Viscount Lyngate, also known as Elliott Wallace, finds himself at a country assembly in the small town of Throckbridge, where he has caught the attention of every single girl in town. Of course he wants none of it, he wants to get along with his business and back to fashionable society as soon as possible. Vanessa Huxtable, second oldest of four siblings, and recently widowed decides Viscount Lyngate is most disagreeable, and somewhat of a snob, but she makes the best of it when she is forced into dancing with him, and decides teasing and laughing are a better choice then cowering and being nervous. This seems to set the theme of the book.

Not thinking she will ever see him again, the next day he arrives at the Huxtable home to tell Vanessa’s youngest sibling and brother that he is the new Earl of Merton. Since the family is living in quite poor conditions, all four of them decide it would be best to go together to Warren Hall (the Earl’s new home) while he is tutored and trained for his new status in life. Elliott has inherited the responsibility of being the Earl’s guardian, so he finds it his responsibility not only see that Stephen becomes a proper Earl, but that the three sisters are brought up on the responsibilities of belonging to the ton and getting husbands. He finds the only proper way for him to do this is to marry one of the sisters first. He chooses the eldest, Margaret, or Meg, who is by far the most attractive, but Meg is in love with someone else and Vanessa knows this. To save her sister from marrying only out of duty, Meg proposes marriage to Elliott before he has a chance to ask for Meg. In quite an amusing scene where Elliott is in shock that he was just proposed to, Meg assures Elliott that she is experienced in bed (this after being wed to an ill man for only a year). Although Elliott is quite vexed with her and finds her rather plain, he is also secretly intrigued by her and agrees to marry and hence they start their life together, both wondering, is there such a thing as a happily ever after?

This book is filled with laughter, warmth and affection. The Huxtable family is very close knit and devoted to each other. Although Elliott is serious and takes his responsibilities very great, Vanessa finds every opportunity to tease, jest and try to make him crack a smile. There are no evil villains, or great action scenes, this is just a simple story of two people finding the trust in each other to love. I really adored the character of Vanessa and found their romance really beautiful. They definitely have their ups and downs throughout the book, but by the end, there is a wonderful declaration of love and their question of happily ever after is answered.

This is a four book series. The next book which is already out, Then Comes Seduction, is Katherine’s story. At Last Comes Love, Margaret’s story, comes out April 28th and finally Stephen’s story, Seducing an Angel, is out May 19th.

Rating: 4 smex stars.

Mary Balogh’s website