"A Lady Unrivaled" by Roseanna M. White

 


The Fire Eyes. A pair of incredibly rare red diamonds which is said to be cursed. We first saw them in The Lost Heiress, and their story continued through The Reluctant Duchess. Now we come to their conclusion, and this time our heroine is the ever optimistic Lady Ella Myerston. She knows about the Fire Eyes but doesn't realize they are in her possession until she comes face to face with the man who will stop at nothing to get them for himself.

Lady Ella has gone to visit the Duchess of Stafford, better known as heroine Brook from Book One in this series, with the express and secret purpose of learning more about the Fire Eyes. Everyone thinks she is too innocent to know about the diamonds, but she is determined to find out all she can and find a way to get them far away from her family. She never counted on her quest becoming complicated by not one but two men who begin courting her!

Lord Cayton believes that his bad choices have broken too many hearts, and while he is drawn to Ella's sunshine, he's determined not to hurt her by forming a romantic relationship. The only thing greater than his own self-loathing is the desire to protect Ella when she starts receiving the very unwelcome attention of Lord Pratt. Pratt thinks Cayton is on his side and will help him use Ella to find the Fire Eyes. Cayton decides it's worth risking Ella's heart if he can save her from harm.

From one intrigue to the next, Ella and Cayton do everything they can to outsmart Pratt and save their families and friends before the greed over the Fire Eyes takes any more lives. Meanwhile a host of minor characters help drive the story along, and Roseanna M. White does a great job tying up the whole Ladies of the Manor series as we race towards its exciting culmination.

I have to say that this series is one of the best trilogies I have read. Each story is gripping, each hero or heroine well-drawn with real emotions and conflicts. I'll be recommending this to many!