ARC Review: The Lady and the Millworker by Lisa Torquay

About the Book:

Title: The Lady and the Mill Worker

Author: Lisa Torquay

Series: Ladies and Strays #2

Publication Date: Sept. 28, 2021

Synopsis: The Lady and the Mill Worker (Includes bonus erotic novella)

Some like it rough!

Lady Emma Stapleton was assigned by her brother, the Earl of Worley, to save the earldom. Though she hasn’t volunteered, her task is to marry the richest mill owner in the land and siphon the resources to save the earl. And like sheep walking to the slaughter house, Emma travels to her intended’s mansion to accomplish her mission with dutiful intent. Only she hadn’t counted on colliding with one portentous mill worker capable of dismantling everything she thought right and heat her insides in the process. But her allegiance must be to her lineage and rank even if giving him up feels like tearing her own soul.

Edgard Lynch has been working in that bloody mill since he was eight. Embittered by a life-long exploitation, he has no illusions and even less hope. Yet, when Lady Emma bursts into his universe, she shatters it to its last grain of dust. She’s not to be touched, but he’ll throw ranks and decency to the blazes if it means he can lose himself in her kisses.

The Lady and the Solicitor

A lady on fire!

Eleanor, recently widowed Lady Bradford, married her much older late husband under her parents’ pressure. But the deceased Lord Bradford didn’t deliver in the bedchamber. Free from her burdens, Eleanor set out in search of a paramour that would fulfil the desires she’d only glimpsed during her marriage. She looked around her circle with little success. Until her bland, watered-down solicitor gave signs that a fire burned beneath his impersonal stance. Curious, she decided to peel his insipid surface and his insipid clothes to discover what lay beneath them.

At twenty-eight, Walter Gresham inherited the solicitor’s firm from its former owner. He’s desired Lady Bradford from the first moment he lay eyes on her. But he has a physical condition that prevents him from consorting with decent ladies. As Eleanor literally corners him, he’s about to succumb to his rapacious hunger even at the risk of having her flee from him in horrified scorn.

LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon

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My Review:

The Lady and the Millworker is the second book in Lisa Torquay’s Ladies and Strays series, and it is a unique and steamy historical romance. The story follows Lay Emma Stapleton, who has been ordered by her brother to marry a rich mill-owner to save the earldom. Emma travels to her betrothed’s mansion to reluctantly fulfill her duty. However, she never expects to meet Edgard.

A mill worker who works for Emma’s intended, Edgard Lynch can’t deny his feelings for the enchanting Emma. However, he knows they have no future. They come from different worlds, she is engaged, and Edgard knows he can’t give Emma the life she deserves. Emma feels the same way about Edgard from their first meeting, but she is bound by her duty to her brother and the earldom. Can they resist the feelings they have for each other when so many obstacles stand in their way?

Emma’s frustrations stem from her lack of choice, and she does everything she can to take charge of her life. She is smart and determined, and I love that she fights against injustices and inequality. Like Emma, Edgard doesn’t have much choice in his life and seems resigned to his fate. Edgard is a proud and honorable mill worker who has lost hope of living a better life. That is until he meets Emma. Though they come from very different worlds, they have a lot in common, including their strength, determination, and resilience. Plus, their chemistry is fantastic! They have such a deep connection and attraction to each other, and they prove that social and economic constraints shouldn’t define a relationship.

I was happy to see some of the characters in the previous book make appearances in this book. It’s always wonderful to see what couples from earlier stories are doing and how their relationships have progressed. These characters, the epitome of progress, are much like Edgard and Emma in their beliefs about the treatment of workers, and they change working conditions for those they employ.

The story describes the vast differences of social stations during this time, as well as the maltreatment of the working class. The beautiful mansion, for example, stands in stark contrast to the homes of the millworkers. The conditions couldn’t be more different. Children working at young ages, women only receiving half the wages of men for equal work, and deplorable working and living conditions are other inequities brought to light. There are definite messages here about the unfair treatment of women, children, and workers and the need for reform in the mills and in society.

Though this is the second book in the series, you don’t need to read the first book in the series to understand and appreciate this one. The book also includes a bonus novella, which is an erotic historical romance set in the same world as the main story. It’s pretty steamy, and the characters have explosive chemistry! Overall, I would definitely recommend this to lovers of historical romance, and I’m thankful to Lisa Torquay for providing me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.