GENRE: Fiction/Historical Romance
SETTING: England, 1817
MY GRADE: C
SYNOPSIS: Scarlett Wynn's tragic childhood taught her that life can be cruel to women with little power. So when a local seamstress disappears, Scarlett vows to find out why. Armed with a weapon and her courage, Scarlett scours London for clues—and crosses the unlikely path of Ambrose Cross, the Duke of Aylesford, at an unlikely place: an upscale brothel. The Duke is trying to solve a mystery of his own, and Scarlett is sure they can help each other—if she can resist the attraction that draws them together...
As Duke, Ambrose is duty-bound to protect his family name from scandal, no matter the cost. But Scarlett's fearless spirit forces him to look beyond his world of privilege. Scarlett is as intoxicating as she is dangerous, igniting a fire in him like no other. But when the pair learn both mysteries they're trying to solve are tied to a string of missing women, the tangled scheme they uncover may put their lives, and their growing love, in mortal danger—and lead them to search their hearts like never before...
As Duke, Ambrose is duty-bound to protect his family name from scandal, no matter the cost. But Scarlett's fearless spirit forces him to look beyond his world of privilege. Scarlett is as intoxicating as she is dangerous, igniting a fire in him like no other. But when the pair learn both mysteries they're trying to solve are tied to a string of missing women, the tangled scheme they uncover may put their lives, and their growing love, in mortal danger—and lead them to search their hearts like never before...
MY THOUGHTS: What started out as 4 stars turned into a 3-star read. The mystery was the only thing interesting but even that turned very dull. Scarlett's out to find out what happened to her missing friend and seamstress/prostitute Linie/Daisy. In the process she meets twenty-eight-year-old Ambrose at a brothel called The Scarlet Rose while he's there to see his younger brother Martin, who frequents the place. Ambrose is trying to find out who's been lending Martin money.
Both main characters were severely underdeveloped, as was their quick-blooming relationship, which was very surface. One knows nothing about the other. I didn't feel any chemistry between them despite two sex scenes, the first of which felt out of place and too soon. Both characters were very bland to me.
Other than the time period, Regency, being given, the exact year wasn't until the last few pages, 1817. The timespan felt like just a few days but I guess it was longer than that. Scarlett's age was given, sort of, by saying she'd been on her own for almost twenty years and that at "barely" five years old she'd stopped wishing on stars. I assume that's when her prostitute mother was murdered by a lover, and I assume Scarlett's 24 but the author couldn't tell us outright.
I think this book failed (me) because of it being too condensed at only 250 pages and just not good writing. The subject matter is very dark (dead body washing ashore, missing brothel workers, possible abuse in a room in the brothel, sex trafficking) but it just wasn't handled well.
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