⭐⭐⭐⭐ Was I hooked by that book? Yes. A “haunted” house, potential inheritance, and a desperately needed family reunion (or two) brought two stubborn novelists together in this twisty, steamy historical romance.

Celebrated authoress Lady Georgiana Cleeve has achieved fame and fortune. Unfortunately, she’s also acquired the enigmatic Lady Darling, whose spine-tingling plots appear to be pulled straight from Georgiana’s own manuscripts. What’s a stubborn, steely writer to do? Unmask her rival, of course. But unmasking doesn’t go according to plan—because Lady Darling is actually Cat Lacey, the butler’s daughter and object of Georgiana’s very secret, very embarrassing teenage infatuation.

Cat Lacey has spent a decade clawing her family out of poverty. The last thing she needs is to be distracted by the stunning(ly pretentious) Lady Georgiana Cleeve. But Cat can’t seem to escape her infuriatingly beautiful rival—including at the eerie manor where they both plan to set their next books. The plot unexpectedly thickens, however, when the novelists find themselves trapped in the manor together. In between ghostly moans and spectral staff, Cat and Georgiana come face-to-face with real the scorching passion that’s been haunting their rivalry all along.

MY THOUGHTS

The tone of this book was very different from the previous books in this series. More serious. It came with deep emotional pain and growth. Georgiana and Cat battled their own demons, though Georgie seemed to have a harder time of it. I loved both of these women so much. They made the best of their respective circumstances, while each carrying an immense mental burden.

Georgie and Cat had been secretly crushing on each other since they were teenagers and the attraction between them was clear and strong. My favourite phrase was every time Cat called her “Georgie mine”. Georgiana’s struggles were palpable and heartbreaking.

The action picked up speed and intensity towards the end and led us to a thrilling conclusion. Georgie and Cat got their sweet happy ending and it was perfect for them. I just wished there more scenes of their novel writing.

I can highly recommend this if you like an FF romance in a historical setting with plenty of exciting action and drama. It’s not necessary to read the books in the series in order.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher 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: September 23, 2025
Sensuality Rating: Warm
Series: Book 3 of Belvoir’s Library Trilogy
Other books in the series: Ne’er Duke Well, Earl Crush