Someone to Trust

During a rare white Christmas at Brambledean Court, the widow Elizabeth, Lady Overfield, defies convention by falling in love with a younger man. After her husband's passing, Elizabeth Overfield decides that she must enter into another suitable marriage. That, however, is the last thing on her mind when she meets Colin Handrich, Lord Hodges, at the Westcott Christmas house party. She simply enjoys his company as they listen to carolers on Christmas Eve, walk home from church together on Christmas morning, and engage in a spirited snowball fight in the afternoon. The author is a must read for me, I think I’ve read nearly all of her books & I'm thoroughly enjoying the Westcott series. This is the fifth book in the series & I personally feel that it could be read on its own but if like me you love series then I’d definitely recommend reading from the start as it will increase your enjoyment of this book also make the first part of the book easier. This is the second book I’ve read recently where the heroine is older than the hero in fact, she is nine years older than him. I really liked that she was older, the attraction was apparent from the start, I liked both Colin & Elizabeth & their characters had plenty of depth. I'm normally drawn into the author's books from page one but it took some time for me to be captivated by this book but once I was after a good fifteen percent of the book I couldn’t put it down. Whilst I thoroughly enjoyed the book it's not one of favourite Balogh books but still a lot better than a lot of romances My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Lady Elizabeth Overton is a 35 year old widow. Colin Handrich, Lord Hodges is nine years her junior. When they meet at the Westcott Christmas party the age gap is very apparent and yet there is an undeniable pull between them. Both of them are looking for a spouse but at widely different ends of the spectrum. Colin is looking amongst the eighteen year old debutantes whereas Elizabeth is looking for a sensible, dependable man, very different from her husband. When they meet again in London during the season they rely on each other for sensible conversation and laughter and glorious waltzes but as they both move inexorably towards marriage with other people will they realise they are perfect together before it's too late? Hoo boy did this start slowly. It was practically halfway in before I got engaged with the storyline and the characters. But when it did ... it pulled me in like a rip tide. From two faceless, characterless mannequins Colin and Elizabeth transformed into living breathing characters, full of hopes and fears and anxieties. There were plotting relatives and sinister Dukes, society balls, fake engagements, fisticuffs in the library and family secrets galore. By the end I was totally invested in Colin and Ellizabeth's May to December romance (although that is a wild exaggeration) and the way in which their love may have been instantaneous but their relationship was built on friendship and trust. If you like historical romances, if you have liked Mary Balogh's other Westcott romances I recommend sticking with this novel, it pays in the end. I received a free copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.