Review: Beck & Call by Annick Trent

Title: Beck & Call

Series: The Old Bridge Inn: Book One

Author: Annick Trent

Length: 244 Pages

Category: Historical Romance

Rating: 5 Stars

At a Glance: Annick Trent has easily made it onto my short list of favorite Historical Romance authors. From the ways in which she draws readers into the setting and significance of the political events of the time to the ease with which I become invested in the lives and trials of her characters, the Old Bridge Inn series sets the standard for my love of the genre.

Reviewed By: Lisa

Blurb: By returning to England, Edwin Harrow hoped to escape the treacherous lover and false accusations he left behind on the Continent. But when his secrets leave him open to blackmail, the worst thing he can do is fall in love with his blackmailer’s brother, kind and gravely charming fellow servant William Bell.

After five lonely years as valet to a reclusive country squire, William is fascinated by prickly, standoffish Edwin. He suspects he wants more than Edwin is ready to give, but he cannot resist trying to break through that defensive shell.

And William has secrets of his own, namely his involvement in one of the literary societies recently driven underground by the political climate. When Edwin’s messy past catches up with them, will it spell disaster for them both?

Review: Reading this series backwards, from book three to one, was rewarding in a way, knowing of the blossoming alliance between Edwin Harrow and Noah Moorecott we see in The Oak and the Ash. That’s not the crux of this book, though. That stands firmly with the burgeoning love story between Edwin and William Bell, a romance burdened from the outset by multiple factors, not the least of which is the illegalities of their relationship. The laws of the time mean they are resigned to shadows and backrooms to share their intimacy. Added to this is that neither are free men. They are both valets beholden to the comings and goings and whims of their employers. In other words, as the title of the book makes clear, they are at the beck and call of men who enjoy their valets are unencumbered by family and responsibilities outside of their service.

As their unspoken feelings begin to solidify, it’s the secrets Edwin and William hold close to the vest that become a solid obstacle between them. This is not a matter of miscommunication for the sake of creating third act drama. Rather, it’s a real and present danger to Edwin, specifically, and William bears the fallout of it by association. Witnessing them achieve the happiest of endings the era could afford them was well worth the journey to see them grab hold of it with whole hearts. None of it would have been possible, however, without Viscount Leighland. Knowing a bit about him and understanding why he was unperturbed by Edwin’s revelations was also a benefit of getting to know him first in book three.

Annick Trent has easily made it onto my short list of favorite Historical Romance authors. From the ways in which she draws readers into the setting and significance of the political events of the time to the ease with which I become invested in the lives and trials of her characters, the Old Bridge Inn series sets the standard for my love of the genre.