To Covet a Countess by Sapna Bhog Book Review

 

Title: To Covet a Countess (The Elusive Lords #2)
Author: Sapna Bhog
Publish Date: November 8th, 2021
Publisher: Entangled Publishing LLC
Source: Huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy!

Nicholas Delmore, the Earl of Hawksley, was not expecting a snowstorm-sieged London evening to end with a dagger held to his throat. Nor did he anticipate his spirited attacker to have glossy black tresses and lush red lips that might invite a lesser gentleman to steal a kiss. But before he can demand his beautiful assailant to identify herself, she faints dead away in his arms.

Sania Aaryan has no choice but to trust the breathtakingly handsome Earl of Hawksley with both her life and her sister’s. Trusting him with the truth, however, is out of the question. Because fleeing India for the icy shores of England was rash. Impulsive. And it might have saved her life—only to land her into the arms of a man who poses an entirely different kind of danger.

Now Sania is experiencing a world filled with luxury and opulent decadence. But starry nights and fairy-tale balls cannot chase away the shadows of Sania’s secrets. Especially when her terrible past arrives in London with an eye for icy vengeance…

Penelope's Review

After escaping India and heading for their cousin on the shores of England, Sania and Isha find themselves in the middle of snowstorm with nowhere to go. When Nicholas notices something amiss at his friend's residence on his way home, he stops to investigate. Finding the cause to be a beautiful woman who holds him at the point of a dagger and then promptly faints,  he is intrigued enough to bring the lady and her sister to his residence. The story unfolds from there.

Sania is a bold, fiercely protective character with loads of heart and courage. She wants the world for her younger sister and will stop at nothing to get it for her. I absolutely loved Sania's character. I think she was written really well, in ways that made her relatable and kept me invested in her story. I also adored her younger sister, Isha. She was full of spunk and I hope that she is the focus of a future book by Ms. Bhog. 

As for Nicholas... he had moments where I really liked him, and others where I really did not. I just found him to be a very weak-willed character. Despite knowing his backstory, and understanding why he feels so judgmental of himself, I found myself getting very irritated with him at times. I think the "woe is me, I'm not good enough" attitude really got to me as we got closer to the end and he was still complaining. 

I did like how the author addressed prejudice in this story, I think it was well done. Overall, I like her writing style and though this wasn't one of my favourite books, I would definitely try another by her. 

Rating: 3.5/5 Devils!