REVIEW: ‘A Lady of Persuasion’ by Tessa Dare

A Lady of Persuasion is the third book in Tessa Dare’s trilogy of Regency romances. It’s another strong tale and cements Dare’s reputation as an author to watch.

Sir Toby Aldridge is the jilted fiancé of Sophia Hathaway, the heroine in Surrender of a Siren. Toby was left humiliated when Sophia ran away and is doubly so now that she has returned to London society with her new husband in tow. Toby is a gentleman to the core and has done his best to achieve damage limitation. As such, Sophia and her husband, Gray, are not shunned by the ton. Despite his efforts to assist Sophia, Toby has no love for either her or Gray. When fate places Gray’s sister, Isabel, in his path, Toby is sorely tempted to toy with her and get his revenge on her brother and sister-in-law.

Isabel Grayson is enjoying her first London season. Raised on the island of Tortula by her two half-brothers, she has led a very different life to that of other girls her age. Isabel is devoted to charitable works. Her dearest ambition is to marry a member of parliament through whom she can influence laws on slavery and other social injustices. When she encounters Toby Aldridge at a ball, she is attracted to him, but immediately dismisses him as husband material. Toby has a reputation as a rake and a man of no ambition. Toby is determined to win Isabel’s hand and so he makes a rash promise to run for a seat in parliament.

Gray and Sophia are horrified by Isabel’s decision to marry Toby and try their best to dissuade her. Ironically enough, Toby’s family – who have every reason to resent Isabel and her relatives - welcome her with open arms. Through Toby’s mother and sister, Isabel finds plentiful good works to keep her occupied. Toby, meanwhile, begins his reluctant campaign for a parliamentary seat. Will Toby and Isabel find true happiness in their marriage?

I enjoyed A Lady of Persuasion and found it a fitting end to the trilogy. Toby is my favourite of the three heroes and I thought he and Isabel worked well together. There’s also a wonderful secondary romance featuring Joss, Isabel’s black half-brother, and Hetta, a female physician. I sometimes find reunion scenes featuring characters from previous books a little dull, but they worked in this book, especially the one when Lucy gave birth to her first child.

One element of the story I didn’t enjoy was seeing a nasty side to Sophia and Gray. Given their characters in Surrender of a Siren, I was more disappointed than surprised. Gray is possessive and authoritarian and Sophia is selfish. They treat Toby abominably when they ought to be grateful to him for salvaging their reputations. Thankfully, most of this occurs at the start of the book.

This quibble aside, A Lady of Persuasion is an entertaining read and is sure to delight fans of Tessa Dare’s previous books. Given the ensemble cast feel of several scenes, I would highly recommend reading Goddess of the Hunt and Surrender of a Siren before picking this one up. Grade: B

Also Reviewed:

Goddess of the Hunt (2009) by Tessa Dare - Book 1 of the trilogy

Surrender of a Siren (2009) by Tessa Dare – Book 2 of the trilogy

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