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Baleful Godmother #2
Trusting Miss Trentham
She's more than just an heiress...
Letitia Trentham is noteworthy for three reasons. One, she’s extremely wealthy. Two, she can distinguish truth from lies. Three, she’s refused every man who’s ever proposed to her.
Until Letty receives a proposal she can’t turn down.
Icarus Reid barely survived the Battle of Vimeiro. He lives for one thing—to find the man who betrayed him to the French. He doesn’t want to marry Miss Trentham; he wants to use her talent for uncovering lies.
Suddenly, Letty finds herself breaking the rules, pretending to be someone she’s not, and doing things a lady would never do. But her hunt for the truth may uncover more than one secret—including the secret that haunts Icarus day and night. The secret he intends to take to his grave...
Letitia Trentham is noteworthy for three reasons. One, she’s extremely wealthy. Two, she can distinguish truth from lies. Three, she’s refused every man who’s ever proposed to her.
Until Letty receives a proposal she can’t turn down.
Icarus Reid barely survived the Battle of Vimeiro. He lives for one thing—to find the man who betrayed him to the French. He doesn’t want to marry Miss Trentham; he wants to use her talent for uncovering lies.
Suddenly, Letty finds herself breaking the rules, pretending to be someone she’s not, and doing things a lady would never do. But her hunt for the truth may uncover more than one secret—including the secret that haunts Icarus day and night. The secret he intends to take to his grave...
386 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 30, 2016
497 people are currently reading
834 people want to read
About the author
Emily Larkin
38 books369 followersEmily Larkin is the USA Today bestselling author of the Baleful Godmother historical romance series, a series that readers are calling “sexy, unusual and vastly entertaining,” and "ridiculously wonderful."
When not reading or writing, Emily can be found hiking—preferably somewhere off the beaten track. She loves to travel, and has lived in Sweden, backpacked in Europe and North America, and traveled overland in the Middle East, China, and North Africa. Her varied career includes stints as a field assistant in Antarctica and a waitress on the Isle of Skye.
Emily writes fantasy novels as Emily Gee, and historical romance novels as Emily Larkin. She has been a finalist in the Romance Writers of America RITA award, as well as the National Readers Choice, Booksellers Best, Australian Romantic Book of the Year, Sir Julius Vogel, and Koru awards. Her websites are www.emilylarkin.com and www.emilygee.com.
** Join Emily’s Readers’ Group to get an email whenever she has a new release or discounts a book—plus get some FREE ebooks as well!**
When not reading or writing, Emily can be found hiking—preferably somewhere off the beaten track. She loves to travel, and has lived in Sweden, backpacked in Europe and North America, and traveled overland in the Middle East, China, and North Africa. Her varied career includes stints as a field assistant in Antarctica and a waitress on the Isle of Skye.
Emily writes fantasy novels as Emily Gee, and historical romance novels as Emily Larkin. She has been a finalist in the Romance Writers of America RITA award, as well as the National Readers Choice, Booksellers Best, Australian Romantic Book of the Year, Sir Julius Vogel, and Koru awards. Her websites are www.emilylarkin.com and www.emilygee.com.
** Join Emily’s Readers’ Group to get an email whenever she has a new release or discounts a book—plus get some FREE ebooks as well!**
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 146 reviews
November 8, 2017
3.5 stars. Possible spoilers ahead.
Icarus Reid is on a mission: find the traitor responsible for the death of four of his fellow soldiers and his own torture and bring him to justice. Reid has a few suspects, but how to find out who is telling the truth and who is lying? He has heard of Miss Letitia ‘Letty’ Trentham’s ‘knack’ for discerning liars and approaches her to ask for her help. This ‘knack’ is a yet another gift given by the Fairy Godmother, Baletongue, to the female descendants of a woman who once had helped her.
On her 21st birthday, Letty chose the gift to hear whether someone tells the truth or not. A gift that comes in handy, considering that she is England’s greatest heiress, and therefore target for many fortune hunters. All turned down, of course, for Letty won’t obviously marry a fortune hunter. Her direct questioning when presented with an offer of marriage, has earned her a reputation of a cold fish. But how else is she supposed to be when all she ever heard from men courting her, is lies? When she’s referred to only as the England’s greatest heiress.
When Reid asks the favour of her, she’s reluctant but ‘hears’ the truth in his voice that he will do anything to find the culprit. That, and the fact that something seems to be off with Mr. Reid, decides it. She’ll help him, and after visiting the first two suspects who reside in London and striking them from Reid’s list, they go off to find the other suspects who are scattered outside of London. To keep her identity hidden and her reputation intact, she poses as Reid’s wife.
To be someone else than the greatest heiress in England and not constantly forced to be on the watch, lest she finds herself in a compromising situation with a fortune hunter whom she then would have to marry, is an opportunity Letty has never dreamed of. A new experience. And there’s something about Reid she can’t let go. As for Reid, he’s single minded in his pursuit of the man who’s caused so much devastation. He might be alive, unlike his fellow soldiers, but he sees himself as a dead man walking: bring that villain to justice and then – most likely – commit suicide. He’s suffering from guilt and what is clearly PTSD with nightmares that take him back to that fateful night.
Trusting Miss Trentham is only the second full-length novel I have read by Emily Larkin and I’m hooked! Once again, she takes the reader on a journey (this time literally, as this is a road romance) through a Regency England that has more to offer than ballgowns and silly plot devices. Although the plot depends on the mystery of who the traitor is, the story itself is firmly character driven. It deals with some serious issues and for once it didn’t feel as if they were simply glossed over.
PTSD in a Regency romance is a popular trope, with the heroine sweeping in and helping/rescuing/redeeming/ the hero with the power of her beauty and her love. Usually, I’d read through that book, bored for most of the time. The execution in Trusting Miss Trentham, however, gripped me right from the beginning. The fact that Letty and Reid reluctantly start a friendship before any romantic entanglements emerge, was a refreshing change. Reid even resents her for trying to get him to live again, sleep again, eat again. They truly bond as friends before they become lovers much later. And all the while, the reader is given time to explore not only Reid and Letty, but also the secondary characters who added so much atmosphere to the story.
As with Unmasking Miss Appleby, if there were any plot holes, I couldn’t find them. The PNR element is negligible. Sure, Letty’s ability to ‘hear’ lies is essential to the story and used very often, but in the absence of any other common PNR elements, this felt rather like a fairy tale. I wouldn’t even consider this to be a PNR.
What the story lacked, however, and which is also my reason for rounding it down, is the romance. Or rather, Reid. Until the very end, he is unsure of what to make of Letty and the sexual relationship they’ve been engaging in. There’s a time frame of about 10 days, the perpetrator found and ‘brought’ to justice, and Reid knows that Letty has to leave for London eventually. It takes Letty to finally set a date for her departure before Reid acts. Now, I don’t need pages filled with purple prose-y drama and sex, but there was something almost clinical to their relationship that I hoped would soften eventually. Alas, it didn’t. I didn't doubt his feelings for Letty, but the romance itself was meandering along.
Still, I’m truly coming to love Ms. Larkin’s talent for storytelling. She’s extremely good at it. So that’s me now binge-reading this series. Besides, she’s managed to write the most curious build -up to a cunnilingus/fellatio scene…ever.
Icarus Reid is on a mission: find the traitor responsible for the death of four of his fellow soldiers and his own torture and bring him to justice. Reid has a few suspects, but how to find out who is telling the truth and who is lying? He has heard of Miss Letitia ‘Letty’ Trentham’s ‘knack’ for discerning liars and approaches her to ask for her help. This ‘knack’ is a yet another gift given by the Fairy Godmother, Baletongue, to the female descendants of a woman who once had helped her.
On her 21st birthday, Letty chose the gift to hear whether someone tells the truth or not. A gift that comes in handy, considering that she is England’s greatest heiress, and therefore target for many fortune hunters. All turned down, of course, for Letty won’t obviously marry a fortune hunter. Her direct questioning when presented with an offer of marriage, has earned her a reputation of a cold fish. But how else is she supposed to be when all she ever heard from men courting her, is lies? When she’s referred to only as the England’s greatest heiress.
When Reid asks the favour of her, she’s reluctant but ‘hears’ the truth in his voice that he will do anything to find the culprit. That, and the fact that something seems to be off with Mr. Reid, decides it. She’ll help him, and after visiting the first two suspects who reside in London and striking them from Reid’s list, they go off to find the other suspects who are scattered outside of London. To keep her identity hidden and her reputation intact, she poses as Reid’s wife.
To be someone else than the greatest heiress in England and not constantly forced to be on the watch, lest she finds herself in a compromising situation with a fortune hunter whom she then would have to marry, is an opportunity Letty has never dreamed of. A new experience. And there’s something about Reid she can’t let go. As for Reid, he’s single minded in his pursuit of the man who’s caused so much devastation. He might be alive, unlike his fellow soldiers, but he sees himself as a dead man walking: bring that villain to justice and then – most likely – commit suicide. He’s suffering from guilt and what is clearly PTSD with nightmares that take him back to that fateful night.
Trusting Miss Trentham is only the second full-length novel I have read by Emily Larkin and I’m hooked! Once again, she takes the reader on a journey (this time literally, as this is a road romance) through a Regency England that has more to offer than ballgowns and silly plot devices. Although the plot depends on the mystery of who the traitor is, the story itself is firmly character driven. It deals with some serious issues and for once it didn’t feel as if they were simply glossed over.
PTSD in a Regency romance is a popular trope, with the heroine sweeping in and helping/rescuing/redeeming/ the hero with the power of her beauty and her love. Usually, I’d read through that book, bored for most of the time. The execution in Trusting Miss Trentham, however, gripped me right from the beginning. The fact that Letty and Reid reluctantly start a friendship before any romantic entanglements emerge, was a refreshing change. Reid even resents her for trying to get him to live again, sleep again, eat again. They truly bond as friends before they become lovers much later. And all the while, the reader is given time to explore not only Reid and Letty, but also the secondary characters who added so much atmosphere to the story.
As with Unmasking Miss Appleby, if there were any plot holes, I couldn’t find them. The PNR element is negligible. Sure, Letty’s ability to ‘hear’ lies is essential to the story and used very often, but in the absence of any other common PNR elements, this felt rather like a fairy tale. I wouldn’t even consider this to be a PNR.
What the story lacked, however, and which is also my reason for rounding it down, is the romance. Or rather, Reid. Until the very end, he is unsure of what to make of Letty and the sexual relationship they’ve been engaging in. There’s a time frame of about 10 days, the perpetrator found and ‘brought’ to justice, and Reid knows that Letty has to leave for London eventually. It takes Letty to finally set a date for her departure before Reid acts. Now, I don’t need pages filled with purple prose-y drama and sex, but there was something almost clinical to their relationship that I hoped would soften eventually. Alas, it didn’t. I didn't doubt his feelings for Letty, but the romance itself was meandering along.
Still, I’m truly coming to love Ms. Larkin’s talent for storytelling. She’s extremely good at it. So that’s me now binge-reading this series. Besides, she’s managed to write the most curious build -up to a cunnilingus/fellatio scene…ever.
March 21, 2017
I've given this a B+ at AAR, so that's 4.5 stars.
Trusting Miss Trentham is the third book in Emily Larkin’s Baleful Godmother series of historical romances with a paranormal twist. Owing to the good deed done by one of their ancestresses, each of the heroines is entitled to receive a gift from their Faerie Godmother – whom they call Baletongue – on their twenty-first or twenty-fifth birthday (depending on their line of descent). These stories are primarily romances, however, so if you’re looking for a high-concept paranormal, you won’t find it here. The love stories are at the centre of these books, and Ms. Larkin writes those with a great deal of insight and assurance, imbuing her tales with a strong sense of period and peopling them with interesting and engaging characters who behave and think in a manner that is appropriate for the time.
Miss Letitia Trentham is one of the wealthiest women in England and has, by the age of twenty-seven, turned down around two-hundred proposals of marriage. Having chosen the gift of being able to detect lies, she has rebuffed just about every fortune hunter in the country - who are the only men to have offered for her. She knows she is not pretty or possessed of the other sorts of qualities likely to attract men; she doesn’t simper or defer, plus she’s intelligent and not afraid to show it, which isn’t a much admired quality on the marriage mart. She has just turned down yet another hopeful when she is approached by a tall, gaunt man with a military bearing and an undeniable air of exhaustion who has heard of her uncanny ability to be able to tell truth from lies – and who asks for her help.
Icarus Reid, formerly a major in His Majesty’s army, resigned his commission after the battle of Vimeiro and, although not completely recovered from a serious illness, has travelled back to England. He explains to Letty that he is searching for a traitor; he, a Portuguese officer and three scouts were betrayed before the battle and captured, and Reid is the only one of them who survived. He desperately wants to discover the identity of that traitor and then take steps to have him brought to justice, and he asks Letty if she will accompany him to meet with his two main suspects and use her talent for detecting lies to help him uncover the truth.
Letty senses that Reid is a potentially dangerous man and is naturally wary; but after hearing his story and extracting a promise that he will not kill whichever of the men turns out to have been responsible, she agrees to accompany him to meet with the suspects, even though one of them is a prisoner in the Marshalsea. Information gleaned gives Reid three more names to investigate, but none of those men are in London. Exhilarated at the newfound feeling of freedom she has experienced as a result of the subterfuges needed to ensure she was able to meet Reid in secret, Letty offers to accompany him to Basingstoke to find the first of the men on the list. Reid is reluctant to accept because of the damage that could be done to her reputation; his behaviour in insisting she enter a prison and spend time in the company of unsavoury men was less than honourable and he is not feeling particularly proud of himself as a result. But Letty has a plan – and even though he knows he should not allow her to become any more involved, Reid’s desire to root out the traitor is stronger than his gentlemanly instincts.
