Trapped in a hellish situation, Sophie Blake eagerly accepted the invitation to fulfill her grandfather’s will and escape to London. Yet, the last thing she wanted was to compete with her cousins for a husband in order to win a bet. She knew better, as being plain, tall and bookish was not conductive to catching an elusive duke. But when her friend Lord Graham Cavendish became a duke, the secret dream she harbored for them crumbled. He taught her that she really didn’t want to live alone, not after one startling kiss woke her from her staid and boring life. 

When Graham learned that his family died and he inherited, the first person he thought of was Sophie. She was his best friend and his mainstay, she would be able to calm him and help him plan for the future. But when she learned the truth and turned away from him, he was devastated. When he saw her at a masked ball, his whole image of her was ripped away, leaving in her place an elegant beauty he longed to possess. Only there was one problem. He needed a rich wife to save his home. 

Accused of being a never-do-well, Graham was determined to prove the world and Sophie wrong. Not only does his estate need him, so did the people. So when he started to fall in love with Sophie, he knew the best thing to do was push her away. But Sophie had her own secretes. One of many was the truth about the Pickering will. If she could get Graham to the altar, she could win him all the money he needed. Now all she had to do was think of a way to seduce him. Unfortunately, secretes had a habit of coming back to haunt them.  

I adore the humor and connection between Graham and Sophie. The way they fought themselves against loving one another really made me see and feel the attraction between them. The heat and tension when they first realized their love is very memorable and touching. Though the story is not really true to the time period, I couldn’t help be enchanted by this third book in the Heiress Brides Series. Celeste Bradley tied up all the threads in this third book, making it a great ending to the series.

June 26, 2008