Anne's Reviews > Lyon of the Ton

Lyon of the Ton by Emily Royal
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really liked it

Lyon of the Ton by Emily Royal was a little different than most Lyon’s Den stories in that both people involved were older, fiftyish. They had known one another when they were younger. In fact, they had been in love until Harcourt Martingale took her virginity and revealed that, although he loved her, he could not marry her, but instead would set her up in a house and visit her regularly. She knew her family were not aristocrats but she had trusted him. As the years went by he married, someone he didn’t love, and she bore him twin sons, and died in the process. Things went to much worse for Eliza who found herself made into the whore she felt herself to be and possessed and abused by one man, with whom she had a child: Clara. He used Clara to control her until she couldn’t stand it and ran. He took Clara and instructed his right-hand-man to get rid of her. Eliza, now known as Betty, lived in this hell until an older man, Maddock Grey, rescued her and they lived together as man and wife. Sadly he had a wife already that no one knew about. Harcourt felt the need to reveal this, years after Maddock’s death, at a society function. Now, Betty needed a husband with a title to mitigate the scandal this revelation had caused.

Harcourt was a good man who had been very young when he chose to worry about what his father would say rather than following his heart. Eliza had fallen onto hard times, but had made the best of what she had and dreamed of when things had been better. Maddock left her very rich. Mrs. Dove-Lyon knew all of this when she arranged the match. The participants were secret and the marriage had to be consummated within the hour. Would this match work out as well as most of hers had? It was complicated by Harcourt’s two sons, who could be exceptionally difficult when they chose. For whatever reason they fell immediately in love with Betty (Eliza) and resented whatever their father had done to hurt her. It was a pretty wonderful story, mostly. Sometimes, it is hard that the story must end and so everyone has to change whatever is wrong in their lives for the finale. I felt like this happened here, but it was worth it.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of Lyon of the Ton by Dragonblade, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #Dragonblade #EmilyRoyal #LyonOfTheTon
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Reading Progress

Finished Reading
October 12, 2023 – Shelved

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