Book Description:
She was forbidden to love him. He only wanted her heart. Can a childhood game bring them together?
London, 1815
Olivia Wilde has resigned herself to never finding a love match. Her father has insisted she marry a man with a title, but the men her father deems acceptable are either boring or are only interested in increasing their own diminishing coffers. With her future looking dismal, Olivia vows to enjoy the last few months of freedom with her childhood friends, including Emerson Latham. His devilish smile and flirtatious teasing stirs up feelings she knows she cannot entertain.
Emerson is struggling to rise to his responsibilities after his father's death. Though he is still learning his place, one thing he knows for certain is that he wants Olivia Wilde to be his wife. Emerson had long ago fallen in love with her quick wit, beauty, and passionate heart. Yet, without a title, he will never be permitted to court Olivia openly. But he has a plan that may give him a chance to court her in secret.
As the Season kicks off, Emerson proposes a playful game of tag. Olivia's friends are delighted by the idea, though Olivia is wary. After all, the game must be played in secret as they tag each other at dinners and balls. As the romance builds between Olivia and Emerson, so does the risk of being discovered. Not only are their reputations at stake, so is their safety if they are caught by Olivia's strict father.
Can their love find a happily ever after before the game ends?
Review:
This book had an intriguing concept, the underlying theme centering around this group of friends clandestinely playing tag during balls in a way that no one else would realize what they were doing. (Really, the ton sounds like they were a bunch of sticks in the mud.) The actual theme was all about rescue though. Emerson rescuing Liv from her situation, Emerson's friends rescuing him from his grief. Not gonna lie, there were many times when I wondered if Emerson and Bradbury were actually friends with how often they fought. While I enjoyed the story, the climax just didn't work for me. Warning, there might be some slight spoilers in the next paragraph. I'm going to try to be as vague as possible, but just be warned... ******************************************** The reason the climax didn't work for me was because there were so many other rational things Emerson and Liv could have done instead of what they ended up doing. This is something that has always and probably will always drive me nuts: if harm or worse is imminent, you don't have time to get all lovey-dovey! Save yourselves first, then take all the time you need. Also, I understand that the author wanted a final showdown between Emerson and the bad guys, but it felt like the way it took place could have easily been avoided, which was why it didn't work for me. ****************************************** OK, spoiler alert over. Other than what's discussed above, I enjoyed this author's debut story, and look forward to reading more from her.
Title: Games in a Ballroom
Purchase: Amazon Deseret Book
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