Question N

[Jonetta]

Keir returns to Islay as bait to draw out the assassin and Merritt rushes to join him. They capture the hired killer and also learn that Lord Ormonde was killed by the first assassin who was caught. Looks like Keir and Merritt will live in Scotland, sharing time in England to tend to his titled estate. Your thoughts about her leaving Sterling Enterprise? What do you make of their intended plans regarding his viscount duties and other things hinted at?

[Sharon]

This whole section didn't sit well with me. I thought the suspense wasn't handled as well as in previous books. There was a big build-up that ended in a poof. Lisa did so much better in other stories that this was a letdown.

I'm also a little surprised that Merritt gave up Sterling completely. I thought she would still keep the books and check up on things when they were in London. Luke is a good manager. Since he is the youngest son, the income will be good for him. He has enough experience to do a good job with day-to-day activities. I'm not sure how he will do with the finances. I'm sure he can learn, but this is a big transition. Also, Merritt is a better negotiator. It didn't feel right.

[Robin]

I also thought Merritt would somehow keep her fingers in the company. She seemed to love running the company and was good at it. Of course, she would want to leave the day to day running to her brother, but she could still take care of some aspect of the work.

I thought the end was just OK. We knew that someone would come after Keir and when Ethan only left one person to watch over him, we knew it would be soon. Really no surprises.

[Anita]

I agree with Sharon, the ending didn't live up to what I expected. I was disappointed a bit. I wasn't surprised that Merritt would leave the running of the shipping company to Luke, she was already taking steps to remove herself from the running of the company and travel.

Keir wanted no part in the viscount title or the estates, but he can't avoid it. Turning it into a home/school was a good idea and a way of distancing the estate from the evil previous viscount.

[Karen ♐]

I was a little disappointed with the ending to this also. With all the buildup, it ended too quickly. I remember thinking, that's it?

I did really like the idea of a school.

[Jonetta]

I’m disappointed that Merritt is leaving the business because she was so good at it. Yeah, the ending was a letdown after all that build up. There really needed to be a face-to-face showdown with Ormonde and I question why Kleypas opted to just let it end in a fizzle.

[Lauren]

The suspense was a bit anti-climactic after the build up, but I enjoyed the resolution.

As to Merritt leaving the company, she seemed to have been planning to leave even before meeting Keir. She was definitely training Luke to take over.

[Sharon]

I didn't get that she was training Luke to take over. The business was growing, and she needed assistance. However, the bookkeeping/organizing function was her strong suit, and she enjoyed that. Also, helping with the business gave Luke a purpose. The youngest son often gets in trouble when he has too much time on his hands.