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Fiction. Romance. Historical Fiction. HTML: New York Times bestselling author Lorraine Heath begins a compelling new spin-off series, The Chessmen: Masters of Seduction, centering around three heroes�??Knight, Bishop, and Rook�??who play to win at any cost. Born into an aristocratic family, yearning for a life beyond Society's strictures, Marguerite "Daisy" Townsend is an enterprising sleuth. Hired to obtain proof of a wife's infidelity, she secures a position in the household of the woman's lover, never expecting to be lured into the seductive blackguard's arms herself. Devilishly handsome, David Blackwood, known widely as Bishop, quickly realizes the enticing maid is interested in far more than dusting. She aims to uncover his sins. Although tempted by the dangerous beauty, he can't risk her learning the truth: his affairs are chaste. As a boy who witnessed his mother's abusive relationship, Bishop now helps desperate wives escape unhappy marriages. Yet when he is accused of murdering the husband of a "paramour," he is forced to seek Daisy's assistance in proving his innocence. As their perilous search draws them into a web of deceits, they can no longer deny their simmering desire. Once secrets are revealed, will Daisy's counterfeit scoundrel give up the scandalous games he plays and surrender his heart into her keeping… (more)
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Marguerite (Daisy) Townsend was born into an aristocratic family – the grandchild of an Earl. However, her father was the scapegrace of the family and when he married Marguerite’s mother – a lady’s maid – the earl disowned him and turned him out. It wasn’t long before things went bad for her parents and both of them died within days of each other. Fortunately for Daisy, her father’s sister, Charlotte, was a very loving lady who took her in and raised her as if she were her own. Daisy’s aunt is a fiercely independent spinster and she gave Daisy a fair amount of freedom in making her own decisions. That is how Daisy came to open Townsend Detective Agency and she is quite successful at it though it makes her sad to think there is a need for her kind of services. A case in point? Her latest case is to discover if her client’s wife is having an affair with a notorious scoundrel – David Blackwood (Bishop) – who has been named in several divorce cases. She’ll infiltrate the Blackwood household and get her evidence.
Bishop will sacrifice anything, do anything, and go to any lengths, to protect women who need (want) to leave a bad marriage. He doesn’t even ask their reasons for needing a divorce – if they want out, he’s there to help them. At the moment he has three ‘affairs’ going on with married women and he’s just waiting for the husbands to become aware and begin divorce proceedings.
As soon as Bishop spots the new maid in his household, he knows there is something different about her. She’s too confident and looks him right in the eye. Their attraction is immediate and strong, but neither of them wants to let it go anywhere – they can’t afford to. It is fun to watch them fight the attraction while they are dancing around each other, assessing each other, ferreting out clues, and delivering evidence.
When Daisy’s case ends – another one begins. Bishop is being investigated for the death of one of his ladies’ husbands. UH OH! Can Daisy save Bishop? Will he mend his ways? You’ll just have to read this wonderfully well-written book to find the answers. I loved the characters – and the epilogue is absolutely to die for. What a lovely twist it was!
I didn’t give the book five stars because – well – I loved Bishop, but I just thought he was way, way, way too obsessed with his mother and what happened to her. It almost bordered on the creepy. Another thing for me was his method of helping. Bishop was a very intelligent man, so why couldn’t he see that there were many, much better ways to help those ladies than the method he chose? Again, it goes back to his obsession with his mother.
I thoroughly enjoyed the read and definitely recommend it – and now I can hardly wait for the next book and the next Chessman to find his HEA.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I'll still try the next book in the series, because Heath's writing isn't usually so full of holes. But I'm truly disappointed in this one.
It's a refreshing addition to my historical romance reading list and a great introduction to Lorraine Heath's writing.
All the characters were well-developed, and the subtle hints throughout the story kept me engaged without giving away too much too soon.
Overall, it