A Debutante in Disguise: A Regency Historical Romance

By Eleanor Webster

A society lady

…with a secret!

Determined to help people, Letty Barton has a double life—she’s a trained doctor! No one must know “Dr. Hatfield” is actually a woman. Called to an emergency, she comes face-to-face with her patient’s brother, Lord Anthony Ashcroft… They’d once shared a spark-filled flirtation—now he’s a brooding, scarred war hero. But how long will it be before he recognizes her beneath her disguise and the sparks begin to fly once more?

“Wonderfully romantic with misunderstandings galore, Her Convenient Husband’s Return will, indeed, capture you and your imagination”

— Dragons Read Too! on Her Convenient Husband’s Return

“This was a 5-star read for me … A book to read slowly and savor.”

— Goodreads on Her Convenient Husband’s Return

• Language: English
• Publisher: Harlequin Historical
• Release date: Jun 1, 2019
• ISBN: 9781488047350

Eleanor Webster

Eleanor Webster loves high-heels and sun, which is ironic as she lives in northern Canada, the land of snowhills and unflattering footwear. Various crafting experiences, including a nasty glue-gun episode, have proven that her creative soul is best expressed through the written word. Eleanor is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in psychology and holds an undergraduate degree in history and creative writing. She loves to use her writing to explore her fascination with the past.

Reviews for A Debutante in Disguise

[scoutmomskf · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good book with an unusual theme. Letty Barton was fascinated by the world of medicine from the time she was a child, but as a woman becoming a doctor was impossible. Not one to back down from a challenge, Letty found a way. Now she leads a double life - society miss, with a secret identity as Dr. Hatfield, and lives in constant fear of discovery. While helping a pregnant woman, Letty encounters her brother, a man she had met briefly several years earlier.I liked both Letty and Tony. Letty is a misfit. She has no social skills and really doesn't care, which irritates her matchmaking mother to no end. Letty would much rather be reading a medical journal than attending a society event. She is methodical and scientific in her thoughts and actions, reluctant to believe in anything that doesn't fit. I loved her determination and how she found a way to get her medical training. Her satisfaction at helping people far outweighs any thought of marriage. Though ill at ease in social situations, Letty is confident in her abilities as a doctor and willing to stand up for those abilities. Tony is no longer the cheerful and charming man he used to be. He is scarred and haunted by his losses and the things he saw on the battlefield and suffers from nightmares and flashbacks. He feels numb to everything around him.I liked the development of the relationship between Letty and Tony. I liked their first meeting at a ball before the war. Letty pulled her usual disappearing act, hiding out in the library and reading. Tony, the object of several determined young women's pursuit, also ended up in the library. He was intrigued by the young woman who didn't try to flirt and was more interested in the article about cowpox than in him. She was surprised to find a man who honestly seemed interested in what she had to say. But this was only a brief encounter and their lives took different paths, though each remembered the other.Letty encounters Tony several times, both as Dr. Hatfield and as herself. Tony is still intrigued by Letty, who reacts to his scars far differently than anyone else. Her forthright attitude stirs feelings in him that have been missing for a long time. Letty is wary around Tony, and fears that he will discover her secret. In an emotional scene, Letty intervenes during one of his nightmares. The sparks between them flared into an unexpected passion, which then sent them both running for cover. Neither feels that being together is a good idea. A man in her life would end her work as a doctor, and he feels too broken to be good for anyone. Things become more complicated when Tony discovers Letty's deception in a painful confrontation. I ached for Letty as she faced the loss of the work she loves and the man she has come to love. I hurt, too, for Tony whose battlefield memories got tangled up with Letty's work, causing his over-the-top reaction. The ending was complex, with Letty's passion for her calling helping Tony come to terms with his past and his future, and his honest interest in her work giving her a feeling of validation she'd never had before. But there was still the issue of feeling that they couldn't be together to overcome. I loved their big moment at the end when they realized that their love for each other was more important than society's opinions.