Flirting with Fortune by Erin Knightley

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Description:
An Honest Deception

Sir Colin Tate has never imagined marrying for money. But debts left by his artist father have put his siblings’ futures in danger. To wed an eligible heiress, this independent-minded Scot must play by restrictive rules—until an irresistible lady dares to pursue her passion for art…and him.

An Unexpected Desire

Lady Beatrice Moore can spy a fortune hunter as expertly as she captures subjects on canvas. But when she meets the striking son of Britain’s most celebrated painter, the attraction is instantaneous—blinding her to the possibility that he could ever be one of those schemers…

An Unthinkable Dilemma

Then the truth comes out, shattering Lady Beatrice’s faith in the mischievous yet kind man who has captured her heart. With reputations and fortunes hanging in the balance, Colin and she must find a way to trust in a love that cannot be proven—or face an unfathomable loss.

Review:

Flirting with Fortune is the 3^rd book in Erin Knightley’s Sealed With a Kiss series.  This series concentrates on the wealthy and powerful Moore children, as they each find their destined mates.  The first two wonderful books in this series belonged to Evie and Benedict, then Richard with Jane.   In Flirting with Fortune, it is Bea’s turn, and her parents are pushing her hard to find a husband before she gets much older.  But Bea, who is an artist, is much like Evie was; she isn’t interested in the men she must face at the coming out balls.  As far as Bea is concerned, they are all Fortune Hunters, looking only for the dowry that comes with picking a bride.  She is determined to never marry a fortune hunter.  Bea’s only interest is her art, which gives her so much joy, and the late famous artist, Sir Frederick Tate is her idol.

We meet our hero, Colin Tate, who is the late artist’s son, before the ball, where he will be introduced.  While waiting in the study, he spots someone looking at all the art work of his father.  Both Colin and Bea meet here, and they find themselves intrigued and attracted to each other fairly quickly.  But it isn’t until Bea finds out Colin is her idol’s son that she makes her mother officially introduce her.

What follows is an wonderful romance, as both Colin and Bea find themselves falling in love.  The relationship between them was so much fun to watch, as they had such great chemistry; easygoing camaraderie, cute banter between them, and they were just simply irresistible together. 

Colin knew that Bea was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, he was hopelessly in love.  But he worried, as he had a secret that could destroy his relationship with Bea.  Colin’s father left the family deep in debt, and Colin having his family depend on him as the eldest son, to find a way to save his home in Scotland.  This was the real reason he was forced to come to England to find a wife with a dowry to help him pay off those debts.  But Colin truly loves Bea, and he is afraid she will think he wants her only for the money, as she is obsessed with hating Fortune Hunters.  When he meets Richard (Bea’s brother) to ask for her hand in marriage, Colin tells him the truth and explains a solution that Richard finds acceptable and proves his love to Bea.

Unfortunately, we knew Bea would learn the truth of Colin’s debt.  What happens next is a very painful period that had me somewhat unhappy with Bea’s behavior.   I loved Colin and his determination to prove his love, at the same time I wanted to smack Bea a few times.  Will Colin win Bea’s forgiveness?   Well this is pure romance, so you pick the answer.  As I have mentioned in previous reviews, Erin Knightley has a wonderful voice, and her romances are fun and enjoyable to read, as well as having some great characters in this series.  I suggest you start with the first book (More Than a Stranger) before you read Flirting with Fortune.  You won’t be sorry, as Sealed With a Kiss is a wonderful series.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher