Title: The Valet’s Secret
Author: Josi S. Kilpack
Publication: March 8, 2022
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Genre: Romance, Clean Romance
Pages: 288
SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads)
York, England, 1819
As a once happily married woman, Rebecca Parker had a good life, but now widowed, working for a living, and her only child grown, she feels invisible, tired, and lonely. That is until the day a valet speeding by on a horse nearly runs her off the road. Mr. Malcolm Henry is apologetic, gentle, and handsome. She’s instantly drawn to him, which is why, rather than stopping him from kissing her, she kisses him back, reigniting a nearly forgotten passion. But love at first sight only happens in fairy tales—never to an ordinary woman like her.
She sees Mr. Henry again and feels the possibilities growing until, while working in the kitchens during a dinner party, she sees the valet she kissed sitting at the right hand of the baroness. Mr. Henry is not the earl’s valet; he is the heir to the earldom—Kenneth Winterton.
Heartbroken, angry, and betrayed, Rebecca does not trust Lord Winterton and refuses to accept his apology. But when Lord Winterton proves he is as kind and gentle as “Mr. Henry” was, she finds herself willing to give him a second chance. But will he take a chance on her? He needs a wife to help him in his place in society, and nothing about Rebeccas life does that . . . except how he feels when she is with him.
Trust, love, loneliness, and passion collide in this story about a man who will risk it all to fight for the woman he loves and a woman who does not believe in fairy tales—until she finds herself living in one.
REVIEW:
**A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.**
Recently I was contacted by the publisher to read several books. I, of course, said yes! This one is one of three that I agreed to read. Once they arrived in the mail I couldn’t wait to read it. Plus, it was by an author that I had never heard of before and you know I am always open to new authors.
Rebecca is a widowed woman in service. Kenneth is a man who has recently gained the title of Earl. They met by chance when his horse almost ran her over. They share a kiss at the side of the road. They cannot stop thinking about each other. What will happen with them now that they have met and they are not of the same class? First off, while I kind of enjoyed this book, I felt that it was super slow. It didn’t pick up till like that last two chapters. I didn’t hate it, it just wasn’t amazing.
I thought that it was sort of a Cinderella story. You had the girl in service who fell for the man out of her league and vice versa. The mean woman at the end locking Kenneth in the town was very Cinderella in my mind. You don’t often see that man being locked away because he was going to do something that someone didn’t agree with. I do love how love conquered all and in the end, it won. Rebecca did annoy me slightly with her woe is me, he is too good for me line. I understand that in that time it wasn’t proper but she kind of really latched onto it and ran with it. I did love how in the end the people who mattered the most to Kenneth and Rebecca supported their decision and even helped them get together in the end. That is what matters. They were able to have a second chance at love and were supported by those who loved them. While this book is a romance it is a very very clean romance. They do kiss but there is nothing spicy in it so to speak. It is something that I would loan to my mother to read. While I didn’t mind this book, I don’t know if I would read any more books by this author. Don’t let me discourage you, read the book and make your own decision.
