Lady Alexandra's Excellent Adventure by Sophie Barnes

Michael Ashford, Earl of Trenton, has no clue how fast his life is going to be turned upside down when he has to go retrieve a possible traitor, William.  As Michael has never met William before in his duties with the Foreign Office, he agrees that William's 'brothers' should accompany him to correctly identify William.  Michael believes these two brothers will just be in his way and really pays them little mind.  He does find it odd that Alex needs to constantly wear a scarf to cover a disfigurement but again, pays it little mind.  The shock of finding out that Alex is truly Lady Alexandra, renowned swordswoman, angers Michael.  But after the anger of being betrayed recedes, a deep admiration for this spirited hoyden grows until he knows that Alex is the only woman for him.  Convincing a marriage scared Alex is a whole other matter though...

After her mothers death when she was a young girl and watching her father fall to pieces without his partner anymore has turned Alexandra into the daring woman she is today, but not without cost.  She can best her brothers at swords easily and would rather wear breeches than a ball gown and once her father came out of his deep grief, he thankfully encouraged her and had her train with the best.  She is determined to prove her brother Williams innocence and will not get hanged up on the man set out to see him accused.  Besides, she has no intention of ever marrying and having her love die and leave her alone and saddened by grief.  But as life throws Michael and Alexandra together through some delightful occurrences (the duel, yes a real duel, between them is quite fun!), Alex keeps Michael at arms length until it is too late.  Alexandra must decide if true love is worth the risk after all.

This was another delightful novel from Sophie Barnes!  I really enjoyed how Alexandra was encouraged to follow her desires to wield a sword and fight by her father and her brothers.  She was not forced to be a 'proper' lady but underneath all her hoyden ways, she is still a woman longing for love and scared to accept it when she finds it.  I also enjoyed her reasons for not wanting to marry--she had a wonderful example from her parents but the thought of enduring the sadness that her father suffered when her mother passed too soon, really shaped her views on love and marriage.  Her relationship with her two brothers, William and Ryan, was great and leads to some fun interactions!  Michael is a perfect balance to her and adds a sense of calm and is one of the only people that can actually best Alex at a few things!  He knows fairly quickly that Alex is the only woman for him but convincing Alex of that proves to be more of a challenge than he thought.  I did feel that our couple fell for each other fairly quickly but it then took awhile for them to finally say their true feelings for each.  And when they finally do, Alexandra's temper almost gets the best of her :)  Overall, this is a fun, light, sexy read that has just enough intrigue to add some weight to the story.  I started laughing fairly early on and I kept smiling throughout the whole book.  I am really looking forward to William and Ryan's stories!  4 stars

I received this eARC from Avon Impulse via edelweiss.com

Summersby Tale series
Two more books to come in November, yay!