It is 1768 after all and why does she need a man's name to be on a lease anyway? The lovely and very determined Claire Mayhew is fuming. All she wants to do is get her coffee and bakery shop going and she has the funds to pay the lease. She just does not have a man in her life and definitely doesn't want one. She will just have to find another way to get Mr. Cyrus Ryland's signature on the lease.

Claire has a simple plan. It involves sneaking into his study during a fancy ball Mr. Ryland is holding, copying his signature and be gone before anyone notices. He is so rich and owns so many properties, he is sure not to notice this small lease.

Like other best laid plans, things don't go quite as expected. Mr. Ryland's house is huge and Claire certainly didn't expect to meet the man himself. As things change after midnight, Claire makes a dash to escape, but Claire can't get thoughts of Cyrus out of her head, despite all the work in getting her business running.

This same chance and provocative meeting in his study has left Cyrus desiring to learn more about this intelligent and unknown beauty. Left with only a brown leather shoe, he has Bow Street runners covering all of London searching for a thief who hadn't taken anything. Then one day, he follows a friend into a coffee shop....

While the search may be over, the challenges are not. Does Cyrus' interest in Claire put her in harm's way? Can she maintain her independence? Will he risk scandal and injury to his own family members to protect her?

THE LADY MEETS HER MATCH is the second book in Gina Conkle's Midnight Meetings series. This Georgian era series involves circles of friends made up of commoners and nobles where events at midnight might change the paths of people whose paths in life bring them in contact with each other. THE LADY MEETS HER MATCH definitely has set a high standard for hopefully many more books to come in this series by this very talented writer!

THE LADY MEETS HER MATCH is captivating right from the first page and I fully relished how the unusualness of the initial meeting between Claire and Cyrus facilitates a rare chance for the characters to be so open and even a little bit provocative with each other that they could not have done under any other circumstances. I also am impressed with how seamlessly Conkle is able to bring to life through the various interactions between characters the manners, morals, attire and attitudes and class differences between the rising fortunes of the merchant class to that of the reigning aristocrats.

Claire is a lively character who is clever, a good friend and businesswoman, a kind heart, and an overriding desire to live her life on her own terms. For his part, Cyrus is a great Prince Charming who is a commoner who has used his brawn and brain to get to the top, yet retains his concern for others. While the title says THE LADY MEETS HER MATCH, it is more Cyrus who is changed when the shoe is not made out of glass and things take a turn after midnight.

As the dialogue sparkles between them and the other well crafted secondary characters, you will just want to read on well past midnight to find out how things will transpire for this perfectly paired, yet unlikely couple. If you like historical romance with a bit of sweet and sauce, then THE LADY MEETS HER MATCH is a savoury and refreshing treat I can happily recommend for you to enjoy!