After helping a friend retrieve letters that were being used for blackmail, the twins decide that they will help other women that the law fails. They meet Lord Evan on the way to saving the daughter of a mutual friend (she’s married to an abusive man who’s decided to get rid of her after she’s failed to bear him a child in their 5 years of marriage). Lord Evan was convicted of killing a man he dueled with and was summarily shipped off to the colonies (down under) and stripped of his title. He’s returned to England and is surviving by being a highway robber. Lord Evan accidentally gets shot during a botched robbery and they use this as a means to gain access to the twatt’s house.
Lord Evan agrees to help them. As they work together to rescue Caroline from Sir Reginald Thorne, Gus forms a connection with Lord Evan. She begins investigating the duel that got Evan sentenced to prove that he didn’t kill the man, even though Evan has censored her against it.
While all this is going on, their brother, who they call Duffy, has decided to marry and is in the process of asserting his dominance in a most obnoxious way. He decides to take up residency at the twins’ home because he owns it (it was entailed). They, in turn, purchase a house in Grovesnor Square, which pisses Duffy off because it’s a nicer neighborhood than the house he’s commandeering. He’s constantly looking for ways to be offended, particularly at Gus since she was their father’s favorite. His fiancé is just as obnoxious (and preening over her future status as Countess).
Evan next helps Julia and Gus save a tween girl, Mary Jean, who’s been kidnapped to be forced to work in a whorehouse. At this point in history, 'enlightened' people thought they could cure the pox by screwing a virgin. The whole thing is quite disgusting. Luckily, they’re able to rescue not only Marie Jean, but also three other girls in the same situation, before they are deflowered. (Gus get stabbed in the process which freaks Julia out.)
After they’ve rescued the girls, Gus and Evan separate with no plan to ever see each other again. But that’s sent awry when Evan discovers that his sister has been committed to a brutal asylum (for being a lesbian). This isn’t the first time that I’ve read about how the insane were treated, but it was still really repulsive. (We learn that his sister was committed by their younger brother, the current Earl, who wouldn’t have the title if Evan hadn’t lost it. Hmm...)
Julia and Gus return to the family seat for their brother’s wedding and Gus discovers that he’s sold her beloved horse without telling her. (He was a gift from their late father.) Duffy did it because she “snubbed his fiancée at a ball“ and because she needs to learn her place. He really is a twatt. Oh, and he moves them out of their traditional quarters at the family seat and places them in the guest wing. Total twatt. I couldn’t help thinking, as this was unfolding, that Gus specifically spoke to Brummel (yes, *the* Beau Brummel 🙂🙃😉) about giving her new sister-in-law a nod. (Brummel is a friend of hers, and we know how influential he was during this time period.) (If I was Gus, I would’ve been greatly tempted to ask her influential friends -- because she has several -- to snub the future Countess but that’s just me.)
After Gus confronts her brother about her horse and he completely castigates and insults her, she receives a letter from Evan asking for her help in rescuing his sister. Gus almost doesn’t go because it will offend Duffy (for skipping his wedding), but Julia convinces her to do it. Part of the plan is for Evan and Gus to impersonate a couple. (So they have to share a bed. So unfortunate.) Julia follows after the wedding to help with the escape.
While they are at the asylum, the Bow Street Runner chasing Evan catches up to them. Kent the Gent (love the nickname) almost arrests him, but, he’s injured by a vengeful patient who is trying to shoot the head of the asylum. This guy was forcing women to be chained up and to live in their excrement. The men at the asylum were allowed to rape the patients. The director didn't just turn a blind eye; he encouraged it. It was so disgusting.
After they leave (with Kent the Gent's acquiescence), they part again with Evan planning on heading to the Caribbean (because he's still a wanted man). The book ends with Augusta planning on meeting with someone who witnessed the duel. Throughout the book, Evan has been encouraging Gus to leave it alone but in this last letter, he asks her to help him clear his name, because he wants to spend the rest of his life with her. It’s actually quite romantic. It hit me in the heart and left me all kinds of verklempt.
This is a well-rounded story. There's great world building; we’re submerged in the world of 1812. (The author has definitely done her homework.) The action never lags or feel forced. The characters are quite fleshed out and I’m curious to see who exactly conspired to convict Evan. I’m also curious to see what future adventures they’re going to have and how they’re going to deal with Julia’s breast cancer. I look forward to seeing how Gus and Evan's AND Julia and Kent’s romances play out. (Did I forget that Julia and Kent have a definite something-something going on?) I’m excited to see Julia get the happy marriage that she was denied when her fiancé passed. (Although, I found it curious that they didn’t really touch on her age, since she’s no young debutante. 40 is a lot on the shelf.)
I really enjoyed this series opener. And so, my rating is 4/5 stars.
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