The Pursuit of Lady Harriett
by Rachael Anderson
When wills clash and hearts collide, who will reign victorious?
Termed an Incomparable during her first London season, Lady Harriett Cavendish is beautiful, spirited, and confident, capturing the attention of a great many suitors. Unfortunately, they all failed to capture her attention, and she concluded the season as unattached as she’d begun it.
Only weeks prior to her second season, Harriett encounters Lieutenant Christopher Jamison while visiting Tanglewood Manor. Recently returned from war, the lieutenant is everything that Harriett’s previous suitors were not. He’s arrogant, ungentlemanly, irritating, and challenges her at every opportunity. When he goes too far, Harriett decides that it’s time to turn the tables on him. But as she sets out to put the lieutenant in his place once and for all, she discovers there is more to him than meets the eye, and when it comes to matters of the heart, she has no control whatsoever.
My Review
I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again. I love Rachael Anderson’s books. They are funny and romantic. They make me laugh and cry. If I had one complaint, it would be that I read them entirely too quickly! Okay, another complaint. The Tanglewood series is over! If you haven’t read The Fall of Lord Drayson or The Rise of Miss Notley yet, you must! Regency Romance lovers will find so much delight in this series, and since they’re all available now, you won’t have to wait anxiously for the next book to come out. I am waiting anxiously for Rachael’s next book though!
The Pursuit of Lady Harriett begins with a rainbow…well, sort of. As Lady Harriett has been cooped up for way too long, when a drizzly sunny day breaks, she sets out for a walk and sees a rainbow. Her heart tells her that the rainbow is a sign of good things to come. Yet the very next thing that comes is a bit of a catastrophe. The arrival of Lieutenant Jamison shakes up Harriett’s world. He is nothing like the type of man she would want to love; but, as is usually the case in love, her heart knows better than her head the type of man she needs.
I adore the characters in The Pursuit of Lady Harriett just as I’ve adored them in the two previous. Lady Harriett has been in both books, but we haven’t gotten to know her well until this one. She wants to be seen as more than a pretty face, and she deserves to be. She is smart, witty, and kind. But her flaws are very real too. Her need to “win” at everything almost causes her to miss out on love.
Christopher has a hard time sharing his feelings. He’s always teasing to make up for the fact that he’s not sure how to show Harriett he’s in love with her. When he finally figures it out, you will cry! He shows her in the sweetest ways.
I love the secondary characters, both new and those who’ve played parts in the prior books. Rachael is just so good at making her characters seem real. I will miss them all.
Don’t miss out on this series! It is one you’ll want to read again and again.
Read an excerpt from The Pursuit of Lady Harriett
Harriett looked at what remained of the cake. Apparently, he didn’t intend to finish it off after all, so she collected their forks and stood. “Forgive me for saying so, but you look quite done in, Chris. If you do not go up to bed now, you will probably fall asleep here. Only imagine what Mrs. Caddy might say if she discovers you here with the mostly-eaten cake. For your own sake, you ought to retire. I will do my best to tidy things up.”
Before she could move away from him, he grabbed her hand and guided her to sit back down, keeping hold of her fingers. “Not so fast, my lady. I meant it when I said that I’m in desperate need of the distraction that only you can provide. Thus far, all I have done is burden you with my troubles.”
“I do not feel at all burdened, sir.” Indeed, Harriett suddenly felt breathless and somewhat giddy. The effect this man had on her was something of a wonder.
“Sir?” he asked. “I thought we were beyond that.”
“I thought so as well, but you only just called me ‘my lady.’”
He frowned and blinked as though he hadn’t realized he had. “Forgive me, Harry. I fear my exhaustion has muddled my thinking.”
This time, she did not let the name slide. She snatched her hand free and frowned at him. “Obviously it has.”
He laughed—not a tired attempt at a laugh, but a real one filled with the richness that warmed her straight through. Only this time, it did not bother her at all. In fact, it felt wonderful, almost like a compliment.
“I knew you’d come through for me,” he said, leaning close enough to touch shoulders with her. “You have no idea how much I needed to laugh or how good that felt. I could honestly kiss you right now.”
Harriett tried her best not to blush or appear astonished by the suggestion—he had obviously made the comment in jest—but when his smile widened into a devilish grin, she knew she’d failed. He leaned in closer, and his gaze wandered briefly to her mouth before returning to her eyes. She could smell vanilla and lemon and a hint of something else—leather perhaps? A delightful pulse whipped down her arm, and she was hard-pressed not to shiver.
“Admit it,” he said. “You have missed me.”
Author of The Pursuit of Lady Harriett Rachael Anderson
A USA Today bestselling author, Rachael Anderson is the mother of four and is pretty good at breaking up fights, or at least sending guilty parties to their rooms. She can’t sing, doesn’t dance, and despises tragedies. But she recently figured out how yeast works and can now make homemade bread, which she is really good at eating.
[…] 14th Kerrific – Review SWAMPBRAT – Review Christy’s Cozy Corners – Spotlight Lazy Day Literature – […]