New York heiress Marjorie McGann wants a London season and a titled husband who can help her spend the Yankee millions she's inherited, and she thinks her new British guardian is the perfect person to help her find him. But Jonathan has no intention of letting his friend's fortune be squandered. Under his watchful, protective eye, Marjorie finds romance hard to come by...until one fateful night when her own guardian's devastating kisses makes her wonder if the greatest romance of all might be right in front of her.
Comment: This is the 4th installment in the Dear Lady Truelove series and although there is no Truelove letters in sight, the protagonist is the brother of the women who have been in charge of the newspaper which features the column with Lady Truelove's advices.
In this story we have the focus on the guardian/ward trope and it's finally possible to get to know the brother of Irene and Clara, the protagonists in the first two books.
Jonathan Deverill has had a row with his father and he has gone away to find his own path, abandoning England. He has made his way into America where he found a great friend who, after years of friendship and working together in the same business and an illness, has asked Jonathan to take care of his daughter. Jonathan expected a young child but who he finds is Marjorie, a young woman who is much more attractive than he can forget.
Marjorie has been in the same academy for girls all her life and she is eager for a change and freedom to travel to England like some of her friends have done. She wants to get married and have the life she has dreamed of but her new guardian has other plans. Marjorie, however, won't let herself be left behind...
Well, the previous books in the series were cute, enjoyable, a little silly in some situations but with interesting emotional notions sprinkled here and there.
I must say this was nothing like the others in any of these aspects and, to be honest, it was not that great to read. I can see why it would appeal but to me, personally, it just didn't work out completely.
I'd say the biggest issue I found and that has influenced my appreciation was the idea of the story itself. I think the author could have used the same trope, the same main themes but had the story been planned differently, it might have gained a lot from it.
That Marjorie wanted a different life, wanted to experience another type of life, I can understand. But I really struggled to understand and to find positive elements in her decision to deceive Jonathan and follow him to England. I think there would still be good reasons for her to travel there anyway without having to play a prank on Jonathan.
Saying this, it feels like I liked Jonathan better but the reality is that he wasn't a great protagonist either. I can understand his reasons to be distant, to not want to be responsible for Marjorie but he wasn't understandable and didn't deal with the situation in an adult way.
Then they are traveling by ship, of course that propels more butting heads but while this could have been used to make the reader feel the intensity of their attraction and why they should suit, I think the opposite happened and I admit I was a bit bored by how their relationship developed.
Things progressed a bit better after they arrived in England and the we had the secondary characters who I was looking for to see interacting with the protagonists. Some scenes were cute, there is also the attempt to give some emotional depth to the wat both of them have lived their lives so far by allowing them to bear their souls and apparently they fall in love.
I was not convinced of that and along with the lack of path Jonathan revealed and Marjorie's desire for freedom but not wanting to comply with the way things worked nor the advices of those who had more experience in society than her, I was just indifferent to how the story progressed.
I think there a few details that make this a good enough book but the way the plot developed, the character's personality and (in my opinion) their lack of chemistry just made this into a disappointing book, especially after having enjoyed the others so much.
I wouldn't say I'd recommend this book, not for the trope, nor for someone looking for to "discover" the author.
Grade: 5/10
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