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Rating: 
Summary: a good three and half star read
Review: Miss Elizabeth Scott is an heiress as well as the sole proprietor of her deceased father's thriving import business. But with both her parents dead, and no living siblings, Elizabeth is quite alone in the world, save for her two maternal aunts that she lives and cares for and a dirty dish of a cousin, Victor Newfield. And Victor, who happens to be facing ruin and prison because of his gambling debts, is now attempting to force Elizabeth to marry him. Escaping from Victor's nefarious clutches, Elizabeth flees through the streets of London, and literally lands at Spencer Willoughby's feet. Elizabeth's breathless explanation of her plight immediately arouses Spencer's interest and concern, and he persuades Elizabeth to allow him to help her. He suggests that she accompany him (and his mother) to one of his family's many estates, and that she stay there incognito while his lawyer, working in concert with her's, arranges her affairs so that Victor (or any fortune hunter for that matter) will never be able to get his hands on her considerable fortune or her business. Used to solving her own problems (and that of others), Elizabeth demurs at first at the thought of involving outsiders in her family's affairs. But Willoughby is nothing if not masterful in his arguements, and Elizabeth soon finds herself setting off for Linden Park. Soon her days fall into a routine of walking about and reading and doing a great deal of nothing. Not what someone used to running a hectic business is used to at all! And she soon finds her thoughts centering obsessively on the enigma that is Spencer Willoughby. Outwardly, he seems the kind of indolent blue blood that she has very little time for. Certainly his family tends to be a little dismissive of him. And yet this is the man who has managed to persuade her to put her life and security in his hands. And because Elizabeth is attracted to Spencer, she isn't sure if her sense that there is more to Spencer than meets the eye is mere wishful thinking on her part, or reality. But she is determined to find out once and for all! As for Spencer, while he finds Miss Scott entrancing beyond words, he knows that she is not for him. What woman would want to tie her life with a penniless younger son? And yet there is an attraction and empathy between them that fairly sizzles! What is a poor man to do when he finds himself falling in love with an independently minded heiress? Perhaps slaying all her dragons will render him more attractive in her eyes? "Miss Scott Meets Her Match" is a pleasant enough read. The novel unfolds a little slowly, and the plot doesn't really pick up pace until about halfway through the book. But once this point was passed the novel did pick up, and became a little more exciting and intriguing. Both the principal characters were likable and interesting. And I liked the twist that Laura Paquet put on this novel -- giving the heroine the position of responsibility and power, while it is the hero who is still trying to find his niche and to prove himself. It made for a refreshing change. Plot-wise, "Miss Scott Meets Her Match" is not a really stellar read. But what saves this novel and lifts it out of the ho-hum realm is the interaction between Elizabeth and Spencer, the somewhat honest and frank manner in which they relate to each other, as well as the romance that develops between them. A good three and half star read.
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