Series Name: The Runaway Heiress, # 3
But his strong arms came around her, as if by instinct– perhaps he thought she would fall if he did not support her, and in that instant, she thought perhaps she might– and she looked up at him and said, ‘I am perfectly well. I am sorry for deceiving you, but I could not think of any other way ensuring that we should be alone. I was hoping, you see, that you might kiss me.’
What the Lady Wants is a fun and lusty Regency romance to get lost in this summer.
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?
I liked this book. What the Lady Wants is the third book in The Runaway Heiress series, but it can be read as a stand-alone. This is a more light and fun read. I enjoyed this story’s “bucket list” element because it forced Isabella to step out of her comfort zone and do things she would not normally do. It also allowed Isabella and Leo to spend more time together. The dialogue was enjoyable. It’s witty, sharp, and flows perfectly. If you like that more “classic” style of writing, then you will love the detail that Emma puts into her stories. She does a great job at including lush and vivid descriptions that bring the story to life.
If you’re a fan of a hero who falls harder and first and a hero who has been pining for the heroine for years, you will like the romance between Leo and Isabella. This is one of Boldwood Books’ spicier romances. Usually, Boldwood Books are closed-door or partially closed-door romances, but that is not the case for this book. I enjoyed all those secret moments that Isabella and Leo found. That element of trying not to get caught just heightens those emotions between the two characters and me as a reader.
What the Lady Wants is a swoony and easy story to fall in love with.
Thank you, Boldwood Books and Rachel Random Resources for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.