#Review: ENTANGLED by Mary Lancaster

 

 4 of 5 stars

Major Giles Butler is never one to let an insult slide, especially when an obnoxious duke insults the memory of his late commanding officer. What should have been a simple duel with Giles aiming wide somehow turned into a tragedy when the duke fell dead from a bullet to the shoulder. How could this have happened? Now Giles is being hunted for the murder of a peer. On his way out of town, he meets Rosamond, who unbeknownst to Giles, is the late duke's widow. Rosamond is desperate to leave her controlling husband and has no idea that the man who offers to escort her to the next town is the man who killed her husband. Thus starts a wild ride of cat and mouse as they try to evade the authorities; all the while, their feelings for each other blossom. Can these two find a way to overcome their circumstances, or will Rosamond be forced to say goodbye to the man who ignites such passion within her?

This was a thoroughly enjoyable regency romance and pulled the reader in with the first chapter. The plot moves along well, and there are some unexpected twists and surprises throughout the story. Rosamond was a strong lady who finally found her voice to control her own destiny, and I was glad to see her finally exert her influence. Giles is the consummate gentleman whose growing feelings for the ducal beauty make him want to protect her at all costs, even if it means facing the authorities about the duel. The growing feelings of Rosamond and Giles are sweet, and after a few more twists and turns, they finally get their HEA. The one criticism I have is that after casting so much doubt on how the duke died, nothing was ever resolved and the charges against Giles were never explained. The epilogue seemed very rushed. Did he get a pardon from Wellington? Was the case ruled inconclusive? Was he cleared of all charges? I was disappointed that the issue was not resolved, especially since it was talked about so much throughout the book. That brought the book down to 4 stars. I like Ms. Lancaster's books and look forward to reading the next one.

I voluntarily read the advanced reader copy, and all opinions are my own.