Sequel to Falling From His Grace, Escaping His Grace follows the Duke of Chatterworth’s second daughter, Samantha, in her desperate bid to avoid being married off at her father’s convenience. Hiding in Scotland as a governess to the Viscount Kilpatrick’s ward is about as safe as she can get, especially since the viscount is her new brother-in-law’s best friend.
The only problem is, Heathcliff has no idea ‘Miss Miranda’ is the missing duke’s daughter who has half the country searching for her. She’s beautiful and intriguing, though, and he’s tempted. Very tempted. Until his best friend arrives and tells him the truth.
This is a fun, charming Regency. I felt very sorry for Heathcliff from the beginning, when we were given the story of his tragic first marriage and perfidious wife, though I was a bit surprised he never told Samantha about that, when so much was made of it in his inner thoughts. The story unfolded fairly predictably, but the author put a few fresh twists on the plot with Samantha in particular, emphasizing her desire to have control over her own life and choices.
One thing I really did like was Heathcliff’s decision to wait until Samantha was legally his wife and then actually sticking to his resolve, despite being tempted. I think much less of the hero when they make the resolution and then fail, and it’s a trope I see fairly often in historical romance.
I’m struggling a little with rating this, because I quite liked it and there’s nothing intrinsically WRONG with it, but at the same time, two days after finishing it, I had to go back and check on the main characters’ names, which is usually a sign it’s a bit too forgettable. As I said before, it’s quite predictable, with nothing out of the ordinary to make it stand out. I liked it well enough but didn’t love it, so I’ll give it four stars.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for review through NetGalley.