Who is he? 

At the age of four Alexander St. Clare was stolen by gypsies and sold to a chimney sweep. At the age of five he was reunited with his father. His history is no secret—everyone in the ton knows of his miraculous rescue.

But when Alexander finds his father’s diaries, he discovers that there may be a secret buried in his past…

Georgiana Dalrymple knows all about secrets. She has several herself—and one of those secrets is her ability to find missing people.

When Alexander turns to her for help, Georgiana sets out to discover just who he actually is…

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Discovering Miss Dalrymple (Baleful Godmother Historical Romance Series Book 6)

My Review:             

Georgiana “Georgie” Dalrymple has a very unique family history.  The females in her family line are able to select a special power or ability they’d like to have, and on their twenty-third birthday, their wish will be granted.  This is due to a fairy godmother (yes, really) being in debt to one of her ancestors.  When Georgie was eighteen, she fell in love with Hubert, and they became engaged.  Before they could marry, Hubert disappeared and was never seen again.  Five years later, when Georgie was able to choose her gift, she chose the ability to find things.  Unfortunately, she learned that Hubert was dead, and all she found was his grave.  In the year since she learned of Hubert’s death, she has been spending time with lifelong friend, Alexander “Vic” St. Clare, the Duke of Vickery, and slowly falling in love again.

Vic has loved Georgie for years, and his heart broke when she became engaged to his best friend, Hubert.  Still, he hid his feelings, and wished them well, never wishing for any harm to come to Hubert.  In the past year, Vic and Georgie have gone riding almost every day, and have become very close.  Vic feels that Georgie is healing, and plans to ask her to marry him.  All his plans go by the wayside when he reads his deceased father’s journals, and his father questions whether Vic is truly his biological son.

There was a tragic incident from Vic’s distant past.  When he was a very young child, the maids who were watching him let their attention lapse, and Vic disappeared.  It was believed he was kidnapped.  His father, up to that point, had actually spent very little time with him, and was only aware of his most unique feature – mismatched eyes, one blue, and one green.  When the previous duke tracks down a child who was forced to work as a chimney sweep, and has those same odd eyes, he’s convinced he’s found his son and heir.  Yet, as Vic grows up, he bears no other resemblance to either parent or their family, so the duke has a niggling doubt.

Vic doesn’t feel he can offer for Georgie until he knows the truth about his past.  He asks her to confide in him how she was able to find Hubert, and Georgie decides to share her ability.  They then begin a journey of discovering Vic’s past and who he really is.  Though Georgie is the gifted one, this book is truly Vic’s story.  Each person they encounter who was part of Vic’s long ago life puts in place a missing piece of the puzzle.  What will happen if Vic is truly not the duke’s son?  How can he even consider marriage to Georgie?

The romance, while heartfelt, takes a back seat to Vic’s fear and confusion.  He was raised to be such an honorable man, yet he doesn’t seem to be able to see his own worth anymore.  I love how Georgie supported him, and was patient with him, while he dealt with the shocking events of his past.  DISCOVERING MISS DALRYMPLE provided a happy ever after that was very satisfying, though with some surprising revelations.  I am really enjoying Emily Larkin’s BALEFUL GODMOTHER series, with her memorable and unique characters, the magic, and most of all, the romance.  Recommended.