Wiltshire, 1820

Colin West is heading to home to Woodstone Park when he runs into a severe rainstorm that blocks the road. Crossing fields, he sees a cottage ahead and asks for shelter for his horse and himself. He is given a room, a hot bath, and food. The home is rather bare and shabby. He later meets Victoria Leighton, a widow of just a year. Her husband had spent all of the money including her dowry leaving her in debt.

As they talk, Colin realizes that she is the sister of one of his best friends who fought beside him in the war. The man was killed and Colin was injured leaving half of his face scarred. He and his other men he fought with vowed to take care of the families of those who were lost.

Victoria is a very proud woman and wants to learn about agriculture and finance so she can take care of herself and her home. When Colin suggests that she attend a house party at his home where she can meet the men he fought with and their wives, along with instruction from him on things to help her learn to make money, she agrees.

The group at the house party helps Victoria to come out of herself. In addition, when a serious problem with Colin’s wheat crop occurs, she is more than happy to lend a hand to help solve the problem. Togetherness is bound to bring Colin and Victoria closer and hopefully end in something wonderful.

This is a truly delightful book from Sophie Barnes. She perfectly expresses the emotions of the characters and describes the events in detail. I have long admired this author and thoroughly enjoyed this book. I know other readers will as well.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Brazen Beauties is a series by Sophie Barnes. The third book in this series is called Mr West and the Widow. The book focuses on Colin West and Victoria Leighton. VIctoria’s brother was friends, however he died in the war. Colin and his brothers in arms looked for Victoria for years to share his story and offer their support. Victoria was gone with no way to track her.

Years later, on his way home, Colin needed shelter during a massive storm. His hostess was Victoria and through the conversation, he realized it was the sister that they had been looking for. He also realized that she was in over her head paying back loans he hapless husband took out and left her with. Colin and his friends take her under their wings helping her learn about taking care of her property. Only Colin realized he was really really interested in her!

Mr. West was a perfect fit for Victoria, if only they can find their way to each other! The book was a fun read and I enjoyed it! Mr. West and the Widow by Sophie Barnes was a good read.

Full circle...

This is a mashup of Beauty and the Beast connecting the three survivors to Richard Hughes, who died in the battle with the three survivors.

Victoria is beautiful, a widow of almost a year, impoverished, living in a moldy estate with an astonishing library and two elderly servants and debt She's about 35, with her brother being Richard Hughes. Her husband kept her naive and isolated.

Colin West was right beside Richard when he died. A storm and a fallen tree forces him to seek shelter at Victoria's house. He is scarred from the same battle and has a ruined half a face. Oh, and he has a mistress, Isabella.

Colin devises a way to help Victoria, albeit years too late, to farm and to have social interaction. A house party. Can they come full circle after the war? I liked that they weren't young and not titled.
Recommend.

Mr. West and the Widow is the third book in the Brazen Beauties series by Sophie Barnes.

Victoria Leighton is struggling to overcome the debt left by her late husband. She's tried everything within her limited resources and is ill prepared for running the small estate. Her marriage has left her isolated without family to assist her. She's determined to find a way out of this situation and find the indepence she desires.
Colin West is simply trying to make it home when he is forced to change his route due to a storm. When it becomes apparent that he can not safely travel, he seeks shelter. He finds his host to be elusive, likely due to the improvished state of the home, but he's not put off by this as it allows him to keep from socializing. Yet when he's faced with the owner, his scars are not his first thought as she is beautiful and sorely in need of assistance. Victoria decides to take the chance and accept the guidance of Mr. West. She's in for so much more than improving her fortunes.

Sophie Barnes' stories are so wonderful. I was extremely fortunate to receive an ARC of Mr.West and the Widow from Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Colin West, war hero whose face is badly damaged, is forced to hunker down at the nearest home when he is stuck in a torrential downpour. He ends up at Victoria Leighton's home, a widow who is trying her best to make ends meet. She turns out to be his friend's sister and volunteers to help her learn how to run a successful estate. What ensues when next they meet at his estate is immediate magnetism with an abundance of misunderstandings and miscues. He feels she is repulsed by his face and touch. She feels she is not worthy of anyone's love. I thoroughly enjoyed this older couple love story with a second chance for love for both of them.

I really enjoyed this book. It's the story of two wounded people trying to have a second chance at love. Likable characters and a story that never lags looking forward to more by this author.

Widow Victoria has inherited her husband's debts. Her late brother's friend Colin offers to teach her how to better manage her estate. Will working relationship lead to love?

