Lady Rebecca enjoyed a
flirtation with Lord Nathaniel when they were young and
giddy in the countryside. Their seniors put a stop to that,
and a decade later, life is very different. THE TRUTH SERUM
takes up where the first lively story in My Lady's PotionsΒ left us. A concoction called a love potion has
helped the comparative nobody Kynthea Petrelli gain the
affections of Ras, Duke of Harle. Currently staying with
them as they prepare for marriage is Nathaniel, or Nate.
Β
Lady Rebecca is something of an
embarrassment to her family, as she has spent five Seasons
in town, and at the
age of
twenty-seven, is almost on the shelf. London still has men
willing to ask for her hand, but she strongly suspects they
only want her small portion of land in Cornwall. Men are in
short supply as the war with Napoleon is drawing them away,
and Rebecca thinks a truth serum may help her sort out
genuine offers.
Β
Nate is a Sir Percy Blakeney type of
character, pretending dissolution while working for the
Foreign Office. He had an alias in the
earlier story, Mr. Pickleherring, as he penned
gossip columns for an income.Β Heβs given up the gossip (those were
amusing) but is still writing. Heβs also recovering
from injuries and determined to root out a nest of
smugglers.Β
Β
The
villain of the story is Fletcher, Rebeccaβs
controlling brother, who wants a political career. He
demands she go along with his choices, and the gross Baron
Courbis, who willingly drinks the truth serum, is his chosen
suitor. Women had very little agency, even if they had
money, until they were respectably married or widowed. We
see how a male relative was expected to administer their
affairs and make their decisions. Although the family
occupies a Mayfair townhouse, there is little love lost
between the siblings.
Β
I found some of the tale felt too
modern; certainly, scanty attention was paid to
Rebeccaβs reputation, but quite likely this is due to
her age, when all the friends from her coming-out Season are
married off and in country houses. Nate still loves her but
isnβt meeting Fletcherβs approval, so the
obstacles to the young peopleβs happiness keep piling
higher. THE TRUTH SERUM has quite an extraordinary effect,
which you will have to see for yourselves. Humour and
outrageousness whirl through the story, softening the dour tones of Fletcher.Β Katherine Lyons provides another adult
historical romance, full of characters, heaving bosoms, and
shed cravats.Β
Lady Rebecca has spent ten years trying to forget the boy who stole her heart—and destroyed her family. Now Lord Nathaniel is back, still recklessly charming and absolutely forbidden. A man who cares for nothing but his own pleasure.
Or so it seems. Beneath Nate’s carefully crafted façade are secrets that could tip the war against Napoleon. Nate is a spy, and he desperately needs Rebecca's help. But can she trust a feckless rake in defiance of their family feud and her brother’s mysterious plans?
When a marriage contract could bind her to a traitor, Rebecca turns to the most dangerous weapon of all—a mysterious truth serum that reveals not just lies, but the most inconvenient desires of the heart. And when the serum goes awry, half-dressed barons and ballroom scandals are the least of Rebecca’s problems.
In a world where trust leads to betrayal, can two childhood sweethearts overcome a decade of deception to save regency England—and each other?
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