Mitch Campbell has a dream to one day buy his own photography studio in New York, where he hails from. He saves every penny from his job as a photographer for the United States Geological Survey, and he scrimps a lot. One day, Mitch notices someone watching him, and to his surprise it's a young woman. He inadvertently scares her, she falls off a cliff, and breaks her leg. Mitch feels guilty and he takes it upon himself to see her injury is well cared for. Poor Genevieve "Genny" Hayes has been living by herself in a little cabin in the forest in Yosemite for eight months, since her father died, and to whom she had promised to go back to the land of his ancestors, England. Genny has an inkling that she can convince Mitch to help her. When she mentions that her English grandfather is a duke, Mitch seems more interested in accompanying her to New York.
BEHIND A LADY'S SMILE is an absolutely delightful romance! Ms. Goodger's prose is eloquent, elegant, and airy, and her vivid and richly detailed descriptions of the scenery and transportation make the Victorian era come alive, as well as the sometimes startling differences between ordinary Americans and the English blue bloods. Right from the beginning, I couldn't wait to see what Mitch and Genny's adventures would be like, and up to the very end I had no idea how it would all turn out. Mitch and Genny are both very enticing characters: Genny is a true ingรฉnue, but she is brave, very resourceful, and utterly irresistible. I loved the dynamics between Genny and Mitch, it all felt so genuine and real.
If one could qualify a book as "charismatic," it is how I would think of BEHIND A LADY'S SMILE. It simply oozes genuine charm. Genny is one of the most adorable fictional creatures I've ever encountered. I even gave up trying to suppress my smile while reading on the bus, and simply accepted that I would look foolish, but it didn't matter. I was just enjoying myself too much, while later on, tears threatened to flow because I came to care so much about these two wonderful people.
BEHIND A LADY'S SMILE is a sublime love story, and while I had loved what I had read from the astonishing Jane Goodger before, BEHIND A LADY'S SMILE surpasses what high expectations I had.
BEHIND A LADY'S SMILE is the first instalment in the brand new Lost Heiresses series, and I already can't wait for the next book! Absolutely splendid, as gorgeous as its divine cover!
The Lost Heiresses
Itโs one thing for a girl to lose her way, quite another
to
lose her heartโฆ
Genny Hayes could charm a bear away from a pot of honey.
But
raised in the forests of Yosemite, sheโs met precious few
men to practice her smiles upon. Until a marvelously
handsome photographer appears in her little corner of the
wilderness and she convinces him to take her clear across
the country and over the seas to England, where she has a
titled grandmother and grandfather waiting to claim her.
On their whirlwind journey, sheโll have the chance to
bedazzle
and befuddle store clerks and train robbers, society
matrons
and big city reporters, maids and madams, but the one man
she most wants to beguile seems determined to play the
gentleman and leave her untouched. Until love steps in
and
knocks them both head over heelsโฆ
EXCERPT
โMitch?โ
He slipped the key in the door. โWhat?โ
โDo you think Iโm pretty?โ
He gave her a quick look. At the moment, even with her
green eyes glazed with whiskey and her hair slightly
askew, she looked more than pretty. โSure.โ
โDid you think Minnie was pretty?โ
โNo.โ
โI think she was,โ Genny said a bit wistfully.
He pushed the door open and Genny heaved herself off the
wall to walk into the room. She fell onto her bed, face
first. โTired,โ she said, the word muffled by the
blankets.
Mitch lit a gas lamp, then allowed himself to take her
in, her mussed-up hair, her trim waist, her arms akimbo.
He shook his head and smiled, then let out a sigh, sat
down on the bed, lifted one of her feet and started
unlacing her shoe. He tried not to think about her slim
ankle or the silk stocking that was so smooth beneath his
calloused hand, and so he worked quickly, tossing the
shoes one by one onto the floor. When he had her shoes
off, she turned around and settled properly onto the bed.
He wasnโt about to undress her completely, so he stood
up. Let her worry about her wrinkled dress in the
morning. It would be a good lesson for her.
โMitch?โ
โYeah.โ
โCould you kiss me goodnight?โ
Jesus. โSure, kiddo.โ He leaned over her, intending to
kiss her forehead, but she lifted her head at the last
moment and her lips pressed against his. He meant to pull
back, and did a bit, but she followed him, pressing
closer as he jammed one fist into the blanket beside her
to stop himself from pulling her against him. It was
obvious she didnโt know how to kiss, and that was one
thing Mitch was thankful for. She kept her mouth closed,
but her lips were so damned soft, all he could think
about was nudging down her jaw gently and tasting her.
But he didnโt.
He pulled back slowly and she smiled drunkenly up at him.
โMinnie said you looked like a man who could kiss.โ
โYeah, well, most men can.โ
โGood night, Mitch.โ
He grunted at her and left the room, closing the door
softly behind him. She wouldnโt remember that kiss in the
morning. At least he prayed she wouldnโt. God knew heโd
remember, and that was enough for the two of them.
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