Lord of Night: A Regency Romance

Lord of Night felt like stepping into a Jane Austen novel. From the charming characters to the addictive dialogue and the heartwarming lessons delivered along the way. Ms. Ridley knows how to capture heart and grab attention all in one sitting. Dahlia is the kind of character I like to see. She listens to her heart and never lets fear factor into her choices. Humanity as a whole could learn a lesson from this woman. Simon is the perfect antagonist to Dahlia. He lives by the rules. When he meets Dahlia, Simon begins to question everything he is. They have much to teach each other about love, risk and optimism. The fearless Dahlia and the by the book Simon may just have met their match in each other. I have had the pleasure of experiencing this brave tale of hope and courage as an ebook and a audio book. The ebook inspires, but the audio version brings the story to life. Ms. Hussey gives personality to an already memorable set of characters.

I am voluntarily submitting my honest review after receiving an ARC of the ebook from NetGalley. This unique addition to the Rogues to Riches series explores the collision of the ton with London's underworld. Heroine Dahlia's sense of social and moral obligation drives her to open a boarding school for the young girls the high society Dahlia was born into would rather forget, and as these girls charm their way into her heart, becoming more of a family to her than her own blood, Dahlia is driven to do whatever it takes to keep her girls fed, clothed, and off the streets. Add in a devastatingly sexy Bow Street Runner with an uncompromising sense of right and wrong, sparks fly. As our Bow Street Runner falls in love with the Dahlia the headmistress, we are taken on a delightful journey as he learns that there is more to life than career and duty and we see him open to love and break free of the pain of his past. But the Dahlia he knows harbors many secrets our inspector may not be able to accept. The tension Ridley creates as Dahlia's own past threatens her budding romance makes for a novel that is hard to put down. This is a fun, quirky read that explores the shades of gray that persistently bleed into the black-and-white order Regency's society strives to impose upon the world.

I've had this book on my TBR pile for months and months but finally finished it. I even finished the next book in the series before I got around to this one!! This is an unusual historical in that although our heroine Miss Dahlia Grenville is the daughter of a Duke, that life very much plays second fiddle to her vocation as the headmistress of a school/ home for orphan and wayward girls which she funds from her pin money and charitable donations. However, when money gets really tight she's not above 'borrowing' a small trinket from one of the ton when she attends a party and selling it to a pawn shop. Bow Street runner Simon Spaulding is the illegitimate son of the late Lord Hawkridge. He has resented his legitimate brother almost from birth and has a highly developed sense of right and wrong as a result of what he feels was poor treatment of him and his mother. He is due for a significant promotion IF he can catch the notorious Thief of Mayfair. Simon has no time for a wife, for socialising with his colleagues or for time off at all! Patrolling the mean streets of The Rookery late one night as is his wont, Simon comes across a young woman fighting off a ruffian who were up to no good with a young girl. The next day he visits the school to provide an update on the ruffian and is entranced by Dahlia and her motley crew of waifs and strays. Soon Dahlia and Simon are falling in love, but can a match between an illegitimate policeman and the daughter of a Duke (who is also a thief) ever occur? I have to admit that I am pretty shallow and I've come to realise that I prefer my historical novels to centre on the higher echelons, the ton, rather than ordinary working people (even if they are related to the nobility), which probably explains why it took me so long to finish this book. I like the dresses and the balls and the house parties, riding in Rotten Row, Almacks et al. My other criticism of the novel is that there is a lot of telling and not much showing. Although we do see Dahlia 'borrow' some items, it isn't really sufficient to warrant a Bow Street Runner, and we don't see Simon really doing any detecting, while it's nice to see the relationship between them develop it would have been nice if it took place against a backdrop of heists while the reader watched Simon get ever closer to discovering the thief's identity. I received a free copy of this book from the author, via NetGalley in return for an honest review.