⭐⭐⭐⭐ Was I hooked by that book? Yes. It is a sweet friends-to-lovers romance that will tug at your heartstrings in more ways than one.

Leah Webster left her home in Marrywell five years ago to get away from her abusive mother. After her first employer passed away, she moved on to become the companion to Lady Norcott’s great-niece, Genevieve. Genevieve’s mother, Mrs. Selkirk, treated Leah with an offhanded deference and made it clear that her services would be terminated after Genevieve got married. Leah convinced the Selkirks to accompany her to Marrywell under the guise of finding a suitable match for Genevieve. She was most excited to see her childhood friend, Phin. Phin was struggling to keep his family’s botanical gardens in tip-top shape and decided to court Genevieve, since she came with a large dowry.

MY THOUGHTS

It was very clear right from the start that Phin and Leah used to be great friends and both were devastated in their own way when Leah left. Leah had always carried a torch for Phin and even though she had no expectations in that direction from him, there was a part of her that kept hoping they might end up together. Phin was a bit slower on the uptake and he spent a lot of time and effort to woo Genevieve. His adult feelings for Leah were very different from when they were childhood friends, and kept intruding on his courtship of Genevieve. When he realized that Genevieve wouldn’t suit him at all, he directed all his attention to Leah. The transition from friendship to love was so natural.

Mrs. Selkirk wasn’t an obvious villain. Her digs at Leah seemed more small-minded than particularly nefarious. It was easy to see her as a bitter woman, but also as a mother who wanted the best for her child, even if she went about it a bit ham-fisted. I liked Leah and Phin and they fit together perfectly.

Romancing the Heiress is part of a series collaboration between Darcy Burke and Erica Ridley. I can recommend this book and the rest of the series if you like historical romance.

Thank you to the author and 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
Sensuality Rating: Warm
Series: Lords in Love
Other books in the series: Beguiling the Duke, Taming the Rake