The Paid Companion Book

Finally a historical romance where I enjoyed both the romance and the actual plot! They tied in well together and I wasn't disappointed when moving between the two.

Elenora has been left with practically nothing after the death of her stepfather. She has run her family's estate in the country for years but after being kicked out with nothing except her clothing she is determined to land and her feet and has a plan to do just that.

Arthur, Earl of St. Merryn has recently been through a scandal where his fiancé ran away with another man. The last thing he wants is to have to deal with the Ton and the many mothers throwing their eligible daughters at him. His solution is to hire a fiancé and flaunt her at the Ton so he can go about his business in peace. Elenora wasn't what he was expecting and the normally very reserves Earl starts to think that maybe she can actually help him in his secret quest making her much more valuable than just the ruse they are playing.

One of the things I like about Amanda Quick books and this one in particular is that we not only get PoVs from Elonara and Arthor but also from the killer they are searching for. I specifically enjoyed this killer since he is also searching for a way to make an alchemical device work using three red stones and an energy source….can we all say "Laser" together. He was so desperate and would do anything to remain undetected after already killing at least one person for the stones. It gave the story a sense of urgency and some drama to see how close yet far Arthur was from discovering the identity of the villain.

The romance between Elenora and Arthur is sweet too. She easily filled the role he set for her and became the talk of the town. Also, she is not scared of him as most people tend to find him so reserved he is scary. Elenora seems to see the man he hides under all the reserve and social graces better than most and doesn't back down against him.
"Tell me, Miss Lodge, do you really believe that I would chase after a runaway fiancée under any circumstances?"
"Oh, yes, my lord. If your passionate nature was involved, you would pursue her into the gates of Hell itself."
The romance builds first becoming a friendship of sorts, then an alliance and finally something more.

The other thing I liked is that AQ made a little bit of fun of the Ton. She set it right out there that most of the matches made were not for love and she was able to give a few examples throughout the story. Also she addressed in a fun manner how difficult some conversations between couples could be with such age discrepancies.
"You must look at the situation from the young ladies' perspective, sir. I assure you, it can be mind-numbingly difficult to make conversation with a man who is old enough to be your father when you would much rather dance with a handsome young poet."
Quick showed both sides though. How a good marriage was a way for a girl to support her family and the importance of finding a suitable husband. She brought up a few points on both sides that made me think of it a little differently.

This is one of my more liked HRs and is a stand alone. If you like HRs and haven't read AQ before it is probably a good place to start.