A young man who grew up unloved is enjoying London Society, determined that he'll marry at a much later date. A young woman from an impecunious family has to make a good match, and works hard to present herself as ideal. She finds admirers at balls, but her family circumstances may deter offers....

THE LUCKIEST LADY IN LONDON is Miss Louisa Cantwell, of threadbare respectability and charming looks. Felix Wrenworth notices her but can't take her seriously. He's not looking for a wife anyway, while the girl is obviously on the marriage mart. Then another man has to cry off a dinner party and Felix takes his place, thus being seated next to Louisa, making her the envy of all the unmarried girls in London. Somehow as they chat about inconsequential matters a chemistry sizzles between them, so that it's hard to concentrate.

Louisa loves books and unknown to most people, Felix is a keen astronomer. So it's not surprising that they should bump into each other in a museum, and eventually Felix is interested enough to make a less than decent proposal to the lady, who needs money to support her family. She can't accept, because that would ruin any chance of wedding well. Louisa may have read 'Pride And Prejudice' but she knows that even Jane Austen didn't get swept off her feet. Which makes it all the stranger that she keeps imagining Felix and herself together....

Sherry Thomas has written a careful study of manners in which conversations and not action are to the fore. Nobody can either feel strong emotion or display it, in the rigid society of the wealthy, and women have little say in their circumstances. These two characters really came to life for me when they made astronomical observations together, seeing a comet, or the blueness of Neptune, through Felix's expensive telescope and reacting with genuine excitement. Some readers may find the earlier chapters slow because of this, but the contrast with Louisa and Felix when they allow themselves to be real people instead of appropriate figures is a pleasure. THE LUCKIEST LADY IN LONDON will interest readers who want a historical romance with an unusual twist.