential targets. Richard thinks he wants a docile, obedient wife, but will the task of keeping headstrong Emma safe from danger change his mind?

Embroiled in a sinister mystery, can Richard and Emma work together to catch a killer? And will this dangerous quest teach them that what they both wish to avoid is exactly what they need?

Filled with intrigue, unexpected twists, and faultless period detail, this slow-burn romance is a must-read for lovers of classic Regency fiction.

My review

Richard Lacey finds himself inheriting a title and an estate which already had its best time. But after the news has spread about his inheritance, he is suddenly targeted at several attempts on his life. It’s too much a coincidence that the attempts began after receiving the inheritance.
To complicate things even further, suddenly Emma Smythe and her brother appear on his doorstep. They are the righteous heirs as it was their family that died under strange circumstances or just been brutally murdered.
Now Emma and Richard have to join forces to discover who is after their lives.  Richard being the gentleman has promised to keep Emma an her brother safe. But how can he keep his promise when Emma is adamant on not just being a damsel in distress and has a strong mind of her own?

I found this story a nice mixture of just every genre (with the exception of horror 🤣). There is the drama concerning Emma and her family, the mystery of who is after the characters’ lives, the action when things get a bit dangerous and the romance.
There is also the positive note of accepting people just as they are, not giving importance what people think.

Emma has been through an ordeal, trying to get back home safely after her parents died, and simultaneous taking care of her younger brother. She has mind up her mind that she does not want to get married, because it would only limit her, and she needs to be free.
She is also a strong young woman, not allowing someone to dictate her what she can do or not. She is not someone who just sits docile waiting for a man solving all her problems, she wants to solve the problems herself.

And even if Emma clashes with Richard, the attraction between them just grows. Because Emma realizes that Richard is not like many other men. When he makes a promise, he intends on keeping it. He also is someone who wants to do the right thing, even if it means a loss for him. He knows that Emma and her brother are the heirs and will do everything to make certain that they will get what is theirs.
He would do whatever he can to protect those he cares about, and even if someone is different, he sees the real person and not at what is making him different. He sees the characters for how they really are and is not afraid to show affection.

I found this a very entertaining story. I enjoying reading how Richard and Emma are strong characters clashing several times, yet somehow completing each other. But I also loved reading about all the other characters, how they all fit perfectly in a tale where a lot happens yet without creating confusion.
But most important I loved reading about a family that has been through a lot, but don’t judge and just accept new entries in their family as because family is what matters.