An Unconventional Lady by
Sarah E. Ladd
My rating: 💛💛💛💛
The title of this book, an unconventional lady, stayed true to the story within these pages.
From the first page the story pulled me in for a gripping death and the after effects for the daughter who was left behind. Growing up in a family who loved to investigate and learn, it was no surprise that Ella would also grow up with this drive.
Gabriel’s investigative side of his job added mystery and danger to the story. I enjoyed investigating the truth with him and seeing how everything was connected.
The connection between Gabriel and Ella was sweet and I was hoping that the plans for Ella’s future would turn out differently than what her father planned.
It was sad to see how easily people were manipulated when they heard what they wanted to hear. But at the end, the light will shine through the darkness.
Sarah E Ladd is becoming a favourite name in my list of authors in the recency-romance-with-a-mystery-to-solve genre.
*I received a complimentary copy from the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.*
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About the book:
One woman works to expose a scientific fraud while also finding love in the latest sweet Regency romance by Sarah Ladd. Perfect for fans of Julie Klassen, An Unconventional Lady delivers what Publishers Weekly calls Ladd's "pitch-perfect blend of suspense and sweetness" (The Cloverton Charade).
She faces the worst ultimatum possible for a woman--marry a man she detests or lose the future she's always imagined.
Charming and headstrong, Ella Wilde always knew she was different than other women. Thanks to her unorthodox upbringing as the daughter of Keatley Hall School for Young Men's headmaster, Ella has long dreamed of opening a school for girls that would meet the needs of inquisitive, brilliant, unconventional young women just like her--girls who longed for the education exclusively reserved for boys. But there's just one Unless she marries before her father dies, Keatley Hall will pass into the hands of a distant cousin. In that case, Ella will be left destitute, and at this point her only option appears to be an undesirable marriage.
Ella's family had long been proponents of phrenology, the belief that an individual's personality and dispositions were predetermined by the shape of their head. Shortly before her death, however, Ella's mother's views on phrenology changed, and she endeavored to expose phrenology as nothing more than a fraudulent parlor trick. Consequently, she earned the wrath of phrenologist community, who called her "unstable," "bizarre," even "dangerous"--and branded her daughter the same.
Now, renowned phrenologist Thomas Bauer is about to arrive at Keatley Hall to speak at the Natural Philosophers' Society gathering, and Ella embraces the opportunity to clear her mother's name--and her own--once and for all. And her partner in crime? None other than her childhood friend Gabriel Rowe, who's grown into an ambitious, handsome London solicitor.
Gabriel has his own scores to settle, and when he learns that Thomas Bauer is visiting Keatley Hall, he jumps at the chance to prove himself and right past wrongs. As he is drawn deeper into the unusual happenings, it's clear that he and Ella must work together if they want to unmask the truth. Over time, Gabriel's attraction to Ella's beauty and wit becomes impossible to ignore, and as the lines between professionalism and passion blur, they both must decide what they're willing to risk for happiness.
About the author:
Find Me in the Story by Lisa Jordan
