One Night in London by Caroline Linden

Lord Edward de Laceys world is thrown for a huge loop following the death of his father.  Edward and his two brothers are shocked to find out that their father has hidden a secret their entire lives and now it threatens to take away everything they know.  Edward confesses the truth to his fiancee one night and is shocked and hurt to see it in the tabloids the next day along with an end to their engagement.  Edward is at a crossroads of his life and is not quite sure what to do when in sweeps a most fascinating woman with a bold tongue.

Lady Francesca Gordon believes she has finally found a solicitor who will help her gain custody of her niece, who is currently living with her late sisters husbands (now deceased as well) new wife.  She was told by her sisters husband that he would update the guardianship of his daughter but he passed away before he could and now the new wife refuses to let the girl go.  Francesca is shocked and angered when suddenly her solicitor has to decline her case and she decides to follow him and find out why.  After all, she has tried almost all other reputable solicitors in London and he was the only one that believed in her case.  She discovers that he has been hired by Edward and when new circumstances come to light about her niece, Francesca and her Italian temper barge into Edwards life.  When Francesca proposes a plan to help ease some of the brunt of the scandal, Edward accepts and their lives are never the same again.

This was truly a delightful book that had me wanting to keep turning the pages to see what would happen next. There are two mysteries of sorts happening.  The first is involving Edwards late father and there is not much resolved with that aspect in this book and I expect more to be revealed in the next book, Blame It on Bath: The Truth About the Duke and the concluding book.  But this story really revolves around Francescas resolve to get her niece back and oh, the ending of this situation was not something I saw coming.  It was very heartbreakingly sad and happy at the same time.  There are wonderful lead characters in this book!  I loved Francesca...shes bold, feisty, cares not much for society (as she is a widow) and just the person to breathe life into Edward.  Edward is quite the opposite of Francesca, coming off a bit more dull and quiet and restrained.  The opposite of Francesca.  So, you can imagine the hot hot fireworks that explode when these two finally acknowledge their feelings for each other.  There was a small hiccup at the end that thankfully went away very quickly and all in all, I was very happy with this book!  I would have liked the proposal scene to be a bit different, I was kind of hoping Francesca would have had a bit different role in that but still, very sweet and it left a smile on my face.  Oh, and its a cliffhanger type ending...it leaves you wanting to grab the next book now...not in six months!  I very much enjoyed the prequel to this book, I Love the Earl, and I look forward to more delightful novels from Caroline Linden!  If you are looking for a sexy tale with a bold heroine and the quiet hero that falls hard for her with a dash of intrigue and heartbreak, grab this one!  4 stars  


I received this book from the publisher via netgalley.com


Prequel short story featuring Edwards father and his sister:

Book Two: Blame It on Bath: The Truth About the Duke  Feb 28, 2012
Book Three ??  Release date ??