The tone of Trusting Miss Trentham is rather more sombre than the previous two books, but that is quite fitting considering that the hero is an extremely troubled man who continues to be plagued by nightmares and memories of the terrible things he endured during his military service. As Letty and Reid travel to Basingstoke and then further, she begins to have suspicions as to what is distressing him so deeply, but Reid steadfastly refuses to tell the truth about what happened to him at Vimeiro or to let her get close to him. Yet her quiet, steadfast care of him every night when he wakes, sick and disorientated from his tortured dreams starts to break down his resistance and he slowly begins to reassess her, to value her intelligence, her kindness and her determination and discovers – against his better judgement – that he can’t bear the idea of being without her.
Ms. Larkin does a fantastic job in conveying the depth of Reid’s anger and despair, and the way in which Letty’s calming presence in his life and their growing intimacy gradually start to remind him of what it’s like to be alive. I can’t remember the last time I read – or if I ever have read – a hero of a romance novel quite like him; so worn out and tormented by memories – and I should say here that Ms. Larkin makes no bones about what happened to him in Portugal. Her descriptions are not graphic but they are disturbing nonetheless.
Letty is a wonderful character and again, is quite unlike many other historical romance heroines I’ve read. She’s incredibly wealthy and, she thinks, rather plain, and has given up on the idea of finding a man who wants her for herself and not her money and decided to dedicate her life and considerable fortune to charitable works. I liked her persistence, her kindness and her practical nature; and her concern for propriety rings very true for a woman of her time. But she hasn’t realised quite how hemmed in she has been by it until she resorts to deception in order to meet Reid to go to the Marshalsea. For the sake of respectability, she and Reid travel as man and wife, and Letty discovers a real sense of freedom at not being surrounded by servants or people toadying to her, so much so, that the thought of returning to her former life is somewhat depressing.
The relationship that develops between the couple progresses slowly and is quietly understated, which is feels exactly right given the tenor of the story. Letty’s initial infatuation develops into something far deeper as she begins to see past the man burdened by misdirected guilt and self-hatred to the man Reid could and should be, the good-natured, easy-going and confident man with whom she is falling more in love every day.
Reid berates himself for not treating Letty more kindly, but he is driven by his purpose to the exclusion of pretty much all else, and he certainly doesn’t want to fall in love. Letty’s care of him is extremely touching, clearly showing the truth of her feelings for him; she wants him to be well and happy, and unfortunately, in her pursuit of his happiness makes a major error one night which threatens to shatter what is already a fragile relationship.
Fortunately however, both Reid and Letty are mature enough to be able to talk it through and to move on in a positive way. In fact, apart from Reid’s refusal to talk about Vimeiro, all their conversations are characterised by honesty and good sense, clearly showing their mutual respect, and liking, even when they are both annoyed with one another. I also liked the way that Ms. Larkin effects Reid’s recovery; there’s no overnight cure, or, as Letty admits to herself, any guarantee that he will ever be completely healed, but there is the real sense that he has achieved closure and is ready to move on with his life. And if Letty’s love and unconditional support give Reid something worth living for, in return, he provides her with the love and happiness she’d never thought to have.
Trusting Miss Trentham goes to some dark places, but is no less enjoyable for that. It doesn’t have quite the same sparkle as the first book – Unmasking Miss Appleby – but it’s certainly well-written, the characterisation of the two principals is excellent and the story is compelling. There is a strongly written set of secondary characters as well, two of whom – Letty’s cousin, Lucas Kemp, and Lieutenant Tom Matlock, who served with Reid – are going to get their own story in the next book, Claiming Mister Kemp. Until then, however, Trusting Miss Trentham is another very strong entry in this entertaining and unusual series, and while it can be read as a standalone, I’d recommend starting at the beginning – simply because the earlier books are too good to miss.
Trusting Miss Trentham is the third book in Emily Larkin’s Baleful Godmother series of historical romances with a paranormal twist. Owing to the good deed done by one of their ancestresses, each of the heroines is entitled to receive a gift from their Faerie Godmother – whom they call Baletongue – on their twenty-first or twenty-fifth birthday (depending on their line of descent). These stories are primarily romances, however, so if you’re looking for a high-concept paranormal, you won’t find it here. The love stories are at the centre of these books, and Ms. Larkin writes those with a great deal of insight and assurance, imbuing her tales with a strong sense of period and peopling them with interesting and engaging characters who behave and think in a manner that is appropriate for the time.
Miss Letitia Trentham is one of the wealthiest women in England and has, by the age of twenty-seven, turned down around two-hundred proposals of marriage. Having chosen the gift of being able to detect lies, she has rebuffed just about every fortune hunter in the country - who are the only men to have offered for her. She knows she is not pretty or possessed of the other sorts of qualities likely to attract men; she doesn’t simper or defer, plus she’s intelligent and not afraid to show it, which isn’t a much admired quality on the marriage mart. She has just turned down yet another hopeful when she is approached by a tall, gaunt man with a military bearing and an undeniable air of exhaustion who has heard of her uncanny ability to be able to tell truth from lies – and who asks for her help.
Icarus Reid, formerly a major in His Majesty’s army, resigned his commission after the battle of Vimeiro and, although not completely recovered from a serious illness, has travelled back to England. He explains to Letty that he is searching for a traitor; he, a Portuguese officer and three scouts were betrayed before the battle and captured, and Reid is the only one of them who survived. He desperately wants to discover the identity of that traitor and then take steps to have him brought to justice, and he asks Letty if she will accompany him to meet with his two main suspects and use her talent for detecting lies to help him uncover the truth.
Letty senses that Reid is a potentially dangerous man and is naturally wary; but after hearing his story and extracting a promise that he will not kill whichever of the men turns out to have been responsible, she agrees to accompany him to meet with the suspects, even though one of them is a prisoner in the Marshalsea. Information gleaned gives Reid three more names to investigate, but none of those men are in London. Exhilarated at the newfound feeling of freedom she has experienced as a result of the subterfuges needed to ensure she was able to meet Reid in secret, Letty offers to accompany him to Basingstoke to find the first of the men on the list. Reid is reluctant to accept because of the damage that could be done to her reputation; his behaviour in insisting she enter a prison and spend time in the company of unsavoury men was less than honourable and he is not feeling particularly proud of himself as a result. But Letty has a plan – and even though he knows he should not allow her to become any more involved, Reid’s desire to root out the traitor is stronger than his gentlemanly instincts.
The tone of Trusting Miss Trentham is rather more sombre than the previous two books, but that is quite fitting considering that the hero is an extremely troubled man who continues to be plagued by nightmares and memories of the terrible things he endured during his military service. As Letty and Reid travel to Basingstoke and then further, she begins to have suspicions as to what is distressing him so deeply, but Reid steadfastly refuses to tell the truth about what happened to him at Vimeiro or to let her get close to him. Yet her quiet, steadfast care of him every night when he wakes, sick and disorientated from his tortured dreams starts to break down his resistance and he slowly begins to reassess her, to value her intelligence, her kindness and her determination and discovers – against his better judgement – that he can’t bear the idea of being without her.
Ms. Larkin does a fantastic job in conveying the depth of Reid’s anger and despair, and the way in which Letty’s calming presence in his life and their growing intimacy gradually start to remind him of what it’s like to be alive. I can’t remember the last time I read – or if I ever have read – a hero of a romance novel quite like him; so worn out and tormented by memories – and I should say here that Ms. Larkin makes no bones about what happened to him in Portugal. Her descriptions are not graphic but they are disturbing nonetheless.
Letty is a wonderful character and again, is quite unlike many other historical romance heroines I’ve read. She’s incredibly wealthy and, she thinks, rather plain, and has given up on the idea of finding a man who wants her for herself and not her money and decided to dedicate her life and considerable fortune to charitable works. I liked her persistence, her kindness and her practical nature; and her concern for propriety rings very true for a woman of her time. But she hasn’t realised quite how hemmed in she has been by it until she resorts to deception in order to meet Reid to go to the Marshalsea. For the sake of respectability, she and Reid travel as man and wife, and Letty discovers a real sense of freedom at not being surrounded by servants or people toadying to her, so much so, that the thought of returning to her former life is somewhat depressing.
The relationship that develops between the couple progresses slowly and is quietly understated, which is feels exactly right given the tenor of the story. Letty’s initial infatuation develops into something far deeper as she begins to see past the man burdened by misdirected guilt and self-hatred to the man Reid could and should be, the good-natured, easy-going and confident man with whom she is falling more in love every day.
Reid berates himself for not treating Letty more kindly, but he is driven by his purpose to the exclusion of pretty much all else, and he certainly doesn’t want to fall in love. Letty’s care of him is extremely touching, clearly showing the truth of her feelings for him; she wants him to be well and happy, and unfortunately, in her pursuit of his happiness makes a major error one night which threatens to shatter what is already a fragile relationship.
Fortunately however, both Reid and Letty are mature enough to be able to talk it through and to move on in a positive way. In fact, apart from Reid’s refusal to talk about Vimeiro, all their conversations are characterised by honesty and good sense, clearly showing their mutual respect, and liking, even when they are both annoyed with one another. I also liked the way that Ms. Larkin effects Reid’s recovery; there’s no overnight cure, or, as Letty admits to herself, any guarantee that he will ever be completely healed, but there is the real sense that he has achieved closure and is ready to move on with his life. And if Letty’s love and unconditional support give Reid something worth living for, in return, he provides her with the love and happiness she’d never thought to have.
Trusting Miss Trentham goes to some dark places, but is no less enjoyable for that. It doesn’t have quite the same sparkle as the first book – Unmasking Miss Appleby – but it’s certainly well-written, the characterisation of the two principals is excellent and the story is compelling. There is a strongly written set of secondary characters as well, two of whom – Letty’s cousin, Lucas Kemp, and Lieutenant Tom Matlock, who served with Reid – are going to get their own story in the next book, Claiming Mister Kemp. Until then, however, Trusting Miss Trentham is another very strong entry in this entertaining and unusual series, and while it can be read as a standalone, I’d recommend starting at the beginning – simply because the earlier books are too good to miss.
April 18, 2017
Letitia Trentham is a wealthy heiress that has been turning down marriage proposals for years because she is gifted an ability from a faerie to be able to tell when someone is lying. Letty knows her suitors have only been after her money so she has no plans to marry. Icarus Reid has come to seek the help of Letitia when he hears of her ability to detect a lie although he doesn't know that it comes from faerie magic.
Icarus had barely survived battle and now only lives for one thing, to find the man who betrayed him to the French. As Letty and Icarus team up to get to the truth Letty finds herself crossing all the lines, breaking the rules and doing things a lady would never do. During their time together Letty discovers the secrets that Icarus has kept and just what the battle had done to him.
Trusting Miss Trentham is the third book in the Baleful Godmother series by Emily Larkin. There is also the Fey Quartet series by Emily Larkin that is a series of novella prequels that give a look into the ancestors of the characters that we find in the Baleful Godmother series. It wouldn't be completely necessary to read the prequels or other books in the series to understand a single read but it was nice to have read more depth into how the characters in all the books came about receiving their birthday wish from a faerie.
While I have enjoyed other books in these series this one was my least favorite only rating in at 2.5 stars. I've been enjoying the mix of historical romance with a bit of fantasy involved with the faerie magic being gifted to the female main characters however this particular time the gift of detecting lies seemed a bit boring really so that was one thing making this story drag.
On top of not being excited with the faerie gift involved I was not a fan of this particular couple. Icarus is suffering after being in battle so Letty quickly dove into the roll of nursemaid which wasn't particularly appealing to me. But as time went on in the story it seemed that Letty was pushing and pushing and even crossed a boundary during the book which really didn't sit well.
Overall, at 2.5 stars this has been my lowest rated book of Emily Larkin's but I will continue on with the series and hope to find the next couple more to my liking.
I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....
Icarus had barely survived battle and now only lives for one thing, to find the man who betrayed him to the French. As Letty and Icarus team up to get to the truth Letty finds herself crossing all the lines, breaking the rules and doing things a lady would never do. During their time together Letty discovers the secrets that Icarus has kept and just what the battle had done to him.
Trusting Miss Trentham is the third book in the Baleful Godmother series by Emily Larkin. There is also the Fey Quartet series by Emily Larkin that is a series of novella prequels that give a look into the ancestors of the characters that we find in the Baleful Godmother series. It wouldn't be completely necessary to read the prequels or other books in the series to understand a single read but it was nice to have read more depth into how the characters in all the books came about receiving their birthday wish from a faerie.
While I have enjoyed other books in these series this one was my least favorite only rating in at 2.5 stars. I've been enjoying the mix of historical romance with a bit of fantasy involved with the faerie magic being gifted to the female main characters however this particular time the gift of detecting lies seemed a bit boring really so that was one thing making this story drag.
On top of not being excited with the faerie gift involved I was not a fan of this particular couple. Icarus is suffering after being in battle so Letty quickly dove into the roll of nursemaid which wasn't particularly appealing to me. But as time went on in the story it seemed that Letty was pushing and pushing and even crossed a boundary during the book which really didn't sit well.
Overall, at 2.5 stars this has been my lowest rated book of Emily Larkin's but I will continue on with the series and hope to find the next couple more to my liking.
I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....
November 18, 2019
Longer review to come... Meanwhile, I'll just say that this was the first Emily Larkin book I read, and it was so good, it prompted me to read every other book she's written. Her Baleful Godmother series is filled with romance, poignancy, humor, and magic. Yes, magic. I didn't know how much I needed magic in my historical romances until I read Larkin's fabulous books.
