When I first started reading romances, it was a historical romance that I picked up. Since then, I've always found something comforting about this genre. I'll grab a book by one of my MANY go-to historical romance authors when I'm having a crappy day and need a little pick-me-up.
Today, I'm happy to be touring The Knave of Hearts by Elizabeth Boyle. This historical romance was released by Avon on January 26th. It's the fifth book in Boyle's Rhymes with Love series.
The Book
In the fifth novel of the captivating Rhymes with Love series from New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Boyle, a young woman’s hopes of a match encounter a wickedly handsome complication…
Lavinia Tempest has been eagerly anticipating a spectacular Season. But one disastrous pile-up on the Almack’s dance floor derails all her plans. Add to that, the very stunning revelations about her mother’s scandalous past have become the ton’s latest on dits. Lavinia’s future has gone from shining bright to blackest night in one misstep.
Alaster “Tuck” Rowland admits he’s partly to blame for Lavinia’s disastrous debut. But it’s not guilt that compels him to restore her reputation. Rather, he’s placed a wager that he can make Lavinia into of the most sought-after ladies in London. Who better than an unrepentant rake to set Society astir?
Tuck’s motives are hardly noble. But in teaching the lovely Lavinia how to win any man she wants, he suddenly finds himself tangled in the last place he ever imagined: in love.
The Knave of Hearts is available now!
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Goodreads | Goodreads SeriesExcerpt
For
a young lady who had made a study of all things proper, Miss Lavinia Tempest
always seemed to find her fair share of mishaps.
The small
fire at Foxgrove. The bunting incident of ’08. And the rather infamous
trampling at the Midsummer’s Eve ball two years earlier.
Sir Roger
still claimed he didn’t miss those toes.
Of
course, he was joking. He’d been very fond of those toes.
And
worse, every time Lavinia attended a ball, soiree, or even just the weekly
meetings of the Society for the Temperance and Improvement of Kempton, someone
(usually Mrs. Bagley-Butterton) had to remind one and all of one of her more
recent follies.
So when
Lavinia entered the hallowed halls of Almack’s, it was with, she vowed, a fresh
start.
A clean
slate.
And so it
seemed she was right. No one pulled their hem out of the way as she drew near
for fear of it being trod upon or worse, the lace being completely ripped away.
No one whispered behind their fan, or laid wagers as to who or what would be
broken by the end of the evening.
She was,
for the first time in her life, merely Miss Tempest, the daughter of the
respected scholar, Sir Ambrose Tempest.
“It is
just as I imagined,” she said in awe as she and her sister Louisa handed over
their vouchers. The perfect place to launch herself into the lofty reaches of
London Society.
After
all, she’d spent most of the afternoon planning out her evening (when she
hadn’t been reading her favorite Miss
Darby novel).
First and
foremost, she was wearing her new gown—a demure and respectable dress done in
the latest stare of modest fashion.
And while she had longed for brilliant sapphire silk that had been on the shelf
at the modiste’s shop, that color would never do for a debut such as this.
After
all, the very rule was on her list:
Proper Rule No. 3. An unmarried lady always
wears demure and respectable colors. Such as white. Or a pale yellow. Or an
apple green, but only if the occasion permits.
So the
blue silk could only be eyed from a distance, and she’d consigned herself to
the muslin, for propriety was the order of the evening.
That is
if she was to gain the highest obligation of every young lady making her debut
Season in London:
Proper Rule No. 1. Marriage to a respectable,
sensible, well-ordered gentleman is the order of business for every proper
lady.
So she
had the gown, entrance into the very heart of the Marriage Mart, and now all
she had to do was finish the evening without incident.
But this
was Lavinia Tempest, and that was easier said than done.
“No
dancing,” Louisa whispered to her as their chaperone, Lady Aveley, led them
into the Wednesday evening crush. Her sister held out her hand, pinky extended,
and Lavinia wrapped her own finger around it and the two sisters bound their
promise together.
No dancing.
In
Lavinia’s defense, she had made her promise most faithfully with every
intention of remaining safely at the side of the dance floor.
She had
demurred when Lord Ardmore had asked. Begging off in a charming fashion that
she was “too nervous to dance,” this being her first visit to Almack’s.
She’d
even refused the very handsome and dashing Baron Rimswell—though she had been
sorely tested for it was only a simple reel, but then one glance at Lord
Rimswell’s glossy boots and she’d thought better of it and remained firm to her
promise.
No dancing.
But
apparently no one had told Mr. Alaster Rowland. Now in his favor, Mr. Rowland’s
boots hadn’t a fine gloss and he was rather squiffy from an indeterminate
amount of brandy, so even if she had stepped on him, he was drunk enough that
it would most likely dull the pain.
My Review
I also enjoyed the chemistry between Tuck and Lavinia. I thought it was pretty strong, and I enjoyed their interactions and the blossoming of feelings between them. There's an intriguing cast of secondary characters, and some activities happening in the background of this story that I assume feature in other books in the series. I definitely would like to read more about many of them. They're a colorful lot, and I feel invested in them!
I did find a few things were 'miss' for me, and they were definitely personal preference things. One is that I didn't like the way the story was framed so that a good chunk of the story was Lavinia recounting what had brought her to the current day in the story. The set-up is not one of my favourites, and I think if I had read other, earlier books in the series that had narrated a different side of events to that point, I might have liked it more. But because I came to this book first, I found this 'looking back to the past' set-up didn't add anything.
I was also frustrated by how handcuffed Lavinia was by circumstances. So much of the early and mid story is really about her having to react to and cope with events caused by others in her life. I was glad when she finally was able to exert some agency, and chart her own course, but yeah... This is purely personal frustration. If the reader embraced Lavinia's journey more fully than I did, I think the book would be that much more fun to read!
Bottom Line
Elizabeth Boyle is a reliable historical romance writer, and I recommend you pick up anything written by her! The Knave of Hearts has moments of levity, of heat, of chemistry, of frustration. Definitely a great read heading into Valentine's Day, and even more so if you've already started the series.
4 stars
For fans of historical romance, bad bets, women who dare.
About the Author
ELIZABETH BOYLE has always loved
romance and now lives it each and every day by writing adventurous and
passionate stories that readers from all around the world have described as
“page-turners.” Since her first book was published, she’s seen her romances
become New York Times and USA Today bestsellers
and win the RWA RITA Award and the Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice awards. She
resides in Seattle with her family, her garden and always growing collection of
yarn. Readers can visit her on the Web at www.elizabethboyle.com.
It's funny, I could have sworn that I read the Viscount Down the Lane because I saw it *everywhere.* And it's possible that this book just caught me in not the right mood. I think Livy was awesome for how she handled her circumstances. I sometimes read in this mood where I get frustrated when circumstances are such that the heroine has to constantly react and cope rather than having a chance to really choose (and the book wasn't like this the whole way through... I don't know. Maybe I need to reread it :) )
ReplyDeleteThank you for featuring and reviewing THE KNAVE OF HEARTS!
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