Miss Serena's Secret ~ Review

Miss Serena's Secret
Regency Brides: A Promise of Hope #2
By Carolyn Miller

Serena Winthrop's passion has always been her art until she associates it with a most devastating incident. And worse if her secret were ever become known her reputation would be ruined, not that her late father's misdeeds hadn't already cast a cloud upon the family name. With the care of her sister Catherine and brother-in-law Jonathan Carlew (from Winning Miss Winthrop) Serena at least has a safe place to hopefully heal.

Viscount Henry Carmichael is everything Serena dispises - charming and flirtatious, a gambler, and to all appearances lazy. But Henry has discovered a dissatisfaction with life especially when comparing it to that of his friends. Spending time with Jonathan at his family estate means that he'll be spending time with Serena Winthrop - whom seemingly regards him with disdain. But when Jonathan extracts a promise from him to tread carefully around Serena and to not pursue her Henry soon finds the promise is not as easy to keep as he believed it would be.

But when poor choices of his past come back to thwart his plans and hopes for the future Henry must decide where to place his trust. Will he place it in his own charm and skills or will he turn to Someone more eternal and faithful?

Those who have read Carolyn Miller's previous Regency Brides book will enjoy this newest book which allows us glimpses of some of the previous characters and how their lives have progressed. This is the second book in the second series but it can easily be a stand-alone if you have not yet read the previous 4 books.

About the Book:
With devastating scars in her past, Serena Winthrop is sure no man can be trusted--especially not a man like the too-smooth Viscount Carmichael. His reputation as a flirt and a gambler is everything she despises. And the young artist makes sure that this disreputable heir to an earldom knows of her deep disapproval whenever they encounter one another.

Henry, Lord Carmichael, is perfectly aware of his charms. He's gambled with plenty of ladies' hearts as easily as he has with their husbands' money. But lately he's wondered if there's more to life--and if his actions might prove unworthy of an admirable wife such as his friends have found.

When Serena's guardian asks his best friend to protect his young ward, Henry promises to be on his best behavior and not to woo her. But the more he learns of her, the more he realizes she might be his best reason for changing his character.

Then the lady's painting leads her to London infamy. Now Henry must choose between the life mapped out for him as the earl apparent and the love of his life. And Serena's secret may mean the end of his titled family line.

This second novel in a new series by internationally popular author Carolyn Miller is full of the rich historical detail and evocative writing her readers enjoy. The witty banter will continue to draw in fans of Jane Austen, Sarah Ladd, and Julie Klassen.