The Conquest of Lady Cassandra (Fairbourne Quartet Book 2)

Lady Cassandra Vernham lives on the edge of good society. Six years ago she was "compromised" by Baron Lakewood and then refused to marry him when he offered for her hand. Complicating matters, Lakewood has recently died in a duel, supposedly defending Cassandra's honor.Cassandra lives with her Aunt Sophie, a beautiful, but aging woman who is beginning to suffer from dementia and was known for somewhat scandalous behavior in her own time. Cassandra's brother, Gerald, the Earl of Barrowmore,has never forgiven Cassandra for tarnishing the family name. He plans to put her in her place by forcing her to marry a man of his choosing by threatening to put Aunt Sophie away.Aunt Sophie is the only family member who supported Cassandra during her scandal and Cassandra is determined to take care of her lovely, if somewhat, forgetful aunt. She plots to take Aunt Sophie away from Gerald's power, even if it it means that the two of them must escape to America. In order to raise cash for their getaway, Cassandra sells some of Sophie's famous jewels through the Fairbourne Auctioning House. The jewels are bought by Yates, Viscount Ambury. Yates suspects the jewels are stolen and refuses to pay until Cassandra can prove where Sophie obtained them.Yates, along with Southwaite (the hero from The Seduction of Miss Fairbourne) and Kendale (most likely a hero from a future book) were all good friends of Lakewood and blame Cassandra for his death. Despite her reputation as a fallen woman (or maybe even because of it) Yates cannot help but be drawn to the beautiful Cassandra. The fact that he has always desired her gets in the way of his of investigation of the stolen jewels and the two of them begin a cat and mouse game in which the stakes are dangerously high for Cassandra and her aunt.With her typically elegant writing, witty dialogue, and a deliciously sexy hero, Hunter has written another winner that kept me reading way past my bedtime.This is the second in Madeline Hunter's Fairbourne Quartet and a great follow up book to The Seduction of Miss Fairbourne, although you don't have to read the first book to follow this one. I highly recommend this to all lovers of good historical romance.

As a devoted Madeline Hunter reader I have yet to be disappointed in her stories. In Conquest of Lady Cassandra you find a heroine who has made decision on her life with difficult consequences. But she has no regrets and at no time in the story does Hunter muddy her character with senseless remorse. Cassandra is a strong character but a woman of deep passion and compassion. She is a loyal friend to Emma and Lydia and unquestionably loyal to her Aunt Sophie.Yates, Lord Amsbury, a close friend of Southwaite the husband of Emma, was introduced as Cassandra was in the last book. His character is of a man with deep loyalties to his friends and a love for his parents despite past conflicts. As his father slowly dies Yates returns to learn his duties as the Earl but to also solve the mystery of stolen/lost earrings. This is what leads him to Cassandra and is one of the themes of the story.These two characters have history and a strong attraction. Hunter doesn't just make this a simple love story but a journey in trust, honesty and friendship. Both are fiercely committed to present and past friends. But each have the ability to not blindly and irrationally cling to assumptions. In the end as they are able to let down their walls a true and real relationship is founded.Hunter never makes any of her character anything but real. I read this story knowing that there would be no tricks. There are surprises and I discovered that what I thought would happen didn't but the plot flowed evenly.Throughout the book there are previews of who will be prominent in the next books. Penhurst and Lydia, Renfeld and maybe Marielle. I like that. The next book can't come out soon enough for me. A wonderful series.

Lady Cassandra Vernham has a notorious reputation. A duel was held a few years earlier that resulted in a death. It was rumored that Cassandra was the reason for that duel.. She had also been caught in a compromising event and she refused to marry the man who compromised her. She fled to the home of her Aunt Sophie to escape her brother, Gerald, the Earl of Barrowmore's displeasure with her and his determination to marry her off. Gerald has just let her know that he will put Aunt Sophie in an asylum if Cassandra does not relent and marry a man of his choosing. Cassandra needs money to take her Aunt to America to escape her brother's nefarious plan. Cassandra sold some jewelry at an auction to Yates Elliston, Viscount Ambury, heir to the Earl of Highburton, but he is delaying payment. She goes to him to demand payment, and there begins the rocky path to romance. There is the mystery of whether the jewelry is stolen and who is the rightful owner, and Cassandra learns that her aunt has many secrets that could bring even more trouble to their door.Madeline Hunter is one of my go-to authors. She knows how to weave a romance that is filled with just the right tempo with a very intriguing plot line that has a mystery that will keep you up all night. The characters were introduced in "The Surrender of Miss Fairbourne". I could not wait to read their story, and the story was very satisfying. There is another in this series and I will definitely be in line to buy it as soon as possible!!

An interesting plot with an unexpected surprise at the end. It's a good sequel with continuing characters however the story is unique and stands alone. A proud woman who stands against society finds herself in a situation that forces her to make decisions she wouldn't have made otherwise. Revelations begin to occur and evidence accumulate until the unexpected ending unfolds.

Lady Cassandra Vernham refused to marry a man who compromised her so she lives on the fringes of Society. She has sold off some of her jewels in order to provide money, but one item has not been paid for at the Auction house. Viscount Ambury has not paid for the jewels and blames Cassandra for ruining his friend and causing the man's death. They meet and sparks fly. I liked this series of books.

I enjoyed this book in so many ways. The story contains some mysteries as the romance between Cassandra and Yates develops. Clues to these helped me guess all but one which came as a surprise. The growing love, tenderness and sexual hunger the couple share is well written with wit, humour and directness. The story is set against a wider background of friends and past events that link together the hero and heroine in an initial context of misunderstanding and mistrust. Happily this is overcome and they have their happy ending. A really enjoyable romance on September several levels. I have already bought more books by this author and will be buying more I'm sure. I can recommend this book to those who enjoy Regency romances, a good story and wit and humour in their writing.

I've had this on my Kindle for a while. I'd forgotten how much I enjoy Ms Hunters writing. The characters are well drawn,the dialogue intelligent and the story with some unexpected twists was wonderful .

interesting book. it reminded me of how essential it is to like both the main characters. I'm afraid I couldn't warm to Cassandra at all.even so it was well written and enjoyable not as good as the first in the series though . I will still buy the next one.