This latest installment in Jane Ashford's delightful series The Way to a Lord's Heart will most assuredly send readers searching for the earlier books, although the story easily stands on its own. Roger Berwick, Marquess of Chatton, grew up at Chatton Castle in Northumberland, which shares a border with the property of Miss Fenella Fairclough's family. When she was 17 and he a few years older, their fathers made ham-handed efforts to force a match, but Fenella spiked their plotting by fleeing north to her Scottish grandmother's home. Five years later, Fenella has returned to care for her ailing father, and Roger is a widower. Both have matured and are ready to move forward from past differences, although the occasional outbreak of earlier antagonism seems unavoidable. Nevertheless, the two slowly leave past grievances behind and seem to be making strides toward a deeper relationship.
When Fenella's father dies, she must deal with the unwelcome oversight of her two extremely obnoxious brothers-in-law, who set to arranging her life without asking about what she wants. She turns to Roger as a confidant. And much to her surprise, he has a scheme that will solve all her problems, skewer her encroaching relatives and set her free. If she accepts Roger's resolution, however, can she ever be assured of his true feelings for her?
The novel smoothly shifts the enemies to lovers in a well-crafted plot with a vivid Regency setting. An intriguing mystery element also adds to the story's appeal. Fans of strong, romantic characters and entertaining dialogue are certain to enjoy this latest from Ashford. --Lois Faye Dyer, writer and reviewer