Review 

The Devil of Drury Lane by Tracy Sumner

  Mercy Ainsworth loved drawing and getting into mischief. Her father despised both. It was her Nanny that cautioned her to play the game, hide her more spirited side and become a demure Miss in public while feeding her love of art in a less public place.

 

She had been attracted to Damien DeWitt, the youngest of the Duke’s three sons whose residence bordered her father’s estate, since she was a young girl. They said he was the quiet one, but she saw beyond his outer façade, a power and resolve that she captured in a sketch she drew of him. Allas, she lost it to the wind when she was called home. It was his brother who found the sketch and called it to Damien. As he held it closely to his nose, in order to see it without his spectacles, she had seen a depicted a strength in him that he himself had never dared to bring forth in his father’s presence.

 

Years had passed and Mercy had found a way to hide her true self from her father. For Damien the gossips had titled him the Devil of Drury Lane, with women. His brothers maybe but never him. She was sure, but curious about the title. Her father was selling her, in marriage, to pay off his debts. Mercy would have the man she wanted, hide the truth and satisfy her curiosity. She wanted Damien DeWitt and they would enjoy each other.

 

This short novella is packed with secrets, insights, spicy romance and the oft reminder that there was a time when parents having little care for their offspring would abuse or use them to enhance their fortunes. While, at times there are those siblings who will support each other no matter what it takes. I loved the fact that Damien and Mercy were at the center of the story, with others as characters that enriched the background of the tale. This quick read sucked me in from the first page with characters that appeared to live in the real world then, found the means to be themselves and finally a way to be together. I highly recommend this tale if you love spicy romance that feels like it could have come straight off the pages of a diary written more than 200 years ago