Helen Hamilton is a twenty-five-year-old spinster with no income and no propects who struggles to care for her two orphaned sisters. Destitute and only a heartbeat away from the streets, Helen applies for a position as a governess to the younger siblings of Captain Tristan Odell, guardian to the Earl of Hastings and his twelve-year-old sister. But when Tristan turns Helen away, her future seems as desperate as her options.

Determined to do whatever it takes to support her sisters, Helen ends up at a brothel run by Mrs. Bainbridge, the former mistress of Vicount Redvers (whom we meet in book one of this series) where she agrees to sell herself as a mistress to a client of wealth and prestige. Low and behold, it is Capt. Odell who buys Helen, but rather than as his mistress, he offers her the governess’s position. Enmeshed in an attraction which draws her to Tristan and he to her, their passion quickly grows, as does an unexpected danger that could easily destroy not only their love but their lives as well.

If you like to ride the roller coaster at your favorite theme park, then you will love this book! Cheryl Holt has given us the second in a series of stories that begins once again with the itinerant peddler, Phillipe Dubois aka Phillip Dudley. Offering Helen his Spinster’s Cure which is sure to engage the affections of the man of her dreams, the story goes up and down, often in unexpected ways. Tristan Odell is newly installed in the household of the Earl of Hastings as the guardian of the earl, a young, coddled, spoiled 18-year-old who is in love with his image in his mirror and who is convinced that the “world is his oyster.” Tristan is also guardian to the earl’s sister Rose who has been without a governess for two years and who has suffered greatly at the hands of a distant relative, Maud Seymour, and her daughter Miriam, also residents in the earl’s household and both of whom have designs on the earl’s fortune, his bed, and his future. Clue: they are the bad guys, and they hate Helen Hamilton and her two sisters from the get-go. Capt. Odell may have “purchased” Helen from the madam, but he brings her to Hasting’s London home where she is installed as the governess and given, not servant quarters and limited privileges, but treatment as an honored guest. Needless to say, the battle between the Hamilton sisters and Maud & her grasping daughter is joined, and I do mean with gusto!

Cheryl Holt does not write simplistic stories but develops plots that keep the reader guessing and wondering. Even when it appears a happy ending is in sight, the reader realizes that one is only half-way through the book, so be prepared: there’s lots more to come. Because this is a series it is easy to recognize characters from the first book that sort of hang around the edges, but each novel is strong enough to stand on its own.

Holt’s characters are not boring. Helen is a woman of her times, but she is willing to do whatever it takes, even compromising her moral standards, in order to protect her sisters. Their father was a sea captain with a reputation as a rake, but Helen has been surrogate mother to her sisters for most of her young life and she is not going to give up now. Jane is the 18 year old sister who tempts the young earl but in the process provides a relationship that almost forces him to grow up. Helen’s youngest sister becomes the best friend and “sister” the earl’s sister never had. Together Amelia and Rose provide some truly humorous moments in the story as well as demonstrate the loyalty that can grow between two young girls to such a degree that their friendship and mutual regard can shame the adults in their lives. Odell is a confirmed bachelor, owner of his own shipping company, wealthy and independent, but now saddled with the responsibility for his half-brother and half-sister. He is a relational clutz!! Many of the situations in the story are causesd by his inept response to a given set of circumstances, but he also actually learns from his mistakes and demonstrates that he is made of better stuff than even he himself thought. And then there is Maud and Miriam – the bland leading the bland. Cruel, insensitive, uncaring, manipulative, scheming, ambitious, greedy, and on and on . . . really neat people, eh? They attempt to take over Tristan, the earl and the earl’s home and forture in the bargain, and in the process they put everyone’s future happiness and even their lives at risk. Real bad gals.

I liked this story but it is not a fast read. Holt takes the time to develop the story, its plot and conflicts and characters and she makes the reader take the time to savor all the wonderful aspects of a novel well-written. I think it is a worthy sequel to her first book Promises of Pleasure. Fans of excellent writing and good stories will like this book as much as I did. But please give it the time that is its due. You won’t regret it!

I give this book a rating of 4.75 out of 5.

You can read more from Judith at Dr J’s Book Place

This book is available from Berkley. You can buy it here or here in e-format.