How I Met My Countess Book

A bit of housekeeping, first, and a minor quibble: this book starts a new chapter in the Bachelor Chronicles. Properly, it's The Bachelor Chronicles: The Standon Widows #1, and it *should* work as its own distinct series. That said, I'm not sure that it does; I have to wonder if some of the poor reviews I've seen of this title are because it does need that grounding in the previous books. All the familiar players are here from other Bachelor Chronicles (personally, I derived a great deal of enjoyment in this book from seeing Duchess boss these ladies around-- but had I not known Duchess already, I probably would have thought of her as rather high-handed and callous.) The solution's pretty easy: just read the other books in the series before you tackle this one. ;)

So. I loved the conceit of this new series: because so MANY Marquesses of Standon married and then died without issue, there are no less than THREE widowed Lady Standons trailing about, making pests of themselves, sharing a greatly reduced widow's portion (hey, it's not the sort of thing that was intended to be shared three ways) and generally draining the coffers of the fine gentleman who finally DID live long enough to become the Duke of Hollindrake. (Hey, he had to-- Felicity "Duchess" Langley wasn't going to settle for anything less than strawberry leaves.) Duchess's solution? Cut off their portions entirely, throw them in a ramshackle house together (fine address, but in poor repair, with a horrid staff), and don't let them leave until they're married.

Lady Lucy Ellyson Standon is first at bat-- daughter of the infamous spymaster George Ellyson, who personally trained the finest men in His Majesty's most secret service... as well as his daughter. Lucy is just as formidable as her father, and she also knows firsthand how dangerous spy work is. She knows how fruitless it is to love a spy, when so few of them come back. And yet... Justin Grey, the Earl of Clifton, promised to marry her when the war was over. She worried for him... waited for him... and then at last moved on. Little surprise she's ready to kill him herself when she finds out he's back in London after seven YEARS, and planning marriage... to ANOTHER WOMAN.