(A School of Gallantry Novella)
Genre: Victorian Historical Romance
Official Blurb
He believes in destiny. She just wants to survive it…
At forty, Lady Cecilia Evangeline Stone thinks she has everything a woman could ever want. A title, a fortune, and four children who make her proud. After a marriage of convenience that was anything but convenient, she has no desire to complicate her life by including a man in it again. When her eldest son announces his engagement to a Russian actress in Saint Petersburg, Cecilia sets out to do what any good mother would do: stop the wedding. Unfortunately, destiny has other plans.
Konstantin Alexie Levin never considered himself to be a villain. In fact, he considers himself to be a Russian gentleman. Having grown up in a refined and well-educated family that embraced criminal life to avoid debtor’s prison, the only thing preventing him from knowing happiness is the rest of the world. Everything changes, however, when Konstantin is given a chance to start life anew and travel to London to collect an unexpected reward for saving a man’s life. To his surprise, he is about to become a hero at midnight to a beautiful aristocrat who desperately needs his help. The problem is…he wants to do more than save Lady Stone. He wants to make the woman his, all his.
WARNING: This book is Rated Double S (Sweaty & Sinful) and contains strong language and sexual content which may cause respectable people to swoon.
★✩★✩★✩★
ROMANCING LADY STONE is unashamedly romantic and I loved every moment of it! This novella has everything I love about Delilah’s books in a small, neat package…emotive and evocative writing, an innovative story, richly drawn characters, wonderful chemistry, sizzling love scenes and lovely touches of humour.
In the distance, she heard a hall clock chime twelve times.
It was destiny.
I totally fell in love with Konstantin and Cecilia…so perfect for each other. Through their love, Konstantin shrugs off the shackles of his criminal past to become the man he was meant to be…respectable and honourable; Cecilia becomes the woman she has always longed to be…daring and passionate. The idea of destiny, the watch and the magical hour of midnight being central to the plot has great appeal. I love that this is simply the story of two people falling in love…their uncertainties…their hopes…their dreams.
Delilah’s stories aren’t just a series of steamy love scenes but a beautiful blending of poignancy, tenderness and sensuality. I love how the romance plays out…they talk …they laugh…they make love… they even dance naked together. Everything seems so real and natural. It feels they are truly meant to be together.
Delilah is known for her scorching hot love scenes but just wait until you read the BATH SCENE! This is one of the funniest and sexiest scenes I’ve read in a long time!
I am so happy that the enigmatic, scarred Duc de Andelot and Madam de Maintenon, owner of the School of Gallantry, will be getting their own full length book. From the teasers in this novella, it promises to be a heartrending second-chance love story.
I adore Cecilia’s overly romantic, starry-eyed daughters. I cheered them when they encouraged their mother to call on Konstantin and find the happiness she deserves. The scene where Konstantin asks the girls for permission to marry their mother is such a delightful touch and the charming Epilogue left me with a big smile on my face.
If you have never read any of Delilah’s books, then ROMANCING LADY STONE is the perfect introduction. I’ll be surprised if don’t want to rush out and grab the rest of the School of Gallantry series!
REVIEW RATING: 5/5 STARS
SENSUALITY RATING: HOT!
Read August 2013
My thanks to Delilah Marvelle for kindly sending a copy of this novella in return for an honest review. The pleasure was all mine.
School of Gallantry series to date (click on the covers for more details) :
Rakes And Rascals 
Oh I just started reading this Nd now I can’t wait!!
I thought it was just soooo romantic! Sexy as well, of course…after all, it is Delilah!
I finished this book a few days a go and WOW WOW everything you said is right on point! This book was wonderful. This is one of the many MANY reasons why Delilah Mavelle is an auto-buy author for me.
Beautiful Review Carol!
Oopps! typo… *Marvelle*
Thank you, Lindsey. 🙂 The School of Gallantry was the series that introduced me to Delilah Marvelle and she went straight on my auto-buy list! I can’t get enough of her books!
I try to read everything before I post it but I still find typos!
Haven’t read it yet. It’s on my TBR list. After reading your review, Carol, can’t wait to read.
I can’t wait to hear what you think of it, Sandra!
You’ve convinced me twice in a row now. I’ve just bought RLS and The Sheik Retold. Both sound fantastic!
So I didn’t buy TSR. I just thought I did. But I’m going to. I blame the desert heat coming off that trailer in waves… Anyway, what I was *trying* to say is…you’re doing too good a job of increasing my TBR pile, Carol.
Jillian, I hope you enjoy RLS as much as I did. I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of The Sheik Retold from Victoria but the official date of publication in 13 September. I have a review to finish and post and then I’ll start reading it!
I have the same problem with my TBR pile. It never diminishes because, for every book I read, I seem to acquire two or three more!!
Carol, what a fabulous review! I have read only one Delilah book but I did love it. This one sounds great. I feel so overwhelmed lately with the TBR pile that I’m reading stuff that I feel I must for review and not reading stuff that I really truly want to read, like Delilah. Time to step back and start reading for fun again.
Thank you, Dot. 🙂 I love Delilah’s books! I have read all but the last book of her Rumor series and every book published in the School of Gallantry series. I also have her Scandal series to read. Mainly I do read books for pleasure but I still feel overwhelmed because I look at my TBR pile and I want to read them all now!