by Mary Balogh
Part of Westcott, book 6.5
First published 2019
Matilda Westcott has devoted her life to caring for the Dowager Countess of Riverdale. At middle age, she views herself as an aging spinster who missed her chance at romance. Marriage seems impossible now. Love belongs to younger women. Her carefully structured existence crumbles when Charles Sawyer, Viscount Dirkson, appears at a dinner party hosted by the Earl of Riverdale. Thirty-six years have passed since their romance ended in failure. Charles feels the old attraction surge back when he sees Matilda again. He remains as captivated by her now as he was during their first meeting decades ago. Matilda has constructed protective walls around her heart over the past three decades. Charles sets out to break through her defenses before he loses her a second time. Both must decide whether they can find happiness together after so many years have passed. This Westcott series novella explores whether love can bloom again in later life.
Genres: romance, 20th-century, adult-fiction, historical-romance, 19th-century, contemporary-romance
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, second-chance
Setting: Riverdale
Period: 19th-century, 20th-century
265 pages · Kindle Edition · Berkley