Review & Giveaway | The Viscount Who Lived Down the Lane (Rhymes with Love) by Elizabeth Boyle

In New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Boyle's fourth novel in the Rhymes With Love series, a resolute young woman goes toe-to-toe with the Beast of Mayfair...

She has no desire for love...


As she arrives in Mayfair, Louisa Tempest is horrified when her incorrigible cat bolts from the carriage and dashes into a neighbor's house, where she comes face-to-face with the reclusive Viscount Wakefield. But even more dismaying than his foul temper is the disarray in which she finds his home. Convinced his demeanor would improve if his household were in order, Louisa resolves to put everything to rights.


...until she meets the viscount who lives down the lane.


Much to his chagrin, Wakefield finds it impossible to keep the meddling Louisa out of his home, invading his daily life with her "improvements," and his nights with the tempting desires she sparks inside him. Wounded in the war, he's scorned society ever since his return . . . until Louisa opens the door to his heart and convinces him to give love a second chance.




MY THOUGHTS
When Louisa Tempest arrives in London with her marriage-minded twin sister, Lavinia, and her trouble-making cat, Hannibal, all she wants is to make it through the Season unscathed and return to her small town existence in Kempton. She has absolutely no aspirations of shopping for ball gowns and paying social calls or dreams of falling in love and marrying. She's set on remaining on the sidelines and letting her sister enjoy London-life for the both of them. But when Hannibal bolts from the carriage and straight into the home of a reclusive Viscount, Louisa can't help but get involved. 

After losing his best friend and wounding his leg fighting Napoleon, Pierson, Viscount Wakefield, returns home only to have his fiancee dump him. The weight of his guilt and grief cause him to drink his days away, wallowing in his misery and letting his house and relationships go to ruin. But when a cat-like beast comes tearing into his house, followed by its beautiful, managing mistress, Wakefield is finally roused from his despondent daze.

Ms. Tempest, much as her name implies, seems to leave a path of destruction in her wake. She disrupts Pierson's routine of drinking all night and sleeping all day, and once his eyes are open he finally begins to notice the shambles he's living in. Shambles which that meddling woman seems intent on repairing.

Louisa is a distraction that's much too tempting to refuse and the passion that flares between them when they get into a room (or linen closet) together is much too strong to resist. Between the matchmaking cat and the meddling servants Wakefield and Louisa just can't escape each other and the draw they feel for one another.

I love that the heroes are both homebodies who had no aspirations of marrying and that they're able to pull each other out of their shells. Louisa is a heroine who takes charge of situations and doesn't get intimidated by blustering Viscounts who don't know what's good for them. Wakefield is a hermetic reformed rake with a good heart and an even better kiss. They both just needed that special someone to come into their lives, shake them up a bit and ignite their passion.

The Viscount Who Live Down the Lane is everything I look for in a regency romance and a wonderful new take on Beauty and the Beast. I loved this book and Elizabeth Boyle's writing style and I can't wait to read Lavinia's story and get her perspective.


Disclaimer: I received this book free in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions shared are my own.







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AUTHOR INFO 
Elizabeth Boyle was an antipiracy paralegal for Microsoft before settling down to write full-time. Her first novel, Brazen Angel, which won Dell's Diamond Debut Award in 1996, also won the Romance Writers of America's RITA Award for Best First Book, and was a finalist for Best Long Historical Romance. She lives with her husband in Seattle, Washington. She is also the author of Brazen Heiress.


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