December 29, 2023
One of my all time favourite books. The H suffers with PTSD - he's trying to right a wrong before he dies. The plain and very wealthy h uses her gift to help him. She makes a bad mistake with the H. Loved how they unknowingly created a family during their travels. Love their story.
October 3, 2017
I love this series and all the character here! :)
Letty is immensely rich and she already has been gifted by the Baleful Godmother with a gift of knowing when people lie. It is an extremly uselful gift for a woman in her situation where she's accosted, almost all the time, by fortune hunters.
I loved how she managed these situations! LOL
She's considered plain and cold by the Ton, but is actually a very interesting woman. She leads a proteced life and when, during a ball, a war veteran Icarus Reid accosts her. First she thinks he's one of those furtune hunters, but soon realizes that he's actually asking for her help to uncover a traitor. And she agrees!
Icarus is a bitter man, a wounded soul, a betrayed soldier who seeks revenge and who's planning to die when he finds the traitor.
Together Letty and Icarus embark on a search that will take them around England and force them to pretend to be married.
Their story fascinated me. Letty was a very intelligent and mature woman who didn't act rush and who soetimes stopped Icarus from acting thus! I apprecite a heroine like her!
I could understand Icarus, with his PTSD, his nightmares, but I loathed his stubborn insistence about throwing away his life! It took a lot of time to Letty to convince him that life is worth living!
I think Letty was the one who did more to bring their romance forward. Icarus was like a stubborn child!
Still, her seduction, because it's Letty that seduce here, is slow but persistent, exactly what Icarus need!
Letty is immensely rich and she already has been gifted by the Baleful Godmother with a gift of knowing when people lie. It is an extremly uselful gift for a woman in her situation where she's accosted, almost all the time, by fortune hunters.
I loved how she managed these situations! LOL
She's considered plain and cold by the Ton, but is actually a very interesting woman. She leads a proteced life and when, during a ball, a war veteran Icarus Reid accosts her. First she thinks he's one of those furtune hunters, but soon realizes that he's actually asking for her help to uncover a traitor. And she agrees!
Icarus is a bitter man, a wounded soul, a betrayed soldier who seeks revenge and who's planning to die when he finds the traitor.
Together Letty and Icarus embark on a search that will take them around England and force them to pretend to be married.
Their story fascinated me. Letty was a very intelligent and mature woman who didn't act rush and who soetimes stopped Icarus from acting thus! I apprecite a heroine like her!
I could understand Icarus, with his PTSD, his nightmares, but I loathed his stubborn insistence about throwing away his life! It took a lot of time to Letty to convince him that life is worth living!
I think Letty was the one who did more to bring their romance forward. Icarus was like a stubborn child!
Still, her seduction, because it's Letty that seduce here, is slow but persistent, exactly what Icarus need!
April 20, 2022
This was such an incredibly boring book. And the plot was a good one. But we go into circles over and over again. It is so repetitive. I am still wondering how I was able to finish the book without it putting me to sleep.
January 29, 2017
You can find this review in English below.
Esta ha sido una historia de contrastes. Por un lado tenemos unos personajes relativamente complejos, bien descritos, con mucho potencial y con buena química entre ellos. Y, desgraciadamente, por otro lado tenemos unas situaciones absurdas, tontas y triviales que le quitan realismo tanto a los personajes como a la historia en sí.
Icarus Reid es mi tipo de héroe. Es un veterano de guerra con un severo trastorno post-traumático debido a incidentes sufridos durante la batalla de Vimeiro. Se ha convertido en la sombra del hombre que fue y ha consagrado el resto de su vida a encontrar al traidor que lo delató a los franceses. Es aquí donde entra en juego nuestra heroína, Letitia Trentham. Ella tiene un don: puede oír las mentiras, con lo cual se convierte en un objeto de gran valor para Reid y su cruzada.
Reid es un personaje complejo y honesto, con un gran sentido de la propiedad que él mismo reconoce ha quedado relegado a un segundo plano en favor de su sed de venganza. Él sabe perfectamente que lo que está haciendo no es justo, ni honesto, ni lo mejor para Letitia, pero no puede evitarlo. O mejor dicho, no quiere evitarlo. Y yo no tengo más remedio que admirar su honestidad. Sin embargo Letitia ha acabado siendo un personaje agobiante. Vale que no es guapa (para mí suele ser un plus en tanto en cuanto no se convierta en la cruz de guía de su vida) y vale que tiene que lidiar con todos los caza fortunas del país que van detrás de su herencia, cosa que pierde su valor dramático ya que ella es capaz por sí sola de evitarlos (recuerda, puede oír las mentiras), pero eso no justifica su actitud tan agobiante respecto a Reid. Desde que lo conoce (en 5 min) decide que su causa es la de ella también, y sin pensárselo dos veces tira por la borda los buenos modales y el decoro, sin miedo a las consecuencias. Este ha sido básicamente mi problema con la historia. Por más que Letitia se auto convence de que lo que está haciendo es por el bien de Reid y, por lo tanto, está por encima de las convenciones sociales, a mí no consigue convencerme. Su comportamiento y su actitud frente a situaciones increíblemente traumáticas son muy frívolos, muy superficiales y muy poco adecuados para la época.
Letitia acaba siendo un personaje patético, que se tira a los brazos de Reid en cuanto puede, que parpadea para no llorar cada 5 minutos, que actúa como si fuese la enfermera de Reid (cuidándolo en sus episodios nocturnos) y como su madre (obligándolo a comer constantemente) y todo ello debidamente acompañado de sus monólogos internos donde nos recuerda que ella no es guapa y que nadie la quiere.
Y aunque a estas alturas ya estaba bastante desconectada de la historia, también me ha resultado muy banal que hasta en 4 ocasiones acuden al rescate de personas a las que se encuentran por la calle(o en un baile) y a las que no conocen de nada, ofreciéndoles dinero y ayuda y solucionándoles la vida. Así de fácil. Así de irreal…
Esta historia no es para mí. Ni siquiera por Reid… lo dejo al 53%.
ARC provided by the author via Netgalley.
This has been a story of contrasts. On the one hand we have relatively complex MC´s, well described, with a lot of potential and good chemistry between them. And, unfortunately, on the other hand we have absurd, silly and trivial situations that take away realism from both the characters and the story itself.
Icarus Reid is my kind of hero. He is a war´s veteran with a severe PTSD due to incidents occurred during the battle of Vimeiro. He has become a shell of the man he used to be and has consecrated the rest of his life to find the traitor who betrayed him to the Frenchmen. This is where our heroine, Letitia Trentham, comes into play. She has a gift: she can hear the lies, which makes her an object of great value to Reid and his crusade.
Reid is a complex and honest character, with a great sense of propriety that he himself has relegated to the background in favor of his thirst for revenge. He knows perfectly well that what he is doing is neither fair, nor honest, nor what is best for Letitia, but he can´t help it. Or rather, do not want to. And I have no choice but to admire his honesty. However, Letitia has ended up being a stifling character. I can understand that she is not pretty (for me it is usually a plus as long as it does not become her cross to bear) and I know she has to deal with all the gold diggers around the country who go for her inheritance, which loses its dramatic value since she is able to avoid them (remember, she can hear the lies), but that does not justify her overbearing attitude towards Reid. Since she knows (in 5 minutes) him, she decides that his cause is hers as well, and without thinking twice about it, she throws caution (and good manners and decorum) to the wind. This has basically been my problem with the story. As much as Letitia has convinced herself that what she is doing is for Reid´s sake and, therefore, is above social conventions, I can´t convince myself. Her behavior and her attitude to incredibly traumatic situations are so frivolous, shallow and unsuitable for the times.
Letitia ends up being a pathetic character, who throws herself into Reid´s arms as soon as she can, who blinks her eyes every 5 minutes, who acts as if she was Reid's nurse (taking care of him during his nocturnal episodes) and as his mother (forcing him to eat constantly) and all this properly accompanied by her internal monologues where she reminds us that she is not beautiful and nobody wants her.
And although at this point I was quite disconnected from the story, it has also been trivial the 4 occasions when they come to the rescue of people they not even know, they just met them in the street (or at a dance) offering them money and settling their lives. That easy. That unreal ...
This story is not for me. Not even with Reid ... I quit @ 53%.
Esta ha sido una historia de contrastes. Por un lado tenemos unos personajes relativamente complejos, bien descritos, con mucho potencial y con buena química entre ellos. Y, desgraciadamente, por otro lado tenemos unas situaciones absurdas, tontas y triviales que le quitan realismo tanto a los personajes como a la historia en sí.
Icarus Reid es mi tipo de héroe. Es un veterano de guerra con un severo trastorno post-traumático debido a incidentes sufridos durante la batalla de Vimeiro. Se ha convertido en la sombra del hombre que fue y ha consagrado el resto de su vida a encontrar al traidor que lo delató a los franceses. Es aquí donde entra en juego nuestra heroína, Letitia Trentham. Ella tiene un don: puede oír las mentiras, con lo cual se convierte en un objeto de gran valor para Reid y su cruzada.
Reid es un personaje complejo y honesto, con un gran sentido de la propiedad que él mismo reconoce ha quedado relegado a un segundo plano en favor de su sed de venganza. Él sabe perfectamente que lo que está haciendo no es justo, ni honesto, ni lo mejor para Letitia, pero no puede evitarlo. O mejor dicho, no quiere evitarlo. Y yo no tengo más remedio que admirar su honestidad. Sin embargo Letitia ha acabado siendo un personaje agobiante. Vale que no es guapa (para mí suele ser un plus en tanto en cuanto no se convierta en la cruz de guía de su vida) y vale que tiene que lidiar con todos los caza fortunas del país que van detrás de su herencia, cosa que pierde su valor dramático ya que ella es capaz por sí sola de evitarlos (recuerda, puede oír las mentiras), pero eso no justifica su actitud tan agobiante respecto a Reid. Desde que lo conoce (en 5 min) decide que su causa es la de ella también, y sin pensárselo dos veces tira por la borda los buenos modales y el decoro, sin miedo a las consecuencias. Este ha sido básicamente mi problema con la historia. Por más que Letitia se auto convence de que lo que está haciendo es por el bien de Reid y, por lo tanto, está por encima de las convenciones sociales, a mí no consigue convencerme. Su comportamiento y su actitud frente a situaciones increíblemente traumáticas son muy frívolos, muy superficiales y muy poco adecuados para la época.
Letitia acaba siendo un personaje patético, que se tira a los brazos de Reid en cuanto puede, que parpadea para no llorar cada 5 minutos, que actúa como si fuese la enfermera de Reid (cuidándolo en sus episodios nocturnos) y como su madre (obligándolo a comer constantemente) y todo ello debidamente acompañado de sus monólogos internos donde nos recuerda que ella no es guapa y que nadie la quiere.
Y aunque a estas alturas ya estaba bastante desconectada de la historia, también me ha resultado muy banal que hasta en 4 ocasiones acuden al rescate de personas a las que se encuentran por la calle(o en un baile) y a las que no conocen de nada, ofreciéndoles dinero y ayuda y solucionándoles la vida. Así de fácil. Así de irreal…
Esta historia no es para mí. Ni siquiera por Reid… lo dejo al 53%.
ARC provided by the author via Netgalley.
This has been a story of contrasts. On the one hand we have relatively complex MC´s, well described, with a lot of potential and good chemistry between them. And, unfortunately, on the other hand we have absurd, silly and trivial situations that take away realism from both the characters and the story itself.
Icarus Reid is my kind of hero. He is a war´s veteran with a severe PTSD due to incidents occurred during the battle of Vimeiro. He has become a shell of the man he used to be and has consecrated the rest of his life to find the traitor who betrayed him to the Frenchmen. This is where our heroine, Letitia Trentham, comes into play. She has a gift: she can hear the lies, which makes her an object of great value to Reid and his crusade.
Reid is a complex and honest character, with a great sense of propriety that he himself has relegated to the background in favor of his thirst for revenge. He knows perfectly well that what he is doing is neither fair, nor honest, nor what is best for Letitia, but he can´t help it. Or rather, do not want to. And I have no choice but to admire his honesty. However, Letitia has ended up being a stifling character. I can understand that she is not pretty (for me it is usually a plus as long as it does not become her cross to bear) and I know she has to deal with all the gold diggers around the country who go for her inheritance, which loses its dramatic value since she is able to avoid them (remember, she can hear the lies), but that does not justify her overbearing attitude towards Reid. Since she knows (in 5 minutes) him, she decides that his cause is hers as well, and without thinking twice about it, she throws caution (and good manners and decorum) to the wind. This has basically been my problem with the story. As much as Letitia has convinced herself that what she is doing is for Reid´s sake and, therefore, is above social conventions, I can´t convince myself. Her behavior and her attitude to incredibly traumatic situations are so frivolous, shallow and unsuitable for the times.
Letitia ends up being a pathetic character, who throws herself into Reid´s arms as soon as she can, who blinks her eyes every 5 minutes, who acts as if she was Reid's nurse (taking care of him during his nocturnal episodes) and as his mother (forcing him to eat constantly) and all this properly accompanied by her internal monologues where she reminds us that she is not beautiful and nobody wants her.
And although at this point I was quite disconnected from the story, it has also been trivial the 4 occasions when they come to the rescue of people they not even know, they just met them in the street (or at a dance) offering them money and settling their lives. That easy. That unreal ...
This story is not for me. Not even with Reid ... I quit @ 53%.
