While I wasn't completely sold on Benedict's investment in the relationship beside the passionate/spicier side, I did very much enjoy this regency tale. Orchard's language and writing captured that regency feel very well, and I enjoyed the fact that this story was looking at a later match rather than the height of the season. The Dowager absolutely stole the show for me, and I think I ended up more invested with Kate's relationship with the family as a whole rather than with her husband. But, a fun read with a poignant side, and one I would recommend.

I love the regency settings in books and this was no exception! Easy breezy and a quick read which will leave you, dear reader, asking for more! Thank you Netgalley and Alison and Busby for the ArC!

Lovely Second-Chance-at-Love romance with an angsty beginning and a satisfying HEA after a suspenseful last third.
The main characters are very well drawn and have undeniable chemistry from the start. The female secondary characters are fascinating too with an intriguing late revelation. Benjamin's daughter Lucy is depicted age-appropriately and not just a plot moppet

Absolutely loved it and cannot wait for book 2!

This was an enjoyable Period romance, but unfortunately it became very repetitive with the excessive sex scenes.

At times it gave you a real feel of the period, with well developed and likeable characters.

what went well: the style of writing being appropiate for the time period, the characters feeling dynamic and relaistic
even better if: we could see benedict like actually falling in love with kate because it felt just physical on his end while she was head over heels for him

A fabulous debut regency romance novel with two loveable main characters - the dashingly handsome Lord Benedict Silverwood and the shy, demure Kate Morton.
Kate has secretly has a crush on Benedict for several years.
When circumstances change, Kate becomes the second Lady Silverwood by mutual agreement.
Then the racy romp filled chapters begin!!
Both are learning to love and what they want from a relationship.
Kate becomes a strong assertive character who knows what she wants from a husband and life.
Benedict develops and grows realising that he has true romantic genuine feelings for Kate.
It’s beautifully written and engages you from the very beginning - pure escapism
Has a Bridgerton/Cinderella feel about it.
Thanks @emmaorchardbooks @allisonandbusby.com @netgalley for the eARC

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book.

A second chance romance set in the regency period with a good bit of steam thrown in, what’s not to love?

Benedict Silverwood has had his share of tragedy having being wounded in battle and losing his wife, brother and sister in law. His heart is wounded however he requires a mother for his young daughter Lucy. Having not found anyone suitable when attending the season in London he returns to the family home not knowing the answer to all his problems is going to be presented to him.

The Dowager Lady Silverwood presents the idea that Kate Moreton who is living with her grandfather and is tutoring Lucy in Italian would be a perfect solution. Kate already has formed a close bond with Lucy and therefore could be known to treat her well.

When the Dowager presents the idea to Kate, she is taken aback. Having developed feelings for Benedict 7 years previously at her season, she never thought she would be in this position. After considering things she decides that she would take the chance and accept the proposal.

Kate is a strong and brave character who has a sensible head on her shoulders and isn’t afraid to go all in. Benedict is also sensible and throughout the story we see him grow, develop and realise that he has feelings for Kate.

I really enjoyed this story and how it unfolded. I hope to read more books by Emma Orchard in the future.

The Second Lady Silverwood is a second-chance historical romance between 25-year-old Kate, widower, and single father Benedict. When Kate's Season when she was 18, she fell in love with the gentle and kind Officer that was Benedict Silverwood, but this was not reciprocated. Ben fell in love with his first wife, Vanessa and Kate never found that same type of connection and remained single, being labelled a 'spinster'. That was until she was employed by the Dowager,or Benedict's mother, to tutor her young granddaughter Lucy in Italian. Benedict returned home and did not notice anything different or, unfortunately, recognise Kate during their brief reintroduction. Heartbroken, Kate left but aimed to maintain her tutoring and friendship with young Lucy. The Dowager has other ideas and decides to play matchmaker.
A partially arranged marriage takes place between Benedict and Kate, and he slowly falls in love with her while she has been all along. Their story was spicy! Which I did not expect.
I enjoyed their story. The only reason I had not rated this higher was sometimes I found the writing long-winded and challenging to immerse myself in. It was nice seeing a story that takes place after the happy ending. It was interesting to see how their relationship progressed after saying 'I do' and the challenges they faced afterwards.
I read this in exchange for an honest review. All my opinions are my own, and I thank the publisher for the opportunity!

Seven years ago, when she was only 18 and on her first season, Kate fell in love with the younger brother of Lord Silverwood, a young soldier named Benedict. They danced together at several soirées but as soon as he set eyes on the diamond of the season, Vanessa Ansell, he lost his heart to her and forgot about Kate completely.