Victoria is a strong woman but disadvantaged in terms of her life experience. Colin admires and feels protective toward her. Many of their struggles arise in the form of external life-threatening situations, but there's also a strong beauty-and-the-beast element. This novel-length work is an enjoyable and satisfying read.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I received a copy from NetGalley; this is my honest review
TRIGGER ALERT: attempted rape, details of war such as in D-Day
-I was intrigued by Georges Washington's treading barn and looked it up. Interesting concept.
-Here again, we have a secondary romance and I thought David & Juliana's story was really sweet. How it was settled was the best idea ever.
-There were too much assumptions from both Colin and Victoria, especially about what things and/or actions meant to the other.
-The scene where Grayson and Olivia alight from their carriage was hilarious.
-It's a long book but the pace is slow; most of their lives, both Colin and Victoria were walking on eggs when faced with other people - except with his friends - and Victoria with Mr. & Mrs. Reynolds, so it's no surprise that their courtship was slow too; they were being extra cautious.
-I was really confused as to how Victoria could have miss this ("this" being an affectionate touch from Colin) since they touched, slept together and then he was sick.
-I'm glad justice was served with Mr. Perkins.

An entertaining tale of Mr West and the widow, both of whom were good characters. Other characters in book were familiar and overall this was a good read.

I liked how the book started a slow burn with the emotion building between Colin and Victoria. By about 50% though it started to get a bit too slow burn for me and the pace seemed to drag too much. However things did pick up from the ball onwards when if anything too much happened at much and it was like a runaway carriage from their onwards. I would have preferred a more even pace. Overall though I id enjoy it very much as this is one of my favourite tropes and both were likeable character's and I felt invested in their story. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Brazen Beauties series. Another emotionally damaged widow here with a scarred and emotionally damaged gentleman. Mr. West, Colin, is on his way home to his estate but waylaid by a storm and seeks shelter at a nearby manor house. There, he meets Victoria, who has been widowed a year and in a floundering mess of debt with an unproductive piece of land. She is also terribly shy and skittish around him. He thinks it’s because of his scarred appearance, but really, she’s attracted to him and doesn’t know what to do with all of these new emotions. It turns out the Victoria is the younger sister of Colin’s friend who died at war and now he feels even more of a moral obligation to help her with her financial affairs. He invites her to his estate to tutor her on land management and also brings his friends (and their wives that they acquired in the last two books) to keep things proper. It’s a slow burn situation with both emotionally vulnerable characters interpreting the worst of the other’s actions. But when they finally talk it out, it’s a wonderful connection. And then Victoria ends up being stronger and more courageous than she expected.

A fabulous tale. Colin is forced to find shelter in a storm and the woman who shelters him is no other than his late comrades sister, Victoria. He had attempted to find her twenty years ago, but failed. He is scarred on one side of his face and she is timid at first, having never been introduced into society by her late husband. So they are both wounded in their own way. I do not want to give any more information on the plot, or I would spoil it for any potential reader. However I can thoroughly recommend this book as an excellent read.

For nearly a year, Victoria Leighton has shut out the world. Her sole focus has been on paying off the debt she inherited from her husband and securing a comfortable income. Then in the middle of a storm a stranger arrives on her doorstep and presents her with a daring invitation. Colin West hates complications. But when he seeks shelter from a storm and meets a reclusive widow, duty compels him to save her from her self-imposed prison. Soon, he's hosting a house party and doing his best not to fall for the kind hearted beauty.
This is the third & final book in the trilogy, whilst it’s easily read on its own the series follows a group of close friends who fought together at the turn of the nineteenth century. A well written slow burn romance, the characters have depth & are well portrayed. I loved both Colin & Victoria who were perfect for each other, both had self esteem issues so it took some time & some urging from Colin's friends for them to realise how the other was feeling. Everything is progressing when disaster strikes and Victoria comes into her own. I’ve loved the whole series but this is my favourite, not a short book but the pages flew by. I loved the epilogue & also cameo appearances from a couple of previous characters from another series
My review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

What a wonderful cap to this series!

I absolutely loved Mr. Dale's and Mr. Grier's romances, but this one is the best of the three. Mr. West has suffered so much - both during the war and since - so he makes for a perfectly sympathetic match to the forlorn Victoria, a recent widow trying to settle all her late husband's debts. I was charmed by their quiet friendship and was surprised - yet delighted - by the discovery of their past connection.

This is a story as much about overcoming adversity as it is about taking charge of one's own destiny, and how finding the right partner along the way makes it all the more sweeter. I loved Victoria was bolstered and empowered by her new friendship with Wilhelmina and Olivia, and how Colin found his strength and security in his friendship with Grayson and James.

