Susan F. (scoutmomskf) - , reviewed on 4/29/2019 + 2620 more book reviews

Terrific book. Now that his brother's wedding was over, Kit was ready to head for Bristol and get his dream of Cavanaugh Yachts launched. All he needed was the right location and the craftsmen with the right skills, and he would be set. The site was quickly found; all he needed to do was wait for the charity using it to vacate the premises.

Daughter of a vicar, Sylvia found her calling in providing education for the sons of Bristol dockworkers. She and her team worked hard for the last two years and had just started seeing real progress in their efforts when she found out that they were losing their building.

I loved both Kit and Sylvia, both of whom made brief appearances in the previous book, The Designs of Lord Randolph Cavanaugh. Kit had quite the reputation around London as a rake. What no one knew was that it was a carefully cultivated reputation, designed to discourage his manipulative mother's matchmaking aspirations. Having been a witness to his parents' marriage, Kit had no desire to marry. In reality, Kit was an honorable, kind, and hardworking man. Sylvia gave up on the idea of marriage for herself long ago, after she endured one season of the glitz and glamour. She is intelligent, determined, and kind. Both of them have dreams that they are passionate about.

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Kit and Sylvia. Their first encounter was at Rand's wedding, where they were partnered during the wedding celebration. Kit was intrigued by Sylvia, but she treated him coldly, so he tried to put her out of his mind. Sylvia struggled to maintain her distance from the rake she was inexplicably drawn to and had crushed on two years earlier. She never expected to see him again and was dismayed to find he had leased the building that housed her school. I loved their next meeting, as Sylvia burst into Kit's office and harangued him about dislocating her school. Kit was stunned by the difference in Sylvia and intrigued all over again. I loved how he took the wind out of her sails by merely agreeing to help her find a new spot for her school. As they spent time together looking for a new location, both Kit and Sylvia discovered that their previous beliefs about each other were all wrong. I enjoyed seeing them get to know and respect who the other is, and the realization of how much alike they are. I liked Kit's move into courting Sylvia, though it took a bit for her to realize what he was doing. As the trouble that stalked them heated up, I loved Kit's protectiveness of Sylvia, which added to his growing feelings for her. Sylvia was also protective of Kit, and I enjoyed how she did things that would help him. But it took the danger at the end for them to realize just how deep their feelings for each other were.

The suspense in the story was good. There were attacks on the business, attacks on the school, and Sylvia's persistent feelings of being watched. Were these incidents related, or were they separate issues? There were multiple twists and turns as each event was dealt with, revealing some interesting motivations and solutions. The final confrontation had me on the edge of my seat until it was all over.

The secondary characters gave added depth to the story, helping both Kit and Sylvia shine. The boys that Sylvia teaches, and their families, showed another side of Victorian England. The advances in the technology of boat building changed the economy of Bristol, and this book showed the effects on the ordinary people. The struggles to take care of their families was vividly portrayed. I liked Sylvia's compassion and practical ways of helping and dealing with problems. Her connection with her students and their families also played a big part in helping Kit get his business started. I loved Kit's practical methods of running his business, and his hands-on approach. It was especially fun to see the variety of reactions. I loved the assorted boys and their parts in the book. Each one has a unique personality and history. There were some pretty funny situations that they got involved in, but they also played a huge part in the final confrontation. I liked the appearances of the previous couples in the series and their roles in moving the relationship along.

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