Never Miss A Chance by Maureen Driscoll
Rated 4 out of 5 White Roses.
Content rated with the Pale Pink Rose.
Lady Elizabeth Kellington has no idea what kind of trouble she just got herself into. She wrote Toward the Enlightenment of England: A Treatise for the Reformation of Property Rights, the Rights of Women in Marriage and Universal Suffrage and not only had it published but also had her named down as the author. She assumed that she would be fine. As a woman in her enviable position, the only daughter of the late Duke of Lynwood and sister to the current one, she figured there would be no harm in dipping a toe in politics and lambasting society for its failure to do right by women. Sure, the ton will be scandalized, but they’ll get over it after a short period of time… yes, they will get over it. Right?
Marcus Redmond, Marquess of Riverton, also the Duke of Lynwood’s best friend has always known that Lizzie was off-limits to him even though it hasn’t stopped him from loving her in silence and admiring her from afar. But when the furor over her treatise spread like wild fire amongst the ton, her family came to the conclusion that a marriage for her would be best to repair any damage to her reputation. Marcus did his best in trying to treat Lizzie like a sister as well as assist her in finding a decent enough gentleman who was worthy to be called her husband. But try as he might, Lizzie is most definitely not his sister and the only gentleman he can see being with woman like Lizzie is… well… him. Now if he can just get her to agree then everything would just be great.
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If I were to judge this book in comparison to the first one, then I would say that Never Miss A Chance didn’t have the same resonance as Never A Mistress, No Longer A Maid. However, in terms of its own merits, well this read is actually quite good.
I did enjoy seeing some of the same characters from the first title as well as being introduced to new ones. The hero was and is a gentleman and I happened to like the fact that he didn’t care about showing his passionate nature to the whole world but only showed it to the one person that really mattered to him. The foreshadowing in terms of the other Kellington siblings and their potential love interests was also intriguing and it makes me rather anxious for the next installment.
As to the heroine, I must say I do understand Lizzie’s passion for social reform and the desire to see it set right. However, I find that at times, she showed her enthusiasm in a rather annoying way that resembled a woman accustomed to always getting what she wanted and not used to thinking of those around her. Never let it be said that I disagree with her treatise or with her publishing it and informing the world of certain social injustices. Her way of going about it, however, was rather frustrating as well as her refusal to heed her brothers’ and Marcus’ caution. As the sister of a duke, I’m sure there are ways she could have supported her causes successfully without drawing unnecessary attention to herself or her family.
Nevertheless, the story is solid. It was fun to read the subtle nuances of humor injected in the story telling. Even the various twists at the end added to the appeal of the whole tale. With Never Miss A Chance added to the table, I think it’s safe to say that Ms. Driscoll knows how to write as well as keep her readers interested in any future love stories that have yet to be told.
Hugs & Kisses,
The Lustrous Courtesan
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Never Miss a Chance (Kellington – Book 2)
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