Annabelle's Courtship

In order to collect his inheritance and save his people from poverty, Ian McKay needs a wife; not just any wife will do, mind you, Ian needs an English wife. Furious with his stepfather for placing such stringent demands on the inheritance, Ian nonetheless heads to London to join the Season and quickly find himself a wife. Having suffered betrayal at the hands of a woman from his past, Ian makes up a list of attributes his future wife must have and sets off on his quest.

Annabelle Hamilton is in her fourth season; a dedicated suffragette, she is dubbed The Ordinary her first season for her views on women’s rights. She is a plain woman and has been pursued by the cleverest of fortune hunters, so she knows what her allure is. Ian is about to insult her in the most common of fashions; he tells her she meets all the requirements for his future wife and since she isn’t likely to expect marriage offers, she will suit him just fine. This is the point where the fireworks begin.

Annabelle is an independent miss, but she is not as desperate as Laird McKay seems to believe. She is quite an heiress and she is gifted with a brilliant mind and a determination to marry for love and love alone. When Ian proposes in the most insulting way, she turns him down flat. She will not agree to marriage, no matter how alluring the Laird may be. Thus begins a battle of wills that has two strong and determined individuals firm in the belief they can outsmart the other. Toss in a villainous fortune hunter to liven things up and the story just gets more interesting by the moment.

What could be a stereotypical story of a man forced to marry for his inheritance takes on a fresh and original flair at the pen of Lucy Monroe. ANNABELLE’S COURTSHIP is the romantic journey of a man who has been betrayed by a selfish woman, afraid to risk love and hurt again. Ian is a classic alpha male who thinks he has everything mapped out to his specifications until he meets the fiercely independent Annabelle. When he does fall it is a hard fall, and leaves readers with a lasting memory. The pair has a chemistry that is palpable; the sexual energy sizzles and pops as they come into proximity with each other.

Annabelle is a woman who is afraid to trust that anyone would want her for anything other than her fortune. Her emotional journey inherent with desiring Ian is a realistic one, her struggle to trust his feelings and hers is poignant and heartfelt. The secondary characters add to the story, never dominating but blending and adding depth. The subtle twists and turns kept this reader staying up late into the night to finish, yet not wanting the story to end too soon. One wonders what is next on the agenda from Lucy Monroe.