“I’ll be the extra rib that protects your heart.” “You can’t. You are my heart.”
Lisa Kleypas is one of many (many) authors who I will read any book th “I’ll be the extra rib that protects your heart.” “You can’t. You are my heart.”
Lisa Kleypas is one of many (many) authors who I will read any book they put out. Add into that the fact that Devil in Disguise is my favorite historical romance cover in a looooong time? (The over the shoulder look. The color scheme. The pink flowers on blue background.) Hot damn.
I am confused as to why this is a “Ravenels” book, though. I think it was the perfect opportunity for her to do kind of a Wallflowers 2.0 - or maybe a book about the Westcliffs! They have 6 kids, after all, and you cannot tell me we won’t get a book about Merritt’s youngest brother.
The highlights of this book to me were the Wallflowers cameos, specifically between Sebastian and Evie. They’re just so dang cute??
“Evie, my sweet, don’t you think you should have asked me before filling the girls’ heads with subversive wallflower philosophy?” Evie came to him, slid her arms around him, and tucked her head beneath his chin. He could hear a smile in her voice as she said, “Wallflowers never ask permission.”
That isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy Keir McRae (swoony Scotsman) and Lady Merritt Sterling (bodacious widow and Rebellious Lady) - I did! Merritt is capable and bright, running her deceased husbands shipping company with her brother. She has the respect of her family and her employees and treats them with respect, too. Keir is… a tad one dimensional but a very sexy Highlander hero and whiskey distillery owner.
The story felt a bit… held together by Scotch tape. There were so many pieces. Merritt’s reputation being a concern in her attraction to Keir (although throughout the book there wasn’t one reference to her position as lady or in society); the danger to Keir; the mystery surrounding Keir; and then… (view spoiler)[Keir being Sebastian’s son… his birth mother’s husband trying to kill him… him almost dying… him getting amnesia… another plot against his life… (hide spoiler)] It was all just a bit much, you know?
There were absolutely sweet parts. I think if you enjoy the Ravenels, the Wallflowers, or Lisa Kleypas, this is definitely worth a read. It’s just not her strongest book, in my opinion.
Also, I am so tired of authors doing the barren trope. (view spoiler)[Let me amend that: I am tired of them doing the “I’m barren” trope, and then at the end going - surprise! just kidding! It feels so DISINGENUOUS and could be harmful to readers. Especially because Merritt went to a doctor and was diagnosed with a condition (can’t remember what it was) saying she could not have children. And especially after Keir had the whole speech about how blood does not = family, and they could adopt. That would’ve been a beautiful plot line! (hide spoiler)]...more
As one of my Instagram friends (@lets_get_booking) messaged me: “Mulligan could straight up punch me in the face and I would still be in love with himAs one of my Instagram friends (@lets_get_booking) messaged me: “Mulligan could straight up punch me in the face and I would still be in love with him.” And honestly? Facts.
I figured I would love this book because the set up is - to a tee - my shit. A do-gooder, sweet heroine with a backbone of steel? Check. A bad to the bone gentleman gangster who never lets anyone close enough to know him? Check. And is the heroine not intimidated by him in the slightest?? Check check check.
I just adored this book. Jack seeing the REAL Justine was wonderful. Him helping her out was more wonderful.
The negatives to me were how lame Justine’s sisters were in these books (as if they didn’t act crazy with “the wrong men” in their own!) and the third act kind of dragged. ...more
Wow! This was a very unconventional romance and I really enjoyed it. This is the second Gilded Age book I’ve read, and I’m not quite used to the new sWow! This was a very unconventional romance and I really enjoyed it. This is the second Gilded Age book I’ve read, and I’m not quite used to the new setting in New York. Women are so much more free than they are in Regency/Victorian books - I couldn’t believe that Florence and her sisters were allowed to take hansoms, go out to eat, and gamble alone or with men.
Florence is a very forward thinking, independent woman. She’s 21/22 and the middle daughter of a very rich, very prominent society couple, but has no patience for society. Another change from English historical romances is that premarital sex is not as big of a deal? Florence has had affairs before of varying degrees. I’m not schooled on Gilded Age history so I’m not sure if this was common… maybe because they didn’t have to worry about the woman being a virgin when marrying to “preserve the line” of aristocracy?
