Bond Street Bachelor by Annabelle Anders
Bond Street Bachelor by Annabelle Anders Genres: Fiction / Romance / Historical / Regency, Fiction / Romance / Historical / Victorian
Pages: 310
Goodreads
Leopold Beckworth, son of a London prostitute, was abandoned as a child on the docks of London at a very young age. The odds were stacked against him, and yet, relying on nothing but his cunning and eventually, brute strength, he did better than survive, he thrived.
Ironically, he's amassed power most aristocrats envy—along with great wealth—all while holding little regard for society. His people are the poor, the pickpockets, and thieves of London, and amongst them, Leopold is known as the King of Bond Street.
Lady Amelia Crowley, daughter of a marquess, is Leopold's opposite in every way. Having mastered all the skills to be a perfect society wife, she is naive and good-hearted, and also quite content to make her parents proud by marrying a wealthy and titled husband.
Until she meets Mr. Beckworth.
Amelia sees beyond his gruff exterior, recognizing a man starved for love—a man with a shattered and empty heart. His very existence throws her life out of balance, and this innocent young lady suddenly questions everything she knows. Will she deny her feelings and live the life she's been raised to live, or will she find the courage to reach for more—which involves turning her back on society to be with the man she loves?
Bond Street Bachelor is the fifth book in the Rakes of Rotten Row Series but can be read out of order, or as a stand-alone novel.
Bond Street Bachelor is book five in the Rakes of Rotten Row series. At first I was a bit put off by the cover. I can’t say I have seen another picture quite like it, especially with the main view being a woman’s posterior. But, in spite of that, I have to say that so far this is one of my favorite books in this series. Anders does a lovely job blending romance and humor. Lady Amelia Crowley is the perfectly poised, pretty woman. Throughout the story the rigors and rules of life during the Victorian Era are shown to have shaped and restrained Amelia to the point of near suffocation. This story is an interesting study into the controlled life of women in the aristocracy during Queen Victoria’s reign. From the fashion of wearing confining corsets to their limited learning, women were thoroughly subjugated by men. The hero Leopold Beckworth is a unique blend of street wise hoodlum and refined gentleman. His life outside the ton challenges Amelia. Will she reach for freedom or will she return to a life of polite confinement? There are a lot of very steamy scenes in this story, so readers be aware.
