A Much Maligned Miss by Alice Coldbreath

A Much Maligned Miss Series: Reversal of Fortune
on March 20, 2026
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Historical / Regency
Pages: 490
Goodreads

Caroline Halperston is used to the residents of Penarth talking badly about her. How could they fail to, when her own mama spends her days endlessly telling tales of her daughter’s cruelty and wickedness? She has long since been resigned to her fate as neighborhood pariah until an unexpected incident sends her fleeing into arms of Gervaise Langdon, Earl of Atherton, who carries her off to London with him.

Gervaise is very far from being a knight in shining armor, and Caroline absolutely should not trust him, however charming and affable he may appear. One shocking proposition later, and they set up an impromptu household in the attic of a gin palace with a pair of cats for company…

It is not long before Gervaise realizes he has made a severe miscalculation where Caroline is concerned. Has he left it too late, or can he convince her of the sincerity of his feelings before the secrets which would threaten Caroline’s life emerge and engulf her in terrible danger?

A Much Maligned Miss by Alice Coldbreath is book two in the Reversal of Fortune series. I tried to like this story, especially after struggling through the first book, “A Foolish Flirtation,” but I just couldn’t connect with the plotline. I have to say that, once again, this author really needs to focus on editing her stories. This book was overbloated with unnecessary, steamy, explicit scenes that detracted from the basic plot. I thought it started off strong and had great potential. Caroline Halperston is a woman with a maligned reputation—maligned by her own mother. When the Earl of Atherton offers her a way to escape her mother’s clutches, she takes it and runs away with him to London. From there, the story deteriorated, and the heroine made some choices that felt forced and unbelievable for the time period. So, I’m not going to keep trying this author.