Review: A Night in Grosvenor Square (Timeless Regency Collection) by Sarah M. Eden, Annette Lyon, Heather B. Moore

My rating: 4 stars / I really liked it

Synopsis

A MATCH FOR PRINCESS POMPOUS by Sarah M. Eden
Matchmaker Adelaide Northrop may be embarking on her greatest challenge yet. Miss Odette Armistead has been dubbed “Princess Pompous” by Society’s elite, and Odette’s parents are desperate to see her married off to a respectable gentleman. When Adelaide first meets Odette, she is expecting a young lady who fits the pompous description. Instead, Adelaide discovers that Odette is far from conceited, but has chosen to wear a mask in a desperate attempt to hide her love for a gentleman who has been chosen for someone else. It seems that Adelaide has far more than matchmaking to accomplish.

CONFECTIONS AND PRETENSE by Annette Lyon
Anne Preston dreams of opening her own dessert shop some day and saves every spare penny she earns working at Gunter’s Tea Shop. She makes ice cream molds to perfection, bakes and decorates cakes, and hopes to one day be an independent shop owner. When an American man orders an ice, Anne is immediately taken with Davis Whitledge, but he is far above her station in life, so she tries to forget about his cordiality. Soon, she finds herself in a dangerous situation when confronted by two troublemakers, and Davis happens to be nearby. He sends the scoundrels on their way, but this only makes Anne more of a target. He doesn’t understand London ways, and his generosity has the potential to steal Anne’s dreams, or to make them soar.

LITTLE LONDON by Heather B. Moore
Ellen Humphreys has never had a Season, has never danced the waltz, and will likely never do so while confined to watching over her ill mother at their country estate. Therefore, Ellen creates her own Little London, and imagines all the gentleman she’d dance with and all of the friendships she’d have with other young ladies, if only she were allowed to have a Season. When Quinn Edwards, the Marquess of Kenworth, comes upon her quite by happenstance while Ellen is imagining herself in a London ballroom, she is mortified about her playacting. But a chain of events is set off from this one meeting that has Ellen questioning if her reputation would ever survive a Season or another encounter with the marquess.

My Review

The Timeless Romance collections are my favorite way to escape! I just read the stories one right after the other. It's like having a box of See's Candy chocolates all to yourself... I enjoyed each of the stories- the characters that come to life so quickly, the amazing Regency setting, the satisfying plots that can be devoured quickly. Once again, each story is unique even though they share the theme of Grosvenor Square, and it was fun to see how they each tied it in. I loved the knowing matchmaker in Sarah Eden's story and hope to see her in some future novellas! In Annette Lyon's story we learn more about the famous Gunter's Tea shop and the history was fascinating. I liked that there was an American that flouted the strictures of the ton when he befriended Anne. The last story by Heather B. Moore was my favorite since I felt like it had the most romance ;) Ellen's imagination was endearing and the way she and Quinn met was so lovely. It was fun seeing how they reconnected amid her embarrassment and his attraction and the way Quinn's brother helped their relationship progress.

(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)

Books in the Timeless Regency Collections:
AUTUMN MASQUERADE
A MIDWINTER BALL
SPRING IN HYDE PARK
SUMMER HOUSE PARTY
A COUNTRY CHRISTMAS
A SEASON IN LONDON
FALLING FOR A DUKE
A NIGHT IN GROSVENOR SQUARE
ROAD TO GRETNA GREEN

Books in the Timeless Victorian Collections:
SUMMER HOLIDAY
A GRAND TOUR
THE ORIENT EXPRESS