I received a copy of this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Passion Favors the Bold is a historical romance written by Theresa Romain. I have not read any of her other books, but Regency/Victorian stories are my favorite genre, and I am always excited to discover new authors.

I was instantly captivated by the heroine from the moment I first encountered her, masquerading as a street urchin. A male street urchin. A street urchin named Bone-box. Unconventional does not even begin to describe Georgette, and that is what makes her so fascinating. Georgette is paired with the rather subdued Lord Hugo, the younger son of a duke, who dreams of opening up a hospital but lacks the capital to do so. Hugo has promised his friend Benedict to keep an eye on Benedict’s sister- Georgette, of course. Needless to say, their madcap adventure in search of several trunks of missing gold coins is not what Benedict had in mind. As Georgette and Hugo get closer to solving the mystery, they realize that their lives may be in danger!

Passion Favors the Bold is just lovely. The hero falling in love with his friend’s sister is a common trope in the romance genre, but Romain has created a wholly original tale. This was achieved by combining two mismatched personalities. At first, it seems as though Georgette and Hugo have nothing in common; not only in terms of personality (introvert vs. extrovert) but also in terms of social class (he’s the son of a duke and her parents owned a bookshop). Despite these differences, they manage to form a friendship that grows into more over the course of the book. Add to this the tension of a mystery and the result is a delightful novel.

I would absolutely recommend Passion Favors the Bold. The dialogue is clever, and Georgette and Hugo have great chemistry. I also loved that Hugo was a doctor, especially his reasons for wanting to go into the field of medicine. As I mentioned at the beginning of the review, this was my first exposure to Theresa Romain, but I am looking forward to reading more of her books- especially Benedict’s story!