Matilda Madison

“To Love a Lyon” starts with Louisa Babcock, an impoverished granddaughter of a deceased viscount, approaching the Lyon's Den, a gaming hell run by the mysterious but brilliant Mrs. Dove-Lyon. The Lyon’s Den is the connecting venue for the “Lyon’s Den” series of more than 100 novellas, a way to launch short romances by a great many writers. Louisa wishes to return a garnet brooch her grandmother allegedly stole from Mrs. Dove-Lyon's mother decades ago, which Louisa believes is show more the cause of all the bad luck her family has suffered. Somehow, while speaking with Mrs. Dove-Lyon, Louisa becomes one of four prizes in a gambling competition, a way for noble gentlemen of limited means to acquire a wealthy wife, to the satisfaction of both parties. Rhys Carlyle, a widely respected and honored hero from the Napoleonic Wars, is the only one at the Den that night who knows that Louisa is not, in fact, an heiress. He bids for her to save her reputation; isn’t that what heroes are for? With some sleight of hand from the croupier, Rhys "wins" Louisa, and they are married the next morning, rather to the shock of them both. They are strangers!

Carlyle owns a tumbledown estate in the country that he bought with awards he received for his heroism after the end of the war, and he and Louisa travel there and begin working side by side to restore it to a functional working farm. But they work essentially as friends, and – at least at first – as distant friends at that. But ultimately, as must always be the case in a romance, the pair experience their happily ever after.

It's fun to read the Lyon’s Den novellas, which can easily be gobbled up in a single sitting. But in this particular case, the novella form works against Madison. The book does not flow naturally, but feels abrupt in its final 50 pages. We reach the HEA suddenly, even prematurely, and the book is over before we’re ready for it to end. Even the third act plot reversal is odd, involving not Rhys and Louisa, but two characters we’ve not seen before. Novellas are tricky things, and Madison does not appear to have mastered the form. show less

Short and sweet story. Louisa believes an inherited brooch is cursed and wants to return it to its rightful owner, Mrs. Dove-Lyon. Only then will she and her sister have the lives they want. The last thing she expected was for Mrs. Dove-Lyon to find her a husband.

Rhys Carlyle, a distant relation of Mrs. Dove-Lyon, goes to her for help. Hailed as a returning hero from the war, Rhys is expected to marry quickly, but he has challenges. The estate he bought with his award money is in poor show more shape, and he is almost completely deaf due to a war injury. Mrs Dove-Lyon inveigles him into a game of chance, and the prize is Louisa.

I liked Rhys and Louisa. Louisa is somewhat naïve and lacks self-confidence, but she is kind and practical. She adapts quickly to Rhys's handicap and doesn't look down on him because of it. Rhys is less interested in the social whirl than in making his new home a success and providing for those around him. I enjoyed seeing how they worked together.

I enjoyed watching their relationship develop. They start as friends and partners in bringing his new home back to life. I loved Rhys's confidence in her ability to do what was needed, and how that confidence helped Louisa grow into the position. Rhys was also very attracted to Louisa and was very patient while waiting for her to feel the same. Louisa took a while to understand the feelings that Rhys aroused, but once she did, she was all in.

There was a bit of excitement near the end when Louisa's sister showed up with the man she was eloping with. Rhys and Louisa were quite suspicious of the man's motives. I enjoyed their teamwork as they put their suspicions to the test. I wasn't surprised by the outcome. show less