I absolutely adored this story of home on leave from soldiering, Aiden, and land-owning do-gooder and all round stellar heroine, Eve. The premise is of this marriage-of-convenience trope story is that Aiden is on leave from the army and needs to fulfill the dying wish of one of his late soldiers, which involves discovering what dangers Eve might be in.

I loved Eve. It’s not often in regency romance that you read a strong, no-nonsense heroine who refuses to be Pygmalioned into anyone other than herself, whilst still retaining a general sweetness and kindness around that inner core of steel. Other unique plot points included the fact that Eve was not of the ton (she’s a coal miner’s daughter) and she’s also a wealthy land owner and heiress in her own right and in charge of her own home. It contrasts really nicely with Bedwyn Prequel 2, where a woman of the ton didn’t have the freedoms to be respectable and live alone, running her own household as a single never married woman. That parallel of class and of classist experience was a really interesting theme of this book. The characters pull up a “crying rich tears” comparison between the privilege rich people of the ton have but how the restrictions they face to maintain that reputation and status are almost as limiting as a lack of position and social standing.

If I’m giving this 4.5 stars instead of 5, it’s because marriage of convenience isn’t my favourite trope and also I was gagging for Aiden and Eve to be more open with each other. This re-read did not disappoint. I’m loving this series.