A promising new series here. Lovely Cornwall setting and believable, well drawn characters. I really enjoyed this book.

The first in a series about the heirs of a group of Cornish Dukes. This first story focuses on Eaton, Eaton has a secret that means he has decided never to marry. He and his friends are reeling from the surprise death of one of their father’s, who acted as a mentor to Eaton. He wants to support his friend, but hurries back to Cornwall in order to finish work on the music school he and his mentor have worked on together. Eaton focuses on philanthropic works and tries to forget that he can’t have a relationship of his own.

Eliza is an independently wealthy widow of a businessman and mine owner, after a childhood where bad decisions meant she and her mother suffered from poverty, she determined that she would be financially secure. She married a much older man in her teens and had a daughter with him, she is now a wealthy widow who is determined never to marry again, and has had a struggle to be taken seriously by the board of the mining company.

Eliza is in the area on business, she is one of the benefactors of the school as well, and surprises Eaton with a visit to make sure her finds are being well spent. She meets and is immediately attracted to Eaton. Her visit to her mine uncovers some worrying developments and she decides to stay a while to resolve them. As her business partners try to edge her out, Eaton hosts her and her daughter in his dower house, and they start to spend more time together. Can Eliza triumph over the men who are trying to eliminate her by forced marriage or violence, or will She and Eaton overcome their differences and work together to succeed.

This was a really good read, with a proper emancipated heroine, who was facing real peril and discrimination, the problems/conflict between Eaton and Eliza felt realistic and difficult to resolve.

I really liked this excellent romance, and am interested to read about the other friends in the rest of the series.

I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book and all opinions are my own.

Also posted on Goodreads etc.

A lovely start to what promises to be a riveting romantic series about the heirs of the Cornish Dukes. Eaton has a secret, which in his eyes means he can never marry, so he fills his days helping others with his philanthropy, and taking lovers who never invest their hearts, only their bodies. Losing his mentor, the father of one of his dearest friends hits him hard, and he returns to Cornwall to ensure the school, his mentor believed in, comes to fruition. There he meets Eliza, who is nothing like he expected and he starts to wish his life could be different.

Eliza an independent widow, with a young child, mourns the death of her much older husband, but relishes in the control of her destiny, something she vows, never to give up. Her encounter with Eaton is unsettling, and soon she begins to wonder if she can have him, and her independence.

A tale of emancipation and treachery, this Cornish romance has intrigue, seemingly insurmountable conflicts, deceit and danger for Eliza and Eaton. The chemistry builds steadily and in a believable way. The romance keeps pace with inevitable requiting of their passion. Eaton and Eliza are complex, relatable characters, and you soon begin to root for them, and their love.

The interesting plot has a good cast of characters and a definite thread of intrigue and danger. It portrays well, the misogynous views of the male-dominated ruling class, at this time. Reflecting how emancipated and enlightened Eliza and Eaton are. The romance is heartwarming with many passionate encounters and the ending is exciting and ultimately happy.

I received a copy of this book from Mills and Boon via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Eton Falmage Marquess of Lynford has vowed never to marry, as he has a closely guarded secret that he is unable to have children. He seduced Eliza Blaxland who is a mining widow. He offers her and her daughter Sophie the use of his Dowager house when she has problems with one of her mines. She has vowed to never lose her heart or her independence, but the share holders are putting her under pressure to place a mining tunnel under the sea which she feels is unsafe. They are therefore trying to take the company away from her. She is adamant she will not marry again as this would mean her husband would take control of the mining business. Lynford wants more from Eliza but if he tries to win her it means he will have to reveal his closely guarded secrets and lose her anyway.
Set in Cornwall, the descriptions of the coastline etc are detailed, really setting the scene for the novel. It is interesting historically to have such a strong willed and determined heroine and the secondary storyline following the need to improve the lives of the miners and their families is also interesting.

I received this novel from Mills & Boon via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I enjoyed this book, it’s so different from the traditional regency romance and a total breath of fresh air
Set in Cornwall, Eliza is a mining heiress who is fiercely independent at a time when marrying will mean that everything she owns will be turned over to a husband she doesn’t want that so vows not to marry. Her shareholders however want to wrestle control from her especially as she is refusing a mining tunnel under the sea due to safety concerns
Eaton was lovely, a charming character who was so unlike a dukes heir that it was hard to imagine him as such. He enjoys science, he believes in learning through doing and because he can’t have children he try’s to find other ways of creating a legacy, one of which is a music school
Whilst I like Eliza I did find her a bit annoying at times, mainly because of her independence stopping her from accepting help in any way apart from people who may not want the best from her
The setting was amazing and the book gave me an insight into the mining trade which I didn’t have any understanding of previously and which intrigued me. Eliza being a manager in a male dominated world also showed how strong she is and that she doesn’t have to be alone
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a break from the traditional historical romance with strong characters who know what they want

Brilliant. Just utterly brilliant.

Strongly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Mills & Boon Insiders for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I read this ARC for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

I love this author and this was another very satisfying read ! 

Love the story - great characters and you can really 'picture' the scene
 
Action packed with lots happening - it really drew me in and kept me interested - couldn't put this down.

Highly recommend

The Secrets of Lord Lynford is a book by Bronwyn Scott which follows the anthology by Bronwyn and Marguerite Kaye, 'Invitation to a Cornish Christmas'. You don't need to read that book first, but having done so I enjoyed this current book so much more because I am reading updates to the characters that I first came to love in that first anthology.

