Anne Gracie - The Perfect Waltz

He came in search of a convenient bride...
London's Ball of the Season is hardly the milieu for society black sheep Sebastian Reyne. But his younger sisters are in desperate need of care, and Sebastian is seeking a practical, down-to-earth wife. What he doesn't need is an effervescent sprite like Hope Merridew, a dazzling beauty and the darling of the ton.
...and found love instead.
Who was that mysterious man who devoured Hope Merridew with his eyes? Rumored to be dangerous and with a mysterious family heritage, the secretive Sebastian proves absolutely seductive to such an impetuous young lady. But was he really the one to make her dream of dancing the perfect waltz with the perfect man come true? Who'd imagine that one dance could ignite a passion so strong that it would seduce all into a delicious intrigue of sensuality and desire?

Comment: In January I've read the first installment in this Merridew Sisters series and liked it enough to keep going with the other books, thus why I've picked this one now.

In this second book we have the story of Hope, one of the twins. Hope is a bubbly, happy young woman despite the sadness in her childhood and of her sisters. She is now embracing life as best as she can and that includes dancing at balls and be as positive in life as she is able. It's at a ball that she meets Sebastian Reyne, a man others warn her about because he is in trade. But from that very first moment, she is smitten and he seems to feel the same which means thy could be a good match. However, Sebastian has his two young sisters to worry about and he believes finding a wife who is more practical should benefit them all, and he has his sight on someone else... but will he be able to let go of happiness?

These types of romance, where so many unlikely situations are presented as key to the future happiness of the couples should be seen as really superficial but the truth is they are also entertaining and sometimes, in a world of so much horror, reading sweet romances can be a relief. Perhaps this isn't the best writing out there, but it did offer a pleasant experience.

Hope Merridew is one of the twins, sister to Prudence from book #1, whose plot I thought was a bit over the top. This time, things aren't as confusing and Hope is a sweet young woman without many worries except finding a goof husband. The hero, Sebastian, is looking for a wife to help him with his sisters, whom he "rescued" recently from an orphanage, and he thinks a practical, quiet woman will be the best choice. He feels attracted to Hope, but thinks she isn't mature enough to know how to deal with the issues his sisters went through.

While this is ongoing, Sebastian's friend Giles is there to help him blend in with society and he sometimes has words with miss Elinor, the woman Sebastian claims would be the perfect wife. It's not that surprising to say Giles and Elinor, in a very secondary level, will become a match, and I also found that to be sweet on its own. It also helps that Elinor is a kind and vulnerable woman beneath all her more stoic and aloof manners. I'm mentioning this because the story has several layers and while it's not that complex, it was still fun to have several details to think of as in a bigger scheme.

As for Sebastian and Hope, they start off slowly and their relationship seems to hit all the obstacles we would find in an historical romance, but the interactions with others and with his sisters in particular, offer all the development necessary for things to progress. I never got the impression their romance was one of those larger than life things, especially since the focus is on their surroundings and notions of what they are dealing with, and not on the romance alone. I didn't mind this because I thought the situations they were dealing with were more interesting than them as a couple.

I liked Hope because she is likable, friendly and sweet but she had a bad childhood and this means she can hide her past under a congenial attitude. It was a good expectation to see how Sebastian would react to learn about what she went through but to be fair, this didn't have the kind of impact in the lot that I had imagined. Sebastian's back story was actually little more interesting, but this happened, perhaps, because we already had the background on the Merridew sisters in the first book.

I think the author lightly addressed interesting themes here, namely the way orphanages (mostly the girls') were managed, what it meant for some girls to be in one... but, of course, this is mainly a romance so the less good aspects were not as highlighted as they could, I bet. It does give food for thought, which is something I like in any book, even if it's a romance novel.

All things considered, this was a cute story, had all the necessary ingredients to make this a good read if someone appreciates the genre, but the author could have gone further. Still, perhaps the result was better for me than int eh previous book, which I think went too far. Ah, a reader is never fully happy!

Grade: 8/10