A Lord of Many Masks

A Lord of Many Masks by Jessica Scarlett 2020 Regency (Book 2 in Wycliffe Family Series)

This is a classic Regency novel set in 1814 London with a young miss looking for a husband in her first season. But Scarlett adds humor, a dashing rogue, and a dying mother into the mix.

Eliza Wycliffe is 18 and her best friend, Sir William Bentley, has caught her hiding in the curtains to avoid the three gentlemen she agreed to dance with at the same time. He is her protector and best friend of her older brother, Peter. But he wears a mask. He hides his true feelings from everyone and teases Eliza as she makes a list of potential suitors.

Her mother confides she is dying, and Eliza will have no dowry when she does, so there is an urgency for her to find a husband. She wants to marry for love, but Wiliam doesn’t believe in love. When the Duke of Allerton proposes marriage, she confesses her feelings to William only to have him want to remain friends.

Most women can relate to rejection, and this is a big one. What’s a girl to do when the man she loves doesn’t love her back?

This gives the reader and Eliza plenty of problems to sort through. Will she marry the duke? After all he is a duke. Most romances have a duke as the hero. What about William? Will he admit his feelings or lose Eliza? And what about Eliza? Will she give up love for a secure marriage?

Scarlett does an excellent job of taking us through Eliza’s trials, doubts, and decisions. Others try to help and hinder her with lies or truths. Who can tell? In the end she seeks out the truth herself and puts herself in danger. This story will satisfy any Regency fan.

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