A Novella Duet to warm your heart! During one icy fortnight in London, scandal heats up the ton when two friends both find themselves confronted with the men who once hurt them the most. Each begins a deception . . . but where things go from there will leave them both reeling. From the frigid Frost Fair to the city’s lushest conservatories, they’ll find love in the most unexpected of places—in the arms of their adversaries!
ONCE JILTED, TWICE SHY by Erin Knightley: Lady Juliette Trent has spent the months since becoming London’s most notorious jilted bride in virtual isolation. When the impromptu Frost Fair on the Thames finally draws her out of her self-imposed confinement, the last person she expects to see is the very man who left her standing at the alter. But things aren’t always what they seem, and when Sebastian Holmes, Earl of Haverstan reveals his true reason for abandoning her, Juliette is determined to right the wrong that was done to them both—even if it means causing a scandal the ton won’t soon forget.
LOVING LADY DERVISH by Heather Snow:
After nearly five years of torment at the hands of society's worst gossips, Lady Phoebe Anson is finally making her escape, following her dream to author botany texts--even if she must pretend to be a man to do it. When her one-time friend, Lord Malcolm Gray, happens upon her at the Frost Fair and uncovers her plot, Phoebe refuses to let him ruin her life--again.
But Malcolm isn't the young fool he once was, though he knows he has much to atone for where Phoebe is concerned. And he has no intention of letting his "whirling dervish" get away this time...
Once Jilted Twice Shy Lady Juliette Trent hides in her Uncle’s house as she was jilted at the altar 8 months earlier. Her cousin, Georgiana, talks her into going out as the Thames has frozen and she wants to visit the Frost Fair and go skating. While chasing her cousin, Juliette collides with Lord Sebastian Holmes, the Earl who left her standing at the altar. When they start arguing, he realizes she thinks he left her standing at the altar, while he had received a letter asking him to release her from the betrothal. They decide to work together to find the person who sent the letter. Does that joint effort result in a HEA?
Loving Lady Dervish Phoebe Anson declined the invitation from her friend Juliette to meet at the Frost Fair, but goes alone when she realizes her father is meeting with an unwelcome suitor he has chosen. As she is close to her majority, she plans to paint wildflowers for a well-known botanist. She runs into her childhood friend, Malcolm, Viscount Coverdale and they enjoy the fair. She convinces him to pretend to be courting her until she can leave on the research trip. If a pretend courtship becomes real, what will she do?
I enjoyed these stories and won’t spoil the endings, but I will recommend them.
solid 3.5 to me, read this on the plane from boston to savannah and it was such a fun read and i definitely appreciate the happily ever afters for both couples. full of tropes but so so good.
This was a fun duet of sweet novellas happening at the time of the Frost Fair in London in 1814. As the city experiences it's coldest winter in years, romance in the conservatories frequented by two botany-minded young ladies heats up. The stories feature a little intrigue and deception as both ladies get an unexpected second chance at love.
In Once Jilted, Twice Shy by Erin Knightley, Lady Juliette Trent was left at the altar last summer. At the Frost Fair, a chance meeting with the man who jilted her leads to a discovery that all was not as it seemed. Now, she may actually have to work with the man who caused her such great pain and scandal to find out what really happened. Maybe this time around he'll actually pay attention to the woman he was supposed to marry.
In Loving Lady Dervish by Heather Snow, Lady Phoebe Anson was once ridiculed for her over-exuberant dancing. While the snide remarks may have caused enough scandal to ruin her marriage prospects, Phoebe has spent her time developing her skill as a botanical illustrator. She hopes to be able to forge a career for herself and never have to depend on a man again. Unfortunately, her father may just marry her off to a wealthy tradesman for the extra money. While trying to clear her head at the Frost Fair, she meets the man who was once her friend but was also the cause of her embarrassment. Malcolm Gray is delighted to see his old friend again, but when he learns that his thoughtless actions caused her scandal, he hopes that she'll give him a chance to prove that he has changed his ways.
Both novellas were quick sweet reads and great refreshers between two nonfiction reads. My favorite was Loving Lady Dervish by Heather Snow. Phoebe was delightful, and I enjoyed watching Malcolm realize he'd missed her and fallen in love with her. I should definitely check out more books by Heather Snow.
Loving Lady Dervish by Heather Snow 5 stars. I've like everything she's written. This is a prequel to her Veiled Seduction series, which is apparently being rereleased. I hope she's planning to write more afterwards, I love her books.
I hated "ONCE JILTED, TWICE SHY", the male mc was an asshole that didn't care for the female mc. I though it'd be a second chances read, and that they cared for each other... When in fact he ignored her the five years they were bethroted, was rude when he saw her again, and even when things were cleared up he still didn't want to be with her until the very end. I can't understand why the female mc would want to be with him, or how a reader after reading all this would want to see her end up with him instead of on her own or with another person. On the other hand, I adored "Loving lady dervish". Both protagonists cared for each other and the transition from just friends to recognizing feelings that were already there felt real and natural. I loved every bit of it, and tbh this was the thing that saved the book for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.