Have you ever been in that place where you really want to read a book because you know it’s going to be wonderful while at the same time you really don’t want to because you don’t want it to end? That’s exactly who I felt as I read A Lady Unrivaled, the third and final installment in Roseanna M. White’s Ladies of the Manor series.
Readers met Lady Ella Myerston briefly in The Lost Heiress and got to know her more in The Reluctant Duchess. Now she gets her own story.
Loved. This. Book. The bubbly, optimistic personality of Ella perfectly offsets the negative, surly, taciturn (see how I got that Pride & Prejudice reference in there?) attitudes of Lord Cayton (who also made appearances in the previous books in this series).
Catching up with the Duke and Duchess of Stafford (Justin and Brook) was a treat, and Brice and Rowena (Duke and Duchess of Nottingham) also make an appearance.
The heart of this story is in the personal journeys of both Ella and Cayton. After Ella’s best friend went mad, she doesn’t trust her instincts. How could she not have noticed Stella losing her mind over Ella’s brother? And Cayton’s past traps him. Though he strives to become a better man, he is constantly concerned about returning to his old ways and he’s absolutely certain he’s not deserving of someone as good and pure as Lady Ella.
Through a scheme to rid both the Staffords and Nottinghams of the cure of the Fire Eyes (red diamonds from India), Ella and Cayton’s time together grows their attractions. While Ella’s determined to push past pretending, Cayton’s set on keeping both feet firmly planted in the façade.
This book is the perfect ending to the trilogy. The adventure of the Fire Eyes keeps the story moving along with intrigue while Cayton and Ella’s relationship grows around it. A beautifully written Edwardian series, the Ladies of the Manor now have a permanent home on my bookshelf.
Would you like to add the series to your collection? I’m giving away all three books to one of my lucky readers. Enter to win below.
***Bethany House Publishers and Roseanna M. White provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. All opinions expressed are my own.
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