The Awakening of Miss Henley by Julia Justiss

The Awakening of Miss Henley by Julia Justiss
Series: The Cinderella Spinsters Series Book #1
on September 19, 2019
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Historical / Regency, Fiction / Romance / Romantic Comedy
Pages: 368
Goodreads

After five seasons… she was still on the shelf!

Miss Emma Henley knows she’s neither pretty nor rich enough to land a husband. Instead, she’s thrown her passion into good causes. But this season she’s tempted by a flirtation with Lord Theo. The dashing rake is just as determined to stay unwed as she is. It’s scandalous… But if she’s never to marry, perhaps he can show her the pleasures of the marriage bed!

The Awakening of Miss Henley is the first in a new series by Julia Justiss called The Cinderella Spinsters. But the hero and heroine of this story actually make their debut in The Earl’s Inconvenient Wife as secondary characters. I enjoyed this book. I have read a number of Ms. Justiss’ books and haven’t been disappointed. She is very skilled at layering her characters and then gently peeling back the outward facade they carry to expose the inner vulnerable being within. I thought Lord Theo Collington was a very lovable rogue. I enjoyed his witty banter with the heroine – Emma Henley. Emma is not the typical English beauty – but extremely plain in her features, so she doubts her appeal and finds it hard to believe that romance could ever be truly experienced in her life, even when an actual suitor arrives on her doorstep. “Gentle, tender, sensual, the touch of his mouth had set off little lightning bolts of sensation that had shot to every corner of her. Just as she seemed to learn his rhythm and pressed upwards to kiss him back, he’d withdrawn. Leaving her bereft and trembling.”  So why only 4 stars and not 5? My only real qualm with this book is that I kept waiting for a villain…and waiting and waiting. Maybe some unexpected twist? Or some dangerous scenario? Nope. There were quite a few passionate scenes. Overall, I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading the next in this series. I was given a copy of this book.