The Likelihood of Lucy by Jenny Holiday Series: Regency Reformers #1
Published by Entangled: Select
Publication Date: May 26th, 2015
Genres: Historical Romance
Pages: 287
Source: Publisher
Format: eARC
Goodreads
Buy Online: Amazon ♥ B&N ♥ Kobo
Disclaimer: I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely mine.
She would never bow to any man…
London, 1815
Trevor Bailey is on the cusp of opening the greatest hotel in London. His days as a gutter snipe are behind him, as he enjoys a life of wealth, society, and clandestine assignments as a spy in the service of the Crown. Until one tumultuous night churns up the past he’d long left behind…
Turned out by her employer for her radical beliefs, Lucy Greenleaf reaches out to the man who was once her most beloved friend. She never expected that the once-mischievous Trevor would be so handsome and gentleman-like and neither can deny the instant attraction.
But Lucy’s reformer ways pose a threat to the hotel’s future and his duties as a spy. Now Trevor must choose between his new life and the woman he’s always loved…
Growing up in Seven Dials, Lucy Greenleaf had always been able to count on her best friend, Trevor Bailey. Forced to flee from her employment because of her radical beliefs, she finds herself turning to him for help. Lucy gets shelter from Trevor and subsequently is offered the job of hotel manager when Trevor discovers her skills in organizing and managing.
Trevor Bailey has risen above his past on the streets and enjoys life as a gentleman of means, hobnobbing with members of the ton and serving as a spy for the Crown. Now he is in the verge of achieving his highest aspiration: opening a hotel and only one person can distract him from his mission, Lucy Greenleaf. Trevor has always looked out for Lucy, even to the point of getting her out of Seven Dials because she deserved a better future. With Lucy back in his life, Trevor finds himself overwhelmed by the memories of their shared past and also developing feelings for Lucy that are very far from what he felt for her when they were younger, but he still sees himself as that ragamuffin from the street who isn’t worthy of her affection and love.
Lucy resents the restrictions placed on her as a woman by society and is an ardent supporter of Mary Wollstonecraft and her advocacy for equality and independence for women, views that were very radical for that time and cost her her job as a governess, views that could also cause problems for Trevor and his hotel as she took on the job of the manager.
I really enjoyed Lucy, her outspoken personality and intelligence, her determination, her passion, her resourcefulness and her love for life, even though she comes across as a little naive. However, these same qualities made her reckless and unconcerned with her own safety several times, leaving Trevor with the job of watching out for her.
Trevor was actually my favorite character. I really loved how protective he was of Lucy. Even though he was mostly quiet and broody, his devotion to Lucy was never in doubt and showed in the many ways he took care of her and kept her safe. I enjoy a good friends-to-lovers story, so I loved seeing Lucy and Trevor reconnect and develop tender feeling for each other, even though their reasons for staying away from each other were a little weak.
I enjoyed the writing and especially liked that The Likelihood of Lucy has a little bit of everything – mystery, intrigue and romance.
My only issue is the murder story line. The discovery of the murderers was a bit anticlimactic and a letdown, mostly because Lucy’s aptitude for languages was the key to finding them and not any investigative abilities of the spies tasked with the job. All the same, The Likelihood of Lucy was an enjoyable read with likable characters.
SERIES ORDER
Find the series online: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
About Jenny Holiday
Jenny Holiday started writing in fourth grade, when her awesome hippie teacher, between sessions of Pete Seeger singing and anti-nuclear power plant letter writing, gave the kids notebooks and told them to write stories. Most of Jenny's featured poltergeist, alien invasions, or serial killers who managed to murder everyone except her and her mom. She showed early promise as a romance writer, though, because nearly every story had a happy ending: fictional Jenny woke up to find that the story had been a dream, and that her best friend, father, and sister had not, in fact, been axe-murdered.
From then on, she was always writing, often in her diary, where she liked to decorate her declarations of existential angst with nail polish teardrops. Eventually she channelled her penchant for scribbling into a more useful format. After picking up a PhD in urban geography, she became a professional writer, spending many years promoting research at a major university, which allowed her to become an armchair astronomer/historian/particle physicist, depending on the day. Eventually, she decided to try her hand again at happy endings--minus the bloodbaths
Leave a Reply