December 24, 2024
Letitia "Letty" Trentham can hear lies, and Icarus Reid needs her assistance in discovering who betrayed him to the French at Vimeiro. During this investigation, Letty decides she's going to also help Icarus recover from what happened to him—no matter what.
1. While I mostly enjoyed this, I do think it's not quite a romance. Like, Letty and Icarus do grow closer together, but the primary beats of the thing are entirely centered on Icarus's journey to healing and recovery. And it's a decently told story—but it does mean some of the romantic beats were a little undeveloped and lackluster.
Like, by the end of the thing I wasn't entirely convinced that Icarus truly was in love with Letty: he was willing to do sexual acts with her, but it isn't until they're mid-coitus that he actually realizes he loves her, which... a little weak.
2. There's a scene with a non-consensual sex act that I was getting all inflated about (NOT COOL NOT COOL: THAT SHIT DOESN'T FLY REGARDLESS OF WHO IS TOUCHING WHAT), and then:
3. The text straight up acknowledges it, and makes a point of the need for consent! Ten points to Larkin!
4. The later swapping of oral sex acts was... a choice, however.
5. Overall, this was very much a book about war and recovery and I didn't not like it.
1. While I mostly enjoyed this, I do think it's not quite a romance. Like, Letty and Icarus do grow closer together, but the primary beats of the thing are entirely centered on Icarus's journey to healing and recovery. And it's a decently told story—but it does mean some of the romantic beats were a little undeveloped and lackluster.
Like, by the end of the thing I wasn't entirely convinced that Icarus truly was in love with Letty: he was willing to do sexual acts with her, but it isn't until they're mid-coitus that he actually realizes he loves her, which... a little weak.
2. There's a scene with a non-consensual sex act that I was getting all inflated about (NOT COOL NOT COOL: THAT SHIT DOESN'T FLY REGARDLESS OF WHO IS TOUCHING WHAT), and then:
3. The text straight up acknowledges it, and makes a point of the need for consent! Ten points to Larkin!
4. The later swapping of oral sex acts was... a choice, however.
5. Overall, this was very much a book about war and recovery and I didn't not like it.
June 22, 2020
I didn't mind this one until the h She has no womanly wiles and claimed that she didn't know that this was different than a regular kiss. Um, what? I don't mean to be rude, but that is beyond stupid. The fact that the H had to point out to her that it wasn't ok just boggled my mind.
Up until that point, I found this story fairly enjoyable; fully realized characters, interesting backstories, and a dash of paranormal, held my attention. I also liked the cameo appearance of the heroine from the previous book. However, after that scene, I had a hard time stomaching the rest. The author did a credible job at minimizing what the h did, and after an initial awkwardness, things went back to normal. The ending chapter was also pretty sweet. However, I just couldn't scrub that scene out my brain. I couldn't even skip it entirely because the whole time leading up to the act, I thought that "surely, she wouldn't!" Lesson learned.
Up until that point, I found this story fairly enjoyable; fully realized characters, interesting backstories, and a dash of paranormal, held my attention. I also liked the cameo appearance of the heroine from the previous book. However, after that scene, I had a hard time stomaching the rest. The author did a credible job at minimizing what the h did, and after an initial awkwardness, things went back to normal. The ending chapter was also pretty sweet. However, I just couldn't scrub that scene out my brain. I couldn't even skip it entirely because the whole time leading up to the act, I thought that "surely, she wouldn't!" Lesson learned.
April 12, 2024
I've given this an A for narration and a B+ for content at AudioGals, so that's 4.5 stars rounded up.
Trusting Miss Trentham is the second full-length novel in Emily Larkin’s historical-with-a-touch-of-the-paranormal Baleful Godmother series, which features a group of young women who have been granted magical ‘gifts’ by their faerie godmother. (There is a novella – Resisting Miss Merryweather – between book one, Unmasking Miss Appleby, and this one, but it’s not necessary to have read or listened to either of them to enjoy this instalment). Each of the ladies is allowed to choose their gift – although they must choose carefully, as the aforementioned faerie godmother is not the benevolent sort so often found in fairy tales and will trick them if she can – and in this story, our heroine, Leticia Trentham, has chosen to be able to hear when someone is lying to her.
There’s a good reason for this choice. Letty is heiress to a massive fortune and knew that she would need to be able to tell the difference between a man who wanted her for herself and one who wanted her for her money. Now aged twenty-eight, the more than two hundred marriage proposals she has received in the years since her come out at twenty-one have all been made by fortune hunters, and now, she rather despairs of ever finding a man who can tell her honestly that he isn’t just after her money. She knows she doesn’t have much else to recommend her; she’s not pretty or possessed of the other sorts of qualities likely to attract a husband. She doesn’t simper or defer and she’s intelligent and not afraid to show it – which isn’t exactly a sought-after quality on the marriage mart. She has just turned down yet another would-be suitor when she is approached by a tall, gaunt man with a military bearing and an undeniable air of exhaustion who has heard of her uncanny ability to be able to tell truth from lies – and who asks for her help.
Icarus Reid – formerly a major in Wellington’s army – resigned his commission after the Battle of Vimeiro, and although not fully recovered from a debilitating illness, has returned to England intent on seeking out a traitor, the man who betrayed him, a fellow officer, and three local scouts to the French before the battle. He explains that he is the only one who survived their captivity and asks Letty to accompany him when he questions the two men he suspects could have been responsible for telling the French where to find them.
Sensing Reid is a dangerous man, one who is close to the end of his tether, Letty is naturally wary. But she can hear the desperation in his voice as well as the ring of absolute truth, so she agrees to do what she can to help – and when the information gleaned provides Reid with three new potential suspects, she finds herself eager to continue to investigate. The need to find ways to meet Reid in secret so as not to compromise her reputation has given her a newfound feeling of freedom, something she has never really experienced before, and she finds she likes this newer, bolder version of herself. However, Reid is reluctant to take up her offer of further help for fear of damaging her good name; she’s already risked ruin by meeting him in secret and entering a prison (one of the original suspects was in the Marshalsea debtor’s prison) and Reid is not feeling particularly comfortable about his insistence she accompany him there. But Letty has a plan – and even though he knows he should not allow her to become any more involved, Reid’s desire to root out the traitor is stronger than his gentlemanly instincts.
Letty and Reid are well-rounded, three-dimensional characters, and their romance progresses in a quietly understated manner, which fits both them and their circumstances. It’s clear right from the start that Reid is suffering from what we’d today call PTSD, and that all that’s keeping him going is his desire for revenge against whomever caused the deaths of his four companions on that fateful day at Vimeiro. As they travel together, Letty begins to form her own ideas as to what is distressing Reid so deeply, but he steadfastly refuses to tell the truth about what happened to him or to let her get close. Yet her quiet, steadfast care of him every night when he wakes, sick and disorientated from horrific nightmares starts to break down his resistance and he slowly begins to reassess her, to value her intelligence, her kindness and her determination and discovers – against his better judgement – that he can’t bear the idea of being without her.
Letty falls into an infatuation quite quickly, but as their time together continues, she starts to see past the man burdened by misdirected guilt and self-hatred to the good-natured, easy-going and confident man Reid could – and should – be; the man with whom she is falling more in love every day.
Reid and Letty are a well-matched couple whose interactions are generally characterised by honesty and good sense. Their mutual respect and affection are clear, even when they’re annoyed with one another, but there is one point in their story which may prove too much of a stumbling block for some – namely, the circumstances of their first sexual encounter. It’s difficult to say much without spoilers, other than that Letty, in her complete innocence and inexperience, makes a serious error of judgement. After his initial shock, Reid gently puts her straight and explains why what she did was wrong, but it’s still a little uncomfortable to listen to.
On a more positive note, I appreciated the way in which the author sets Reid on the road to recovery. There’s no overnight miracle cure, and as Letty admits to herself, no guarantee that Reid will ever be completely healed, but there IS a real sense that he’s achieved closure and is ready to move forward with his life. And if Letty’s love and unconditional support give Reid something worth living for, in return, he provides her with the love and happiness she’d never thought to have.
It’s always a great pleasure to listen to Rosalyn Landor. I know she’ll deliver a polished, highly accomplished performance and that I can just sit back and enjoy the story without having to worry about any mangled words or vocal ticks that will take me out of the story! Her enunciation is perfect, her pacing is just right, and she characterises both leads extremely well; Reid’s deep world-weariness is evident in his voice, and Letty is softly spoken but clearly not a pushover. There are quite a few supporting characters here, including servants, Letty’s friends and relatives, and all the various military men whom Reid questions; Ms. Landor differentiates skilfully and effectively between all of them, assigning regional accents to some of the servants, and giving suitably pompous airs and graces to characters such as Letty’s snobbish half-brother. As ever she really gets under the skins of the leads, unerringly pinpointing the emotional heart of their relationship and imbuing their interactions with just the right degree of expression and emotional nuance. It will come as no surprise when I say it’s an excellent performance all round, and that overall – and in spite of that one reservation I’ve expressed – I’m giving Trusting Miss Trentham a strong recommendation.
This review originally appeared at AudioGals.
Trusting Miss Trentham is the second full-length novel in Emily Larkin’s historical-with-a-touch-of-the-paranormal Baleful Godmother series, which features a group of young women who have been granted magical ‘gifts’ by their faerie godmother. (There is a novella – Resisting Miss Merryweather – between book one, Unmasking Miss Appleby, and this one, but it’s not necessary to have read or listened to either of them to enjoy this instalment). Each of the ladies is allowed to choose their gift – although they must choose carefully, as the aforementioned faerie godmother is not the benevolent sort so often found in fairy tales and will trick them if she can – and in this story, our heroine, Leticia Trentham, has chosen to be able to hear when someone is lying to her.
There’s a good reason for this choice. Letty is heiress to a massive fortune and knew that she would need to be able to tell the difference between a man who wanted her for herself and one who wanted her for her money. Now aged twenty-eight, the more than two hundred marriage proposals she has received in the years since her come out at twenty-one have all been made by fortune hunters, and now, she rather despairs of ever finding a man who can tell her honestly that he isn’t just after her money. She knows she doesn’t have much else to recommend her; she’s not pretty or possessed of the other sorts of qualities likely to attract a husband. She doesn’t simper or defer and she’s intelligent and not afraid to show it – which isn’t exactly a sought-after quality on the marriage mart. She has just turned down yet another would-be suitor when she is approached by a tall, gaunt man with a military bearing and an undeniable air of exhaustion who has heard of her uncanny ability to be able to tell truth from lies – and who asks for her help.
Icarus Reid – formerly a major in Wellington’s army – resigned his commission after the Battle of Vimeiro, and although not fully recovered from a debilitating illness, has returned to England intent on seeking out a traitor, the man who betrayed him, a fellow officer, and three local scouts to the French before the battle. He explains that he is the only one who survived their captivity and asks Letty to accompany him when he questions the two men he suspects could have been responsible for telling the French where to find them.
Sensing Reid is a dangerous man, one who is close to the end of his tether, Letty is naturally wary. But she can hear the desperation in his voice as well as the ring of absolute truth, so she agrees to do what she can to help – and when the information gleaned provides Reid with three new potential suspects, she finds herself eager to continue to investigate. The need to find ways to meet Reid in secret so as not to compromise her reputation has given her a newfound feeling of freedom, something she has never really experienced before, and she finds she likes this newer, bolder version of herself. However, Reid is reluctant to take up her offer of further help for fear of damaging her good name; she’s already risked ruin by meeting him in secret and entering a prison (one of the original suspects was in the Marshalsea debtor’s prison) and Reid is not feeling particularly comfortable about his insistence she accompany him there. But Letty has a plan – and even though he knows he should not allow her to become any more involved, Reid’s desire to root out the traitor is stronger than his gentlemanly instincts.
Letty and Reid are well-rounded, three-dimensional characters, and their romance progresses in a quietly understated manner, which fits both them and their circumstances. It’s clear right from the start that Reid is suffering from what we’d today call PTSD, and that all that’s keeping him going is his desire for revenge against whomever caused the deaths of his four companions on that fateful day at Vimeiro. As they travel together, Letty begins to form her own ideas as to what is distressing Reid so deeply, but he steadfastly refuses to tell the truth about what happened to him or to let her get close. Yet her quiet, steadfast care of him every night when he wakes, sick and disorientated from horrific nightmares starts to break down his resistance and he slowly begins to reassess her, to value her intelligence, her kindness and her determination and discovers – against his better judgement – that he can’t bear the idea of being without her.
Letty falls into an infatuation quite quickly, but as their time together continues, she starts to see past the man burdened by misdirected guilt and self-hatred to the good-natured, easy-going and confident man Reid could – and should – be; the man with whom she is falling more in love every day.
Reid and Letty are a well-matched couple whose interactions are generally characterised by honesty and good sense. Their mutual respect and affection are clear, even when they’re annoyed with one another, but there is one point in their story which may prove too much of a stumbling block for some – namely, the circumstances of their first sexual encounter. It’s difficult to say much without spoilers, other than that Letty, in her complete innocence and inexperience, makes a serious error of judgement. After his initial shock, Reid gently puts her straight and explains why what she did was wrong, but it’s still a little uncomfortable to listen to.
On a more positive note, I appreciated the way in which the author sets Reid on the road to recovery. There’s no overnight miracle cure, and as Letty admits to herself, no guarantee that Reid will ever be completely healed, but there IS a real sense that he’s achieved closure and is ready to move forward with his life. And if Letty’s love and unconditional support give Reid something worth living for, in return, he provides her with the love and happiness she’d never thought to have.