What I love about books by Bronwyn, as with Marguerite, they are both very good at setting the scene. I love having a picture in my mind of the characters and the places that they visit, or live, or work. I also love that although this series follows the Cornish Dukes, each one has a fabulously independent woman as their love interest. Sometimes, such as with the heroine in this story, Eliza Blaxland, it is slightly to her detriment her need for independence. The author brilliantly doesn't let her budding romance with the hero, Eaton Falmage, Marquess of Lynford change her. She can still be a strong woman, but one that can learn that it's OK to accept some help now and then.

The help that she needs from Eaton involves the mines that she has taken on as her responsibility since her elderly husband died. She has visions of how she can improve life for the miners and their families, not just concentrating on profit like the rest of the mining board members wants to do. It's her battle with those other men that Eliza needs help with. What does Eaton get from it, he gets to enjoy time with a woman he could easily fall for if he would let himself, and he enjoys entertaining her daughter who dotes on him. Eaton and Eliza seem like the most unlikely couple with Eliza wanting to stay single to maintain her independence and Eaton has a secret that makes him feel as if he has nothing to offer. Could they just have an affair or will they end up broken-hearted if they give in to their feelings? And what of the mine and it's chauvinistic board members, will she win them over or will things turn nasty?

I really enjoyed this story, there was so much happening in it that there was never a dull moment. The drama with the mines was edge of your seat stuff, and the budding romance between our couple was beautiful to read. When they finally gave in and had that first kiss it was such a fabulous moment.

I loved this book and I look forward to the next in the series. I definitely am very happy to recommend both!

Eaton Falmage, Marquess of Lynford, is an expert at distracting himself from the painful truth which means he’ll never wed. Seducing mining widow Eliza Blaxland seems the perfect diversion. Until he learns Eliza guards her heart as fiercely as her hard-won independence. When Eliza finds she’s having problems at one of her mines Eaton offers her the dower house of his estate for the length of her stay. She takes up his offer as it means her daughter Sophie has somewhere safe to stay. The attraction between Eaton & Eliza sizzles but he also is careful that there is no damage to her reputation as he arranges outings for her & Sophie. However as a board meeting looms some members are working hard to oust her, Eliza has to decide whether she can trust Eaton.
I read this engrossing romance in two sittings & it was well into the night when I finished it as when it neared the climax there was no way I could put it down. I loved Eaton as well as being gorgeous he’s also caring, loving, in fact totally swoon worthy - my heart went out to him when I learned his secret. Eliza married a much older man & is a hardworking wealthy woman. I loved that he came from a loving family & had a tight circle of very good friends all of whom loved their parents, she was happily married to an older man, such a refreshing change for both the hero & heroine to have solid happy backgrounds. I also loved how their relationship developed over quite a few weeks, both of them had secrets which they gradually revealed. There was also the machinations of some board members to be resolved, whilst some aspects were resolved, however the true villain didn’t get his comeuppance which I hope happens in later books. A lovely start to a new series & I can't wait for the other Cornish dukes to have their stories
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

The Secrets Of Lord Lynford
Bronwyn Scott
This is an historical romance but written in a very different style and subject matter.
It does however, reemphasise the issue with marriage and property ownership of the Victorian ages and before. It wasn’t until The Married Women’s Property Act 1870 that women were allowed to keep their earnings rargher than hand them over to their husband or father. But this was not enough, so in 1882 The Married Women’s Property Act was passed and now:
• A wife could hold her own wages and investments independent from her husband.
• A wife could inherit up to £200.00 in her own right and keep the money.
• A wife could keep property inherited from her next of kin as long as it was not a Trust asset.
• A wife could inherit and hold rented property.
• Both the husband and wife could be made liable to support their children.
In 1893 an Act was passed that entitled married women the same rights to their property as unmarried - and by the way, this Act also applied to formally engaged couples. There were further Acts of Parliament in 1964 and 1970 to revise the earlier Acts and make them uptodate.
In the Novel, we have a widow who by virtue of the death of her husband and the presents he had gifted her before, had become the majority shareholder in a Mining Corporation and thus Chairman. As you can imagine, this did not sit well with many of the other men on the Board who held shares as they did want to be governed by a woman. They did not believe that women knew enough about business and that their place was in the home having babies. So a power struggle ensued. This was the time when Cornish mining reached its height, before foreign competition depressed the price of copper, and later tin, to a level that made the extraction of Cornish ore unprofitable. The areas of Cornwall around Gwennap and St Day and on the coast around Porthtowan were among the richest mining areas in the world. And copper had been mined and tin traded, in Cornwall since around 2000BC. At its height the Cornish tin mining industry had around 600 steam engines working to pump out the mines (many mines reached under the sea and some went down to great depths). This boom went on until the late1800s as lead was also discovered in these mines and around, but by 1880 the boom was failing and mines began to shut down. [Wikipedia]
In the meantime, we have our Lord who had had measles as a teenager.
It is a rare complication of measles that can cause sterility in males if there is severe testicular inflammation, although sterility is more often caused by mumps of course. So a romance between these two was an issue - firstly she was Trade; secondly she was older than him; and thirdly he believed she would want more children. And our widow was very wary about the prospect of marrying again as then she would lose control of her business and fortune and her daughter’s future.
I thought this was an interesting story told with great style and even though it lacked humour it was rich in snippets about just how the Victorian world was developing in the Sciences and investigations of the natural world.