Dauntless

The first two books of The Shaws were excellent, but DAUNTLESS is in a class of its own! The theft of Drusilla Shaw’s manuscript has unimaginable consequences that she could not have foreseen in her worst nightmares. What started out as a private outlet for her creativity turns out to be disastrous on several fronts, as Dru’s life slowly unravels. Lynne Connolly has written an exceptionally compelling story, masterfully crafted, with so many twists and turns, and characters of such astounding complexity, my mind is still reeling. I don’t think there is one single thing that happened how I expected to, and best of all, it all made sense, which makes the whole thing even more chilling. Fear not, the romance is very present, and a fantastic romance it is. Dru and Oliver are wonderful, and as a couple they grow stronger through adversity. DAUNTLESS is such an amazing book, I fear I don’t quite have the words to express myself coherently! Ms. Connolly’s writing and historical exactitude is as exemplary as ever, and her descriptions of Georgian London are mind-boggling in their clarity. DAUNTLESS is an extraordinary book, not to be missed!

A story with touches of gothic suspense, mystery and secrets that will keep you glued to the page! Lady Drusilla Shaw was not an outgoing person. She had a wonderful imagination and used that to writes stories with some truths but mostly imagination. She longed to find a hero as she read and writes about in her books and felt she never would. Well as fate would have it, Oliver, Duke of Mountsorrel was that man. Pushed by his mother to find a wife and marry, he found Dru, although from not the best of families, he was certainly attracted to her. They soon become engaged because the spark was definitely there. But as luck would have it, her current manuscript (that she had used Oliver and his brother as the hero and villain of her tale) was stolen and then published. The suspense and mystery comes into play when someone is trying to recreate some of the more harrowing scenes and puts Dru in danger. Can they find out who is behind all the strange things that start happening? The author does a wonderful job of keeping the reader guessing and really enjoying the characters!

Lady Drusilla Shaw may be a bit introverted, yet she has the observant mind of a writer, capturing all of society’s quirks and scandals. But when the novel she’s been working on disappears from her room, that is just the beginning of her problems. Confident, magnetic Oliver, Duke of Mountsorrel, has taken an interest in Dru, and when he proposes, she is both thrilled and anxious. Her book depicts a ruinous family story that is uncannily similar to Oliver’s real-life, not to mention libellous. The manuscript could surface at any moment and eventually it does, in published form, for all to read. Oliver is bewildered by his new wife and her blasted book. This is the third book in the series & whilst it could be read as a standalone book to fully appreciate it I’d recommend reading the earlier books & also The Emperors of London series. The author’s attention to detail is second to none & she makes the era come alive. The pace is very good & the story flows effortlessly, I was drawn into the book from the beginning & was engrossed all the way through. The characters are well drawn & have plenty of depth. Oliver & Dru were very likeable & their attraction was there from the start. There are misunderstandings, secrets & ‘accidents' that all work to derail the romance. I look forward to more in the series My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read