A combination of a Regency romance and mystery resulting in an enjoyable read. Natalya Fairchild is an orphan, brought up by servants, then sent to boarding school then left in the care of her Aunt and Uncle in order to ensure her education doesn’t suffer and she can find or be found a suitable husband. She doesn’t know who her parents are and will only be able to find out when she is 21.

Lord Dalmorren, Tristan Quintrell, comes to visit Natalya in Bath as his nephew, Freddie, has declared his love for her and he wants to discover what she really is like. He finds her to be interesting, intelligent and funny and they fall in love.

The only cloud is Natalya’s parentage. As she nears and reaches 21 it becomes clear that sh is being groomed although she doesn’t know for what and her parentage remains shrouded in mystery. Will Tristan be able to accept her as his bride with this mystery hanging over her?

An engaging Regency romance, with a backdrop of mystery surrounding the heroine’s background. A well matched couple, who are striving to get their happy ending. Very enjoyable.

This was very compelling reading, Mallory as always mixes romance and a mystery to this reader's great delight.


Natalya Fairchild was an accomplished young woman, who was well educated and wanted for nothing. However, She has led a very restricted life, as her guardians prevented her from making many peers, and certainly did not encourage potential partners. Natalya knows next to nothing about her family members or cultural background, and she had always a fear of being illegitimate. Baron Dalmorren comes to know Natalya through his nephew.

They are drawn to each other but they are held back by circumstances. The mystery of Natalya 's legacy continues throughout the novel and sparks the most plot points. This novel moved along at a good pace and had some really appealing central characters that kept me reading.

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

A new author to me - I thoroughly enjoyed this

Billed as a romance, it also includes some mystery - a really great mix
Well written characters - I loved the story - great HEA

I always enjoy Susan Mallory’s work, and this Historical had a nice twist, with the mysterious one being the heroine and not the hero.

Lord Dalmorren, Tristan Quintrell inherited his title as a young man, and in addition was made joint guardian of his nephew, son of his much older sister. When his nephew, Freddie Erwin, announces that he has fallen in love and wants to marry Natalya Fairchild, Tristan Is concerned about Freddie’s judgment, as he is only twenty, and decides to visit Bath to find out a bit more about the ravishing and mysterious Miss Fairchild.

When he meet Natalya he finds her as beautiful as Freddie does, and initially a little shy and rather dull. When she realises he is there to check up on her she shows her true self, and Tris is captivated. As they get to know each other better, he finds Natalya to be intelligent, well educated and lovely, but he is not sure whether he trusts her assurances that there is nothing between her and Freddie.

Natalya is an orphan, but she has no idea who she is. She was brought up by servants as a child, then went to a boarding school and is now strictly chaperoned and controlled by her ‘aunt and uncle’, who spend lavishly on her wardrobe and an very extensive and intellectual education including language instruction, politics, music, chess and so on, she has no idea who she is and becomes increasingly anxious that she is being groomed to be a courtesan. When her expectation that she will find out who she is when she attains her majority seems to be dashed, how can she give in to her feelings for Lord Dalmorran, and what is to become of her?

This was a good romp of a book, with an interesting heroine, a great back story and just enough intrigue.

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

Engaging romance, intriguing mystery and sizzle of passion make this a delightful Regency romance.
Natalya and Tristan are well-matched in both attraction and intelligence. The obstacles to true love are many, but fate throws the two would-be lovers together, in the most scandalous circumstances with a happy conclusion.

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

This book caught my attention and had some fabulous twists and turns!
Natalya has been left in the care of her aunt and uncle to continue her education and prepare her for society. She is much more educated than many young ladies but she doesn’t know who her parent are, and will only be able to find out upon reaching her 21st birthday
I did like Natalya, she’s intelligent and fun as a character and she leapt of the page. She is well written and her achievements had me surprised at least some of the time!
Tristan came to Bath to check out Natalya as his nephew wanted to marry her but upon meeting her he is intrigued and isn’t sure he wants his nephew to be the one marrying her! I did like Tristan as a character, he is the kind of hero that I dream of. Protective, but also able to change his views and not forcing his ideas into others but asserting them none the less
I loved the twists and turns in this book, they kept me guessing and I so didn’t expect the ending! But at the same time it feels possible and makes me wonder if others had the same fate…
I would recommend this book to those who enjoy a historical romance with a smart heroine, a hero to fall in love with and a mystery to keep you guessing!

