REVIEW: The Viscount Risks It All by Erin Knightley

In The Viscount Risks It All (Prelude to a Kiss #4) by Erin Knightley, Gavin Stark, Viscount Derington, has spent over a decade trying to forget his lost opportunity with his childhood best friend Felicity Danby. He waited too long to confess his love and instead she married another. Now Felicity is a widow with a young child and back in Bath for the summer. Dering is intent on continuing to have fun with wild abandon until he finds himself once again under Felicity’s spell. But maybe this time he will have a chance to speak his mind and win her heart in the process.

‘She was not an old regret, or a missed opportunity. She wasn’t a newly single woman in need of romance, and she wasn’t a woman who deserved to be seduced. What she was, above all else, was his friend. And in his selfish desire for her, he’d lost track of that.’

Still grieving the loss of her beloved husband Ian not quite two years ago, Felicity reluctantly agreed to return to her hometown of Bath for the summer festivals. The one thing she is looking forward to is catching up with her former best friend Gavin. But she finds that while he is still outgoing and charming as ever, he holds himself back emotionally now. Felicity also feels a strange pull to him that she’s never had in the past and can’t believe that it could be romantic in nature. As she and Gavin become closer, though, it appears that she has some decisions to make about how she wants to proceed in their burgeoning relationship.

‘Felicity stood there, pulse hammering, staring up at one of the most beautiful men–inside and out–she had ever met. That hint of something that she’d only sensed between them over and over again had suddenly broken free inside of her. Attraction.’

A friends-to-lovers trope where the Hero was the brokenhearted one with unrequited love for the heroine? Yes, please. Erin Knightley delivered an absolutely charming historical romance with lovely characters, a solid plot, and passion galore.

If I wasn’t already a fan of Knightley’s writing before, The Viscount Risks It All would have definitely made me one. I loved the surprising little twists and turns in not only the plot but in how the characters were presented as well. It wasn’t that they acted out of the norm for the time period, but just in a refreshingly new way for how they would typically be created by authors in the genre. Our hero Gavin was certainly one such character, as was Felicity’s vicar brother Thomas. It made getting to know the cast that much more fun and interesting.

And speaking of fun, I do love a good friends-to-lovers trope, and this one was so satisfying and filled with moments that showed the connection of both friendship and passion between Felicity and Gavin. They were so cute together, with their teasing ways and competitiveness. I loved that they were actually polar opposites in terms of personality, with Gavin being so social and outgoing and Felicity as basically a homebody. But together they were a winning combination that I couldn’t help cheer on.

Even though this was a relatively ‘clean’ romance, there was no shortage of fireworks between our hero and heroine. The attraction was evident and became almost overwhelming for Gavin and Felicity as their renewed friendship developed into something much more. I really enjoyed the secondary characters chiming in on their relationship because it was done in a way that seemed both realistic and it kind of forced Felicity and Gavin to examine what was happening.

Erin Knightley has another hit on her hands with The Viscount Risks It All. I hope historical romance fans enjoy every single moment of this wonderfully entertaining novel just like I did.
 

Book Info:

Publication: Published January 5th 2016 | by Signet | Prelude to a Kiss #4

From the bestselling author of The Duke Can Go to the Devil, comes a new novel about destiny, and taking a risk on a second chance at love…

Gavin Stark, Viscount Derington, learned his lesson when his childhood love was swept off her feet by another man before Dering could declare himself. Ever since, he has lived a life of no regrets—reaching for what he wants while never again allowing himself to lose his heart. If the experience taught him anything, it was never to risk what he wasn’t willing to lose.

Lady Felicity Danby had everything she ever wanted in life until the moment her husband died, turning her world upside down. A year and a half later, she is finally ready to return to Bath to spend the summer visiting family. She finds comfort in her old childhood friend, but is taken off guard when passion begins to simmer between them. She’s already lost everything once—can she possibly risk her heart a second time?