‘I don’t want to be beholden to any man again. It’s why I will never marry again and place my future in the hands of a husband.’ 

‘She was everything he could ever want in a woman and that thought frightened him down to his soul.’

Blurb:

She’s played Cupid for others
Now she’s met her own unlikely match!
Part of The Sommersby Brides. Widowed society matchmaker Mrs Clara Sommersby thinks handsome self-made businessman Mr William Lane is just the man for her neighbour’s overlooked daughter. He’s successful and confident, if somewhat emotionally distant, until suddenly―shockingly―his attention turns to Clara herself! She thought her days of romance were over, but is this dashing younger man intent on giving her a second chance?

Review:

Hi everyone. I’m thrilled to be part of another blog tour. This time, I’m delighted to welcome you to my stop on the Mrs Sommersby’s Second Chance blog tour!

Mrs Sommersby’s Second Chance is the fourth book in the Sommersby Brides series, but although some linked characters appear in this book, don’t worry, you won’t be left scratching your head saying ‘huh?’. It is very much a stand-alone if you haven’t read any of the others, (and why haven’t you?)

So, on to the book proper. Set in Bath, it’s the story of Clara Sommersby, widowed aunt of the Sommersby girls of books 1-3. Now she’s on her own, it might be assumed that Clara will be bored and lonely, but she has a secret which is unknown to even her closest friends. A secret which could ruin her and her nieces if it got out. She owns a hotel which in those days was scandalous. She meets William Lane over a glass of spa water, and there’s an instant, and mutual, attraction between them. However, William is in Bath on business, and is determined to buy Clara’s hotel from the assumed owner.

Clara is a total joy as a heroine. She’s fun, shrewd, but real. She still carries some baggage from the past, which is why she’s determined never to hand over herself, or her business to another man, ever again. She’s also realistic about her ‘charms’, and her age.

William is a self made man. He’s serious, hard working, and intelligent. However, his heritage/upbringing, (he’s a foundling), has caused him to protect himself by developing a very hard shell indeed. He has a huge chip on his shoulder which Clara delights in trying to knock off every chance she gets. It’s wonderful to watch.

Laurie Benson has the gift of writing unconventional characters in a way takes our preconceived ideas, turns them upside down and inside out, and hands them back to us completely transformed. And we are the richer, more fulfilled, for it. She makes us care! She accurately reflects the fears, insecurities, and very real choices that are peculiarly associated with second marriages – particularly those embarked on in later life. Her love for the period shines through every word, as she brings the regency to life with a humour, and vividness that’s breath-taking.

Finally, this is a very different kind of Romance in that the heroine is older than the hero, (Clara is 45, and William is 37). Don’t let it put you off. It is a wonderfully gentle, and tender read, yet still has all the emotion you’d expect.

Buy:

Amazon UK

Mills & Boon

Harlequin.com

Amazon.com

Kobo

Author Bio:

Laurie Benson is an award-winning author who writes flirty and frisky Regency romances. She began her writing career as an advertising copywriter, where she learned more than you could ever want to know about hot dogs and credit score reports. Now, she is happy to put that behind her and spend her time writing stories that take her and her readers on a romantic adventure. When she isn’t at her laptop avoiding laundry, Laurie can be found browsing antique shops, going on ridiculously long hikes, or sitting in her car on the school pickup line. She lives with her husband and two sons in a house filled with testosterone—even her bunny is a boy.

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