The Lie and the Lady

November 16, 2015
With a delightfully daring, tongue-in-cheek sense of both humor and romance, Noble continues where The Game and the Governess left off, this time following the exploits of Letitia, the widowed Countess Churzy, and John Turner, a commoner she thought was the Earl of Ashby, in 1820s England. Letty embarked on a somewhat controversial first marriage to an Austrian count, followed by an even more scandalous escapade in England (during which she met John) after her husband’s death. Now she has only her title and wedding ring to her name. After some time abroad, she returns to England as the fiancée of a somewhat older, titled widower—only to find out that her new home is right in John’s backyard. Building on the strength of the main plot, Noble’s secondary characters almost steal the show with their vulnerability and quirks. The relationship between John and Letty feels, at times, contrived and almost Shakespearean, and the book starts painfully slowly, but the addition of an over-the-top villain is just enough to tie the tale into a heartwarming whole. Agent: Annelise Robey, Jane Rotrosen Literary Agency.

Starred review from December 15, 2015
John Turner had very nearly ruined Letty's life. The widowed Countess of Herzog thought she was falling in love with the Earl of Ashbury, but what she didn't realize at the time was that John, who was employed as the earl's personal secretary, had switched places with his friend on a bet. Now, a year later, Letty has finally found Sir Bartholomew Babcock, a nice widower willing to marry her, and she is hell-bent on closing the deal before Sir Barty finds out about her earlier romantic mishap with John. Letty arrives in Helmsley all set to charm her fiance, his daughter Margaret, and other residents of the small village, only to discover that the owner of the village mill just happens to be John. With her usual witty writing and exquisite flair for characterization, Noble offers readers the second, splendid book in her Winner Takes All series. The effortless manner in which she wrote The Lie and the Lady as a separate love story while at the same time gracefully connecting it to The Game and the Governess (2014) and cleverly hinting at what is to come in the series is nothing less than brilliant.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)