Harry, Earl of Wycliff, is not only seeking to reclaim his family home and its lost possessions, he especially needs to find a portrait of his deceased mother. He wins the current resident, the widow Mrs. Phillips over in order to persuade her into helping him. So, not only are his intentions less than honorable, she has her secrets as well. Although a quick read, it was rather staid. This is the first of three books in the Lords of Eton series.

Many thanks to Laurie White and NetGalley for this ARC to review. ( )

The Portrait of Lady Wycliff by Cheryl Bolen
Book #1: The Lords of Eton Trilogy
Source: Author
My Raring: 5/5 stars

Let me tell y’all what! If you aren’t familiar with the work of Cheryl Bolen and you’re a fan of historical romance, I highly recommend checking out her thoroughly engaging and entertaining offerings. My latest read, The Portrait of Lady Wycliff, took me on an adventure from London through the English countryside and back to track down a scoundrel hellbent on destroying a good man and his family. With romance, danger, and deceit, this one has a bit of everything for the historical romance enthusiast. Here’s the skinny:

Plot: Harry, the Earl of Wycliff has spent the last decade recouping the vast fortune lost by his late father. Though the money is certainly important, Harry is also interested in reclaiming all the property, both large and small lost through his father’s poor habits. With a single-minded focus and determination, Harry has nearly reached his goal; all that is left to reclaim is his family home in London.

Louisa Phillips is happily widowed, proudly outspoken, and in a world of financial trouble if her late husband’s solicitor is to be believed. With little in the way of prospects, a life time ahead of her, and her younger sister coming to live with her, Louisa has nothing of value except her writing career and the home she shared with her late husband.

As it turns out, Louisa doesn’t own the home she lives in, she has no idea who does, and a very charming and certainly not-to-be-trusted man, Harry, Earl of Wycliff wants the home. With nothing left to do but accept his offer, Louisa embarks on an adventure that will change to course of her life.

Characters: As always, Bolen has provided a cast of characters that is meant to enliven not just the present read, but the series as a whole. Harry and his two friends, Sinjin and Alex are introduced in their last days at Eton together where they promise one another, no matter the circumstances, they will always be there should anyone of the trio need help. Though Harry is the focus of this book, his two great friends have their role to play and certainly enrich the read as they do Harry’s life. They are there when Harry calls and more than willing to run headlong into danger for their friend.

Louisa is a bit of prickly character, but that has everything to do with the circumstances of her life. She hasn’t yet met a man, including her father, who has treated her well and has no expectations of ever doing so. She is reveling in her widowhood and looking forward to spending the rest of her life fighting for social change. Though she doesn’t initially trust Harry, Louisa understands her position is precarious, and she must take control of her own life and future rather than relying on a man. As the plot and the danger unfolds, Louisa mellows just a bit and that makes her a far more likeable character. Once her prickly edges are smoothed, Louisa is quite lovely and heroine well worth rooting for.
The Bottom Line: Once again, I fell into Cheryl Bolen’s book like the embrace of an old friend. She is just my kind of historical romance writer with dashing and daring men, and women who are always confident, outspoken, and somewhat ahead of their time and place. Bolen doesn’t write shrinking violets or uppity, wimpy aristocrats and that is one of the things I enjoy most about her books. Louisa and Harry seem to be such an unlikely match, but everything about their relationship and its progression is absolutely natural and plays well with the overall plot. The plot itself has just enough of all the things it needs: just enough romance, just enough intrigue, and just enough danger! I am so excited for the next two books in this series and just can’t recommend this book enough to readers. ( )

Determined protagonists!

Blue stockings, reformed pirate lords, a mislaid valuable portrait, carriage journeys across the wilds of Cornwall, all make for an exciting time. Unfortunately the whole picture just didn't quite unfold as one would hope. Still I did enjoy Louisa Phillips and the very focused Earl of Wycliff's story.

A NetGalley ARC ( )

The Portrait of Lady Wycliff by Cheryl Bolen
Louisa Phillips has lost her husband and she finds out she has very little money, clothes and jewelry and no home at all. She learns of her living situation and her late husbands relationships with others that she doesn't know their names.
Lord Harry Wycliff just wants to buy back the house he had grown up with but nobody will divulge the information as to who really owns it. He wants to get everything back that his family had lost: paintings and other articles.
Louisa and her sister Elle have been out walking with the lord and his cousin, Edward.
The Lord and her speak of writings that she mentioned and they discuss them. Lot of politic views then private matters.
The Lord wants to get the information and is willing to pay her. She has been writing secretly for money about the rights of others.
Harry wants to not only find the benefactor and set Louisa up in a small house as her husband had swindled her out of everything and take his fathers seat in Parliament.
They come up with a list of Lords and set out traveling to visit each til they find the benefactor.
Some of their secrets are divulged as they travel. Mishap down a cliff and infection as time goes on...loved hearing of the Cornwall landscape.
Love castle detailed descriptions. They are from different classes and will never be together.
It's amazing how the women help. They are full of surprises!
Love the action, adventure, mystery and clues that lead them all to get the answers they seek. Travel and a bit of romance are also welcome.
Love that the three men series will continue in the next book. An excerpt is enclosed. Other works by the author are highlighted at the end.
Received this review copy from the author and this is my honest opinion. ( )

I received an ARC of this book to read from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. The Portrait of Lady Wycliff is the first book in Cheryl Bolen’s new series The Lords of Eton about 3 aristocratic young men who were best friends at Eton and their continuing friendship and adventures. Harold Blassingame the seventh Earl of Wycliff has spent the last several years as privateer in order to recover all that was lost by his fathers gambling. Successful in his endeavours he needs only to reclaim Wycliff House in Grosvenor Square. He discovers to his dismay the the widow of the man who won it from his father does not own the house, that it belongs to a mysterious lord who it appears engineered his fathers downfall. Louisa Phillips is concerned to discover that her hated late husband has left her nothing and since she is the only one who can recognize the mystery lord she joins forces with Harry, Lord Wycliff and they set off on a journey to Cornwall to solve the mystery and find his mother’s missing portrait. A very enjoyable read, not steamy at all. Publishing Date May 15, 2018 #ThePortraitOfLadyWycliff. #NetGalley ( )