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The Lily of Ludgate Hill (The Belles of London #3) Mimi Matthews
432 pages | Berkley Publishing US Publication Date: January 16, 2024
The Set Up: Anne and her mother have been in mourning for nearly seven years after the death of her father. Still wearing their mourning clothes, Anne has allowed her mother to control her life in an attempt to bring her peace. When she’s convinced a friend needs her help, Anne is desperate to convince her mother to travel out of town. To do so, Anne enlists the help of her old friend and once fiancé, Felix Hartford. Anne knows that he secretly writes for a spiritualist column that could give her mother the push to make the journey. But in exchange for his help, Hartford insists that Anne attend his family’s holiday party, leave her mourning clothes behind, and take back control of her own life.
Mimi’s writing is as lovely as ever. It’s so readable without feeling too modern for the time period she’s writing in. This story had a such a mixed bag of settings. We got the quiet countryside, the fashionable London scene, and also the business of the growing city in Ludgate Hill.
I loved the dynamic between Anne and Hartford, and how he was always able to get a rise out of her. The two of them fit together so well, and they were both able to learn from their past mistakes and make meaningful changes going forward. The book was full that great tension and yearning you’d want from a second chance love story.
I read this quickly, as I do with every MM book I pick up. I’m already anxiously awaiting Stella’s story in The Muse of Maiden Lane which should be out later this year!
Thanks to Netgalley & Berkley for the advanced e-book!
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