It’s always a great pleasure to listen to Rosalyn Landor. I know she’ll deliver a polished, highly accomplished performance and that I can just sit back and enjoy the story without having to worry about any mangled words or vocal ticks that will take me out of the story! Her enunciation is perfect, her pacing is just right, and she characterises both leads extremely well; Reid’s deep world-weariness is evident in his voice, and Letty is softly spoken but clearly not a pushover. There are quite a few supporting characters here, including servants, Letty’s friends and relatives, and all the various military men whom Reid questions; Ms. Landor differentiates skilfully and effectively between all of them, assigning regional accents to some of the servants, and giving suitably pompous airs and graces to characters such as Letty’s snobbish half-brother. As ever she really gets under the skins of the leads, unerringly pinpointing the emotional heart of their relationship and imbuing their interactions with just the right degree of expression and emotional nuance. It will come as no surprise when I say it’s an excellent performance all round, and that overall – and in spite of that one reservation I’ve expressed – I’m giving Trusting Miss Trentham a strong recommendation.
This review originally appeared at AudioGals.
March 6, 2021
Review of the audiobook
Another delightful fantasy from Emily Larkin, enhanced by the excellent narration by Roslyn Landor. Letitia, who is unmarried and fabulously wealthy, has the ability to tell when people are lying to her. I want to be Letitia!
Our hero is not after her money; he just wants her to help him find a traitor. Escapades and love ensiue.
Another delightful fantasy from Emily Larkin, enhanced by the excellent narration by Roslyn Landor. Letitia, who is unmarried and fabulously wealthy, has the ability to tell when people are lying to her. I want to be Letitia!
Our hero is not after her money; he just wants her to help him find a traitor. Escapades and love ensiue.
May 20, 2020
I liked this. It used the fairy godmother gift from the beginning. I like that better than the last where she only got it at the end to save the hero. In this one the use of the gift is central to the action of the story. It was not as lighthearted as the first one which dropped my enjoyment just a bit. I liked both the hero and the heroine. The hero had PTSD and it was dealt with pretty well I thought. Continuing on with the series.
April 30, 2019
Your heroine, Letty, is an heiress/spinster who, in spite of being fairly plain, is besieged by dudes claiming to be desperately in love with her. The only problem is that she has the ability to hear if someone is lying (and they're all always lying).
Your hero, Icarus, is a military veteran who seeks her aid as a human lie detector in finding the man who betrayed him and his fellow soldiers into torture and death.
I think Emily Larkin is a solid and reliable writer. Her prose is very good, her dialog is good, the settings FEEL historical. I really liked the first book in this series (Unmasking Miss Appleby), and this one is not quite as much my favorite, but I still thought it was quite enjoyable! Larkin writes about quieter people with more ordinary lives, not as much about people in glamorous London ballroom lifestyles. Many of her female characters are women who for one reason or another are struggling to find their place in life.
Here, I am going to admit that I wished a tiny bit that not quite so much had been made of Letty being "plain". I don't really love those books where the heroine is astoundingly gorgeous (unless that's a plot element) but I do like to feel that the hero has a visceral attraction to the heroine, and I didn't really feel that here. You do sense that Icarus really respects Letty, and comes to like her very much, but I didn't feel a strong attraction between them.
Something else I really liked about this was the treatment of veterans and people with combat-related PTSD. In the Regency period, as in my own American era, people were quite eager to send men off to war and not nearly as eager to take care of them after they came home. I thought Icarus, as a portrait of a soldier who's suffered through trauma and lost part of himself, was a good, subtle portrait of this type of man.
Your hero, Icarus, is a military veteran who seeks her aid as a human lie detector in finding the man who betrayed him and his fellow soldiers into torture and death.
I think Emily Larkin is a solid and reliable writer. Her prose is very good, her dialog is good, the settings FEEL historical. I really liked the first book in this series (Unmasking Miss Appleby), and this one is not quite as much my favorite, but I still thought it was quite enjoyable! Larkin writes about quieter people with more ordinary lives, not as much about people in glamorous London ballroom lifestyles. Many of her female characters are women who for one reason or another are struggling to find their place in life.
Here, I am going to admit that I wished a tiny bit that not quite so much had been made of Letty being "plain". I don't really love those books where the heroine is astoundingly gorgeous (unless that's a plot element) but I do like to feel that the hero has a visceral attraction to the heroine, and I didn't really feel that here. You do sense that Icarus really respects Letty, and comes to like her very much, but I didn't feel a strong attraction between them.
Something else I really liked about this was the treatment of veterans and people with combat-related PTSD. In the Regency period, as in my own American era, people were quite eager to send men off to war and not nearly as eager to take care of them after they came home. I thought Icarus, as a portrait of a soldier who's suffered through trauma and lost part of himself, was a good, subtle portrait of this type of man.
July 13, 2022
This was a dollar deal on Amazon. Although 2nd in the series, it can be read as a stand alone.
So, there were a lot of things I liked about this book. The intelligent heroine, the tortured hero. The people they meet on their journey that they save from poverty & degradation. The story was solid & moved along. Lotty's gift is she knows the truth from a lie - EVERY time. Given by her fairy godmother on her 21st birthday. It comes in handy when she has to fend off fortune hunters looking to marry her.
The thing I didn't like - Lotty does something to Icarus that she thought would make him feel better. However, this involved a sexual act she performed while he was sleeping. She doesn't understand why he's angry, until he explains it to her. Which he shouldn't have to do to a 27 year old. This is Regency times. Even kissing was grounds for marriage.
So, there were a lot of things I liked about this book. The intelligent heroine, the tortured hero. The people they meet on their journey that they save from poverty & degradation. The story was solid & moved along. Lotty's gift is she knows the truth from a lie - EVERY time. Given by her fairy godmother on her 21st birthday. It comes in handy when she has to fend off fortune hunters looking to marry her.
The thing I didn't like - Lotty does something to Icarus that she thought would make him feel better. However, this involved a sexual act she performed while he was sleeping. She doesn't understand why he's angry, until he explains it to her. Which he shouldn't have to do to a 27 year old. This is Regency times. Even kissing was grounds for marriage.
March 8, 2017
A poem for you which doesn't rhyme:
O, little corn flake all nice and crispy
What a lovely golden brown treat, floating in some milk
Thank you Mr. Kellogg, even though you were so weird
You pressed together some stale old wheat,
and gave us something good to eat.
So, thank you Mr. K. 'cause now we don't have to eat
innards of cows, pigs, lambs and frogs for breakfast.
Trusting Miss Trentham is the third book in the Baleful Godmother's series by Emily Larkin. Remember, this is the one where certain people in a family line get one wish. Now, these wishes are tricky because they usually come with a "whoops" clause. In the last books, the heroine couldn't shape shift if she was pregnant, in this one our heroine's wish is that she can hear lies. Not only does she know when a person is lying to her, she hears a giant clang in her head when they do. I don't think I would want that wish myself. But in Letitia Trentham's case she uses it because she has been bombarded with marriage proposals from fortune hunters.
Knock knock. Who's there? It is I, the hero Icarus Reid and I need your help in finding a traitor. So, Icarus finds out about this woman who is pretty sharp when reading people. He doesn't know it's magic, he just thinks she's extra perceptive. Be warned my little Petunia's, this story has a lot of "suspension of disbelief" laying around. Icarus' acceptance of Letitia's insightfulness is a little staggering considering that he doesn't really know her. He only has one encounter with her knowing gaze and they are off chasing after a traitor. I accept that. I know that one has only around 300 pages and some things just get lost in the shuffle, but his acceptance was mighty quick.
Anyway, they're off chasing suspects, spinning convoluted tales to their loved ones. These convoluted tales are so we, the readers, are given an excuse for two unwed people to be traveling together. This is sort of a road trip, an angst-filled road trip because our hero, Icarus, has nightmares. Our heroine believes Icarus means to do away with himself when they find the traitor, so she must find a way to save him. But that's not unusual for this pair. This is a road trip story and along the way Icarus and Letitia become good-deed-doers. Both of them. Unwed mothers, veterans with no arms or legs, people with no place to live, people with no jobs, starving animals, orphans. There is no problem these two cannot solve, except their own.
Letitia's problem is trying to find an honest suitor, but Icarus has some major issues. He was tortured during the war. He feels guilty because the men under him were killed, and that's a large weight to carry around. But there's more - while under torture he revealed information - and he cannot find it in himself to forgive. So, night after night he relives the horrors of the torture and eventual betrayal. This was some pretty strong stuff in the book and it went on a long time. I have to admit that even though there was some excellent writing during these scenes, for me there came a time when I started to find them monotonous. I would have been happier if we could have seen a little bit of improvement in Icarus before we did.
Food. I did become a tad bit distracted while reading this book and had a few ewwwwh moments. This is not the first historical romance I've ever read, so I am familiar with some of the food served during these times. But in this book we have fried sweetbreads (that's not something with yeast and sugar, that's a thymus or a pancreas), raised mutton pie, suet pudding (made from animal fat with spices), chitterlings (intestines) - is your mouth watering yet? There's more! We have muggety pie (made from the small intestines of a calf), apple fritters (how did that get in there?). Sure all of these foods had tons of spices to hide the taste but, ewwwwh, turned my stomach. Oh well - waste not want not.
Disturbing scene. I cannot go on without bringing up a scene in this book I found disturbing. Letitia is an innocent - I mean really innocent, especially as far as what kind of dangly things hang from a man's body. Add to the innocence is curiosity. Here's the set-up. As I mentioned before Icarus has nightmares. Letitia finds a way of helping him through these episodes. She gives him a drink of brandy, followed by Valerian, followed by her reading to him. He eventually sleeps. This scenario is repeated night after night after night after night. Then they start kissing, night after night until he falls to sleep. Then one night Letitia, being mighty curious, waits until he has fallen asleep and takes a peek at what lays under the blanket. Not only that, but while he is still sleeping she starts performing oral entertainment on his Mr. Toad until Mr. Toad explodes in her mouth. This wakes Icarus. One might say Icarus is a tad bit upset. While this may be a titillating scene for some, I found it too unpleasant. I don't care how curious one is, there are boundaries which are set and one doesn't cross those boundaries unless one is given permission. He was not a willing participate, he was drugged, and while she was an "innocent" she should have known she was crossing some lines. I could find no excuse for what she did and I didn't think it was in any way sensual or romantic.
Overall, I found this book hard to rate. While I liked part of it, I was disappointed it was not as vibrant as the previous book. I grew bored with the nighttime routine and didn't think the couple showed any kind of a connection with each other. But most of all, I think what ruined this book for me was the so-call seduction while Icarus was sleeping. For me there are just some lines that shouldn't be crossed and that was one of them.
KaysBlog
O, little corn flake all nice and crispy
What a lovely golden brown treat, floating in some milk
Thank you Mr. Kellogg, even though you were so weird
You pressed together some stale old wheat,
and gave us something good to eat.
So, thank you Mr. K. 'cause now we don't have to eat
innards of cows, pigs, lambs and frogs for breakfast.
Trusting Miss Trentham is the third book in the Baleful Godmother's series by Emily Larkin. Remember, this is the one where certain people in a family line get one wish. Now, these wishes are tricky because they usually come with a "whoops" clause. In the last books, the heroine couldn't shape shift if she was pregnant, in this one our heroine's wish is that she can hear lies. Not only does she know when a person is lying to her, she hears a giant clang in her head when they do. I don't think I would want that wish myself. But in Letitia Trentham's case she uses it because she has been bombarded with marriage proposals from fortune hunters.
Knock knock. Who's there? It is I, the hero Icarus Reid and I need your help in finding a traitor. So, Icarus finds out about this woman who is pretty sharp when reading people. He doesn't know it's magic, he just thinks she's extra perceptive. Be warned my little Petunia's, this story has a lot of "suspension of disbelief" laying around. Icarus' acceptance of Letitia's insightfulness is a little staggering considering that he doesn't really know her. He only has one encounter with her knowing gaze and they are off chasing after a traitor. I accept that. I know that one has only around 300 pages and some things just get lost in the shuffle, but his acceptance was mighty quick.
Anyway, they're off chasing suspects, spinning convoluted tales to their loved ones. These convoluted tales are so we, the readers, are given an excuse for two unwed people to be traveling together. This is sort of a road trip, an angst-filled road trip because our hero, Icarus, has nightmares. Our heroine believes Icarus means to do away with himself when they find the traitor, so she must find a way to save him. But that's not unusual for this pair. This is a road trip story and along the way Icarus and Letitia become good-deed-doers. Both of them. Unwed mothers, veterans with no arms or legs, people with no place to live, people with no jobs, starving animals, orphans. There is no problem these two cannot solve, except their own.
Letitia's problem is trying to find an honest suitor, but Icarus has some major issues. He was tortured during the war. He feels guilty because the men under him were killed, and that's a large weight to carry around. But there's more - while under torture he revealed information - and he cannot find it in himself to forgive. So, night after night he relives the horrors of the torture and eventual betrayal. This was some pretty strong stuff in the book and it went on a long time. I have to admit that even though there was some excellent writing during these scenes, for me there came a time when I started to find them monotonous. I would have been happier if we could have seen a little bit of improvement in Icarus before we did.
Food. I did become a tad bit distracted while reading this book and had a few ewwwwh moments. This is not the first historical romance I've ever read, so I am familiar with some of the food served during these times. But in this book we have fried sweetbreads (that's not something with yeast and sugar, that's a thymus or a pancreas), raised mutton pie, suet pudding (made from animal fat with spices), chitterlings (intestines) - is your mouth watering yet? There's more! We have muggety pie (made from the small intestines of a calf), apple fritters (how did that get in there?). Sure all of these foods had tons of spices to hide the taste but, ewwwwh, turned my stomach. Oh well - waste not want not.
