Title: Enlightened (2nd Edition)
Series: Enlightenment 03
Author: Joanna Chambers
Genre: Historical (Industrial Revolution England)
Length: Novel (226 Pages)
Publisher: Joanna Chambers Books (April 23, 2017)
Heat Level: Explicit
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts
Blurb: David Lauriston has been recuperating at Lord Murdo Balfour’s Laverock estate for the last five months. At Laverock, he has regained his health and confidence and has found—with Murdo—more happiness and contentment than he has never known before.
David is all too aware that some day soon he will have to leave Laverock—and Murdo—and return to his legal practice in Edinburgh, just as Murdo will have to return to his life in London. But when David’s mentor, Patrick Chalmers, asks David to return to Edinburgh to visit him on his deathbed, it seems that day has come sooner than either David or Murdo would have wished.
Chalmers begs David to undertake one last piece of business for him: to secure the future of Chalmers’s daughter Elizabeth. But to carry out his old mentor’s wishes, David must travel to London, with Murdo.
No sooner have the two men arrived in the capital than they encounter Murdo’s ruthlessly manipulative father, who reveals a shocking secret that rocks David to his foundations. What’s more, when David discovers Elizabeth is facing far greater danger than even her father feared, he is determined to help her, no matter the cost to his own safety.
As the stakes rise, it is Murdo who must choose what he is prepared to sacrifice to keep David at his side, and ask whether there is any possibility of lasting happiness for men like them.
Product Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071RK71MR
Reviewer: Gigi
Review: This is a great series for those historical romance lovers out there! Be sure to read all three in order, or the plots won’t make sense. The writing grabs hold of my attention quickly, and my mind begins to wander with the possibilities. Much of the beginning of the book is all about Murdo and David living and working together, getting to really know and enjoy each other in a safe, private environment. I think that really was important to help cement their relationship.
From the beginning of the series, I loved the dominance and heavy-handedness of Murdo. He’s powerful, he’s independently and inheritably wealthy, he’s defiant, he’s nobility, but he has a weak spot, David.
David is the perfect foil for Murdo. He’s highly intelligent, he has submissive tendencies, but book three shows he can equal the playing field just fine. He’s strong enough to stand up to Murdo, he’s strong enough to be what Murdo needs, now if they can just admit to each other what their needs and wants really are. Admitting to love, when their kind of love doesn’t stand a chance in society, seems foolish to David.
But they do, and where there’s a will….Murdo finds a way. I thought the solution the author weaved up was perfect. I knew all along it would involve Chalmers’ daughter, but the oh so clever Joanna Chambers came up with a perfect social explanation that would last Murdo and David’s lifetime, and a happy lifetime together it should be.
The dominant role Murdo has played through the series mellows a bit, and David finally admits to his true desires, his true love and let’s go of others’ expectations. I like how Chalmers, David’s mentor, is actually the person to allow David to let go, to admit to his feelings and have the hope and courage to grab hold of his dreams.
A great trilogy, I look forward to more from this author for sure!