This review will appear on Romantic HIstorical Lovers on June 21.Amelia Snowe was once the belle of the ball. She was determined to marry someone from peerage. But that all changed when her mother died. She’s been left penniless. Now she works as a lady’s companion. Instead of her past horrible behavior, she’s now the epitome of grace of civility.
While assisting her companion at a house party, she’s faced once again with her childhood friend and former suitor, Quentin Fortesque. Since he’s the younger son of a Duke, Amelia didn’t marry him. She spurned his proposal and set off for London to find someone more acceptable to her mother.
Amelia is not the same woman Quentin knew all those years ago. She’s….something more…. Something better. Slowly Quentin realizes that he still loves Amelia. Now he just has to get Amelia to realize she loves him. He’ll do anything to win her over.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I’ve not read the others in the Ugly Duckling Series, but I will definitely have to go back to read them. Reading about the exploits of Amelia toward these other ladies, makes me want to read the other books. She’s was absolutely boorish to them!
Even though I have not read the others in the series, I was not lost in this story. There is enough back information in the story to let me know what happened without it taking over the current story. It’s all told through Amelia and others as part of conversations with Quentin. Quentin has been out of the country, so he had no idea what all Amelia had done in London. So, it worked rather nicely for these conversations.
Dealing with all the backstabbing that goes on in polite society, makes one realize that polite society is not all that polite! Rules to follow, games to play, and treachery at every corner, make it all that much more intriguing.
The Perks of Being a Beauty is relatively short story, but definitely worth reading!