But he will soon discover that Bel not only doesn’t respond to his attempts to woo her – when he offers her ice cream, for example, he gets a mild rebuke from her about how the sugar used in the making of ice cream is made on the sweat and tears of slaves – he also realizes that she truly expects him to run for a seat in Parliament. He’s certain that she can keep him entertained. He’s confident that he can make her happy. Sir Tobias Alridge, who was jilted by her brother’s recent wife in the previous book, at first decides to seduce Isabel as payback for his humiliation at Sophia’s decampment, but he is soon infatuated with Bel enough that, when they are discovered in a compromising position because Bel is too stupid for words, he is more than happy to marry her. She has only one mission in mind: to marry a titled lord with solid political connections so that he can help her put in motion all kinds of social reform. She is determined not to enjoy herself, however. Anyway, Isabel, the sister of the hero of the previous book, finally makes her debut in London. I personally think this story can stand alone pretty well, though. But to get to these characters’ growth, you have to stick through some of the more silly antics of these characters first.Ī Lady of Persuasion takes place shortly after Surrender of a Siren.

Meanwhile, the hero Sir Tobias Aldridge is an easygoing fellow who finds himself playing the paragon of virtue to please the wife he is besotted with, and in the process, discovers that he is actually capable of being a person of substance.

She presents herself as a determined do-gooder, but her motives are actually very selfish and she will realize this as the story progresses. Of course, that means this story has a pretty big obstacle for some readers: the heroine Isabel Grayson is far from perfect. While Ms Dare didn’t achieve the extent of success Ms Quick did in Scandal, she nonetheless managed to present a compelling story for me to enjoy. Tessa Dare’s A Lady of Persuasion reminds me of Amanda Quick’s Scandal in the sense that if you have no patience with the heroine and write her off as a one-note dingbat early in the story, you will end up missing completely the layered nuances of her character growth.

Tessa dare a lady of persuasion