137. Love and Lavender

Love and Lavender (Mayfield Family #4) Josi S. Kilpack. 2021. [November] 320 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: Hazel had not slept well. Her crippled foot ached, despite it having been propped on a pillow all night to help manage the swelling induced by traveling.

Premise/plot: Hazel Stillman had all but given up on marriage and children. And she was fine with this--mostly. Still her uncle's offer of an incredibly generous dowry stung a bit. Not that he was singling out her--he made generous offers to ALL his nieces and nephews including his step-nephew, Duncan Penhale.

Duncan and Hazel meet in March 1822 on the day they are both offered special arrangements by their Uncle Elliott Mayfield. Duncan is an accountant, I believe, and she teaches advanced math at an all-girls school. They have a few things in common--like a love of puzzles and numbers. The two begin a strange but steady correspondence.

When circumstances change for the both of them--roughly around the same time--it seems a marriage of convenience may be the way to make the best of a bad situation. But will their uncle agree to them marrying each other solely to get their inheritance and meet his conditions?

My thoughts: Love and Lavender is a unique and original historical romance--a Regency. You might think, how could it possibly be original and unique when marriages of convenience are an established trope--something that you either love or hate. The answer is that Hazel and Duncan are well-developed, unique characters. Their story IS all theirs. Not one scene, not one line, could be cut and pasted into another romance novel. And not one scene from another romance novel could be cut and pasted into this one. The characters and story are memorable.

I really loved, loved, loved, LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this one. I did. I love Duncan Penhale. I do. I love Hazel too. They are perfect for one another. And not because either one is perfect...or "perfect." It was so WONDERFUL to read a romance novel with a hero and heroine like Duncan and Hazel. There was something so human about the story.

© 2021 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews