The latest in the Merry Widows series features Beatrice, Lady Somerfield. As a 35-year-old widow with two young daughters, she keeps quite busy chaperoning her niece and working for the Benevolent Widows Fund, a charity assisting widows of soldiers killed in the war. On the night of a masquerade ball, she dresses as Artemis and unexpectedly attracts the eye of a handsome stranger dressed as a maharaja. Though her friends in the charity (secretly known as the Merry Widows), are all enjoying their widowhood by taking lovers, she has not been willing to do so. Until now.

Gabriel, Marquess of Thayne, has only recently returned to England. He intends to find a suitable bride before his 30th birthday arrives, but at the masquerade ball he is surprisingly strongly attracted to the mysterious Artemis. After the night is over and she has left him without revealing her identity, he is torn between the business of tracking her down and courting a prospective bride.

The author excels in portraying the strong and instantaneous attraction between Thayne and Beatrice. Beatrice is amazed from the experience, yet a bit shocked at herself. Thayne wants to go about finding a bride, but cannot get Artemis out of his head. The story brings on some entertaining twists when the two are finally formally introduced when Thane – who considers courting Beatrice’s beautiful niece – does not recognize Beatrice in her role as a chaperone, nor does Beatrice see anything familiar in the coolly reserved Marquess.

The storyline revolves primarily around their continued attraction to each other before and after their secret identities are revealed. It’s fun to see the sparks continually fly between Beatrice and Thayne, and there’s a refreshing amount of suspense and tension because they do not instantly recognize each other.

Beatrice enjoyed little freedom in her first marriage and is now enjoying her independence. She is the most vehement of the Merry Widows about not re-marrying, though she’s willing to have a very discreet affair. The question of whether Thayne can change her mind – and if he will even want to – is the other issue that pushes the plot forward.

The portion of the book where Thayne and Beatrice meet and deal with their attraction under different identities is smoothly written and thoroughly engrossing. However, the last third of the book caused my opinion to spiral downward. All of a sudden, Beatrice doesn’t know what she wants and she irrationally insists on viewing Thayne’s actions in the worst light. She treats him far worse than he deserves, and nasty accusations, ugly names, and stupid misunderstandings are thrown around. I was left wondering what the benefit was in having a mature protagonist if she was going to act like an adolescent? I was deeply disappointed in Beatrice’s seeming loss of both her intelligence and her maturity.

One additional problem: I hope I’m not the only one getting really tired of thematic nicknames for a group of friends in this time period. Every reference to the Merry Widows sounded absurd, and sometimes their banter seemed forced. At one point, they discuss various positions and techniques that they have used with their lovers. The tone and dialogue of this scene was more Sex and the City than Regency.

I really, really enjoyed the first half of this book when it was simply Beatrice and Thayne, two adults who, knowing the consequences, pursued an affair with each other. While Beatrice’s regression didn’t completely wipe away my enjoyment, it did take a good deal away.