Miss Armistead Makes Her Choice Author: Heidi Ashworth
Series: Miss Delacourt #5
Genres: Historical Romance
Format: eBook, Print
Pages: 274
Date: April 24, 2014
Publisher: Dunhaven Place Publishing
Miss Elizabeth Armistead, India born and raised, is happily betrothed to British soldier, Duncan Cruikshank. When she arrives in London a month prior to the wedding she meets Mr. Lloyd-Jones and soon finds that he has invaded even her dreams. Besides Duncan, Mr. Lloyd-Jones is the only man who makes her feel as if he sees past her exceptional beauty to the person within. Her mother would prefer Elizabeth marry the rich and well-connected Mr. Lloyd-Jones while his sister is ecstatic that he is now free to woo Miss Armistead since he has broken off his engagement to the disgraceful Cecily Ponsonby. However, Elizabeth’s commitment to the man she promised to marry is at odds with the likes of Mr. Lloyd-Jones who has cried off from one engagement already. How can she betray the man she believes to love her for her virtues so as to indulge her love for a man she fears she cannot trust?
Jaded and betrayed, Mr. Colin Lloyd-Jones and Sir Anthony Crenshaw make a solemn vow to avoid the Marriage Mart for the duration of the London season. When Sir Anthony is called away on a journey in the company of his grandmother’s ward, Miss Delacourt, Colin finds he cannot abide by their agreement, especially when his father expects him to squire his sister to society’s endless balls and routs. When Colin encounters the breathtakingly beautiful Miss Elizabeth Armistead, he is intrigued by her lack of fascination for his great standing in society, family fortune, and captivating charm. When he learns that she is already betrothed, he feels himself safe from hurt in her company until he discovers the secret she has been guarding, one that threatens to batter his vulnerable heart all past mending.
Rating: Mild+. Mild substance use; mild kissing; mild language
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About Heidi Ashworth
Heidi Ashworth is an Award-winning author who lives with her husband and three children in the San Francisco Bay Area. She writes historical Regency-set mystery and sweet, traditional, Regency-era romance. She is the author of The Lord Trevelin Mysteries and the Miss Delacourt series. Her installment in the popular Power of the Matchmaker series is set in Jane Austen-era Ireland.
I am persuaded that while I found this book quite enjoyable, the repeated use of the phrase “I am persuaded” gets annoying. And in this book the phrase is repeated A LOT. That, however, was my biggest complaint.
It is always hard to understand why someone would be willing to continue an engagement thru to marriage when they are in love with someone else, particularly when that someone is a catch and everyone except your best friend wants you to marry him. It is a matter of honor. In our society, the honorable thing would be to end said engagement but in regency days that wouldn’t have been the case. So one has to sigh and wish it wasn’t so.
For a love triangle, we spend very little time with the third person (her intended) and that makes it difficult to form an opinion of him. In some books that person is an obvious villain and others make that person someone to feel sorry for because he really is a good guy after all. In this one we really don’t know right up until the end with very few hints. Because of that, the ending took me a little by surprise. Not the outcome because we obviously know who will win her heart but how it comes about was surprising. And perhaps a little rushed. We don’t actually see much of the action but hear about it after the fact. I think I would have liked to witness the confrontation. I was a little confused about how much time had passed and where people were. I feel a little like I blacked out missed part of the story.
I haven’t read all the books in the series. I’m wondering if Colin breaking off his previous engagement was in a previous book? Not that it really matters to this book but I found myself feeling sorry for the woman he jilted since at the end of the book it sounded as if her ruination was not her fault which would make him crying off be not very heroic. Although in the beginning of the book it sounded as if she made choices leading to her ruination. So I’m confused about that. But whatever…. I liked this book a lot.
Sex: just some kisses
Language: none
Violence: a little