LADY + DUKE = TRUE LOVE?
Lady Daphne Forsyth is a brilliant mathematician with a burning passion for puzzles. When she learns that the library belonging to her benefactress houses the legendary Cameron Cipher―an encrypted message that, once solved, holds the key to great riches―Daphne is on the case. Unfortunately, her race to unlock the cipher’s code is continually thwarted by a deliciously handsome distraction she hadn’t counted on. . .and cannot resist.
Dalton Beauchamp, the Duke of Maitland, is curious as to why Daphne is spending so much time snooping around his aunt’s bookshelves. He’s even more intrigued by her bold yet calculating manner: She is unapologetic about her secret quest. . .and the fiery attraction that develops between them both. But how can they concentrate on solving a perplexing enigma once the prospect of true love enters the equation?
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My Review: (Thanks to NetGalley)
This was the second book in the series and we were immediately thrown into what seemed like the end of the first book (which I haven't read) which caused me some confusion (i.e. was the gypsy the killer? was this a cheap gimmick to get us to buy book one?)
The whole idea of the series was based on the four girls having areas of special knowledge but I struggled to figure out how the other three were gifted (I think one was an art prodigy and another something to do with books/poetry?, fourth one haven't a clue). I know that this book is about Daphne (the math whiz), but the cast is featured as an ensemble and I would have like a little bit more detail about the secondary characters.
The ending was the biggest let down for me. This was advertised as a book about a smart young woman trying to solve a mystery with a secondary romantic story line. But by the end it was all about the romance. I mean they found the treasure and then it was literally never mentioned again! Considering where it was from/who had hidden it, I would have liked to know what was in the chest/how much/who was entitled to it/what they were going to do with it, etc, etc. Nothing else was said about the fates of the bad guys either, former government agent Ian Foster and former tutor Richard Sommersby, they just vanished off the face of the earth/page (lol).
This book started out weird, got a lot better, then went downhill fast. It was almost like the author got sick of writing about the mystery angle and decided to just finish writing as if it had been a traditional Victorian(?) England romance book all along.
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