Anyway, Florence doesn’t want marriage - she wants to own a casino, and seeks out Clayton Madden for “lessons”. Clay is a dark horse, and the power dynamics between the two of them was fun to read. (Although the cameos by Mulligan were SO GOOD and I already adore him.)
The ending was lovely, and I think a little unconventional. (view spoiler)[They don’t wind up getting married, they live together on the top floor of her casino but are devoted to one another. (hide spoiler)] Totally valid and fits for the characters! ...more
This book falls somewhere between 3-4 stars... so lets call it 3.5
This was my first Gilded Age romance and I'm not super well versed on the etiquette This book falls somewhere between 3-4 stars... so lets call it 3.5
This was my first Gilded Age romance and I'm not super well versed on the etiquette or fashion of the time period. It seems like a slightly less strict Victorian England.
I didn't feel a particular connection to either Mamie or Frank as characters, but I enjoyed their storylines together and separately. ...more
Cal is an earl with a right hand man named Adam Hardwick, a land surveyor whose job runs more to keeping an ear to the ground and gathering informatioCal is an earl with a right hand man named Adam Hardwick, a land surveyor whose job runs more to keeping an ear to the ground and gathering information. Only Adam has a secret - he's actually Ophelia "Phee", and has been living as a boy/man since her twin brother died over a decade earlier.
I adored Any Rogue Will Do, Bethany's debut and the first in the Misfits of Mayfair series, and I was excited to see what West End Earl would be. I knew it was a "girl in pants" trope but that Bethany had said it would be a much more modernized story than how it played out in 1980s romances where either the hero knows the heroine is a woman right away, or has gay panic. And I did find this to be a much more modern take on the trope, though it also didn't feel like Cat Sebastian's Unmasked by the Marquess (where the heroine lives as a man and would today probably identify as genderqueer, and the hero is bisexual/queer) - as both Cal and Phee are cis and heterosexual.
The love story between them is sweet and driven by friendship and trust. I loved the line Phee says to Cal when she's falling asleep - "I'm still Puppy." (His nickname for her.) Phee was a compelling heroine, a type I haven't seen before. Even when I've read girl in pants books before they went one of two ways: a woman temporarily and quickly pretending to be a man (Gentle Rogue), or a woman who lives as a man because she wants to and identifies with at least some masculine traits (Unmasked by the Marquess). Phee was neither - someone who dreamed of living as a woman but who couldn't for safety. She feels she doesn't know how to be a "woman" (feminine) - how to kiss, flirt, wear a dress, be demure.
This book is full of drama. Like, chock full of plot. I enjoyed it but do usually prefer a more character driven story just because when the plot twists and turns so constantly I either have a hard time buying it or keeping up. In this case I did have a hard time buying into (view spoiler)[Phee marrying Cal's pregnant sister to give it a legitimate name and then faking "Adam"'s death to then bring Thee "back from the dead" as a long lost cousin. (hide spoiler)]
Bethany Bennett is a super talented author and I'm going to read whatever she puts out. I'm REALLY curious how book 3 will play out given that we know the hero/heroine (though the hero wasn't in this book)... ...more
I prey on bad men. This is my vendetta. My addiction.
I went into this book without much knowledge about the plot, and felt really gripped from the begI prey on bad men. This is my vendetta. My addiction.
I went into this book without much knowledge about the plot, and felt really gripped from the beginning. The heroine Callie is a siren (or part siren?) who seven+ years ago began making deals with a powerful dark man called the Bargainer. Now he's come to cash in his 322 favors.
I loved Des, aka the Bargainer - the hero. I pictured him as a sexy version of Hades from Lore Olympus, with his white hair and silver eyes. While this book was entirely from Callie's POV, I felt we got a good insight into him throughout.
The one thing I disliked was the skipping between past and present throughout chapters, but I understood why the author did it ... just not a favorite way of storytelling for me.
