How I love this new series by Josi S. Kilpack! She's been one of my favorite authors since before there were e-readers (yes, I'm that old). Remember from the previous book that Elliott Mayfield has come up with a "marriage campaign" to help his nephews and nieces make better choices in marriage partners.
Timothy Mayfield is very forthright about needing to marry someone with money, but he also wants to have a marriage of love. He's described as "fun-loving, overly -optimistic, energetic, engaging, and silly to some" and honest, which is important to Maryann Morrington because it seems as if all of her callers have heard about her inheritance. Maryann is a older (22 years old) than the other young women in London for the Season, and more mature because she's been running her family's household since she was 15, when her mother became ill. She's not what you'd call a beauty, but her inheritance more than makes up for that in the eyes of her suitors.
When Timothy learns of what he'll inherit from his Uncle Elliott upon making a match he's thrilled that he no longer need marry for money--he can marry purely for love and sets out to find his perfect mate. He's got quite the list of requirements--"blonde, tall, graceful, with blue or green eyes, a bow-shaped mouth, dainty fingers, and rosy cheeks. Come from a large family, possess a hearty appetite without being plump, and have a tinkling laugh. Enjoy dogs and riding horses, traveling at a moment's notice, dancing in the rain, fine wine, and society events. Her mother should think him wonderful. She should speak French and Italian, have musical ability, love babies, and possess an affinity for art, especially watercolor." Maryanne is quite the opposite of Timothy's ideal wife.
Timothy seems to take their honesty with each other a bit too far when he tells Maryann Your laugh is very much like the bray of a donkey. Of course he realizes he hurt his feelings and apologizes with daisies again.
In the course of the story Maryann finds someone she thinks she could happily live out her days with, but it turns out he's not the man she thought he was. I was impressed by how she handled the the news and the aftermath. By the time that relationship has ended Timothy does indeed find his perfect woman.
I loved Timothy and Maryann's friendship. I liked when she gave him fashion advice and how surprised he was by the compliments he received when he followed it. Silly men don't think women know what we're talking about. Timothy had had a difficult upbringing and I found it wonderful that he was such an optimistic person. I thought it funny how he liked to run home after church because he didn't like sitting still for such a long period of time.
Maryann is a wonderful character--she's not like the younger debutantes, she knows what she wants and speaks her mind, but she's kind to others. I felt her pain when she wanted to be more than Timothy's friend and he couldn't see it.
When you read a love story the reader already knows the two main characters are going to end up together, but we don't know how the author's going to do that. That's what pulls me into a book. Once Maryann's relationship with Colonel Berkins ended I thought for sure she and Timothy would get together, but no, but that time he'd found his "perfect woman"! I didn't see how Maryann and Timothy would get their happily ever after--it didn't come easily , or quickly, but it finally came.
Thanks to Shadow Mountain and NetGalley for a copy of this book to review. All ideas and thoughts expressed are my own.