One Night in Vauxhall Gardens
Sandra Sookoo
Historical Romance
There are times when being broken isn’t the hinderance one has always assumed. It’s a strength.
Harold—Harry—Briggs, Earl of Hedgecomb, is one of the last members of the Rogue’s Arcade who remains a bachelor. Coming home from the war not quite right in the mind has meant he’s consigned himself to being alone, until one unforgettable night in Vauxhall Gardens where he meets a woman who quickly sends his life upside down. The fly in the ointment is the fact she’s off limits since she’s the sister of a fellow club member.
Lady Theresa Bollinger—sister to the Earl of St. Vincent—is thirty and unmatched. One horrible and quite secret incident in her past has made her wary of getting close men, but she still hopes for romance. During an outing to a night circus in Vauxhall Gardens, she wanders into the dark section of the area, alone with her thoughts, but when she comes upon one of her brother’s friends in a vulnerable state, she takes control of her fate by unashamedly stealing a kiss from him as a distraction.
Heated attraction and desire collide as they chase scandal in the dark. Afterward, an engagement is demanded by her brother, and further proximity between them is forced. When a villainess declares war against the Rogue’s Arcade by having two club members kidnapped and left for dead, life narrows and everything comes into sharp relief. As time—and circumstances—race against them, Harry and Theresa will need to dig deep for bravery and strength, else everything they hold dear will be lost.
Uncaged Review: Harold “Harry” Briggs, Earl of Hedgecomb, military man and hero, entered the Rogue’s Arcade Club and noticed something was irrevocably wrong. Harry noticed blood on the Earl of St. Vincent’s clothing. Harry questions who was shot, and it turned out to be the Duke of Edenthorpe, the head of the Rogue’s Arcade and one of Harry’s dearest friends. When Harry and the Earl of St. Vincent goes to Vauxhall Gardens. Harry escorts Lady Theresa Bollinger, the earl’s sister, there. Harry unfortunately suffers a debilitating nightmare that takes him back to the war, making him crouch down and unmovable. When Theresa comes upon Harry, she decides to help him and the only thing she can think of is to kiss him. Pretty soon, the kiss turns heated. Theresa and Harry are caught by her brother St. Vincent. In order to save her reputation, a marriage is planned, but neither of them want it or do they?
This is definitely an exciting, action-packed historical from start to finish. It does start grimly with a mystery, and someone being shot and a group of noblemen who are also part of a secret society known as the Rogue’s Arcade. So, even though I am reading the next to the last book in the series, I still didn’t have any trouble following the storyline. Even if you read this book you don’t have to read the others just to understand what is going on. I did wonder if the Earl of St. Vincent survived though. That was kind of brushed upon, but I am assuming that he did live. It just wasn’t really clear either. I really loved Theresa and Harry together because they were so good together. This book does have a few triggers, from rape to PTSD, which could be a bit much for some, but I still loved the tale and think Ms. Sandra Sookoo wrote sensitively with a lot of perception of both subjects, really all material, compassionately and with great care. I did want to know the creation of the club and will start the series just so I will understand more about them.
Reviewed by Roslynn Ernst
4.5 Stars