Now, Ben is returning from fighting Napoleon in Spain and France. His mother is of fragile health and his old governess should have retired ages ago, it isn’t fair for the two women that they’d have to look after his daughter Lucy, a child of 6 who lost her mother when she was very little. But Benedict not only lost Vanessa, around the same time, his older brother died with his wife and son in a carriage accident, leaving Ben with the responsibility of being the new Lord Silverwood, baronet and magistrate.

There is a vicar in the village nearby who lives in reduced circumstances and who is so old and is so ill that he could die any day now. He lives with the sole company of his daughter’s daughter, a woman of 25 who has been in love with Ben for seven years. That woman, of course, is Kate. When her grandfather dies she would have to decide what to do with her life, she could seek employ as a governess or she could go to her late father’s mother, an Italian noblewoman who now lives in Parma. For the time being she teaches little Lucy the language and and has become friends with Ben’s mother. The old woman has guessed Kate’s feelings for her son and is set on seeing them married, for the young woman already loves Lucy and thinks that she will be a good mother to her, but also she will be able to bear him an heir. Of course she manages to convince Benedict who doesn’t really remember having met Kate all those years ago, but is attracted to her and he proposes. Kate knows he won’t love her, but she will have the love of Lucy and the children they might have together, and she says yes.

I was, at first, surprised by the style of writing chosen by Emma Orchard. It follows the path of writers like Georgette Heyer who used to imitate, but not quite, the style of writing of the past. The vocabulary, the expressions and turns of phrase, it all reminds me of Jane Austen, the Brontës and all of the classics. It is rather unusual to find such language nowadays as even the historical romances are usually written in a modern style, even if the characters have a 19th century speech. It took me a few pages to find my footing but once I did, I focused my attention on the story so much that I could not stop reading. In that regard, the book is a page turner.

Ben’s and Kate’s story is delightfully slow paced. Most of the book is actually a collection of sitting room and tea set scenes and above all, family scenes, for this is a very important aspect of the story and particularly of both the hero and the heroine, they are very much attached to their respective families and on amicable terms with each other’s at the same time. As a result, we get a very cosy, very heartwarming and charming Cinderella-ish tale set in the English countryside.

But do not be mistaken, despite what the writing choices may lead you to think, this is a very steamy book. Benedict is powerfully attracted to Kate, and she is so in love with him. They barely can take their hands off of each other. The intimacy between them is one of learning and exploration of their wants, their desires and their own body responses. But they never speak of love and Kate is afraid of telling him her feelings in case she scares him away. And, in a manner of speaking, the spirit of Vanessa still lingers.

A new author to me and I think this is her first book. It started off well but seemed to run out of steam as far as the plot and character's are concerned when we got more steam in the bedroom but the dialogue seemed to drag and be boring. Hopefully will improve as the author writes more. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Benedict Silverwood needs to find a new wife and wants to find someone who will love his daughter although he can’t imagine anyone replacing his wife. Kate has been in love with Benedict for years and is surprised when his mother suggests that they get married.

Overall I thought that this was a good read and I am definitely interested in reading more from this author in the future. I really liked the first half of this book as we see Benedict and Kate get to know one another. The spicy scenes in this were really good. I liked the characters and their relationship. One thing that I would have liked to see more of is the couple interacting as a family with Benedict’s daughter as he made such a big thing about finding a wife that would be a good mother. I love seeing families interact particularly with young children so this is just a personal preference.

Overall I enjoyed this and would like to read more from this author in the future. If you love historical romance this is certainly one to check out.

I've been reading a lot of historical romance recently so it can be hard to find a stand out one but thankfully Kate and Benedicts story did that.
I loved the writing, the atmosphere, the relationship and tension between them. It was a really clever story that was executed well. A really wonderful romance that I cant recommend enough

4.5 stars
I did enjoy this story very much. I liked the characters of Kate and Benedict. They had both suffered from tragedies in their lives. Kate had always loved Benedict but knew that he didn’t feel the same about her. However, they do have a real connection and there are some very steamy and passionate scenes. There is someone who isn’t happy about them being together and is out to cause trouble for them. I did enjoy the way Benedict’s mother went about fixing what she thought would be good for everyone. At first there were too many inner thoughts for my liking but this was just at the beginning. There are a few secrets to be told before a happy ending is achieved. I’ve already preordered the next in the series. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This debut was incredibly easy to get into, romp through and like. Kate was a humble characters with low expectations on life and she had an authenticity that brought you over to her team immediately. Her character went from lacking self-belief to a credible increasing confidence in wanting things for herself. Benedict was closed off but on a mission to find a wife for lots of practical reasons. His character took longer to trust but he did show why he was worth hanging around for. Benedict's whole family were likeable, especially the Dowager and Lucy. The Second Lady Silverwood packed a lot of heat into the middle portion of the book and Kate was very open to whatever. Overall, it was a rather pleasant read.

