Book Review: Age of Innocence by Eliza Lloyd

Title: Age of Innocence
Series: Mad Duchesses, Book 3
Author: Eliza Lloyd
Genre: Historical Romance
Sensuality Rating: Steamy
Source: review copy provided by publisher
Published: June 18, 2014 by Ellora’s Cave

The twice-widowed Duchess of Burnham is thrilled to finally have a fit, younger husband and imagines nights filled with the kind of passion she missed in her first two marriages. Lettie is every man’s dream—voluptuous and sensual.

The Honorable Ferdinand Ford is horrified to find out his family has made a match for him. Marriage is the last thing he wants. Ferd is the consummate man about town except he has a secret—he has very little experience with women and has taken great pains to avoid them. Experienced Lettie is all that he fears.

Lettie might be a little mad to pin all her hopes for happiness in a man who doesn’t want her for a wife. She knows that nights in her bed will be all that is needed to convince him she is a wife worth having.

Reviewed By: Babs

Why I Read This Book: I haven’t read many romance novels where the heroine is older/more experienced than the hero. I was intrigued.

In a Nutshell: I really liked this book. I loved the setup, the main characters and their story.

The Set Up: Ferd marries twice widowed Lettie at his father’s command.

What I Liked: I liked the twist on the “arranged marriage that turns to love” thing. Instead of the dominant alpha male or the heroine’s family pushing for the arranged marriage to get something—money, title, revenge, property—the heroine was excited about the marriage. Lettie was hoping with Ferd she would get a better marriage that was friendly and intimate if not a love match. And she was definitely eager for a young, healthy groom.

I like that while Ferd tried to keep his distance to avoid past mistakes (and embarrassment), Lettie didn’t give up on him. She was patient even though she could have taken her hurt feelings and withdrawn when Ferd didn’t immediately want to be intimate with her after they married.

I enjoyed the writing and flow of the story. The sexy times were steamy and at the same time touching--she's trying to be patient and find out what he wants and likes and he’s just trying to not embarrass himself. They eventually work things out.

Overall Impression: There isn’t anything I didn’t like with this book. I’ve discovered a new favorite trope—slightly older/more experienced woman and the inexperienced man. I really enjoyed the story and definitely recommend it. I am also adding the other books in the series to my to-read list and will try to get to them (so many books, so little time!).

Bab’s Rating:

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