Colin and Victoria have a wonderfully sweet HEA, and I also was thrilled to see Juliana find her HEA as well. I could not have loved this book more and highly recommend it for anyone who loves historical romances. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

We get a two-fer in this book. One is a very sweet love story of young love. The main story is a tale of an older couple (not old just not 20) and their trials and tribulations to the inevitable HEA. I so enjoyed this story and a scarred hero is catnip for me. I felt Colin’s weariness of dealing with people and was very sad for him but his spirit is built up by none other than Victoria who has her own trials. Seeing these two people along with their friends discover what is important in life was such a joy to read.

What a wonderful read! Victoria Leighton has been trying to put her deceased husband's estate together. Colin West gets caught in a rainstorm and seeks refuge at her home. He agrees to help her learn how to manage her estate. Both of them are wounded souls. Colin from his war injuries and Victoria from her marriage. There are many interesting side characters and quite a few plot twists. All in all, I found it a very interesting and satisfying read.
I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley and these are my opinions. It is a 5-star read.

Oh my gosh, can't heart this story enough. It pulls all the heartstrings and has invested in this love story from the very beginning, the trouble is you do not wish it to end.

Thanks to net galley for an ARC of Mr. West and the Widow. My opinions are my own.
Mr. West and the Widow reads like Cinderella meets Beauty and the Beast.
The hero, Colin West, a hero of the Napoleonic Wars, is scarred in body and soul. He avoids people whenever he can. Luckily for him, he gets caught in a severe storm and stops at a rundown house to ask for shelter in the barn. Instead, he is invited inside and treated very hospitably by the servants.
Victoria Leighton, the widow, is also carrying a lot psychological damage from her late husband who told her how inept and unworthy she was before he died (and not a moment too soon) leaving her with no money and a pile of debt. She is so shy and unsure that she doesn't introduce herself to Colin at first.
When they finally meet it is a happy occurrence. By accident, they discover that she is the sister of Colin's dear friend who did not survive the battle that wounded Colin.
He decides to help Victoria learn the skills she needs to make her farm profitable.
As one can guess, during the process, they fall in love, but each is reluctant to tell the other for fear of rejection.
If not for a supporting cast of characters who can clearly see the writing on the wall, I don't believe there would have been a HEA. I liked this book. Two lonely people find the courage to move beyond fear and reach for the love and acceptance they want.

This is the 3rd book of The Brazen Beauties series, it can be read as stand alone. My first in this series and this book is good. This series about 3 best friends James Dale (Book 01, Mr.Dale and The Divorcee), Grayson Grier (Book 02, Mr.Grier and The Governess).

This book about Colin West who being cunical and bitter after wall leaving scar in his face. One stromy night make him take a shelter in Victoria Leighton estate. Victoria is a widow, she had difficulty in debt from her late husband. Colin give Victoria advice and guidance on farming matters and investments, during that time Victoria fall for him but she afraid to lost indepedence because of past marriage. Colin already attract to Victoria since first meet, admire her, when he know Victoria is Richard sister he eager to help her. Cant leave her alone but he realise how beauty she is and how hideous he is that make him withdraw.

elationship between Colin and Victoria was sweet, built slowly and become strong feeling. I detest even in Mr. Perkins how people take his side because how handsome he is. I really enjoy reading this book.

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

#MrWestandTheWidow #TheBrazenBeauties #SophieBarnes #NetGalley #ARC

By chance!

A young widow struggling to make ends meet as her estate groans under the debts her dead husband had accrued, and for which she is now responsible.
A survivor of the Egyptian Campaign against Napoleon, West is badly disfigured and hides away from all. Returning home from an inn during a storm he’s forced to detour and seeks shelter at a property that turns out to be inhabited by his fallen comrade Richard’s sister. A woman he and his comrades had looked for for twenty years.
Victoria doesn’t shy away immediately from his injuries but neither is she comfortable, but that’s for her own reasons.
In transpires she needs guidance in estate management and Colin West makes an offer for her to come to his home and learn. With the reassurance of company to act as chaperones, Victoria agrees.
Of course there’s a cad about and Victoria is somewhat shaken at that encounter.
A Beauty and the Beast trope, with sidelines of second chance romance, the story was at times a little stilted. Was that because both leading characters are hesitant, or because the chemistry between them was a tad unsure?
I’m conflicted.
A well told tale though not as pleasing to me as Mr. Grier and the Governess.

An Independently Published ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.