SAY YOU’LL BE MY LADY by Kate Pembroke

Publisher: Forever
Date Published: February 22, 2022 
ISBN#   ‎ 978-1538703779
Historical Romance
Reviewed by Gina (myreviewbooks@aol.com)
Obtained via publisher
3 Hearts

Intelligent and beautiful Serena Wynter doesn’t necessarily follow society’s dictates. In fact, she seldom does at all.  It was Serena who led the Lady’s Wednesday Afternoon Social Circle to establish homes for war widows. Now she is turning her attention to children left orphans due to the war. With her connections she is able to find buildings and the money to set up the homes. Having loved deeply once only to have her fiancé die in war, marriage is not something she is keen on pursuing.

Charles Townshend has a secret. One he has not divulged to anyone and it’s not that he is in love with Serena. Rather it is one that society mandates keep them apart. He supports her endeavors and does what he can to help her and her lady friends. On a trip outside London in search of assistance for one of her projects they come upon a young boy, Jem, apparently abandoned in a vacant property. Serena quickly decides to take Jem in and find him a suitable home.  Jem, in turn, forms an attachment to Charles which brings the couple together more frequently and in more social settings than before. While their feelings for each other grow, society’s dictates say they cannot be. But when did society’s rules ever mean anything to Serena?

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, NOT THE KIND OF EARL YOU MARRY. I hadn’t read a Regency in a long time and it was exactly what I wanted and needed in a good read so I looked forward to this second book, SAY YOU’LL BE MY LADY.  I’ve found in many series that when the first book is a solid read usually books two or three fall down. They just aren’t as good. It’s like an author is his or her own tough act to follow.  SAY YOU’LL BE MY LADY was one of those slow moving, pretty boring, reads.  It just didn’t do it or me. There was a lot of narrative about going here and there and the dialogue was stilted. It felt like Pembrooke had to give Serena a story but just couldn’t figure out what to do with it. The character seemed like an entirely different one from the one in NOT THE KIND OF EARL YOU MARRY.

I did like how Pembrooke tackled the issues of the time like abandoned children, child labor issues and society’s constraints at trying to help those less fortunate. My favorite part was the trip Charles, Jem, Serena and her father make to the observatory. It seemed an idyllic outing that anyone would enjoy. But, overall, it wasn’t a stellar read.

 

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.