Synopsis

Timothy Mayfield is ready to marry for love, but, since his personal finances are thinner than he’d like, he knows he’ll also need to find a wife with wealth. After receiving an unexpected inheritance, Timothy’s circumstances change, and he is free to pursue his “perfect woman”—one with blonde hair, blue eyes, a light laugh, arched eyebrows, elegant fingers, and a dazzling smile, among nearly twenty other characteristics.

Maryann Morrington doesn’t match anything on Timothy’s list—except for wealth. An heiress in her own right, she is tired of men pursuing her only for her money. But at nearly twenty-two years old, and not a particularly stunning beauty, she can’t be as picky as her friend Timothy is.

The two friends end up playing matchmaker for each other. Timothy will find a decent gentleman for Maryann, and Maryann will prove to Timothy that his “perfect woman” doesn’t exist.

Until Miss Shaw comes to London.

Now, with Timothy’s heart captivated by the blonde, blue-eyed beauty, Maryann must decide if she should risk her heart and reveal her true feelings for her friend, or if she should settle for someone else. It’s an up-and-down game of “he loves me, he loves me not” with both hearts and friendship on the line.

Review

What a delightful followup to Promises and Primrose.  While this book is a stand alone book, you will find a few of the characters from the first book intermingled in this book.

Love could be hard to find especially if you aren’t sure what you are looking for in a potential spouse…OR your ideas were so off base and crazy that it kept you from realizing what is right in front of you.  This was Timothy’s case.  He has this long list of characteristics that he thinks he wants in a spouse until he meets that perfect woman and realizes that just maybe his dream woman comes in another form.

Maryann is a bit older than the other debutantes and has the luxury of not having to settle for just any man that comes her way that doesn’t appreciate or love her for her.  She is very grounded and that helps her in seeking out a potential suitor.  She is even clever enough to have her maid, Lucy, snoop around and find out information about those suitors – are they who they portray to her?  Lucy is on the case and find out things for Maryann that she may not have learned otherwise and it helps her in a few situations.

This was a delightful read.  I enjoyed all of the characters and their interactions with one another.  Donna the protective older sister, and Uncle Elliott who has the answer to Timothy’s marriage issues are two that stand out to me.  Times were very different during that time period and what men and women went through to find the right match might make your head spin, especially since the women had to have a chaperone!  Despite all that, Timothy and Maryann form a friendship that is the foundation for so much more if Timothy would open his eyes.  My heart broke a little for Maryann when a certain gentleman wasn’t who he portrayed himself to be to her.  What a cad!  But as the story unfolded, both Timothy and Maryann realized that sometimes the heart knows what it wants and won’t settle for less.

If you are in the mood for a historical romance, this is a good choice!  We give it 5 paws up.

About the Author

Josi S. Kilpack hated to read until her mother handed her a copy of The Witch of Blackbird Pond when she was 13. From that day forward, she read everything she could get her hands on and credits her writing “education” to the many novels she has “studied” since then. She began writing her first novel in 1998 and never stopped. Sheep’s Clothing won the Whitney award for Mystery/Suspense in 2007 and Wedding Cake, book twelve in the Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Mystery series won in 2014. Josi was also the Best of State winner in Fiction for 2012. Josi currently lives in Willard, Utah, with her husband, children and super-cute – but not very friendly – cat.

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