The Charmer without a Cause (The Prestons Book 3)

Benjamin Preston just inherited ten thousand pounds. Suddenly he is very popular with the young ladies and mothers of the ton. He is interested in marrying for love, so he is disinterested in the women flinging themselves at him. He does have a history of falling in love instantly and has already been in love with three ladies. All of them enjoyed him till someone better came along. When a woman catches his eye at a musicale—though the statuesque blonde beauty stays back from him—it is love at first sight for Benjamin. Lydia Devereaux happens to be interested in him for his money to help her cause of freeing the Catholics in Ireland. She is very invested in this cause and will stoop to any level to further her cause, even entering into a loveless marriage.

“The Charmer Without a Cause” is a well-researched novel which encompasses the plight of the Catholics in Ireland in the 1800’s. This dilemma is aptly brought to life when the death of Lydia’s lover is described. The Preston family is delightful with their quirks imposed by their patriarch, Baron Ashforth. This is a slow-moving tale that never increases its pace. Lydia is not the most likeable heroine. She does not recognize Benjamin’s worth, while she works to swindle him out of his inheritance. Lydia is one dimensional and thinks of Benjamin as collateral damage in her cause to free the Irishmen. For the most part, the secondary characters have no substance. People interested in the quandary of the Irish in history would greatly enjoy this authentic story of the 1800’s. 

Belinda Wilson