Lord Hunter's Cinderella Heiress

Lord Hunter’s Cinderella Heiress is the first book in author Lara Temple's Wild Lords and Innocent Ladies Series. This is the second book I've had the pleasure of reading from Ms. Temple and it blew me away! So much more in this story than you might anticipate with the title. Gabriel, Lord Hunter and Nell (Helen) first meet when Nell is seventeen and Hunter comes to buy a horse from Nell's father. Hunter witnesses Nell's aunt bully and abuse her in front of guests and her father does nothing to stop it. The next day Nell leaves her family home and goes back to school. Our story picks up 4 years later. We learn that Hunter made a deal with Nell's father 4 years ago and the two of them are engaged. Nell who was not aware of this agreement is now an heiress and decides to confront Hunter. I absolutely loved this story! Hunter and Nell were both loveable characters who have suffered greatly in their lives. Both have a love for horses and I liked how that was woven within the story. Lara did an excellent job of writing their story and giving us a wonderful and well deserved HEA. Hunter's friends, Lord Ravenscar and Lord Stanton are featured in the next books in this series and I can't wait to read their stories!

LORD HUNTER’S CINDERELLA HEIRESS is everything I love about historical romance and why I read historical romance! Nell Tilney has finally reached the age of majority, she can claim her inheritance, and be rid once and for all of her weak father and her harpy of an aunt, Just arrived in London from school in Keswick, Nell finds the Tilney home deserted, but she remembers that Lord Hunter lives nearby, and late in the evening, Hunter is shocked to see Nell at his door. Nell and Hunter had met once four years before, at a family dinner when she had the courage to stand up to her aunt. Hunter and Nell’s father had a business meeting to reach an agreement regarding the water rights for their country estates. An agreement was reached, only Nell was never told that it was to marry Hunter upon her reaching the ripe old age of 21! Forget the somewhat cheesy title, and lose yourself in this spectacular and grandiose romance! Hunter is an apologetically charming rake with a secret, he had taken pity on Nell seeing how her aunt and father neglected her, and he admired her show of temper and her love of horses. He likes her and he will help her; Hunter thought he would get himself an accommodating wife and pursue his life as if nothing much had changed, but Nell has grown more sure of herself and now that she has her own money, no one will dictate her how to live anymore. Nell is exactly the type of heroine I wished we saw more often: she is strong, determined, and as independent as a woman could be in 1820; she is also extremely perceptive, kind and generous, but not blind to the ways of the world, or of Hunter’s, for that matter. Nell is so devoid of artifices that she leaves Hunter utterly discombobulated. LORD HUNTER’S CINDERELLA HEIRESS is a character study as nuanced as the paintings from the Masters, and is positively enthralling because of Ms. Temple’s superb storytelling skills, her gloriously evocative descriptions and her knowledge of horses. Ms. Temple’s mastery of the English language is such that the transition between the narrative and the dialogues is absolutely seamless. It would be difficult to mention highlights, because LORD HUNTER’S CINDERELLA HEIRESS is one big highlight; I found no weaknesses at all. The pacing is impeccable; the structure is flawless; and the dialogues are remarkably witty and clever. Or maybe I ought to mention the curricle rides: they are pure marvels of literary delight! And last but certainly not least, Lara Temple’s impossibly gorgeous prose. Luminous and incandescent, Ms. Temple’s writing captures every frisson of burning passion; every fluttering of a heartbeat in the presence of the loved one; every sensory experience, be it petting a horse, drinking warm cider on a cold day, and irrevocably falling in love. I am overjoyed that LORD HUNTER’S CINDERELLA HEIRESS is the first book in a series, and I wish they were already all published. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.