Disturbing scene. I cannot go on without bringing up a scene in this book I found disturbing. Letitia is an innocent - I mean really innocent, especially as far as what kind of dangly things hang from a man's body. Add to the innocence is curiosity. Here's the set-up. As I mentioned before Icarus has nightmares. Letitia finds a way of helping him through these episodes. She gives him a drink of brandy, followed by Valerian, followed by her reading to him. He eventually sleeps. This scenario is repeated night after night after night after night. Then they start kissing, night after night until he falls to sleep. Then one night Letitia, being mighty curious, waits until he has fallen asleep and takes a peek at what lays under the blanket. Not only that, but while he is still sleeping she starts performing oral entertainment on his Mr. Toad until Mr. Toad explodes in her mouth. This wakes Icarus. One might say Icarus is a tad bit upset. While this may be a titillating scene for some, I found it too unpleasant. I don't care how curious one is, there are boundaries which are set and one doesn't cross those boundaries unless one is given permission. He was not a willing participate, he was drugged, and while she was an "innocent" she should have known she was crossing some lines. I could find no excuse for what she did and I didn't think it was in any way sensual or romantic.
Overall, I found this book hard to rate. While I liked part of it, I was disappointed it was not as vibrant as the previous book. I grew bored with the nighttime routine and didn't think the couple showed any kind of a connection with each other. But most of all, I think what ruined this book for me was the so-call seduction while Icarus was sleeping. For me there are just some lines that shouldn't be crossed and that was one of them.
KaysBlog
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 8, 2025
Painful story of a former soldier who was betrayed and tortured seeking revenge. Icarus Reid is or was the ideal soldier, a favorite of Wellington until he and his team were ambushed and he is the only survivor. He finds Letty, a plain and reserved heiress who has chosen the ability to hear lies (from her fairy godmother but she keeps that to herself). Reid is barely recovered from his ordeal and subsequent illness, but is doggedly tracking the man who betrayed him in Portugal.
The descriptions of his PTSD are quite vivid. Although hesitant, Letty gets drawn in and commits to helping Reid. The torture, which seemed to have been similar to water boarding, is horrific.
What is nourishing about the story are the characters who gradually assemble into a found family. Just heartwarming and beautiful.
The descriptions of his PTSD are quite vivid. Although hesitant, Letty gets drawn in and commits to helping Reid. The torture, which seemed to have been similar to water boarding, is horrific.
What is nourishing about the story are the characters who gradually assemble into a found family. Just heartwarming and beautiful.
February 24, 2021
3.5 stars. Broken Hero mended by heroine's attentions. Has a very organic progression of feelings between the two, quick, but naturally so due to their interactions. Probably the HR with the least appealing sex scenes I have yet encountered.🍾😉 (not my favourite act🙃). ETE you can now unclench because I liked it, thanks.😁
August 20, 2020
Another fabulous novel in the series. The magic element enhances, but doesn't get in the way of the regency romance.
February 10, 2017
Emily Larkin is an author I’ve quickly come to admire. The men and women who populate her Baleful Godmother series are allowed to be plain in looks or sometimes broken in spirt but their stories are layered and compelling. In Trusting Miss Trentham the journey for the main characters to find love and redemption is difficult yet the payoff was considerable.
Miss Letitia Trentham knows when someone is lying. It’s an ability she chose on her twenty-first birthday from a fairy required to grant one wish to the female members of her family. Ever since that night Letitia has used her gift to weed out unwanted suitors and for six seasons it’s revealed the bitter truth that all of the men asking for her hand are more interested in her fortune than her heart. After declining yet another proposal Letitia’s night is off to a poor start when she’s approached by a soldier who seems to know about her truth-telling ability and has an unusual request for her: help him find justice for his men who were betrayed by one of their own. Torn between doing the proper thing of dismissing him or helping a man clearly in distress, Letitia takes the chance to use her ability to do something important.
Icarus Reid, recently retired from the King’s army, has one last mission to carry out and he’s willing to use whatever means necessary to discover who betrayed him and his men to the French. When a friend mentions Miss Trentham’s unique ability to sense lies he approaches her, desperate to use that skill while questioning the two most likely suspects. He’s surprised when she agrees to his plan despite the risks it poses to her reputation but Reid won’t allow this chance to find justice for his men slip away.
Please read the full review at Romantic Historical Reviews
Miss Letitia Trentham knows when someone is lying. It’s an ability she chose on her twenty-first birthday from a fairy required to grant one wish to the female members of her family. Ever since that night Letitia has used her gift to weed out unwanted suitors and for six seasons it’s revealed the bitter truth that all of the men asking for her hand are more interested in her fortune than her heart. After declining yet another proposal Letitia’s night is off to a poor start when she’s approached by a soldier who seems to know about her truth-telling ability and has an unusual request for her: help him find justice for his men who were betrayed by one of their own. Torn between doing the proper thing of dismissing him or helping a man clearly in distress, Letitia takes the chance to use her ability to do something important.
Icarus Reid, recently retired from the King’s army, has one last mission to carry out and he’s willing to use whatever means necessary to discover who betrayed him and his men to the French. When a friend mentions Miss Trentham’s unique ability to sense lies he approaches her, desperate to use that skill while questioning the two most likely suspects. He’s surprised when she agrees to his plan despite the risks it poses to her reputation but Reid won’t allow this chance to find justice for his men slip away.
Please read the full review at Romantic Historical Reviews
February 8, 2017
A tormented hero!
Icarus Reid is all the tormented hero that one could want. A battle scarred, dedicated officer searching for truth and justice. If you remember Icarus flew too close to the sun, his wings melted and he fell. Icarus Reid was certainly burnt--not by the sun (although he was an important satellite of General Wellesley), but by betrayal at the Battle of Vimeiro. A betrayal that caused incredible trauma for him. All Icarus lives for is to find the traitor.
Enter Letitia Trentham, an heiress who has the magical gift (yes true! compliments of a faerie godmother) of detecting when she is being lied to. Those who lie to her are perceived as a loud clanging bell. Unfortunately for Letty those clangers have been heard over the years by suitors seeking her fortune, not herself. Letty is becoming reconciled to a lonely life doing good works.
Somehow Icarus learns that Letty seems able to detect the truth from lies. Icarus wants Letty to assist him in his quest.
And here is where the story digresses from the norm. Letty agrees, which means as Larkin says the reader is taken, 'on a journey from the glittering ballrooms of the aristocracy to the dark underbelly of Regency England – with passion, danger, adventure, romance, and a little magic thrown into the mix.'
Letty joins Icarus in his search. Along with Letty the reader is treated to a 'darker, grittier side of the romance fence.'
Larkin refers to this writing as Regency Noir. That description certainly fits a number of Regency novels I've been reading over the past couple of years. I find the term apt.
There are some quite wonderful secondary characters that add to the story.
I rather enjoyed Letty and Icarus' story.
A NetGalley ARC
Icarus Reid is all the tormented hero that one could want. A battle scarred, dedicated officer searching for truth and justice. If you remember Icarus flew too close to the sun, his wings melted and he fell. Icarus Reid was certainly burnt--not by the sun (although he was an important satellite of General Wellesley), but by betrayal at the Battle of Vimeiro. A betrayal that caused incredible trauma for him. All Icarus lives for is to find the traitor.
Enter Letitia Trentham, an heiress who has the magical gift (yes true! compliments of a faerie godmother) of detecting when she is being lied to. Those who lie to her are perceived as a loud clanging bell. Unfortunately for Letty those clangers have been heard over the years by suitors seeking her fortune, not herself. Letty is becoming reconciled to a lonely life doing good works.
Somehow Icarus learns that Letty seems able to detect the truth from lies. Icarus wants Letty to assist him in his quest.
And here is where the story digresses from the norm. Letty agrees, which means as Larkin says the reader is taken, 'on a journey from the glittering ballrooms of the aristocracy to the dark underbelly of Regency England – with passion, danger, adventure, romance, and a little magic thrown into the mix.'
Letty joins Icarus in his search. Along with Letty the reader is treated to a 'darker, grittier side of the romance fence.'
Larkin refers to this writing as Regency Noir. That description certainly fits a number of Regency novels I've been reading over the past couple of years. I find the term apt.
There are some quite wonderful secondary characters that add to the story.
I rather enjoyed Letty and Icarus' story.
A NetGalley ARC
September 22, 2020
5 stars for 1st half
2 stars for 2nd half
Icarus is a haunted shell of a man after horrific experiences that happened to him in the war. Letty is a very rich spinster who is resigned to the fact that all of her suitors (and there have been A LOT in her 27 years) are only after her money.
I really liked these two characters. I thought their friendship/relationship was original, I thought Letty’s “gift” of being able to tell if someone was lying was original, liked that she was really bossy without being annoying or bitchy, and I loved how broken and tortured Icarus was and how much Letty cared for him and took care of him. I was a little disappointed how their friendship didn’t progress, though. I did not get a lot of feels with their interactions, no growing sense of something more. For all the care and concern Letty had for Icarus, she didn’t exhibit much sexual attraction to him.
I was really into and loving this story but it lost its charm for me once the oral issue was brought up. Over and over again. They had hardly been affectionate to that point, and I thought that it was unrealistic that a 27-year-old virgin would be so fixated on doing something like that. Without taking pleasure in it even. She had witnessed two guys doing it, and thought that Icarus might like it if she did it to him. While he was sleeping. Um. Just. No.
2 stars for 2nd half
Icarus is a haunted shell of a man after horrific experiences that happened to him in the war. Letty is a very rich spinster who is resigned to the fact that all of her suitors (and there have been A LOT in her 27 years) are only after her money.
I really liked these two characters. I thought their friendship/relationship was original, I thought Letty’s “gift” of being able to tell if someone was lying was original, liked that she was really bossy without being annoying or bitchy, and I loved how broken and tortured Icarus was and how much Letty cared for him and took care of him. I was a little disappointed how their friendship didn’t progress, though. I did not get a lot of feels with their interactions, no growing sense of something more. For all the care and concern Letty had for Icarus, she didn’t exhibit much sexual attraction to him.
I was really into and loving this story but it lost its charm for me once the oral issue was brought up. Over and over again. They had hardly been affectionate to that point, and I thought that it was unrealistic that a 27-year-old virgin would be so fixated on doing something like that. Without taking pleasure in it even. She had witnessed two guys doing it, and thought that Icarus might like it if she did it to him. While he was sleeping. Um. Just. No.
January 4, 2017
I received a free copy of Trusting Miss Trentham from the author in return for an honest review. Letitia Trentham caught and held my attention from the very first scene when she hears "Clang" for every lie being told. Letitia is very wealthy and many have wanted to marry her for her money. The ability to hear lies is why she is still single. The ability to hear lies is her gift from her Baleful Godmother. When Mr Reid approaches her for help she is intrigued. He does not want her for her money. He wants her for her ability to tell truth from lies. The two start on a adventure that changes things for both. A great addition to the Baleful Godmother series. I was expecting the story to go in a slightly different direction and loved it when the author fooled me with a much better plot line.
February 27, 2017
5.0 stars
I liked it even more than the first book. But it IS a very unique and unusual historical and I think a lot of readers might not like it. I loved the story and Emily Larkin is a fantastic writer, she writes sensual and romantic stories with a little sexiness. And although her stories have a modern feel to them the language feels more fitting to the time period than those of more famous writers.
I liked it even more than the first book. But it IS a very unique and unusual historical and I think a lot of readers might not like it. I loved the story and Emily Larkin is a fantastic writer, she writes sensual and romantic stories with a little sexiness. And although her stories have a modern feel to them the language feels more fitting to the time period than those of more famous writers.
April 30, 2019
Ok this one has the character depth that was missing in the last one.
I enjoyed Letty and Reid quite a bit. I loved the progression of their intimacy and romance. And I liked how Reid worked through his PTSD trauma in the end.
Also enjoyed the motley crew they picked up in their travels as they made a positive difference in the lives their companions along the way.
Not a hug fan of road romances, but this one is one of those exceptions that proves the rule for me.
Good book.
I enjoyed Letty and Reid quite a bit. I loved the progression of their intimacy and romance. And I liked how Reid worked through his PTSD trauma in the end.
Also enjoyed the motley crew they picked up in their travels as they made a positive difference in the lives their companions along the way.
Not a hug fan of road romances, but this one is one of those exceptions that proves the rule for me.
Good book.
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February 6, 2017
My review contains spoilers and they're mostly my thoughts... for more, visit Punya Reviews...
Trusting Miss Trentham marked book 3 of Emily Larkin’s Baleful Godmother series and I must admit, this series is getting better with each installment! From the storyline to the characters, there’s always something new to expect!!
The Baleful Godmother is a Regency-set series based on female characters who have special “gifts” or powers. But if you want to start from the very beginning, you can with The Fey Quartet. These are a set of novellas listed as “prologue” to this series. Set in Medieval-era England, this series explains exactly how our unique heroines come to inherit their “gifts”. I found The Fey Quartet absolutely delightful, couldn’t wait to find out how the protagonists’ descendants deal with their gifts, bestowed by a Fey in exchange of a favor done to her.
Books 1 and 2, Unmasking Miss Appleby and Resisting Miss Merryweather had something common in them apart from Bale Tongue, our dubious Fairy Godmother. Heroines of both of these books, Charlotte and Anne AKA Merry (respectively), 1. Were bestowed their gifts at the age of 25, which I thought was THE age they were supposed to have their wish fulfilled and 2. They were cousins so the stories were linked that way.
