- Title: A Dangerous Deal (Ladies of Worth Book 2)
- Author: Philippa Jane Keyworth
- Publisher: Passalande Books on May 29, 2021
- Genre: Historical Romance
- Pages: 241
- Formats Available: Paperback & Digital
- Rating: 4/5
Trigger Warnings: Parental Emotional Abuse
Many thanks to Philippa Jane Keyworth for providing me with a copy of A Dangerous Deal with a request for an honest review. Also, thanks to Zooloo’s Book Tours for inviting me to the tour and providing me with the content for this post.
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About A Dangerous Deal
Lady Rachel Denby is in need of a husband and a chance encounter with the reserved Lord Arleigh inspires her to offer him an outlandish deal.
He will save her from impending financial doom and she will help him gain his inheritance. All they have to do is marry. It sounds delightfully pragmatic. Yet as they embark upon their matrimonial bliss, they find that being husband and wife is anything but simple. Pleasing the stiff family relations, keeping a nosy sister in check, and dealing with unhelpful solicitors complicates their deal. To make matters worse, there are unplanned feelings growing between them. But the unorthodox Rachel can’t help engaging the aloof Viscount, and his Lordship is certainly not the cold fish he at first appears. Suddenly, the deal they made is far more than just a practical solution to their problems, it’s fast becoming downright dangerous!
This is the second book in The Ladies of Worth series of Georgian romances. It centres on the sister of Lady Rebecca Fairing from Fool Me Twice, and you’ll get to see Caro and Felton again, and let’s not forget the shrewd Lady Etheridge and her wicked wit!
Provided by Zooloo’s Book Tours for Tour Use
My Review
Philippa Jane Keyworth’s newest novel, A Dangerous Deal, offers readers a romance for the ages. A book full of strong female characters and the men who love them. This volume is the second in the Ladies of Worth series.
Rachel Denby and Viscount Arleigh are both on the edge of financial ruin. Thus they make a deal to solve each other’s money woes. The two characters are exact opposites of each other. Rachel possesses a strong personality full of sarcasm. Arleigh has the unemotional disposition of a bitter old schoolmarm. Will they ever find a way to meet in the middle and live happy lives?
Rachel is astonishing, and I love her ability to be herself no matter the cost. The other female characters are Caro and Rebecca. Rebecca is Rachel’s sister, whom I heartily dislike. Rebecca is nosy and brash. She rubbed me the wrong way, and I couldn’t get in the mindset to like her. Caro, on the other hand, is sweet and logical. Caro lived a million lives before becoming a respectable aristocratic wife. This street-smart lady sees everything. Though she needs to practice placing boundaries. It delighted me when she finally put Rebecca in her place.
When we meet Arleigh, he seems most uptight. He finds fault in everything Rachel does. But, as he gets to know her, Arleigh realizes that there is more to her than loud sarcasm. However, his behavior in the middle of the book made me ill. He suffered a personality change in the course of a second with no explanation. That didn’t sit right with me as I couldn’t wrap my head around it.
I love Bath. I always hope for a trip to Bath in every romance I read. If only I could visit the Pump Room myself. I long to taste the disgusting waters with all their healing properties. The countryside surrounding the town depicts everything good and happy in the world. When Rachel and Arleigh rode through the surrounding fields, I laughed with delight. Their wild abandon made for a happy reader.
Though, I must admit that I cried the ugliest of tears during large portions of this book. Arleigh’s personality change, coupled with Rachel’s stubbornness, made me sob. I mean, right to the pit of my soul, I cried for them. The hopeless feeling overwhelmed me, but by then, I was too invested. I couldn’t stop reading. But I wanted to. I needed to stop many times, but I powered through and came out the other side with a smile.
I did have a bit of a hard time with this novel. This book is the second in a series, and I could tell it. There is so much backstory in the first book and another book that is not part of the series. Reading these novels would make this volume a bit clearer. I wouldn’t suggest it as a standalone book. I might feel differently about Rebecca had I read her story. Caro’s story seems wonderful. But this book left me wondering about too many things, which drew me out of the story many times.
I award A Dangerous Deal 4 out of 5 stars. The story is spectacular and pulls you in right away. Even with my complaints, the emotional pull of Rachel and Arleigh made reading well worth my time. I encourage everyone to give this book a try, with the warning that you may wish to read the other two novels first.
About the Author – Philippa Jane Keyworth
Philippa Jane Keyworth, also known as P. J. Keyworth, writes historical romance and fantasy novels you’ll want to get escape into.
She loves strong heroines, challenging heroes and backdrops that read like you’re watching a movie. She creates complex, believable characters you want to get to know and worlds that are as dramatic as they are beautiful.
Keyworth’s historical romance novels include Regency and Georgian romances that trace the steps of indomitable heroes and heroines through historic British streets. From London’s glittering ballrooms to its dark gaming hells, characters experience the hopes and joys of love while avoiding a coil or too! Travel with them through London, Bath, Cornwall and beyond and you’ll find yourself falling in love.
Keyworth’s fantasy series The She Trilogy unveils a world of nomadic warrior tribes and peaceful forest-dwelling folk. Explore the hills, deserts and cities of Emrilion and the history that is woven through them. With so many different races in the same kingdom it’s become a melting pot of drama and intrigue where the ultimate struggle between good and evil will bring it all to the brink of destruction.
Author’s Contact Links: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Amazon
Thank you so much for taking part in the tour today and for this review! Wow x
My pleasure Zoe. ?❤️
I love historical fiction with strong female lead characters. This series sounds so good. I’m having the same problem with a book I’m reading now. It’s the second in a series, and it’s so confusing for me as I didn’t read the first.
Yes. I’ve been very lucky lately to get books from a series that did work as standalone, but this one really doesn’t.