–Synopsis–

Sleep. Something Henry longs for yet cannot seem to attain. It had never been the case before, but since his younger sister Louisa has been out in society, he is plagued by nightmares of failure. And to top it all off, an old acquaintance has asked for his assistance in watching out for another young lady during her first season. He should say no. But his good nature will not allow it.

Soon after arriving in town, Violet discovers that her brother-in-law has arranged for another man to keep an eye on her. Though initially embarrassed by the revelation, when Violet sees how much Lord Wood does for others, and not for himself, she decides to help him instead. A rumor or two could aid the cause in his search for a lady. Only, Lord Wood does not know of her secret scheme, and would likely not approve of her methods if he did.

But what happens when they gain feelings for the one they are supposed to be helping?

-Review–

This third installment of this wonderful series follows the perspectives of Violet Hall and Henry Wood. Violet is the younger sister of Bridget who married Archie in the previous book, while Henry is one of the suitors from the first book who was originally after Clara. There are a couple of awkward moments due to his previous interest that I thought added some character for Henry.

The background was lovely as usual. One of the newer places we get to explore is the Wood estate. Henry is the man of the house, so we see some of the behind the scenes when it comes to the everyday upkeep, and preparation for social gatherings at his residence. He lives there with his mother and sister Louisa, of whom was one of the more prominent side characters in this story. Besides their estate, we see more of the town, along with the humble abode Violet was staying along with her parents during her first season in London.

One of the aspects that was not my favorite was the scheme Louisa and Violet concoct in order to find Henry a match. While they had good intentions, their plans end up getting people hurt both physically and socially. I am not a fan of the rumor mill, particularly of this time period so I was not a fan of the ladies using gossip to their advantage. The cleverness they showed was overshadowed by the mar in their characters for me a bit.

Both couples from the previous books make appearances, with Archie and Bridget being more prominent characters. As always, I enjoy catching up with them as the series progresses. It adds a lovely sense of familiarity.

Violet being the social butterfly of the Hall sisters, was more than ready for her first social season. It was due to this excitement that causes her brother-in-law to initially make the deal with Henry to keep an eye on her. While she is not as exuberant as Archie, she does not shy away from social gatherings and causing some mischievousness of her own. While she may not think her decisions through fully at times, she was ultimately doing it for the benefit of others, at least that is what she believes. When she realizes the error of her ways, she was quick to try to make amends which saved her character for me by the end.

Lord Henry Wood has been a suitor for a number of years at this point. As mentioned, he attempted to get close to Clara but ultimately lost out. I was glad to see him make a reappearance as he was always a respectful gentleman. This respectfulness is what leads him to accept his role in making sure Violet conducts herself in an acceptable manner, as well as keeping her away from unsavory rakes. Throughout his mission, he is plagued by sleepless nights due to the overwhelming responsibility of running an estate and making sure his own younger sister finds a suitable match. This overwhelming exhaustion paired with his hesitancy to reach out for help, causes some dramatic scenes to occur as his relationship with Violet evolves.

The romance between Violet and Henry was pretty slow-paced with an almost instant attraction between the two. Due to the scheme however, it is assumed that they are off limits, giving time for their friendship to bloom. There is innocent touching throughout that adds some nice tension between them that ultimately pays off. As their true feelings begin to become undeniable, their understanding of each other deepens, building their relationship on solid ground.

All in all, this was a great continuation of the ‘Improper Agreements’ series. The next, and final book follows the love story of Henry’s sister Louisa as she does not feel as though she will ever be interested in marriage. I am planning on reading that next, drawing an end to yet another of my favorite series on this blogging journey.

-About the Author-

Audra is a stay-at-home mom who woke up one day and decided to put pen to paper (or more accurately, fingers to keys). She strives to write closed-door, historical romances that still contain a lot of angst that draw you into the characters and their story. She attempts to cram in writing in between snack breaks, dishes, laundry, and many questions from the tiny humans she is busy raising. So, so many questions.

So please, sit back, relax, and dive into one of her sweet stories today!

You can also find her on Instagram at @authoraudrawells