Charlotte had no idea about her gift because she became orphaned at an early age, so Bale Tongue took her by complete surprise. She was living quite miserably with her mean uncle’s family and this gave her the opportunity to get out of there and earn money on her own. She chose shapeshifting and transformed herself into a man to get the lucrative job offered by Marcus, Lord Cosgrove, our H, in a newspaper advert. Merry, on the other hand, wasn’t introduced in book 1 but she was already aware of her Fey inheritance. She knew she’d be visited by Bale Tongue but was ever unsure what to choose. She was also an orphan by the time her story began so she was living with Charlotte and Marcus when she met Sir Barnaby Ware, who is also Marcus’s closest buddy. Well, at that time, they had a falling out but book 2 helps mend that bridge bit by bit. His visit also brings Merry and Barnaby together. Something closer to a tragedy later in the story prompts Merry to choose the gift of healing to save people’s lives. By the time Trusting Miss Trentham begins, both girls were happily married and expecting.
I mentioned the above because Trusting Miss Trentham isn’t connected to the first 2 books for various reasons. First of all, unlike Charlotte and Merry, Letty Trentham had had her gift of hearing truth and lies in people’s statement at 21, long before the story even began. Her mother was alive at that time to explain her inheritance to her. She also seemed like a descendant wasn’t directly connected to Charlotte or Merry. She actually thought she was the only one with such a gift! So, in that sense, this book can be read as a standalone because it doesn’t connect to the first 2 books, but I would still recommend that you read all the books AND the prologues for full enjoyment. I also think this book was longer than the other two and had more layers in it in the terms of relationship building between the H and the h. There was no straightforward or easy love-at-first-sight here for sure!
Letty Trentham is the richest heiress in all of England. But she’s also too plain, too thin, too tall...too everything that a man wouldn’t find attractive. Had it not been for her enormous inheritance she’d not see any suitors. Hence, she’s been in the marriage mart for the past 5 or so years. Because, for the unfortunate fortune hunters, Letty debuted after she received her gift (her inheritance being the deciding factor in her gift choosing) and immediately knew every single lie those men told her to get to her money. Result, she’s still single, still waiting to find the right man, even though every day she’s a little close to giving up. Letty would rather not marry being so disillusioned in men but her eldest step-brother won’t let it pass. Barnard want to get rid of her ASA he can, a fact Letty was well aware of. But what can she do? There was no way she was succumbing to those liars just for the sake of a marriage!
It was in one of those balls where she’d just rejected her latest suitor is where she meets Icarus Reid, a tall, gaunt looking soldier who seemed a bit touched in the head. Who knew about her “trick” (as others thought her gift was) and wanted help. He was investigating something that happened when he was a soldier, could use all the help he can have. I did wonder how many people know of Letty’s “trick” and why no one questioned anything but I guess money made everything possible for her, except for the type of marriage she wanted; something made of love and passion. I gathered as much because she asked the question of fidelity to every suitor and came off disappointed hearing them lying through their teeth.
Anyway, when Letty heard that Icarus was investigating a possible traitor, she decides to help right away. After all, lives were lost in Vimeiro (allusion to the Battle of Vimeiro is also made throughout the story). But that wasn’t all. Letty was instantly drawn to this haggard looking man for some reason and wanted to help just more than the investigation. She wanted to help him. But for any type of help, they needed elaborate plans to avoid Letty’s watchdogs AKA her chaperons and other people that Barnard has employed to check on her so she’s not found missing and no one starts looking. IF Barnard figures out, Letty knows she won’t be able to do anything.
The first leg of the investigation was pretty easy, where Letty invites Icarus to a house-party to interview Tom Matlock, one of the soldiers on Icarus’s list. He didn’t think Tom was the one but he had to be thorough. While talking to Letty, he finds out she knows Tom very well. Letty, Julia and Lucas, Julia’s twin brother, had grown up practically together. They are cousins, though not related by birth but her mother’s marriage. Tom is Lucas’s closest friend, who had also known them since his boyhood so that bond is there. The whole setting works, where we get to know new characters including Tom and Lucas. Unfortunately, Julia, who was very wild and tomboy-ish, had passed on a year ago from a riding accident, something that still haunts them all.
I specifically need to mention Lucas and Tom specifically as they’re the couple of the next book. While investigating Tom, Icarus finds that he was correct about him. But anyone who knew Lucas intimately, they could see that he was still hurting from Julia’s death. Letty was very sympathetic towards everything but she hardly had any idea how to help him. Only Tom was his constant companion, would drop by whenever he could to keep Lucas company, only no knew the nature of their relationship. No one obviously suspected anything seeing they were buddies since boyhood. It’s all revealed to Letty in such a fashion that it left her quite dazed and confused in her innocence. Icarus was also present when it happened but neither Tom not Lucas knew they’d been found out. However, Icarus knew the importance of keeping the whole business a tightly-kept secret. That, how much of a trouble they’ll be in if they’re ever found out by someone else. Having that, and Letty’s innocence in mind, Icarus repeatedly asks her to ‘forget what she saw’, refusing to explain anything about Lucas and Tom’s relationship to her.
By then, Letty and Icarus had this very complicated thing going on. Letty was even more attracted to Icarus and was quite forcing him to eat more because it seemed liked he’d forgo eating completely if he could. If not investigating, he was always in his own world. And he did tell Letty he’s dying. Only he won’t tell her of what; a question that has been rebuffed by him no matter how many times she asked. Letty is nothing if not tenacious, but she fails to get a clear answer out of him. He seemed quite angry at her most of the times so she was sure he hates her, a fact hurt her a lot. I admired Letty’s strength and what she was doing for Icarus even if he disliked it and struck out by being rude. Someone had to put their foot down if that man was to be saved. Letty, it seemed, made it her life’s goal to see that Icarus Reid was fed well, if nothing else.
After their first stop, Letty makes plans to accompany Icarus wherever the investigation was taking them, posing as “Mrs. Reid”. She knew the dangers to her reputation but in truth, she didn’t care. She wanted to be around, taking care of him. On their way through the planned destinations, they meet more people. A girl named Eliza who was raped, then turned out from a house where she was working. Letty immediately takes the girl under her wing, making her a temporary lady’s maid until something can be done later. Icarus also finds a boy named Green who was working for one of the soldiers related to this case, now serving his sentence in prison (whom they met up with the first thing after Icarus approached Letty). He makes the boy his valet. Then they rescue Private Houghton from an abysmal living. Icarus liked the man and was glad when Letty confirmed he was not guilty. He also explains most of it to Houghton, offering him a job of sort then asking him to accompany them.
But at night, when Icarus would cry out shuddering from his never-ending nightmares, Letty would make sure to be by his side. She also tries her best to track down a better sleeping drought for Icarus so he could sleep a little better. At daytime, Icarus seemed unhappy at her interference with his life, but at night, cold and shivering, weak and unstable from his nightmares he’d not utter one caustic word. Letty knew something was very wrong with him, that he’d also suffered something terrible but she couldn’t make Icarus say anything on this matter. This was the reason why he was so dark and brooding, so gaunt, wouldn’t eat. The man was barely living at all.
Letty was already half-way in love with Icarus for his integrity, and his kindness to the fellow soldiers. The plans he was making to help the destitute and physically unable soldiers to be able to do something with his own money… but always as if he won’t survive this year. It terrified Letty but she had no idea how to reach him because Icarus would close himself off. It’d try the patience of a saint but Letty was still pushing through, trying to find a way to get through to him. At one point, she realized Icarus thought himself already dead from whatever happened to him in Vimeiro, which is the reason why he had no intentions of living. It was becoming clearer that he planned on taking his own life! When the realization struck, Letty couldn’t have been more horrified. She was desperate to change it.
But for now, Icarus was bend on finding the traitor of Vimeiro. The incident ended in the deaths of 4 of his men. He was a man possessed, to bring justice before his supposed death. He also, privately, deeply relied on Letty’s company to push on. Especially at night when she’d be in his room to wake him up and give him his sleeping drought. Then she’d read to him......in a few days, they were also kissing and holding each-other until he fell asleep. But Icarus never quite expected it to escalate to full on sexual exploration until Letty initiates something that took him by stunned surprise. I get that seeing Lucas-Tom together gave her ideas, though it wasn’t the right way to start things of. But she just wanted to see Icarus a little happy and would’ve done anything in her power to make that happen. Anything to make him feel alive again. Icarus couldn’t say ‘no’ even if he felt bad cause it looked like he was taking advantage of Letty to forget his woes. But Letty was pretty determined and Icarus wanted it AND her and whatever comfort she could bring in his bleak world quite bad.
But in the light of the day, none of them had any idea how to handle this budding but quite intense relationship between them. Icarus didn’t expect to live, Letty had no intentions of letting him die so, yeah, it was quite the battle of wills. And it seemed despite all the odds stacked against them, despite Icarus’s super disinterest in living, he begins feeling like he wanted to. He was eating a bit better each day, sleeping much better since Letty started sharing his bed. He had FINALLY also opened up to her about what exactly happened in Vimeiro and why he was so depressed, which helped of course. He felt jealous when Letty was so jolly and open with Sergeant Houghton FGS!
I’d say, at times, Icarus looked so morose and literally someone who wasn’t living in this world as far as his psyche went, I felt rather hopeless. But Letty continued to fight for him until the day the real traitor was found. She did her utmost best and made Icarus see that there’s a life waiting for him here, in this world and that he doesn’t need to end it needlessly. In the end, thankfully, Letty succeeds in bringing Icarus back into the world of the living.
Letty does meet Merry in this story when both couple of books 1 and 2 drop by in one of the inns they were staying at. This visit also brings forth some revelations, including the fact that she’s, in fact, not the only one. Having cousins, however distant they are, made Letty extremely happy. Excited beyond words, she confides in Icarus, who initially finds the whole story complete nonsense, it showing quite clearly on his face. It kinda hurts Letty but it couldn’t have been avoided I guess. However, when she continued to separate the truths from lies accurately, he somewhat gives in. Not a complete believer but somewhere in the middle. Phew!
Before starting Trusting Miss Trentham, I wasn’t sure I’d like to continue with Claiming Mister Kemp since M/M is not a genre I generally prefer to read. But now, I definitely wanna find out what happens! Ms. Larkin tells me we’d be seeing more of Letty and Icarus there so, yesss! Meanwhile, I’d recommend this one because Trusting Miss Trentham was probably the best read this series so far. I loved it. 4.25 stars.
Complimentary copy received from the author, thanks Ms. Larkin!
Trusting Miss Trentham marked book 3 of Emily Larkin’s Baleful Godmother series and I must admit, this series is getting better with each installment! From the storyline to the characters, there’s always something new to expect!!
The Baleful Godmother is a Regency-set series based on female characters who have special “gifts” or powers. But if you want to start from the very beginning, you can with The Fey Quartet. These are a set of novellas listed as “prologue” to this series. Set in Medieval-era England, this series explains exactly how our unique heroines come to inherit their “gifts”. I found The Fey Quartet absolutely delightful, couldn’t wait to find out how the protagonists’ descendants deal with their gifts, bestowed by a Fey in exchange of a favor done to her.
Books 1 and 2, Unmasking Miss Appleby and Resisting Miss Merryweather had something common in them apart from Bale Tongue, our dubious Fairy Godmother. Heroines of both of these books, Charlotte and Anne AKA Merry (respectively), 1. Were bestowed their gifts at the age of 25, which I thought was THE age they were supposed to have their wish fulfilled and 2. They were cousins so the stories were linked that way.
Charlotte had no idea about her gift because she became orphaned at an early age, so Bale Tongue took her by complete surprise. She was living quite miserably with her mean uncle’s family and this gave her the opportunity to get out of there and earn money on her own. She chose shapeshifting and transformed herself into a man to get the lucrative job offered by Marcus, Lord Cosgrove, our H, in a newspaper advert. Merry, on the other hand, wasn’t introduced in book 1 but she was already aware of her Fey inheritance. She knew she’d be visited by Bale Tongue but was ever unsure what to choose. She was also an orphan by the time her story began so she was living with Charlotte and Marcus when she met Sir Barnaby Ware, who is also Marcus’s closest buddy. Well, at that time, they had a falling out but book 2 helps mend that bridge bit by bit. His visit also brings Merry and Barnaby together. Something closer to a tragedy later in the story prompts Merry to choose the gift of healing to save people’s lives. By the time Trusting Miss Trentham begins, both girls were happily married and expecting.
I mentioned the above because Trusting Miss Trentham isn’t connected to the first 2 books for various reasons. First of all, unlike Charlotte and Merry, Letty Trentham had had her gift of hearing truth and lies in people’s statement at 21, long before the story even began. Her mother was alive at that time to explain her inheritance to her. She also seemed like a descendant wasn’t directly connected to Charlotte or Merry. She actually thought she was the only one with such a gift! So, in that sense, this book can be read as a standalone because it doesn’t connect to the first 2 books, but I would still recommend that you read all the books AND the prologues for full enjoyment. I also think this book was longer than the other two and had more layers in it in the terms of relationship building between the H and the h. There was no straightforward or easy love-at-first-sight here for sure!
Letty Trentham is the richest heiress in all of England. But she’s also too plain, too thin, too tall...too everything that a man wouldn’t find attractive. Had it not been for her enormous inheritance she’d not see any suitors. Hence, she’s been in the marriage mart for the past 5 or so years. Because, for the unfortunate fortune hunters, Letty debuted after she received her gift (her inheritance being the deciding factor in her gift choosing) and immediately knew every single lie those men told her to get to her money. Result, she’s still single, still waiting to find the right man, even though every day she’s a little close to giving up. Letty would rather not marry being so disillusioned in men but her eldest step-brother won’t let it pass. Barnard want to get rid of her ASA he can, a fact Letty was well aware of. But what can she do? There was no way she was succumbing to those liars just for the sake of a marriage!
