REVIEW
The Blind Lyon by Sandra Sookoo
The Lyon’s Den Connected World
~ Matchmakers must have failures from time to time and at times I wondered why Mrs. Dove-Lyon thought Peregrine and Annette would make a satisfactory match only to find out she had made a perfect match for the two of them.
What I liked:
* Peregrine Allan Barrows, 8th Duke of Masterson: nearly forty, single, blind after a high fever when he was twenty, patient, kind, bright, good friend, treats his staff well, friends all recently met their wives through Mrs. Dove-Lyon, feels an arranged marriage might be easier and wagers to win his wife
* Annette Jennings: twenty-six, widowed for three years, husband murdered, parents want her settled due to her father’s ill health, anxious, fearful, hides in her room, enjoyed marriage and loved her first husband, slowly emerges as the story unfolds
* The patient way Peregrine courted his wife and the romantic caring gestures he provided
* When Romeo, Peregrine’s ginger cat, became the catalyst that pushed Annete out of her chambers
* The open honest respectful communication between Peregrine and Annette as they got to know one another and moved forward with their relationship
* That Peregrine was open-minded and accepting of Annette and his solution to her fears, her anxiety, and her desire to be a mother
* Peregrine’s good friends: supportive of one another and all happily married
* Collins: Peregrine’s valet, honest, caring, wise, and intriguing
* That it was a comfortable easy read that the two worked together to overcome obstacles
What I didn’t like:
* Thinking about and knowing that medical knowledge was much less advanced and that what could not be cured or treated then could possibly have a solution now
* That it felt a bit slow waiting for Annette to finally emerge from her room and then when she did it was almost as if she had done a 180 degree change in being so open in and out of the bedroom
* Not knowing for sure what the causes were for the two medical issues in this story…I have some ideas having been a registered nurse but still wonder…
Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more by this author? If the book description interested me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dragonblade for the ARC – This is my honest review
3-4 Stars
BLURB
Mayflowers might mean love, but if not, persistence, charm, and a cat will win the day… Peregrine (Allan) Barrows--the eighth Duke of Masterson--has lived almost half his life mostly blind, for a fever contracted at the age of twenty ensured that. Due to the hardship, he wasn't able to enter the fight against Napoleon and neither has he had luck finding a wife. Not even the title can attract a lady, for a blind man is useless, right? Needing to do his duty by his title and estates, he turns to the tables at the Lyon's Den. There are rumors the owner has some skill in matchmaking. Widowed Annette Jennings has become something of an embarrassing problem. Terrified of leaving her home after a horrible murder stole her husband’s life a few years ago, she refuses to have anything to do with society or the Marriage Mart a second time. With her father dying and her mother desperate to see Anne settled, the baroness looks up an old friend who owns a gaming hell. With a promise and the exchange of coin, Mrs. Dove-Lyon consents to find a husband for Anne. . After copious amount of coin is sacrificed to the gaming hell's coffers, Peregrine and Annette are quickly wed, despite their protests. Though she moves into the duke's townhouse, she refuses to leave her suite, for fear is not an easy habit to quit. Yet the duke is determined to make their marriage of convenience work. With charm as well as a curious cat, he finds a way to communicate with his wife that opens doors both physically and metaphorically regardless of his own doubts and fears. Only when they both let go can they fall into something beautiful. ...proving once more that Mrs. Dove-Lyon always knows best when it comes to love. Tropes You'll Forced proximityForced marriageMarriage of convenienceStrangers to loversBlind heroCat loving heroOvercoming fearAge gapRead in Kindle Unlimited!
