Review - A Lord Apart

Title:   A Lord Apart

Author:  Jane Ashford
Series:  The Way to a Lord's Heart #2

Genre:   Historical Romance

Publisher:   Sourcebooks Casablanca

Format:  Kindle ARC
No. of Pages:  320

Date of Publication:  March 26, 2019

My Rating:  4 Stars

DESCRIPTION:

Family secrets, an unlikely alliance―and a love neither expected...

After his parents' sudden death, Daniel Frith, Viscount Whitfield, is struggling to unravel a web of chaotic family records. He is astonished to learn his father's will contains a mysterious legacy: a house left to a complete stranger. He knows nothing about the beautiful Penelope Pendleton and he's not sure he wants to...until she turns out to be a whiz at all those nasty tasks involved in estate administration...

Penelope has no idea why Rose Cottage was left to her. But it's a godsend after her brother's reckless actions disgraced her family. She had planned to stay out of Viscount Whitfield's way, not grow ever closer to him. But when they discover how entwined their families really are, Daniel and Penelope must collaborate to avoid a scandal that reaches much higher than they could have guessed... 

Link to purchase the book

MY THOUGHTS:

Daniel Frith, Viscount Whitfield, is completely tied in knots since his parents' death, as he is struggling to decipher rather confusing family records. As he begins to research, he discovers that his father's will contained a mysterious legacy, which included leaving a house to someone he never heard of. Well, Daniel meets her, and her name is Penelope Pendleton. He is not sure at first that he wants to deal with her, but then when he discovers her amazing talent at deciphering the confusing codes, and when she helps him sort out estate business, he changes his mind.

Penelope is hesitant to help Daniel, as she has no idea why the house was willed to her. As it turns out, due to her brother's poor behavior, her family was disgraced and she would have been without a home. So Penelope does her best to assist Daniel, and in so doing, realizes that she is rather drawn to him. It doesn't take Penelope and Daniel long to discover that there was indeed a connection between their families and they both become very excited while working together.

Along with the intrigue facing them, there is a slight element of danger, but readers are treated with a bit of humor, and of course, romance, thus balancing this excellent story by Jane Ashford. I look forward to the next third book in the series, How To Cross a Marquess, which will be released in August.

Many thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jane Ashford discovered Georgette Heyer in junior high school and was entranced by the glittering world and witty language of Regency England. That delight was part of what led her to study English literature and travel widely in Britain and Europe. She has lived in New York, Boston and LA. Today, she is somewhat nomadic.

Jane has written historical and contemporary romances. Her books have been published in England, Spain, France, Italy, Sweden, Slovakia, Denmark, Russia, and Latvia, Croatia and Slovenia as well as the U.S. She has been nominated for a Career Achievement Award by RT Book Reviews.

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