She Whom I Love by Tess Bowery
Book #2: Treading the Boards Series
Source: Purchase
My Rating: 4½/5 stars
My Review:

Marguerite (aka Meg) Ceniza lives her life as she sees fit! As an actress, Meg gets to play a variety of roles that allow her to play out her need for attention in front of a receptive audience each and every night. Meg has no interest in marriage or children or generally being tied down but she is interested in being loved and cared for. Sophie (aka Sarah) Armand is far quieter and more reserved than her best-friend, Meg and has a great deal of interest in being married, having children, and being loved and cared for. Though the two women are wildly different, they have long been friends and most recently, have become lovers. Though their affair will most certainly bring them both pleasure, it won’t bring either of them the security of marriage and family.

James Glover isn’t a wealthy or titled man but he does have a respectable income thanks to his stay/corset designs. His work is beautiful and finely crafted and certainly appeals to many women among London society. With his financial future virtually assured, it is now time for James to settle his personal future. Unfortunately, James can’t quite decide between two women, Meg and Sophie, which causes him to devise the most ill-conceived of plans, he will court them both, make Sophie his wife and keep Meg as his mistress. What could possibly go wrong here??? Within days of settling on his plan, James is found out and the two women take the most delightfully delicious and sensual revenge on him for his trickery. (FYI: This is one of the best scenes in the book ) Never in his wildest dreams would James have imagined not only having both women but both women being willing to share themselves with each other as much as with him. What could possibly go wrong here???

As these things tend to go (says the girl who has no first-hand knowledge of such things ) the initial stages of the love triangle are filled with shared naughty moments and promises of never abandoning one another. But Meg, Sophie, and James are all still human and their respective situations don’t lend themselves to making things more permanent. Meg doesn’t want something permanent but wants both James and Sophie, Sophie to love her and James to care for her financially. James fears he will lose Meg if he follows his heart and proposes marriage to Sophie and fears Sophie will step aside if he shows too much attention to Meg. Sophie has a comfortable position as a lady’s maid and fears losing both Meg and James due to the responsibilities and duties demanded by her job. Clearly, the three need to have a serious talk but, as with any good book, they choose to keep their feelings and fears inside until everything falls apart.

Of the three, Meg has always been the most reckless, the most careless and has relied on Sophie (among others) to bail her out of her messes. Her most recent mess is the direst she has ever faced and with Sophie and James so very, very mad at her, she has no choice but to get herself (and James’s sister) out of the dilemma. Mind you, the dilemma isn’t simple or small but large and dangerous and it will take everything in Meg (and maybe a few surprise rescuers!) to right the wrongs she has created.

The Bottom Line: Bowery is finding her stride with She Whom I Love and I thoroughly enjoyed the naughty little period piece. Of the group, James and Sophie are my favorites with Meg and her selfish, flighty ways coming in a distant third. To say the trio has an unconventional arrangement wouldn’t even be in the ballpark and it is the unconventionality that makes this read so exciting. Sophie and Meg are opposite sides of the same coin making it impossible for James to decide on just one woman. The women’s willingness to share James and themselves leads to some delightfully naughty scenes and shared intimate moments. The drama the trio find themselves embroiled in is just right for this read and doesn’t drag on for long. Ultimately, She Whom I Love is a romance that does have a HEA that I found to be most satisfying.

P.S. Though you don’t have to have read book one, Rite of Summer to enjoy She Whom I Love, I would recommend reading them in order. There are a few little details in this second book that relate to people and moments from the first book. ( )