A Love Most Daring - Review

A Love Most Daring (Bow Street, # 3)

By: Joanna Barker

Expected Publication: March 3, 2026 by Shadow Mountain

320 pages

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction, Regency

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon )

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Goodreads description--From best-selling author Joanna Barker: Proper romance meets page-turning mystery in this captivating tale of danger, redemption, and love worth fighting for.

After years of whispered gossip and quiet exile in the countryside, Beatrice Lacey arrives in London determined to reclaim her life. But her resolve is shaken when she witnesses a horrific attack tied to a chilling high-profile murder case gripping the city.

Thrust into sudden danger, Beatrice finds herself under the reluctant protection of Alexander Rawlings—a brooding Bow Street officer with a guarded heart and a fierce sense of duty. Though it's clear he’d rather be chasing the killer than shielding a scandal-stained Society miss, their forced closeness begins to unravel his defenses. In the unnerving moments between danger and discovery, every sharp exchange and lingering glance fans a slow-burning connection—one neither of them expected and neither can resist.

With danger closing in and old wounds resurfacing, trust may be their only refuge—and love their most daring risk of all.

*A Love Most Daring should really be listed as the third in a series IMO. A Heart Worth Stealing would be book 1. Then So True a Love would be book 2. This book wasn't listed as third in the series at the time of writing this review, but strangely enough the previous two books I just mentioned weren't listed in a series either until I just looked and they are now listed in the Bow Street series. The first book being about Ginny & Jack. The second book is about Verity, Jack's sister, and Nathaniel. And now this book, A Love Most Daring is about Ginny's best friend, Beatrice, and a fellow Bow Street Runner, Alexander.

Beatrice is in London visiting Ginny & Jack. Ginny has been trying to matchmake her with a different Bow Street Runner, Mr. Drake. Yet Beatrice has been involved in a slight scandal in the past. She stumbled upon a lady of the ton in a compromising situation with a man, but instead of that lady's reputation being ruined, she spread rumors about Beatrice instead. She's spent two years at home, but she's been lonely, and she hopes the gossip will have died down. Unfortunately, once Rawlings realizes that Beatrice has her sights set on his friend Drake, he begins asking around about her, which doesn't give him a favorable opinion of her. He behaves rather rudely towards Beatrice and thwarts one of her and Ginny's attempts to spend time with Mr. Drake. Rawlings gets trapped into the outing instead.

During this outing, a criminal attempts to stab Rawlings for his part in investigating a murder. And Beatrice both saves his life and sees the attacker's face. Rawlings and Beatrice go into hiding while the other Bow Street Runners take over the murder investigation. Alexander and Beatrice end up going to his estate where his mother has been living. His mother has been trying to get him to end his Bow Street career and come home to run his estate--something Alexander hasn't been interested in at all. If Alexander was rough upon his first meeting Beatrice, his mother is doubly hard on her. I even teared up one time with all that Beatrice had upon her shoulders.

Beatrice and Alexander's slow-building relationship was so enjoyable and just the change in genre I needed to get away from some of the fantasy I've been reading lately.

I only highlighted twice.

-The man really should just smile and get it over with before his face cracked right down the middle from the stress of holding it back.

-There is little point in begging you not to be angry with me, so I shall only ask that you do not do anything foolish while angry. Such decisions are never well made.

A Love Most Daring was really enjoyable. And often, I find that books that have a romance and a mystery can be troublesome for me when the mystery takes over the romance. That didn't happen in A Love Most Daring at all. And I appreciate that. Joanna Barker has really become an auto-buy author for me. And I look forward to Mr. Drake potentially getting his happily-ever-after afterall. A Love Most Daring gets 4 Stars. Have you read A Love Most Daring? What did you think? Let me know!