I very much liked this well written and entertaining Regency romance - and I'll be looking out for more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

It was so nice to read a novel with a plot device I had not encountered before - the heroine who does not know who she is (and is not amnesiac!). The story proceeded at a well written pace and I enjoyed the way the author added in the different twists a and turns of story at exactly the right time. I liked the characters because they were intelligent and did not behave in a manner which would not suit the
period, so many books are spoiled by characters having too modern sensibilities! A very enjoyable read.

This was an engaging read. It had romance and a mystery. Natalya Fairchild was an accomplished and well educated young woman. Money was no object as far as clothes or anything else she required. However, she led a very restricted life, as her guardians kept her from making many friends and certainly didn’t encourage suitors. Natalya knows very little about her parents or backgrounds and always had a suspicion that she was illegitimate. Through his nephew, Tristan Quintrell, Baron Dalmorren comes to know Natalya. They are attracted to each other but circumstances hold them back. There is a dangerous episode and the mystery about Natalya’s background continues until the end. This story moved along at a good pace and had likeable main characters.

The Mysterious Miss Fairchild by Sarah Mallory is a standalone novel that was a real pleasure to read.

The mystery behind Natalya Fairchild is that she doesn't know who her parents are. Guardians have brought her up with the best of everything and for her to fit well into high society. They will only let her know who her parents are when she turns 21. No amount of asking beforehand will make or has made any difference. Thankfully that event is just around the corner and her curiosity will be finally put to rest.

Tristan Quintrell, Lord Dalmorren has cause to make himself known to Natalya because his younger brother believes himself in love with her. Tristan wants to see who the woman is and if she is 'right' for the family. From the first moment he sees her he can see why his brother is captivated with her. The more time he spends with her the more he likes her and it seems the feeling is mutual. He has a duty to his brother though, so first and foremost he has to look into her past. Secondly, he has to try to hide his own feelings for her.

Natalya hasn't been allowed to form a romantic attachment to any man. Her guardians have made sure that she is constantly busy with her education and that when she does attend social events men are discouraged from paying her any attention. She feels as if she is being groomed for something or somebody and she has no choice in the matter. She cannot stand not knowing who her parents are or even if she is of legitimate birth. Her 21st birthday can't come quickly enough.

When she meets Tristan she can't help but feel attracted to him, but how can she get to know him better when her guardians are so determined to keep men away from her. She also has to worry that she will find out something bad about her past which will prevent her from being with Tristan or any well-bred man. As for poor Tristan's brother he doesn't have a look in because Natalya only thinks of him as a friend. She doesn't even realise how smitten he is with her.

So...what will Natalya's future hold? Will she be shamed and have to leave polite society and any hopes of a good marriage. Maybe she will have good news and a happy ending. What about Tristan, regardless of her parentage, will he be able to have a relationship with Natalya or will he put his brother's feelings first.

This was such a lovely story and despite the chance of a lot of bad things happening, I am happy to say that the outcome is a happy one for all concerned. I couldn't have dreamed of what Natalya was to find out, and when I read it I was left with a great big smile on my face. I am even smiling now just remembering it.

I recommend this book if you like your romances with a little mystery and a very happy ever after ending.

This was a Regency romance in much of the usual format except for Miss Fairchild herself.
Her education was clearly not that of the usual female of her time - and her reading materials were so limited that she could come to a completely erroneous conclusion. Aided by the type of school she attended and many of its pupils of course.
I’m afraid I had guessed her birth ‘secret’ well before half way through the book and thus she wasn’t quite as mysterious as she could be.
Also, she was too compliant for me. I prefer my heroines to have rather more life in them and to be more rebellious. She was too easy to keep constrained.
Other than that, it was typical of its genre with not enough to warrant to a 4 star rating.