Wit and Sin

4.5 stars

My review originally posted on Joyfully Reviewed: http://www.joyfullyreviewed.com/new-reviews/a-lady-never-surrenders-by-sabrina-jeffries

When Lady Celia Sharpe’s grandmother decreed that her grandchildren must all be married within a year or be disinherited, Celia balked. But one by one, her siblings have fallen in love and married, which means that Celia has two months to find a husband or she’ll be the reason her brothers and sister don’t inherit anything. So Celia devises a plan to get an offer of marriage from one of three lords, in the hopes of proving that she can bring a man up to snuff will be enough to get her grandmother to relent. Just in case she ends up having to go through with the marriage, Celia hires Bow Street Runner Jackson Pinter to investigate the three bachelors she’s chosen. The only problem is,Jackson insists that none of Celia’s suitors are fit to wed her. For the past year, Celia’s conversations with Jackson have led to verbal sparring more often than not. But now unexpected sparks are flying even as they disagree. CouldJackson’s objections stem from the fact that the handsome, bedeviling, oh-so-proper Bow Street Runner wants to marry Celia himself?

As befitting a book with two expert marksmen for protagonists, A Lady Never Surrenders hits the spot. Sabrina Jeffries has delivered a fantastic final book in the Hellions of Halstead series. With mystery, murder, rifles, and romance in the mix, it’s no surprise that A Lady Never Surrenders is full of excitement from beginning to end.

Jackson has fascinated me from the first, which means I’ve been waiting since the final book of Ms. Jeffries’s last series to read about him. Oftentimes when I have high expectations going in, I find myself feeling let down. Not so with Jackson – I absolutely loved him! He’s got a smoldering sensuality beneath a perfectly proper façade which made me want to shove Celia aside and take him for myself. His intelligence, hardworking nature, and kind heart means that he deserves a heroine that complements him. And Celia is definitely Jackson’s perfect match. She’s a brilliant, beautiful tomboy with a sharp mind and insecurities that add a layer of vulnerability I found touching. The sparks that fly between her and Jackson are utterly delicious and I couldn’t put A Lady Never Surrenders down because these two were too much fun to read about. But Ms. Jeffries didn’t let these two have a smooth, conventional courtship. They must face the very realistic obstacle of the difference in their social class, along with the objections of Celia’s grandmother. The roadblocks on their path to happily ever after lead to misunderstandings and possible derailment of their romance, but I had faith that Ms. Jeffries would not only make things work out for Celia and Jackson, but do so in a wholly entertaining fashion.

A Lady Never Surrenders is the fifth book in the Hellions of Halstead Hall series, but it can be read as a standalone. However, if you haven’t read the previous four books (The Truth About Lord Stoneville, A Hellion in Her Bed, How to Woo a Reluctant Lady, and To Wed a Wild Lord) and plan on reading them after A Lady Never Surrenders, you should be aware that the series has an ongoing mystery that is solved in A Lady Never Surrenders. That’s right, readers – Ms. Jeffries doesn’t leave you hanging as to who killed the Sharpes’ parents (Did you doubt it?). The mystery is perhaps the most present in Celia andJackson’s book, as the intrigue weaves in and out of their romance.

A Lady Never Surrenders is a wonderfully satisfying story in its own right, but as the final book in a series, it’s a fantastic conclusion. I will say that Ms. Jeffries did leave me wanting more in one respect: Pierce Waverly (from To Wed a Wild Lord) appears in A Lady Never Surrenders and now I absolutely want to learn more about him! It’s a good thing for this greedy reader that Ms. Jeffries has a story planned for him. With my only complaint being I have to wait to read another Sabrina Jeffries book, I’d say it’s safe to say that I loved A Lady Never Surrenders. In fact, I absolutely adored the entire Hellions of Halstead Hall series and I can’t wait to re-read all of the Sharpe siblings’ stories now that the series is complete.