Review: Wonderful Second Book in the Kellington Series
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 15, 2014
I read the first book in the Kellington series, "Never a Mistress, No Longer a Maid."  That book was absolutely phenomenal, and after reading it I had every intention of reading the other books in the series.  However, I was so emotionally invested in Ned and Jane's story (the h and H of book one) that I knew I'd have to wait a while before reading this one, in order to give the h and H of this book a fair chance.  I so loved Ned and Jane that I felt sure my love for them would overshadow my interest in Lizzie and Marcus (the h and H of this book.)  As it is, Ned and Jane, with their adorable daughter Vi, do make a cursory appearance in this book, for which I was grateful (it gave me a chance to see them happy in lives together some months after their HEA.)  However, I was able to greet them as old friends, instead of as an obsessed stalker eager for any glimpse of their current lives.  LOL  In any event, this book tells little sister, Elizabeth's story.  Lizzie is the youngest of the five Kellington siblings, and the only girl.  She is extremely opinionated and strong willed, a worthy opponent for her equally strong willed brothers.  Lizzie is passionate about women's rights.  To promote her cause, she publishes a treatise advocating for those rights, using her real name!  Once the treatise becomes public all hell breaks loose, and Lizzie finds herself persona non grata in the ton.  Big brother, Liam, Duke of Lynwood, decides that the best possible way to salvage Lizzie's reputation is to get her married...quickly.  Enter our hero, Marcus, Marquess of Riverton, and Lynwood's best friend.  Marcus has been secretly in love with Lizzie for years, but as his best friends baby sister, she has always been forbidden fruit.  It doesn't help that there is a nine year age difference between the two, so from Marcus' perspective, Lizzie is "just a child."  To mask his feelings, Marcus is ever proper and a bit aloof around Lizzie, she in turn thinks he's a bit of a stuffed shirt.  Thus, when he makes an offer for her hand in marriage, Lizzie is not at all convinced that they will suit.  She is determined to delve beneath his surface to discover the passionate man underneath, assuming there is one.  From there the story develops.  Intrigue is added to the plot in the form of Marcus' devious sisters who are determined to see his betrothal to Lizzie broken.  With the aid of an impoverished peer, who is determined to win Lizzie's hand for himself, a plot is devised and steps taken to separate the engaged couple.  I absolutely loved this book.  It is eloquently written, with an engaging plot, and dynamic characters...just as in the first book.  However, it's not quite as emotive as book one.  Furthermore, although Lizzie and Marcus are very sweet together, IMO, the romance between them is a bit rushed.  I would have liked to see the two of them spend more meaningful time together...I felt like I'd missed something when the two confess their love to each other (well, when Lizzie confessed her love; Marcus had loved Lizzie from the very beginning.)  Moreover, the romance does get a bit overshadowed by the other events occurring in the story; it seemed more a story about the Kellington family, than about Lizzie and Marcus.  This is especially true when we meet Ms. Rennard, a young woman with whom brother Arthur becomes fascinated, and who, apparently, will be his love interest in the third book.  Despite these drawbacks, this book makes for delightful reading.  It doesn't quite rise to the standard of the first book, in this reader's humble opinion, but then Ms. Driscoll did set the bar at an extremely high level with "Never a Mistress."  Bottom line, I loved this book and I highly recommend it.  BTW this is not a clean romance.  There are a few love scenes and some explicit language is used.  Happy reading.