When your security is no longer there, a new plan needs to be made for the future

Synopsis

He needs a wife…
Manchester industrialist William Rose was a poor lad from the slums who pulled himself up by his bootstraps, but in order to achieve his greatest ambitions he must become the epitome of Victorian respectability: a family man.

She has a plan…
But the only woman who’s caught his eye is sophisticated beauty Octavia Marshall, one of the notorious ladies of Carson Street. Though she was once born to great wealth and privilege, she’s hardly respectable, but she’s determined to invest her hard-earned fortune in Mr Rose’s mills and forge a new life as an entirely proper businesswoman.

They strike a deal that promises them both what they desire the most, but William’s a fool if he thinks Octavia will be a conventional married woman, and she’s very much mistaken if she thinks the livesthey once led won’t follow them wherever they go.

In the third instalment of Rachel Brimble’s exciting Victorian saga series, The Ladies of Carson Street will open the doors on a thoroughly modern marriage – and William is about to get a lot more than he bargained for…

My review

Octavia Marshall is the only one for the ladies of Carson Street that hasn’t found love yet. However, love is absolutely the last thing on her mind, as she is having other worries. With her best friends Nancy and Louisa no longer receiving customers, Octavia is the only ‘original’ Lady of Carson Street still working.
But as the future of such houses are at risk, Octavia is thinking about her own future. And in her future is no place for her past, because no matter she used to have wealth and privileges, there is no way she is going back to that hurtful place.
When Octavia meets William Rose, she sees an unexpected opportunity. Because William learns the hard way that no one takes him seriously until he becomes what expected in Victorian times: a family man.
William needs someone to pose as his fiancée and Octavia needs someone to teach her how to become a businesswoman.
With each their own goals, will their deal of being fake engaged change into something with deeper feelings?

Having read the previous parts of this series, there is one thing I have learned… do not mess with the Ladies of Carson Street!
Even if what they do for a living is not something I recommend, all the women are strong, independent and with a mind of their own.
They do what’s needed to survive, and even if 2/3 of the company is now in a happy relationship, they did not suddenly change into a meek woman, ready to just obey their man.

And Octavia… how I understood her so well… she is seeing her friends all having their happily ever after, all deserved of course, but that makes Octavia wonder what her life and future will look like.
She knows that she cannot continue doing what she is doing, not only because of her reaching an age she won’t be that popular anymore, but also because there are people determined to close houses like Carson Street.
And I admired her determination that, once she knows that she wants to learn to run a business, she seeks the right opportunity to get things started. I loved her mentality of forging her own happiness, and not let prejudice dictate would she can or cannot do.  But she is also afraid that she somehow will lose her friends and will be left alone, again. And that vulnerability was a nice new layer of Octavia.

And her meeting with William, a meeting that starts it all, isn’t obviously a normal meeting. Of course, what did we expect with Octavia?
William has made his own success, and I was even a bit proud of him, because he really looks after the people that work for him. and in Victorian that is not something taken for granted.
So I found it also frustrating how society would hold him back in making his business more successful, especially seeing how hypocrite society can be…
What I even liked more about William, is how is not judging Octavia for what she is doing. He understands what brought her to do this kind of life.
But he also sees the pain that still haunts Octavia, no matter how hard Octavia tries to hide it.

Having two people wanting to make the best out of their plans, and making a deal, makes in this case perfect sense.
And yes, it isn’t a surprise how things evolve, but that is also the beauty of this book. And that’s because we have two strong main characters, that will always do the right thing. Even if that means going away from the person you start to love. Or even refuse a very important question, because it isn’t the right time.

Octavia and William may have a complete different background and current lifestyle, but that doesn’t mean that they won’t have anything in common. They see the good in each other and respect each other.

I found this a great latest addition and I liked getting to know Octavia better and getting acquainted with William. It shows us that even in the past there are people that see the real us, and don’t put a label on us without actually getting to know us.
And that with determination, even stubbornness and the right person by your side, you can make a change and turn your dreams into reality.