A Dangerous Kind of Lady by Mia Vincy

July 13, 2020
Well, that was fast!

https://www.miavincy.com
Why do you suppose good books zip by with such speed? Even when you slow down the reading process, they are over with before you want them to be. I will probably have to reread this one again. I am sure I missed a bunch of nuanced writing.

What can I say? My respect for Mia Vincy continues to grow with each book. While I believe her book, A Beastly Kind of Earl may be my favorite, A Dangerous Kind of Lady is pretty darn good, and I do recommend it. Just so you know, while this book was released after the other two, chronologically, it is the second in the Longhope Abby series. Warning: there is plenty of angst.

Welcome to the tale of Arabella and her childhood nemesis, Guy Roth, Marquess of Hardbury. In the other two stories, they were secondary characters. In those books, there were little hints, and tidbits into their marriage. Now, we get to find out just what was going on behind Arabella’s mysterious facade. Oh yeah, along for the ride is Guy.

This is a complicated story, with two complex characters. At times, both characters are unlikable. It was a back and forth dance as to which one could be the most irritating. Guy discounted Arabella, and Arabella struck out with lots of venom when she was threatened. Watching these two was like being on a roller-coaster ride. For me, the downside of this was that I started to become rather weary of their tug-of-war. I felt Ms. Vincy dwelt on their stubbornness’s, and tricks longer than I could abide. However, even with that lonnnggg stretch of intractability, most of the chemistry between Guy and Arabella worked. In the end, I overlooked their shortcomings, and enjoyed the multiple layering in the book.

The only other problem I had with this story was the deliberate hurtful words that they threw at each other. I for one could have done without all the deliberate pain…maybe at another time it would not be so upsetting, but now it is. I had the feeling that Ms. Vincy was trying to stretch her story just a little, or maybe she lost track of where she was going with this couple. Because the story was complicated, I could see Ms. Vincy losing her way. I would have liked to see Guy and Arabella become loving partners earlier in the narrative. We saw more of their struggle then we did of their success.

Nonetheless, this book had fun mixed with poignancy, and a ton of interesting secondary characters. Ms. Vincy is a very gifted author, and I look forward to more books from her. Even with the toooo long tug-of-war, I highly recommend A Dangerous Kind of Lady.

Time/Place: Regency England
Sensuality: Hot