#Review: THE LAST LORD STANDING by Diana Lloyd

 

4 of 5 stars

Lady Olivia Liberty Chalford is feeling unsettled. As the daughter of an earl, she enjoys a life of luxury, but she knows there are so many without enough food to eat or coal to keep warm. She wants to help those less fortunate and believes she can start a charity for that purpose, but she wants to do it all by herself. At her birthday ball, she accidentally runs into Kerrigan Northam, and that starts the beginning of their adventure together. Kerrigan has his own agenda, as he's been tasked by his three friends to keep an eye on Lady Olivia and keep all other gentlemen away from her. The problem is the more time Kerrigan spends in her company, the more he wants her for himself. Can Lady Olivia ever love a mere mister like him?

I loved Olivia (Libby). She was headstrong, independent, and driven to help those in need. She wants to prove to everyone that she's more than a pretty face, but things don't always go as planned. When she convinces Kerrigan to help her in her "research" into what the poor really need, a series of events involving Kerrigan's cousin Charlie turns their world upside down. Kerrigan is such an honorable gentleman, although when he's around Libby, he can't seem to say no or stay away from her. When things go horribly wrong at the hands of Charlie, Libby narrowly escapes the consequences, but Kerrigan is not so lucky. Libby has no choice but to confess all to her parents and seek their help. The plot moves along at a good pace, and the secondary characters help round out the story. Ms. Lloyd is masterful in teasing out Libby's ideas throughout the first couple of chapters. I really enjoyed the different settings for the story, and Libby's ideas for helping others are quite unique in how she "researches" their needs. After many twists and turns, Kerrigan and Libby finally get their HEA.

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