Grant Benton the future Earl of Crowle has taken one too
many chances in his young life, following in the footsteps
of his father in gambling his monies away and doing
foolish stunts that could hurt him and others. Not until
his family begins to suffer and the threat of losing lose
his family lands, does Grant chose to work as a laborer to
save his family.
While working his fingers to the bone, his father passes
away and Grant becomes Grant Benton, the Earl of Crowle.
Because Grant is responsible for some of the problems his
family faces, Grant has had no contact with his family,
while he works to restore the family fortunes.
Grant begins to call himself Mr. Grant, taking on a name of
a tradesman. Grant has been seeking buyers to purchase his
materials from his factory so he can buy back his family
lands. He's notified by a Mr. Knopp who makes purchases for
a women's shop to meet him at a local Inn, but when he
arrives at the Inn to meet Mr. Knopp, it's truly Lady
Irene Knopp, a widow who meets him to make the
purchases. He is quite surprised to be selling his
materials to a woman, but Lady Irene leaves a very good
impression on Grant for not only is she a beauty, but he
can tell that she may come from aristocratic background and
her bargaining skills in purchasing fine materials leaves
him in awe of her.
Irene is a widow, who fell into a decline when her husband
died. It is only after she is offered the position as
purchaser for the shop that she snaps out of her stupor.
After making a bargain he then goes to reclaim his family
lands. When he arrives at his family estate, he finds out
that because of the improvements that have been made to the
land, Grant must now come up with a lot more money.
Apparently, Grant still owns other family land and with his
title, Earl of Crowle, he feels he must come out of hiding.
For five years he's been known as Mr. Grant wearing dress
attire not of an Earl, but of a man with means who owns and
runs a factory. His family has been worried sick about
him for these five years and when he enters the world of
the Ton as Earl of Crowle, many whispers can be heard among
the Ton gossips. His mother and brother are saddened he has
not contacted them in all this time. He will not give any
explanations to his family until he feels the time is
right.
As time passes, he cannot get Lady Irene out of his
mind and when he runs into a friend of his, he learns many
things about Lady Irene and he wants to get to know her
much better. After spending much time with Lady Irene they
both fall in love, but for many years, Grant has been
hearing a voice in his head, which he calls his "madness".
As he and Lady Irene spend more time together falling in
love, will his madness disappear or get worse? Irene is
hesitant about giving her heart, and she refuses to stop
working, because it gives her a sense of purpose. Irene
doubts, that Grant and she can be married, because of
societal expectations but can they?
There are some great characters, but my favorite is Mr.
Morrison, a Bow Street Runner, who is a brilliant
detective, but whose social graces could use some work. He
reminds me a bit like Sherlock Holmes!
I enjoyed WHAT THE BRIDE WORE so much, that I could not put
the book down.
Jade Lee is sparkling and amazing, bringing her characters
to life in such a well written story. A recommended read!
This hot new series is set in a daring, high-energy Regency
world where deep longings, secret scandals, and the
competition for social stature are all set against the
glittering weddings of the season.
Grant Benton, Earl of Crowle finally has the funds he
always pretended to have and what he wants now is a woman.
That woman is Lady Irene Knopp, who spends her days helping
debutantes plan their weddings. A recent widow, Irene longs
for love again, but she's afraid to risk her heart,
especially to the notorious Grant Benton.