The Marriage Ring (Scandals and Seductions Series #3)

This book is an interesting tale of discovery, matching two very unlikely characters in a battle of stubborn wills. But this battle turns to a love that neither one expects and a story that leaves the reader with a pleasant smile on their face. It is an odd romantic story, no less sweet, but a strange progression to love and perhaps a little rushed. You do feel the characters getting to know each other better - something I liked about this book. I often read books where you don't get a sense of growth between the leading characters and their love then seems too forced. Cathy does not let us down with her loving tale. Richard, our hero, is a rare breed; a celibate man with a hidden sensual side, a mix of naivety and daring. He is intelligent and hardworking but also carries an air of innocence that I have never seen before in a romance novel. I had a hard time warming up to him. just my personal taste as I like the strong, dominant male types in my stories. He is a good match for our bold, independent heroine Grace. She is full of fire and spunk and takes it from no one. But a troubled past and a lot of heartache has left her unable to trust, just the ticket when she is traveling in a carriage with a straight-laced man who keeps telling himself he wants nothing to do with her. but we all know what he is really thinking. The love scenes in this book are tame but loving, great for those who don't like the graphic descriptions found in some other books. I would give this book a 5 out of 10 on my Sexy Scale. (10 being very graphic in sexy content - 1 being so tame there isn't even a real kiss. ok, well maybe a chaste one) Overall, this story was a mild tale that missed the mark on my excitement scale. If a book is "light on the love" it needs to be strong in plot to hold a readers interest. That being said, I would still recommend Cathy Maxwell as an author. I give this book a 4 out of 5 overall. I have read at least half of her books and thoroughly enjoyed them all.

In 1810, prim and proper Richard Lynsted is outraged to learn an actress is extorting money from his uncle and father. He goes to the theatre where the "Scottish Songbird" performs with plans to confront and tear into the hide of this brazen Grace MacEachin after he proves she is a low life blackmailer. Grace is outraged with the haughty aristocrat who accuses her of being a felon. She admits to blackmailing his family, but her motive is not money. Instead she believes his family destroyed hers when she was a little girl and disgraced her father with accusations of embezzlement. Now she plans to prove her dad did not take the money. Stunned by her assertion and her beauty, Richard accompanies Grace to Inverness where she believes the evidence can be found even as an unknown adversary wants the falling in love pair dead. This is a refreshing incredible Regency romantic suspense thriller in which the lead couple investigates what really happened years ago and learn more than they bargained for as family secrets of all sorts surface on both sides. The story line is driven by the amateur sleuths who fall in love, but as they find one family skeleton after another while someone tries to kill them, each changes their initial perception of the other and even more emotionally shocking of their respective families. The Marriage Ring is a great historical. Harriet Klausner

Surprising outcome but satisfying without being overly sappy. Worth the time to read.

Great. Loved it. Love Grace and Richard. Sweet story.

Rrrrrt

Good different. In the first few chapters when she is whining to him that he is not paying enough attention to her in the traveling coach I thought I was not going to like Grace. But it was a bump in the road. They turned into a couple you were rooting for. They have a great adventure and a great romance. My only complaint---I would have loved to see an epilogue to find out where they were in about 10 years. Highly recommend

Grace and Richard were a joy to read. The introduction to all their many scrapes along the way and his willingness to let life go for love was mesmerizing.

I really liked Richard, he was the sweet silent type.

This story was very good. It was diferrent from the basic romance plots. This book keep me interested the whole story.