Bronwyn Scott

Terrific start to the new series. Caine and his brothers are known to Society as the Four Horsemen. They are rakes, well known for their outlandish behavior. Society doesn't know that these men are Crown operatives working in the shadows to keep their country safe. The King awards the men with titles, but they must marry within a year if they want to keep those titles.

Lady Mary tries hard to be the daughter her parents want and marry well. However, having been passed over by two dukes who show more chose to marry others, she is on track to becoming a wallflower. If she doesn't find a husband soon, her father will find one for her.

Caine and Mary meet at a ball where she impresses him with her intelligence and wit. However, when duty calls, and he leaves her in the middle of a dance, her reputation takes another hit. Caine feels guilty about the fallout and decides paying attention to her will stir up interest and maybe draw the attention of a more suitable husband. Complicating matters, Mary's father is a person of interest in Caine's latest investigation, and courting her will give him opportunities for his investigation.

I enjoyed seeing Caine and Mary's relationship develop. Caine doesn't plan to marry - he feels his work for the Crown makes it dangerous to have a family. However, Mary gets under his skin in ways he didn't expect. Caine has a rakish reputation, but underneath, he is an honorable man. I loved Caine's protectiveness as he got to know Mary. The opera scene was fantastic.

Caine intrigued Mary from the moment she met him. She didn't expect to trust him as quickly as she did, especially after he left her on the dance floor. I liked how they conspired to help each other. Caine will pretend to court her, while her presence will help protect him from matchmaking mamas. I loved seeing them get to know each other. It's evident that they are developing feelings for each other along with their growing attraction. When Mary meets the man her father wants her to marry, her instincts tell her she's in trouble.

Matters get complicated when Caine discovers a connection between Mary's suitor and his investigation. The action intensifies as Mary stands up for herself, with Caine's support, against her father's plan. But has Mary jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire when she learns the truth about Caine? The ending was a nail-biter, with Mary in danger. The final confrontation was intense, with some questions answered but others left open. I loved seeing Caine finally admit his feelings.

The story has two epilogues. The first shows what is in store for Caine and Mary's future and leads into the next book. This is Kieran's story, and continues the search for answers. The second epilogue may explain what happened to Stepan, the fourth brother and Horseman. I can't wait to read it. show less

Enjoyable rags-to-riches story. Cora is the oldest of an impoverished vicar's five daughters. Her aunt takes her and her next sister, Elise, to London, giving them a Season to find husbands. Since her mother's death, Cora has become the family's caretaker, putting everyone else's needs before hers. So when a mix-up occurs over her dress order, Cora subdues her qualms and wears the beautiful dress to the Duke of Harlow's ball. She never expected to catch the eye of the Duke himself!

Declan is show more under pressure from his mother to marry. She carefully selected several young women for him to choose from, with the proper breeding to be suitable matches. But when he sees Cora, all thoughts of those women disappear. He bypassed them all to dance the first dance with Cora.

I enjoyed the development of Cora and Declan's relationship. Their connection is immediate and strong. But Cora doesn't talk about her family circumstances, knowing that her background is not what he needs. Matters become more complicated when he invites her to the house party his mother has arranged. Declan finds every opportunity to spend time with her, and it is obvious that he is falling hard for her. Cora's feelings match his, but she doesn't believe they have a chance to be together.

I liked Declan's determination to have the woman he loved. He does an excellent job of standing up to his mother. But when the truth comes out, he doesn't react well. As I expected, Cora's decision to wear the dresses came back to bite her, and she must face the consequences of her actions. Once Declan realizes his mistake, he must work to earn Cora's trust before convincing her that they belong together. The ending was sweet and emotional, and the epilogue was a chance to catch up with them a few years later. show less

Good book. Thea is a nurse who joined Florence Nightingale in caring for the wounded in Crimea. She saved one soldier from being left for dead. She calls him Edward because he can't remember who he is. When she returns to England, she takes him with her, hoping her doctor father can help him further in his recovery. Falling in love with Edward was never her plan.

I loved Thea. She received the same education as her twin brother, William, who became a doctor like their father. But because she show more is a woman, that path isn't open to her. Events from her past convinced her that marriage is not an option, so she devotes her time to her medicine. She is independent, fierce in her advocacy for her patients, and outspoken in her opinions.

I loved Edward also. His determination to get well and then discover who he is was undeniable. It is evident from the start that he is a gentleman, but he remembers nothing of his life before the battle that injured him. He is handsome, charming, kind, and just as fierce as Thea when it involves something he believes in.

