Is what the Lady wants, what the Lady truly needs?

Synopsis

Autumn, 1816…

Lady Ashby is grieving the death of her beloved husband, just two years earlier. Although still young and beautiful, Isabella is resolved never to marry again, and plans to leave London, return to her parents’ Yorkshire house, and resign from society before the year is over. But first, she wants one more taste of life…

Isabella has written a list, the contents of which, if discovered, would create a scandal that neither she nor her family would recover from. A list of things she would like to experience, just once more, before she surrenders herself to the life of a widow. And she knows just the man to help her: her friend, handsome and honourable Captain Leo Winterton.

But Captain Winterton has a secret of his own. He is in love with Isabella – and when she makes her most improper proposal to him, he is powerless to resist her, even if she is resolved never to love again. Can he persuade her they are destined to be together? Or will their impropriety be discovered, to the ruin of both?

My review

Lady Ashby is a widow who decided to never marry again. She has been deeply in love with her husband and it almost broke her learning about him passing almost two years ago. She doesn’t care that she is still young enough to remarry, as she already had the great love of her life. Isabella is ready to resign from society, but not before she can enjoy one last time from life. And to do that, she has written a list, a scandalous list, with things that she wants to experience before retreating. And the man that she thinks is perfect for the job is Captain Winterton. He is respectable and honourable, but also in love with Isabella. So even when he knows that Isabella only wants to use him for her own purposes, he cannot refuse the offer she made. With love not being on the table, and a scandal on the verge of being discovered, whose heart is on the line?

I like it when in a book, especially set in an era where a woman is due to follow strict rules of society, decides to just to what is best for her, and not care what society may think of her.

Of course Lady Isabella Ashby’s story is a sad one. She dearly loved her husband, but he was taken from her way too soon. I could understand her that she doesn’t want to marry again, as she only has place for her late husband in her heart…

I admired her for not wanting to remarry her, as she would only marry for the right reason, being love, and not just out of easiness. She doesn’t care what society may think of her, as her mind is made up.

But I also was a bit in awe of her, as she is adamant on enjoying at least one last time the perks of life. As she has written a list with what she wants to experience, I was a bit curious what all the items of that list were 😊.

Obviously, in that era, and perhaps even in our current times, such a wish is seen as something scandalous, as it’s not how a Lady should behave. Not only is there the risk of being discovered, but also the fact that you need to find an accomplice that is trustworthy and that will be keeping the secret. And clearly not letting feelings get into the way.

Captain Leo Winterton is the man that Isabella has set her eyes on, and I could comprehend her choice. Not only as a Captain he emanates respect, but he is clearly also trustworthy. Yet the more I got to know him, there is obviously a vulnerability in him, I even dare to say a cuteness in him 😊.

As he is a man, it’s understandable that he cannot resist Isabella’s proposal, which man would?

But like I said, there is something vulnerable in the Captain. And rather quickly we get to learn the real depth of his feelings for Isabella. So it was sad to see that Isabella does not want to see what his feelings are and for sure doesn’t reciprocate them.

In this book we also see that Isabella’s feelings or desires are being understood by women around her. Women that aren’t afraid of their own sexuality or interest in it. Isabella isn’t being condemned by those close to her, on the contrary.

And it was funny in a way to see that her female companions are even more eager to see Leo succeed in finding a loving woman, and enjoy that love and happiness. The women, who aren’t strangers to us readers of the series, are even up to scheming to see their plans succeed! 😊

Obviously there are many heated moments, but it isn’t in a shocking way. Sometimes the imagination of an author can go too far, making it awkward to read those spicy bits. But in this book, while we clearly read what it happening, it is written in a ‘readable’ way, I didn’t have the need to skip those bits for being too weird to read.

There is perhaps one thing that was a tiny bit strange, and it was about Leo’s hairiness… it was weirdly hilarious to read that bit, and seeing how a nickname was lovingly used. But that is purely on me, as I now had myself a too big of an imagination? 😊

I enjoyed reading this story, because it’s about a young woman wanting to live her life how she wants it, and not how someone else, or society dictates her to live it. It’s about a woman knowing what she wants, and how to get it.

But it’s also about understanding that no matter how hard you fight against something like love, it cannot be stopped. And it’s up to you to get rid of the fear of loving again and also understand that loving someone else doesn’t erase the love you had previously. And that perhaps you can have the greatest reward of them all, no matter how unexpected or impossible it may have seemed in the past!