A SHOP GIRL'S GUIDE TO WOOING A LORD

The son of an earl falls for a destitute shop girl when he’s supposed to be courting heiresses.

Garret Kildare’s family is broke. When his parents propose either marrying off Garret’s 15-year-old sister, Mariah, or selling their ancestral lands in Ireland, Garret and his brothers—Liam, the eldest and heir; Killian, the artist; and Daire, the financial guru—decide one of them must wed an heiress in London instead, and they make a competition out of it. Tamsin Archer works at a coffeehouse that doesn’t come close to providing enough to make ends meet. She’s desperately trying to support her family and get back her younger siblings, who were sold as chimney sweep apprentices, so she resorts to stealing small trinkets from the rich and pawning them off. Garret catches her in the act of thievery, and when he learns her story, he wants to help find and rescue her brother and sister. Tamsin is hesitant to trust him at first despite his attractive kindness, but as they work together, she begins to open her heart to him. Garret knows they can’t have a future together, but she becomes all he can think about. This captivating Regency series kickoff thoughtfully wrestles with class disparities between the leads and doesn’t sugarcoat the hardships of poverty and war—Garret has trauma from his time in the navy. Yet even with these dire subjects, the story is infused with warmth and heart. Tamsin is a headstrong heroine who could use support but ultimately is capable of saving herself and forging her own path toward a better life for her loved ones. Although society views them very differently, she and Garret come to treat each other as equals, both made better through their passionate love.

A deeply felt romance with weighty stakes.