Exciting Read
This book has a swoon-worthy romance, a wonderfully tortured hero, and a heroine with the strength to heal him while standing firm against her own demons. It's a delightfully engaging story that kept me riveted and on the edge of my seat.
Even readers who don't usually read historical romances will find a multitude of reasons to enjoy themselves. There's not a lot of stuffy language and the dialogue is easy to relate to. Nick's reasons for being the bedeviled soul that he is are heartbreaking and tragic. Lottie's reasons for running are typical but her perseverance and cleverness isn't. She'd rather die than face what her parents have in store for her. She's like a willow, she'll bend but won't break and that holds her in good stead throughout this tale.
Ms. Kleypas has a way of reaching a reader's emotions and bringing her characters to life. She sets up the hero's point of view with a unique and interesting opening sequence. I enjoyed the brief wisdom from Gemma and how it plays out later in the book. In fact, it's what makes this story so hot and passionate. The legacy of that temporary character brought many moments of enjoyable lovemaking and scenes that I wanted to read again and again. Not because of what Nick and Lottie do, but the sentiments behind them, and the feelings that drove the hero and heroine are what made them memorable. Not to mention their coming together in all those unique places and positions, and those seductive whisperings that tantalized my imagination. From innocence to loving debauchery, all was well done and it mattered to the plot. And because Ms. Kleypas wrote such endearing characters, I cared whether or not they found happiness.
The villain generated a couple of different feelings from me. As first, I feared his power, not unlike Lottie. But towards the end, I felt pity. He was a man who truly didn't know what love was. He was a twisted and manipulative person with some serious mental issues that prevented him from being the man he could have been. Being a peer and rich couldn't buy happiness. I actually felt sad for him. On the other hand, Lottie's parents were whacked. I think they were worse and should have the villainous label attached to their behavior. How dare they! And their reactions to Nick's offers made me fear for the rest of Lottie's siblings. When her father finally opened up his mouth, I rolled my eyes. Too little, too late. Thank goodness she had Nick.
Other secondary characters were important. Sophia, Nick's sister, and her husband Sir Ross were instrumental in moving the plot along. So too was Sir Grant. In fact, some of the more amusing and adorable scenes and dialogue occur with them interacting with the hero and heroine.
There is light drama and action and a bit of suspense to keep a reader flipping the pages. The burgeoning romance between Nick and Lottie was sweet in its tentative steps but when they finally got over the initial hurdles, the author allowed a reader to explore Nick's emotional depths and needs. I even liked the part when he tied up Lottie and introduced her to his other kind of desires. It certainly made an impact and was one more good reason to not put the book down until the end. The epilogue showed Sir Ross in a different light during his dialogue with Nick. It was cute and when Nick realized exactly what Sir Ross meant, it was really funny.
Read the full Review at The Long and Short of It Romance Reviews
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