The Winds of Change by Lillian Marek

 

Title: The Winds of Change (Lords of Sussex #3)
Author: Lillian Marek
Publish Date: May 25th, 2021
Publisher: Dragonblade Publishing
Source: Huge thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy for review!

She is rooted in the traditions of the past. He envisions a different future.

Lady Clara Grammont, daughter of an earl and niece of a duke, has the world at her feet, or so it must seem to those looking on. However, she is bored by the gloss and gossip of polite society. She is tired of gentlemen who see nothing but her status and her dowry and expect her to be charmed by their posturing

John Smith is the orphaned son of a poor shopkeeper. He has grown wealthy through his own efforts and is now committed to bringing England into a new age. He can see the enormous benefits that railways can bring, transporting goods cheaply and enabling people to travel quickly. He despises the idle aristocrats who will stand in the way of progress to protect a fox hunt, but he needs approval from Parliament to build the railway. And he needs the support of Lady Clara's uncle, the powerful Duke of Ashleigh, to get that approval.

Lady Clara is intrigued by the idea of a railway. To the distress of her family, she is even more intrigued by John Smith. He, in turn, finds himself far too attracted by Lady Clara and is in danger of losing sight of his reason for meeting her. Then, the powerful forces opposing the railway put both of them in danger.

They must defy everyone to be together.

Penelope's Review

Lillian Marek is fast becoming one of my favorite romance novelists! I love her writing style and her ability to bring forth independent, headstrong female leads. Not to mention her skill in writing sexy, charming male leads! We met Lady Clara Grammont in the second book of this series, as the daughter of Lady Alice and niece of the Duke of Ashleigh. For this book, Lady Clara takes front stage as a beautiful 22 year old girl in search of a life beyond the boring expectations of society. 

I absolutely love that even 10 years later, Clara is the same free-spirited, outspoken, bold young lady that she was as a child. Her character is exactly what I pictured for her after reading about her when she was 12 years old. I enjoyed reading about her determination and enjoyed her strong will when it came to our male lead, John Smith. John was a strapping young fellow with a good head on his shoulders. He disliked the nobility, and for good reason given his past with the upper echelons of society. Of course, that doesn't stop Clara from winning his heart and vice versa. I loved the romance between the two. It was so much fun reading about these two characters connecting and watching their relationships grow and flourish. 

The storyline itself was also good. Aside from the romance itself, we have John trying to gain support for the railways despite heavy opposition. Given that John needed the support of Clara's uncle, the Duke of Ashleigh, this novel could have been spun in a typical dramatic fashion with lies and half-truths that would have sent the romance careening sideways, but Lillian Marek avoided that route and I am so thankful lol. 

Overall, I found the novel to be well-written with great characters. It's definitely a cozy read that can be finished on a quiet afternoon. If you like the comfort of a regency romance novel, this is definitely for you!

Rating: 4/5 Devils!