WOW LOVED LEANDER AND JUDITH LOVE IT 💘💘💘

He is fed up with women falling in love with him so seeks a wife who he knows will not want love but give him an heir. She will not want for anything. She is known as the Weeping Widow has two children Bastian and Rosie, She is almost penniless. she always wears black, because she has no other clothes. He believes it’s because she still grieves for her husband so is definitely not looking for love. So they agree to marry. I DON’T WANT TO SPOIL THIS SO NO MORE CLUES.

This is the third book in the “Company of Rogues” series. I had skipped over it thinking it was one of those simple Regency Romance stories that occurs at Christmas but doesn’t really have that much to do with the holiday. I was very wrong; it is a great story and as good as any of the other Company of Rogues book. In this one Leander Knollis, Earl of Charrington, has decided to return to England and make a real home for himself and hopefully find a wife willing to be his helpmate. He has spent most of his life living in foreign countries since his father had been a diplomat for England and was assigned all over Europe. Leander’s greatest concern was finding a wife who wasn’t a simpering debutant. They all seemed to swoon and fall in love with him at first sight. He has watched his parents in their miserable marriage because his mother loved his father dearly but his father was cold and unemotional and only interested in his diplomatic duties. Leander wanted a wife who would help him become an English gentleman and give up the European habits he had developed over his life abroad. Also, she would not expect him to fall in love with her and she would not fall in love with him.

In desperation he visits one of his Rogue friends, Lucien, and his wife, Beth, to see if they had any suggestions on how to find a mature women to marry. Beth is reminded of a woman living in a village nearby known as the “Weeping Widow”. The lady’s husband had been a poet and she was still in full mourning for him even though it had been over a year since he died. She was a few years older than Leander but not too old to have more children so he could have an heir. She sounded just like what Lucien was looking for. Since she still obviously was in love with her first husband she wasn’t likely to swoon over him and fall in love with him so he would never hurt her like his father had hurt his mother. And she had become nearly destitute since her husband’s death and he could provide for her and her two children all they needed. So off he goes to introduce himself to Judith Rossiter, aka the Weeping Widow. He proposes too soon and in anger she rejects his offer. She thinks it is some kind of cruel prank and decides he is probably trying to win a bet or something. The next day Beth visits Judith to try to explain who Leander is and that his offer was real.

Do you think they will eventually fall in love? There is a lot more to the story though. Someone is trying to kill Judith’s children, the extended family living in the huge mansion Lucien has inherited won’t leave and keep giving him excuses why he shouldn’t visit the house. There are questions about the financial records for the four estate Lucien inherited, and his father on his deathbed warned him to stay away from the inherited house because the family would try to kill him. So, what is Lucien to do? He wants to keep his new family safe but is set on taking possession of the house that legally belongs to him. Fortunately he has the help of his friends and with their help he might be able to set things right.

This is a really good book. There is marital sexual descriptions but most of the details are left out. There are some Bible quotes mentioned but no preachiness. The writing and editing is good and there are lots of interesting side stories. I’m sure anyone who loves Regency Romance would enjoy this book.

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