A decade after his childhood love threw him over for his older brother and he lost his inheritance at the gaming tables in a fit of despair, Lord Graham “Gray” Chadwick is back in England, older and a great deal wise for his years in the merchant navy. Now working for the Elites, a team of government agents hot on the heels of a dangerous smuggling gang, Gray is in line to become commander of the Elites, if he can just identify “The Boss”.
The Elites have narrowed their suspect pool to just two, and Gray finds himself rusticating in the sleepy Suffolk countryside with order to find out if his neighbour Viscount Gislingham is the one.
Falling head over heels for Gislingham’s niece Thea Cranford was absolutely not part of the plan. Their first meeting is what I can only call an absolute failboaty disaster, so funny I was giggling throughout. Gray’s incorrigible dog, the scene-stealing Trefor, causes havoc wherever he goes and plays a big part in the couple’s first, disastrous meeting.
Thea is a divine heroine, with a wild mane of untameable red corkscrew curls which serve as an excellent metaphor for her personality. She tries to master her hair with handfuls of pins, just as she tries to keep “Impetuous Thea” under wraps for fear of what might happen if she just follows her natural instincts.
The gorgeous part about Gray and Thea’s relationship is how Gray encourages Thea to just be herself. Be whoever she wants, do whatever she wants, live life to the fullest. He adores everything about her, including and especially her wild hair and her occasionally sharp tongue and forthright way of speaking.
There are a few sticky moments when Thea eventually finds out what Gray’s actually doing in Suffolk, especially when the real villain is revealed and a couple of twists I didn’t see coming at all, as invested I was in the romance. Things do eventually get resolved, of course, with a big helping paw from Trefor, and so wonderful were Gray and Thea together that I was totally invested in their happily ever after. An extremely enjoyable historical romance with an excellent mystery sub-plot and some genuinely funny moments, I have no hesitation in awarding The Disgraceful Lord Gray five stars.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for review through Rachel’s Random Resources.