In 1813 London, Lady Beatrice Somerfield is a trustee of the Benevolent Widows Fund, a charity to raise money for
war widows. She and the other trustees spend their days planning charity balls and moving within genteel high society.
Privately, however, the five trustees refer to themselves as the Merry Widows and have made a secret pact to find lovers.
This suits Beatrice’s purpose as she has vowed never to marry again.
Having been asked to oversee her niece’s search for a suitable, and titled, husband during this social season, finding
a lover is not foremost on the proper and respectable Beatrice’s mind. All that changes when she is seduced by a
stranger at a masquerade ball. Shocked by her lack of restraint, Beatrice flees without learning her lover’s identity.
Gabriel, the Marquess of Thayne, is recently returned from several years spent in India and is considered the catch
of the season. Every debutante in London has set her sights on the Marquess, including Emily, Beatrice’s niece. Gabriel
has promised his father that he will choose a wife by the end of the season, but he cannot stop thinking about his mystery
lover from the masquerade ball. Even as he begins to see Emily at various social events, it is her chaperone, Beatrice,
that he finds himself drawn to.
It is when these two discover one another’s true identities that the real sparks fly. Beatrice initially balks at being
at the upper end of their six year age difference, but her protests are no match against the attraction she feels for the
Gabriel. While they endeavor upon their secret affair, Beatrice works to dissuade Emily from her interest in the Marquess.
When their affair becomes public Beatrice and Gabriel are forced to examine their relationship and decide if this is more
than Just One of Those Flings.
In this second offering in the Merry Widows series, Candice Hern has written a Regency novel that really turns up the
heat. I thoroughly enjoyed the evolution of Beatrice and Gabriel’s relationship and the contrast between their very proper
public meetings and their fiery private liaisons. This is highly recommended to readers who enjoy a little spice with their
romance.