Sydney Jane Baily

THE REVIEW
Lady Purity Diamond is a Diamond of the First Water. She is a proper, rule following young woman, who does not allow any improprieties occur in her world. She is determined to find a proper, decent man to be her husband.

Lord Matthew Foxford is a rake and a libertine. But he is determined this season to find a wife and a mother for his daughter.

When Foxford stumbled upon Purity alone at a ball, he mistakes her for his liaison and the passionate kiss they share sparks something neither expected! Purity is mortified, whereas Foxford is determined to have her. In order to spend more time with her and attempt to win her over, he decides to ask her to teach him how to behave properly so he can attract a wife. But, of course, the time spent together softens Purity towards him and his past and Foxford finds himself no longer simply lusting after her, but wanting her for his Baroness!

When they are caught in a compromising position, Fox offers for her and they become engaged. But, even now that he has won her hand, the real trouble begins.
The beginning of the story was interesting bit a little slow to get going. And just when it started to pick up and get interesting when they got engaged, Purity’s jealousy and doubts about Fox dampened the romance for me. It was like a douse of cold water on any heat that was starting to stir. Overall, it was an enjoyable ready, but I was ready to be done and move on to a more attention-grabbing read!

TROPES
Historical Romance, Victorian Era, Ton Society, Gamma Hero, Rake Hero, Single Dad Hero, Titled Hero, Musician Heroine, Proper Heroine, Virgin Heroine, Outdoor Steam, Married in Scandal, Hero Falls Hard, Opposites Attract, Three Star, Two Steam… (more)

I soooo wanted to love this, but to be quite honest, I did not find either of the protagonists terribly likable. Owen was so arrogant and unreasonable and hotheaded that I had a hard time viewing him as the hero. He was so completely convinced of Smythe's guilt based on circumstantial evidence that it made him seem kind of stupid to me, and add to that his willingness to see Adelia's brother hanged and completely ruin her life while claiming to care for her... I just had a hard time liking him. AND he makes a habit of ruining debutantes, and he feels justified because they expect marriage?? What an ass. Then, we have Adelia. There are definitely things I like about her - as an abused, disabled wallflower, she's right up my alley - but her seemingly blasé attitude towards her virginity, and with the man who utterly betrayed her and her family no less, cut the heart out of the angst. I would have loved a nice "hero betrays heroine, she is devastated, he eventually has to grovel" tale, but this is just two people who want to bone and basically ignore all the things that SHOULD be obstacles to their romance. There are occasional statements like "it seemed preposterous to love/want to spend time with the man who had her brother thrown in jail/the woman whose brother murdered his sister" in lieu of any any actual inner turmoil. By the end, the heroine’s sheer idiocy was too much for me. I get that she is shy and naive, but her obliviousness to the OBVIOUS VILLAIN made me exclaim “oh come on!” a couple of times. Of course I figured out he was the bad guy early on, but I was looking for a solution to the mystery (which I overall enjoyed), so I gave her the benefit of the doubt for a while. But when Adelia gets in the carriage with him, I threw up my hands. She even accompanies him TO THE SITE OF THE MURDER AND UPSTAIRS TO THE ROOM, just all “shrug, my brother trusts him, la dee da.” And then immediately forgives Owen with zero groveling. Not that he even asks for forgiveness really, he’s just like “we’re getting married now.” There is a nice protective hero moment when he discovers her father’s abuse, but it wasn’t enough to make up for the absurd behavior on both their parts. I was also a bit disappointed that Adelia is more a spinster-by-choice; while she’s absolutely a wallflower, I’m not putting her on that shelf because she’s beautiful and is just trying to avoid being seen (though I’m not certain why, exactly). Added points for steam, but then loses some for seemingly casting Uncle Tom’s Cabin in a positive light. Still, I would read more by the author if it caters to my favorite tropes.… (more)