Title: Forever a Lady
Series: Rumor bk 2
Author: Delilah Marvelle
Genre: Historical
TWO DIFFERENT CLASSES, ONE COMMON DESIRE… Lady Bernadette Marie Burton may be the richest widow in England, but like her dreams of finding true passion, her reputation is deteriorating. Cruel gossip, loneliness and hoards of opportunistic suitors have her believing Society couldn’t be more vile…or dangerous. So when an attacker threatens her life, she finds safety in the most unseemly of places: the arms of a mysterious, Irish-American gang leader. His fortune stolen, young Matthew Milton is done playing the respectable gentleman. In the slums of New York, only ruffians thrive. But from the moment he arrives in London and encounters the voluptuous Lady Bernadette, he can’t help but wonder about the finer pleasures he’s missing. Or just how much he’s willing to risk-not only to bed her, but to prove his worth…
One of the things I love best about Delilah’s stories is that they are not the normal historical romances. The issues she address make her a unique voice in romance and one I will always read.
The story of Matthew and Lady Bernadette is not a classic rags to riches as Matthew came from money and then lost it all when his father’s business manager stole it all. For ten years he does what he can to help the people in the neighborhood him and his father land in.
When his best friend takes him to England so he can take care of his past, he discovers Lady B and she changes everything for him.
Lady B is an interesting character in that she is a widow from the English aristocracy living in New York city in 1830 and how she lives her life as she wished to live it. When she encounters Matthew in England he makes her look at this differently.
I absolutely loved this book. When I read the last page I didn’t want it to end and wanted much more of both these characters. They were both such interesting characters from two very different backgrounds who never should have met, and yet they did.
One of the things I absolutely loved about Matthew was his strength of character. When he was put into a situation that was completely foreign to him he didn’t wallow, no he saw what had to be done to protect those who needed protection and did it. When he was given the opportunity to have his former life back he didn’t leave those who depended on him behind, but rather he took them with him and changed their lives as well.
This is just one of the many reasons why I love Delilah books. Her characters have depth and have had life experiences that make them characters we can connect with. If you haven’t yet read this book, or the other books in this series I would recommend fixing that now.
Grade A
