Mary Jo Putney’s Lady of Fortune is a tale of love and redemption against the early Regency period. I have really gotten into reading historical romance novels thanks to watching and reading the Bridgerton series. It’s so easy and convent to load several up onto my kindle for reading on my daily commute to the office. So this one was a lovely addition to my exploration of the genre, this time between a young penniless French woman and a handsome, if not rough around the edges, English Lordling. Oh how they will tangle!
BLURB:
A countess turned servant . . .
Forced to escape the French Revolution, resilient young Comtesse Marie-Christine D’Estelle flees to London. But when she finds herself unexpectedly penniless, Christa hides her aristocratic background to become a lady’s maid. . . . Until rebuffing advances from both her tyrannical mistress’s husband and her lover gets Christa cast into the street—directly into a hero’s arms . . .
A Royal Navy commander . . .
After a long absence, Captain Lord Alexander Kingsley has returned to England on medical leave. Now head of his family, he must take charge of his younger siblings. He feels a special duty to his sister Annabelle, a shy debutante in need of a maid. So Alex is delighted to discover that the intriguing, outspoken, and lovely young woman who serendipitously landed in his arms is in need of just such a position . . .
The heart of a household . . .
With her warmth, charm, and surprisingly refined intellect, Christa soon wins the hearts of all the Kingsleys—especially Alex. And while their mutual attraction deepens to something more, the gap in their social stations seems an impossible obstacle. Only when Alex and Annabelle become the targets of fortune hunters, will the truth about Christa have a chance to be revealed. But will it mean a chance for true love to triumph?
REVIEW:
So this one was really fun to read, I love a historical romance and I found myself reading this in one short sitting on my kindle. It’s pure escapism as you follow Christa and her antics. She’s a character that grew on me, her pluckiness and choices to navigate her perilous situation is amiable. Captain Lord (what a title!) Alexander Kingsley is an interesting hero but well matched for Christa. There were parts where I too was swooning over this fictional hunk. This certainly has all the same joys I found while reading the Bridgeton series but with characters that feel a little more fleshed out with more interesting backstories and lives prior to the moment of romancing in Lady of Fortune. It really is a super fun read so I recommend it to anyone that wants a light hearted historical romp full of longing stares, questionable decisions and the possibility of scandal around every corner.
Rating: 4 Stars
Genre: Historical Romance
Published 21st February, 2023. (Originally published 1988).