Dare to Kiss - Jo Beverley

In 1765 a desperate mother accepts shelter with a stranger for herself and her children, but at what cost?
England in the Georgian age was not kind to the poor. When Lily Gifford finds herself homeless in the countryside on a bitter November evening has no choice but to accept shelter from a passing stranger. But when she and her children arrive at Brooks Hall, the house is cold and neglected, and their host abandons them to his handful of resentful servants.
When Lily learns Sir Benjamin Brook's secret, she sees hope for herself and her family, if only she dare risk all to grasp it.

I used to read a lot of Beverley's books when I first started reading romance and when I saw her announcement that this novella was free for kindle I couldn't resist grabbing it.

I can't say it was a complete success though. It has a beauty and the beast type theme but while the hero was an OK character I never felt really comfortable with the heroine. She is rescued from the cold and homelessness by the hero and she immediately starts thinking of the best way to make him marry her. She is not upfront about her past problems, either with the hero or the reader and that was a problem for me.

Maybe if this had been a bigger book and we had more time to better know the characters that wouldn't have been a problem. If we had had time to understand the heroine and to see their relationship develop. Sadly things happen too fast in the relationship department and too slow on the truthfull and honest dialogue.

Grade: 2/5