My suspicions were correct: I did in fact enjoy this book much more than the first one in the series.
A large reason why is that the tropes in this one are like catnip for me. Two orphan brothers who have stuck together and survived in the world by running cons? Check. A dark secret from their past that threatens to tear them apart? Check. One last con involving a young woman with a fortune who's in the market to pull her own con of sorts? CHECK.
And on top of that, the specifics of the brothers' background are also really interesting, since they're two Jewish men in a very unwelcoming early 19th century England. Ash, the older brother who's been responsible for his brother Rafe since Ash was 9, originally views Lydia Reeve as a perfect mark for his brother to marry, thereby finally gaining a respectable life. But Rafe doesn't actually want that life, and Ash finds himself draw to Lydia. Meanwhile, after her father's death, Lydia has no access to her fortune until she marries, and when Rafe confesses their plans she finds herself more intrigued than horrified--especially if she can marry Ash instead of Rafe. And from there we have a wonderful marriage of convenience, with both parties denying that there's anything more than that brewing under the surface, and I just liked all of these characters and their imperfections so much. The final conflict and resolution didn't quite land the way I wanted it to, but on the whole I really liked this book.
Grade: B
A large reason why is that the tropes in this one are like catnip for me. Two orphan brothers who have stuck together and survived in the world by running cons? Check. A dark secret from their past that threatens to tear them apart? Check. One last con involving a young woman with a fortune who's in the market to pull her own con of sorts? CHECK.
And on top of that, the specifics of the brothers' background are also really interesting, since they're two Jewish men in a very unwelcoming early 19th century England. Ash, the older brother who's been responsible for his brother Rafe since Ash was 9, originally views Lydia Reeve as a perfect mark for his brother to marry, thereby finally gaining a respectable life. But Rafe doesn't actually want that life, and Ash finds himself draw to Lydia. Meanwhile, after her father's death, Lydia has no access to her fortune until she marries, and when Rafe confesses their plans she finds herself more intrigued than horrified--especially if she can marry Ash instead of Rafe. And from there we have a wonderful marriage of convenience, with both parties denying that there's anything more than that brewing under the surface, and I just liked all of these characters and their imperfections so much. The final conflict and resolution didn't quite land the way I wanted it to, but on the whole I really liked this book.
Grade: B
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