⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Was I hooked by that book? Yes. An outlandish set of circumstances brought Theo and Bianca together and proximity and the threat of danger took care of the rest of their feeble resistance.
Twenty-one days. A measly three weeks. That’s all the time Bianca Featherswallow is allowed to convince Theo Filliol to marry her. If she doesn’t marry in three weeks, Bianca will once again be prey to fortune hunters who are eager to abduct her for her dowry. Theo was hired as her protector, and somehow she needs to convince the man to consider her for his wife. If only he wasn’t so attractive. How is she supposed to woo him when she’s tongue-tied and her heart thunders every time he’s near?
Theophile Filliol, younger son of an earl, doesn’t think he can protect anyone—least of all an heiress. He’s literally been gambling and drinking for weeks to forget the failures of his past. Considering the debt he’s racked up, he can’t ignore Mrs. Dove-Lyon’s orders to play bodyguard to Bianca Featherswallow. At least the Black Widow isn’t trying to marry him off. The lovely Bianca would make any man a happy groom, but Theo isn’t the kind of man she needs.
MY THOUGHTS
I had a lot of thoughts running through my brain after reading the first few pages. What on earth was happening? How big was this woman’s dowry? What was wrong with her sister? Well, never fear, all these questions were answered, eventually. It was a lot of fun piecing together the puzzle that was Bianca and her enormous fortune.
It was easy to peg Bianca as a pushover initially, but she certainly stood her ground when dealing with Theo. I enjoyed the humorous writing style, especially Theo’s clever quips and inner thoughts and Bianca’s ineffectual efforts at flirting. They had great chemistry and Theo turned out to be a true hero.
I loved everything about this story and can highly recommend it if you like a steamy historical romance novella. This book is part of The Lyon’s Den Connected World, but each book stands perfectly well on its own.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Were you hooked by that book? Let me know in the comments below.
Genre: Historical Romance
Published: February 12, 2025
Sensuality Rating: Warm
Tropes: Regency Romance, Forced Proximity, Wounded Hero, Novella
