4.5 stars
Miss Isolde Ophelia Goodnight, or Izzy, is the orphaned daughter of the author of a beloved series of adventure stories. She has barely a penny to her name, so when she is told that her recently deceased godfather has left her Gostley Castle, it seems too good to be true. Of course, her castle is a filthy ruin, currently inhabited by the scarred, bitter and extremely rude Duke of Rothbury, who’s adamant that he didn’t sell any castle, and it therefore can’t belong to Izzy. He wants to drive her away, so he can go back to his brooding. She refuses to leave, and dares him to try his worst to drive her away.
Realising that he needs to prove her wrong, Ransom, the duke, hires her as his secretary, so she can go through the piles of correspondence that have piled up since the accident that left him with a wicked facial scar and near blindness. Izzy agrees to spend the mornings sorting through his letters, but insists on spending her afternoons trying to restore the castle to a semblance of comfort, aided by the vicar’s daughter, a huge fan of her father’s stories. Ransom, quite happy to sulk in the bat-infested ruin, now has to engage daily with Izzy’s determined cheer, not to mention the hordes of fans who keep turning up to talk to little Izzy Goodnight.
I couldn’t wait to read your review. Mine is written and queued for Tuesday. If you don’t mind, I have added a link to your positive review in mine so people can get a different take.
I read my first Rodale, she of the romance novel thesis, this weekend. Um. It was fine?
Is your review up on your blog now? I shall have to go and read it. I can absolutely understand why you found the book to twee and silly and unconvincing, but I pretty much loved it. It would be a dreadfully boring world if everyone liked exactly the same thing all the time, though.
It’s up there, but not here. I shamelessly queue CBR things to post according to when I think they will get the most views.