Review: Forever a Lady

Reviewed by Jen
 

Life has not been kind to Matthew Milton.  An unscrupulous businessman tumbled his father's newspaper into bankruptcy, pushing them into the slums of Five Points, New York.  There, an attack from a thug stole the vision from one eye and taught him a value lesson about the kind of man he would need to become in order to survive.  Matthew toughens up and forms an Irish-American gang, one that tries to protect the neighborhood, even if they have to stoop to illegal means to do it.

After a hit is put out on his life, Matthew journeys with his best friend to London, where he meets Lady Bernadette for the first time.  They are instantly drawn to one another, despite their vast difference in station. Bernadette has lived a life of pleasing others for too long. As a widow, she is now free from both her father and the old man she was forced to marry. In Matthew, she sees what she wants and she takes it.

After a night in each other's arms, Matthew knows he wants more than a fling with Bernadette.  But the odds are stacked against him.  She has no desire to marry again.  And to make matters worse, he makes a whopper of a mistake that almost ends things for good.  The story follows the ins and outs of their love affair as they return to New York and Matthew struggles to become worthy of the woman he has fallen in love with.

I liked Matthew. He was sexy and damaged, but he was solid hero material.  He always puts the needs of others before himself. Even as a ruffian, he is very good man.  Bernadette is understandably gun-shy.  Being a widow of means, she sees marriage as a trap to avoid and I can't blame her.  --Oh and did I mention she is mid-30s?  About six years older than the hero.  I loved that.  She is mature and she knows what she wants, but I didn't find her jaded.  She was still genuine and passionate despite the bindings of her earlier life.

I really felt like I witnessed a true journey in this relationship --and especially one for Matthew.  I liked that I got to see these two really fall in love over time. It felt authentic.  The sex was hot. (And pushed the envelope more than I expected.)  The plot was interesting. And the backdrop was very Gangs of New York. It was gritty and dark, especially when juxtaposed to London culture.

This is book two in The Rumor series, but works just fine as a standalone. I liked it a lot.

Rating: B+

*ARC Provided by NetGalley

Click to purchase: Amazon

Forever a Lady

by Delilah Marvelle
Release Date: July 24, 2012
Publisher: HQN Books