Time for another book review.

*****

Though he lost the use of an arm in the Napoleonic Wars, Henry Middlebrook returns to London society and begins an ambitious courtship of the ton’s reigning beauty. When he experiences limited success, he decides to ask for assistance from the beauty’s companion, Frances Whittier. A soldier’s widow with a murky past, Frances admires Henry’s courage and sends him a secret letter. He thinks the letter is from her mistress, and Frances must correct his mistake if she wants to engage his heart.

The blurb seems a little choppy but the book itself is beautifully done and both Frances and Henry are engaging and fascinating. Henry has a lot of baggage left over from the war, not only from his arm but also from the battle that caused his injury. He’s finding it difficult to reclaim a place in society and he sees Caroline as the way to get him there …. and Caroline’s companion, Frances, as a means to win. He’s a man of great pride and that pride is going to cause him issues when it goes contrary to his heart.

Frances has a history of making poor choices with men. And I think that is the only reason that I’m not sure I understand her decisions. She knows what deceiving a man can do but she doesn’t tell Henry the truth right away. I think I would understand her reasoning a little better if she hadn’t had something similar go so poorly in the past and she knows that Henry is not going to take it well when he finds out she’s the letter writer.

But I love the friendship that sparks between these two. They mesh well and understand each other, are witty and charming and humorous together, but with a deeper connection. You know that it is going to blow up at some point, and of course resolve itself, but the journey is sweet.  In It Takes Two to Tangle, Romain creates two enthralling characters that pull you in right away and keep you glued to the pages until the very end.