I enjoyed watching the development of the relationship between Thea and Edward. They became friends as she cared for him in the hospital. It was easy to see that something about him made her want him to get better. Edward thought of her as his angel, who quieted his fears and made the pain go away. Once they arrive back in England and Edward's health improves, things change. Sparks start to fly between them, but they try to resist them. Thea believes that Edward will return to his old life and leave her behind once his memories return. Edward won't make any advances while he lives in her family's home and doesn't know the truth about who he is.

There are some sweet and emotional scenes between them as Edward continues to improve. I loved Edward's protectiveness when he stood up for Thea against another dinner guest. His respect for her and her profession is undeniable, and I loved his vocal support. The nightmare scene broke my heart as it showed Edward's fear and despair. There was also good that came out of it, as they used some of the information to ask for help figuring out who he is. But by this time, Edward isn't sure he wants to know because it could take him away from Thea. I could feel their desperation as they reached for what happiness they could grab before their questions were answered.

The arrival of Thea's sister and brother-in-law brought that wait to an end. I was glued to the pages as Edward learned of his past and its meaning for his future. I ached for Thea, who tried to push him away, sure that there was no way for her to fit in his world. There are obstacles to face, from skeptical family members to cruel-hearted society members, not to mention Thea's insecurities. I loved Edward's big moment and his way of showing her his love. The epilogue was terrific, and I hope to see more of them in the rest of the series. show less

Good book with an excellent romance that takes place with a background of several social issues. Along with the romance between two people driven to help others, we also see the effects of disease and poverty in Victorian London, women's fight to have a say in their own healthcare, and society's limits on those same women.

Ferris, an Edinburgh-trained doctor, devotes all of his time to the care of London's poorest residents. After losing his fiancée to a fever, he put aside any dreams of a show more family of his own. As the story opens, he's returned home from a confrontation with the local hospital's board to find his older brother waiting. As usual, Ferris forgot that he promised to attend the family's charity ball that night, and Frederick is there to make sure he shows up.

One of four daughters of a country doctor, Anne came to London to help people with her herbal remedies. By involving women, she empowered them to keep their families healthy without the expense of London's doctors and medicines. After making arrangements to meet with some local women, she hurries home to join her sister; both committed to attending the hospital's charity ball.

When Ferris's mother sets him dancing with Anne, he expects the usual vapid chit-chat. Instead, Anne shows interest in his work. I loved seeing them connect over medicine and their feelings about the disparity between society and the poor. Ferris also found himself strongly attracted to Anne, both her beauty and understanding, going so far as to resurrect his dream of home and family. Anne, equally drawn to him, resists the attraction. Burned by her ex-fiancé, who pretended to support her dreams, she no longer trusts men's honesty. An unexpected and passionate kiss sent Anne running from the feelings he aroused.

Ferris and Anne meet again under more difficult circumstances. While trying out his new mobile treatment wagon, he discovers that his expected patients have deserted him for a healer woman and her herbs. Filled with righteous fury, Ferris hurries to confront what he's sure is a charlatan of the worst kind, only to find it is Anne. Feeling betrayed, he lashes out, saying terrible things to and about her. I loved that Anne stood up to him. I especially enjoyed her rebuttal to his statement that there were reasons not everyone can be a doctor. They did not part on good terms.

When Ferris comes up with the idea of asking Anne to join him for the sole reason of keeping an eye on her, he doesn't realize what it means. An emergency allowed them to work together, and each saw a different side to the other. Within a couple of weeks, Ferris realized that far from resenting her presence in his clinic, he liked having her there. Plus, having her along on his wagon trips increased the number of patients he/they helped. He feels guilty about using her to pad the numbers for his wagon but reassures himself that it's justified if he gets the funding he needs.

I liked watching the relationship between Ferris and Anne develop. They bond over caring for their patients, each coming to understand more about what makes the other tick. The sparks between them continue to grow, as do their feelings for each other. But both have been hurt in the past, and trusting their feelings doesn't come easy. Just when it looks like a future between them is possible, Anne finds out the truth about her presence by Ferris's side. I ached for her feelings of hurt and betrayal and understood her fury at his deception. Ferris kicked himself quite thoroughly for his idiocy upon discovering her departure. I loved his big moment as he confessed all but was interrupted by another emergency. I loved how this one went, as Ferris took the opportunity to show her his support for her work in a most effective way.

I loved the attention to detail in the descriptions of the various medical issues. I especially enjoyed Anne's explanations of her herbal remedies and their uses. I also felt for Ferris and his frustration at the lack of interest and care exhibited by the hospital board members - until something affected them personally. The whooping cough scenes were heartrending and made me happy that we have protections against it in modern times.

I can't wait to read the rest of the series.

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