Pride & Passion (Brethren Guardians #2) by Charlotte Featherstone

I received this book as an E-Galley from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review of it.  I received no other compensation.  Here is the Goodreads Blurb:

They each have their secrets but what they share is passion.

Lucy Ashton had long ago given up her quest for true love. In the rarified society of Victorian England, Lucy plays the game - flirting, dancing and dabbling in the newly fashionable spiritualism. Even marrying when - and who - she's supposed to. If the stuffy Duke of Sussex cannot spark the passion she craves, he can as least give her a family, a home of her own, and a place to belong. When her polite marriage reveals a caring and sensual man, Lucy begins to wonder if she can indeed have it all.

But Lord Sussex is not the man the London ton has come to admire. And Lucy has some ghosts of her own, as well. Thus, when a blackmail scheme turns to threats of danger, the newfound pease of the Sussex marriage is cast upon the rocks. Passion has a price, Lucy learns. And not all ghosts stay buried.

I waited impatiently for this book after reading the first in the series over the summer.  This book was an excellent second in the series.  I loved every minute of it.  I can't say that I loved Lucy's character in the first book because it seemed like she was just so ridiculous and selfish as she ran around trying to protect this guy who didn't deserve her time but in this book we really get to see what makes her tick.  I really enjoyed watching Lucy come to the realization that she did care for the Duke and that she was purposefully avoiding him mainly because her father felt that he was a proper match for her.  There is a twist at the end that is just ... amazing.  This book also gives us a bit more information on Sussex's sister and why she interacts the way she does with the third member of the Brethren Guardians- setting up the third book.  All in all this was a lovely story that I devoured in one sitting.  I just could not put it down.  This series is for adults and has a sprinkling of sexual scenes.  You can click here to add the series to your Goodreads.  I highly recommend that you try this series as it mixes historical romance with mystery and magic.

Pride and Passion earns 5 Fairies from me for an interesting story with mystery and magic!