Wow. I cannot say enough good things about this book. It's absolutely delicious while also handling some really delicate topics beautifully. The writing is wonderful and I loved Kate and Benedict (and of course Lucy). There is so much longing and pining throughout the pages of this story. It's a marriage of convenience but shot through with desire and so much more. Loved it!!

This was only my second journey into regency romance, the first been the series about an alphabetically named family. Had I have read this first I'm not sure I'd have read anymore.

It isn't a bad story, it's predictable romance with elements of Rebecca and smut thrown in. What put me off what the language of the characters. Strung out, over pompous and dreary. Sure, that may have been the way thee spoke then, but it's tedious to read.

The characters themselves were OK. I enjoyed the brother in law and his speech pattern. As well as the less than matronly mother in law. The main characters were less enjoyable.

Overall it's a sex filled romp of quick romance and even quicker side stories. Grab this book for a weekend read with a few glasses of wine.

Headlines:
A relationship built on tragedy
All the longings

This debut was incredibly easy to get into, romp through and like. Kate was a humble characters with low expectations on life and she had an authenticity that brought you over to her team immediately. Her character went from lacking self-belief to a credible increasing confidence in wanting things for herself.

"What do you say...Are you brave enough, or do you mean to spend the rest of your life wondering what might have been?"

Benedict was closed off but on a mission to find a wife for lots of practical reasons. His character took longer to trust but he did show why he was worth hanging around for. Benedict's whole family were likeable, especially the Dowager and Lucy.

There was a really interesting and later developing plot line that really caught my attention. It brought focus onto some of the earlier trust and emotional issues that had arisen. The Second Lady Silverwood packed a lot of heat into the middle portion of the book and Kate was very open to whatever Benedict suggested. I'm not sure how realistic I felt this was but I tried to just roll with it. Nevertheless, I found myself here for the emotional connection and the promise of mutual affections. Overall, it was a rather pleasant read.

Thank you to Allison & Busby for the review copy.

The cover was so pretty! I love it! Reading the prologue my heart broken for Kate, it is so hurt when Benedict that she love awstruck by another women, not give her any second glance. Life work in weird way, seven years later Kate had opportunity to teach Benedict daughter and meet him again. Benedict looking for wife and tired of season in London, first meeting Kate he dosnt think much. When his mother give the idea married to Kate, he star to really look at Kate.

For Kate it is like dream comes true to married the man she always love but she doubt that Beneditc will ever love her. With Beneditc mother meddlig, Kate accept the proposal. The first kiss, spark start flying, steamy honeymoon, getting to know each other, Beneditc start grow feeling to Kate. The drama with Felix really annoying.

Thank you to NetGalley for provide this book, it is pleasure to review this book.

#TheSecondLadySilverwood #EmmaOrchard #AllisonandBusby #NetGalley #ARC

This historical fiction was anything but stuffy – it was pure fun. Yes, the accelerated timeline made some aspects implausible and there were some flaws in the plot. There’s probably so many things I could nitpick about this book but thankfully I didn’t feel like they detracted from how entertaining it was.

The novel kept up a propulsive pace. Benedict and Kate’s jump to intimacy was abrupt, especially as his attraction to her did seem to all of a sudden appear, but the couple were undeniably magnetic. I looked forward to reading their scenes together and watching their dynamic evolve as they discovered more about each other. Benedict and Kate grew to become more open to one another and comfortable in expressing their feelings. The supporting characters, though lovely additions, were only really brought in to facilitate the budding romance. Still, I liked how Benedict’s family took Kate under their wing, almost adopting her themselves. My favourite family member though was the Dowager, Benedict’s mother. She was a welcome (if slightly meddling) voice of reason.

OVERALL: Thanks to the magnetic couple at the heart of its richly described story, this historical romance was pure fun and quickly became addictive to read.

A lovely story - in the great tradition of Georgette Heyer. A little spicy in places for me - I prefer to leave sex scenes to the imagination rather than read erotica - but on balance a good book with a multi-layered story of loss, love, intrigue and being a genteel impoverished lady in Regency times.

If you like historical fiction can cope with detailed sex scenes that go on for some time, then you’ll enjoy this book. But if you can’t I suggest you give it a swerve!!

Overall 4* read