It was in one of those balls where she’d just rejected her latest suitor is where she meets Icarus Reid, a tall, gaunt looking soldier who seemed a bit touched in the head. Who knew about her “trick” (as others thought her gift was) and wanted help. He was investigating something that happened when he was a soldier, could use all the help he can have. I did wonder how many people know of Letty’s “trick” and why no one questioned anything but I guess money made everything possible for her, except for the type of marriage she wanted; something made of love and passion. I gathered as much because she asked the question of fidelity to every suitor and came off disappointed hearing them lying through their teeth.
Anyway, when Letty heard that Icarus was investigating a possible traitor, she decides to help right away. After all, lives were lost in Vimeiro (allusion to the Battle of Vimeiro is also made throughout the story). But that wasn’t all. Letty was instantly drawn to this haggard looking man for some reason and wanted to help just more than the investigation. She wanted to help him. But for any type of help, they needed elaborate plans to avoid Letty’s watchdogs AKA her chaperons and other people that Barnard has employed to check on her so she’s not found missing and no one starts looking. IF Barnard figures out, Letty knows she won’t be able to do anything.
The first leg of the investigation was pretty easy, where Letty invites Icarus to a house-party to interview Tom Matlock, one of the soldiers on Icarus’s list. He didn’t think Tom was the one but he had to be thorough. While talking to Letty, he finds out she knows Tom very well. Letty, Julia and Lucas, Julia’s twin brother, had grown up practically together. They are cousins, though not related by birth but her mother’s marriage. Tom is Lucas’s closest friend, who had also known them since his boyhood so that bond is there. The whole setting works, where we get to know new characters including Tom and Lucas. Unfortunately, Julia, who was very wild and tomboy-ish, had passed on a year ago from a riding accident, something that still haunts them all.
I specifically need to mention Lucas and Tom specifically as they’re the couple of the next book. While investigating Tom, Icarus finds that he was correct about him. But anyone who knew Lucas intimately, they could see that he was still hurting from Julia’s death. Letty was very sympathetic towards everything but she hardly had any idea how to help him. Only Tom was his constant companion, would drop by whenever he could to keep Lucas company, only no knew the nature of their relationship. No one obviously suspected anything seeing they were buddies since boyhood. It’s all revealed to Letty in such a fashion that it left her quite dazed and confused in her innocence. Icarus was also present when it happened but neither Tom not Lucas knew they’d been found out. However, Icarus knew the importance of keeping the whole business a tightly-kept secret. That, how much of a trouble they’ll be in if they’re ever found out by someone else. Having that, and Letty’s innocence in mind, Icarus repeatedly asks her to ‘forget what she saw’, refusing to explain anything about Lucas and Tom’s relationship to her.
By then, Letty and Icarus had this very complicated thing going on. Letty was even more attracted to Icarus and was quite forcing him to eat more because it seemed liked he’d forgo eating completely if he could. If not investigating, he was always in his own world. And he did tell Letty he’s dying. Only he won’t tell her of what; a question that has been rebuffed by him no matter how many times she asked. Letty is nothing if not tenacious, but she fails to get a clear answer out of him. He seemed quite angry at her most of the times so she was sure he hates her, a fact hurt her a lot. I admired Letty’s strength and what she was doing for Icarus even if he disliked it and struck out by being rude. Someone had to put their foot down if that man was to be saved. Letty, it seemed, made it her life’s goal to see that Icarus Reid was fed well, if nothing else.
After their first stop, Letty makes plans to accompany Icarus wherever the investigation was taking them, posing as “Mrs. Reid”. She knew the dangers to her reputation but in truth, she didn’t care. She wanted to be around, taking care of him. On their way through the planned destinations, they meet more people. A girl named Eliza who was raped, then turned out from a house where she was working. Letty immediately takes the girl under her wing, making her a temporary lady’s maid until something can be done later. Icarus also finds a boy named Green who was working for one of the soldiers related to this case, now serving his sentence in prison (whom they met up with the first thing after Icarus approached Letty). He makes the boy his valet. Then they rescue Private Houghton from an abysmal living. Icarus liked the man and was glad when Letty confirmed he was not guilty. He also explains most of it to Houghton, offering him a job of sort then asking him to accompany them.
But at night, when Icarus would cry out shuddering from his never-ending nightmares, Letty would make sure to be by his side. She also tries her best to track down a better sleeping drought for Icarus so he could sleep a little better. At daytime, Icarus seemed unhappy at her interference with his life, but at night, cold and shivering, weak and unstable from his nightmares he’d not utter one caustic word. Letty knew something was very wrong with him, that he’d also suffered something terrible but she couldn’t make Icarus say anything on this matter. This was the reason why he was so dark and brooding, so gaunt, wouldn’t eat. The man was barely living at all.
Letty was already half-way in love with Icarus for his integrity, and his kindness to the fellow soldiers. The plans he was making to help the destitute and physically unable soldiers to be able to do something with his own money… but always as if he won’t survive this year. It terrified Letty but she had no idea how to reach him because Icarus would close himself off. It’d try the patience of a saint but Letty was still pushing through, trying to find a way to get through to him. At one point, she realized Icarus thought himself already dead from whatever happened to him in Vimeiro, which is the reason why he had no intentions of living. It was becoming clearer that he planned on taking his own life! When the realization struck, Letty couldn’t have been more horrified. She was desperate to change it.
But for now, Icarus was bend on finding the traitor of Vimeiro. The incident ended in the deaths of 4 of his men. He was a man possessed, to bring justice before his supposed death. He also, privately, deeply relied on Letty’s company to push on. Especially at night when she’d be in his room to wake him up and give him his sleeping drought. Then she’d read to him......in a few days, they were also kissing and holding each-other until he fell asleep. But Icarus never quite expected it to escalate to full on sexual exploration until Letty initiates something that took him by stunned surprise. I get that seeing Lucas-Tom together gave her ideas, though it wasn’t the right way to start things of. But she just wanted to see Icarus a little happy and would’ve done anything in her power to make that happen. Anything to make him feel alive again. Icarus couldn’t say ‘no’ even if he felt bad cause it looked like he was taking advantage of Letty to forget his woes. But Letty was pretty determined and Icarus wanted it AND her and whatever comfort she could bring in his bleak world quite bad.
But in the light of the day, none of them had any idea how to handle this budding but quite intense relationship between them. Icarus didn’t expect to live, Letty had no intentions of letting him die so, yeah, it was quite the battle of wills. And it seemed despite all the odds stacked against them, despite Icarus’s super disinterest in living, he begins feeling like he wanted to. He was eating a bit better each day, sleeping much better since Letty started sharing his bed. He had FINALLY also opened up to her about what exactly happened in Vimeiro and why he was so depressed, which helped of course. He felt jealous when Letty was so jolly and open with Sergeant Houghton FGS!
I’d say, at times, Icarus looked so morose and literally someone who wasn’t living in this world as far as his psyche went, I felt rather hopeless. But Letty continued to fight for him until the day the real traitor was found. She did her utmost best and made Icarus see that there’s a life waiting for him here, in this world and that he doesn’t need to end it needlessly. In the end, thankfully, Letty succeeds in bringing Icarus back into the world of the living.
Letty does meet Merry in this story when both couple of books 1 and 2 drop by in one of the inns they were staying at. This visit also brings forth some revelations, including the fact that she’s, in fact, not the only one. Having cousins, however distant they are, made Letty extremely happy. Excited beyond words, she confides in Icarus, who initially finds the whole story complete nonsense, it showing quite clearly on his face. It kinda hurts Letty but it couldn’t have been avoided I guess. However, when she continued to separate the truths from lies accurately, he somewhat gives in. Not a complete believer but somewhere in the middle. Phew!
Before starting Trusting Miss Trentham, I wasn’t sure I’d like to continue with Claiming Mister Kemp since M/M is not a genre I generally prefer to read. But now, I definitely wanna find out what happens! Ms. Larkin tells me we’d be seeing more of Letty and Icarus there so, yesss! Meanwhile, I’d recommend this one because Trusting Miss Trentham was probably the best read this series so far. I loved it. 4.25 stars.
Complimentary copy received from the author, thanks Ms. Larkin!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 18, 2018
Compelling and powerfully emotional, I was drawn in from the first chapter of this story and could not wait to see what happened. This is my favorite trope with the damaged hero or heroine who finds redemption in the end. Letitia Trentham has been on the marriage mart and received a copious amount of proposals. She is a heiress after all, but she also has a skill which is beyond the typical person. She is able to tell if someone is telling the truth or not which has revealed to her that all of her suitors were just after her money. Icarus Reid is only living for one reason. To find out who betrayed him and his command in the Battle of Vimeiro which left many dead due to that leaked information. He approaches Letitia for only one reason. To use her skill to uncover if someone is lying or telling the trith and he needs her to go with him to interrogate all the men involved.
There are so many twist and turns to this story and a mystery to be solved. But the big question is what does Reid intend to do once he obtains the information? As Letitia grows close to him, she fears the worst will happen.
This was an exceptional story that I will be thinking about for awhile. I cannot wait to read more by this author and all the books in this series. You will not be disappointed.
There are so many twist and turns to this story and a mystery to be solved. But the big question is what does Reid intend to do once he obtains the information? As Letitia grows close to him, she fears the worst will happen.
This was an exceptional story that I will be thinking about for awhile. I cannot wait to read more by this author and all the books in this series. You will not be disappointed.
February 26, 2021
Rounding up from 3.75, because I really enjoyed the first half of the book.
I am so bummed by this book, I was so stoked to give it 5 stars. Somehow I got over my stupid need to read the whole series from the beginning, even if recommendation is for just one book - even if it was book 3 or 5. This is the second book, so I thought - no biggie. And it wasn't, not really, in a sense that a little bit of history was explained well.
It started as an awesome book. Stern hero, capable and non-nonsense heroine - just what I like. I'm not sure it was completely historically accurate, but I didn't care, I was enjoying it too much. I also liked how PTSD was described and that it wasn't sugarcoated and my heart melted for heroine who fell in love with her guy despite everything.
Then in the last third or so it all fell apart. After their mission was accomplished, Letty and Icarus sort of languished, rudderless. Yes, he was recovering but still, it was a lot of thumb twiddling and waiting for time to pass, until he could - out of the blue - declare his love and propose. He had felt he wasn't ready just days before, and then, magically, when (a contrived and not very convincing) disaster loomed, he was ready and he had been ready on his own, uncoerced, dontcha know.... That rang pretty hollow to me.
I am not a fan of the sex scenes in this book, either. They were stilted and awkward and not in a good and organic way. They were also all the same.
All in all, not super bad, but a lot of wasted potential.
I am so bummed by this book, I was so stoked to give it 5 stars. Somehow I got over my stupid need to read the whole series from the beginning, even if recommendation is for just one book - even if it was book 3 or 5. This is the second book, so I thought - no biggie. And it wasn't, not really, in a sense that a little bit of history was explained well.
It started as an awesome book. Stern hero, capable and non-nonsense heroine - just what I like. I'm not sure it was completely historically accurate, but I didn't care, I was enjoying it too much. I also liked how PTSD was described and that it wasn't sugarcoated and my heart melted for heroine who fell in love with her guy despite everything.
Then in the last third or so it all fell apart. After their mission was accomplished, Letty and Icarus sort of languished, rudderless. Yes, he was recovering but still, it was a lot of thumb twiddling and waiting for time to pass, until he could - out of the blue - declare his love and propose. He had felt he wasn't ready just days before, and then, magically, when (a contrived and not very convincing) disaster loomed, he was ready and he had been ready on his own, uncoerced, dontcha know.... That rang pretty hollow to me.
I am not a fan of the sex scenes in this book, either. They were stilted and awkward and not in a good and organic way. They were also all the same.
All in all, not super bad, but a lot of wasted potential.
dnf
February 6, 2023DNF at 60%
I was already having issues with Miss Trentham's bullying manner and her refusal to let a grown man make his own decisions, and their nightly ritual of kissing after his nightmares was really weird, but this does it. (Spoiler ahead, this might not bother everyone, but it did me.)
I was already having issues with Miss Trentham's bullying manner and her refusal to let a grown man make his own decisions, and their nightly ritual of kissing after his nightmares was really weird, but this does it. (Spoiler ahead, this might not bother everyone, but it did me.)
January 3, 2018
Interesting book. Letty was a nice character to read about, strong compassionate and practical. This is the 3rd of 4 heroines of this author that is plain looking. I’m not completely shallow I think it's good to have leads be normal women, but at the same time I read to escape a plain and boring reality and think this author overuses the plain heroine in her books. Of course, all the men are ridiculously attractive. I thought Letty’s power was an interesting and sad choice. I thought the author could have explored how hard it must be for her to never feel loved or wanted for anything but her money. She kind of glossed over it where I would have liked more time and emotion in that aspect of her gift. I felt the heroine did a lot for the hero, sitting freezing in a cold river, staying up late reading and comforting and he doesn't really acknowledge or really thank her for any of it. I like when women are strong but I also like a few moments of damsel. Icarus never really acted the hero and while I loved him as a character I wish there had been more opportunity for him to be there for Letty. WARNING: there is sex in this book, it is not erotica, but enough to be a steamy & hot adult romance. Please do not read if you are looking for something PG.
Romance-3/5 Steaminess-3/5 Explicitness-3/5
Romance-3/5 Steaminess-3/5 Explicitness-3/5
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