I thought the story was fun and pretty fast paced, and you sort of peeled back two mysteries at the same time.
I didn't fall for Des because he was handsome, or because he knew my secrets, but because he stuck around when I was least lovable. Because he was a man who didn't try to take anything from me even when I lay next to him, but instead gave me peace and comfort. Because each one of those nights he saved me all over again, even if it was from myself....more
I need to stop reading fake identity plots because I never enjoy them. But I read this book because I want to read the third in the series and hadn't I need to stop reading fake identity plots because I never enjoy them. But I read this book because I want to read the third in the series and hadn't read this one (the second).
Jess and her siblings inherited her parents soap company after their death, but after a fire ruined their production she was forced to seek work for a countess. While in London alone she decides to try getting buyers for her soap... and comes up with a scheme that involves posing as a titled woman to drum up interest. The problem? Her growing lies and attraction to Noel, the Duke of Rotherby.
Lying never works out and fake identity plots always feel the same to me. The build up, the one sided guilt, and then the big reveal at 85% followed by separation and an apology at the very end of the book. In this one, it was in the chapter before the epilogue. ...more
This book started off so strong! Snappy, fun banter between the two main characters that felt very Gilmore Girls-esq. But as it went on, my issue was This book started off so strong! Snappy, fun banter between the two main characters that felt very Gilmore Girls-esq. But as it went on, my issue was with the plot - lots of issues are coming up around the manor and being blamed on Ellie, the heroine, so the staff and her husband distrust her. And then the fourth act conflict is outrageous and out of left field. ...more
He liked her, funny clothes and odd hair and the entire in-betweenness of her. She wasn’t an ordinary woman, but he wasn’t an ordinary man either.
He liked her, funny clothes and odd hair and the entire in-betweenness of her. She wasn’t an ordinary woman, but he wasn’t an ordinary man either. They fit together, and it felt right.
Look past the cover (I poked fun on my IG but - her hair and expression, his photoshopped shirt, his shoulder veins?) and this book is… amazing.
When I finish a book I just get a FEELING for what the star rating is. Generally, my ratings go like: 1 - disliked 2 - it was okay 3 - good not great 4 - great, could have loved it 5 - loved it, perfect book OR imperfect but love the way it made me feel
And to me, this book is a 5.
I picked up this book because I wanted to explore more books following the “girl in pants” trope. Charity has been living as Robert Selby for six years for a variety of reasons that are revealed slowly throughout the novel - but a main part of the ruse is because she wants to find an advantageous match for Louisa Selby.
Charity isn’t just dressing in “men’s clothes” to portray Robert - its become part of her identity and who she is.
Today was the first time she had dressed like this—she was going to stop thinking of these clothes as men’s clothes, because in fact they were hers—because she wanted to wear them, not as part of a necessary disguise.
I thought the way Cat Sebastian wrote this romance was so endearing and sweet. Something I liked was that Alistair doesn’t get panicked over his closeness or attraction to Robert (who he decides to call Robin). I’m new to the girl in pants trope/concept and listened to the ShelfLove podcast on it and they reviewed what happened in some old school romances with the trope - a reinforcement of gender stereotypes and/or gay panic when a man becomes attracted to a person presenting as a man.
I liked that Alistair seemed so aloof and cold to everyone, even his brother, and separated himself from his half-sisters… but Robin is the one to bring out the caring side of him and show him that it’s okay to love and reach out to others.
When Alistair finds out (view spoiler)[that Robert is Charity… it’s sort of a cumulation of events. He finds out Robert lied to him about his father being Louisa’s godfather, and he is furious at being used. When Charity comes clean that she’s been lying - he isn’t disgusted. He’s stuck on the fact that she lied and used him for a favor, which we know is something he feels everyone wants from him. So I totally understood that. (hide spoiler)]
I saw another reviewer say that some side characters (like Keating and Alistair’s half sister Amelia) were underutilized, which I agree with. But this didn’t detract from the book for me.
The same reviewer said that she wished Charity had more internal conflicts rather than everything being very situational… it could’ve explored more on her gender fluidity/identity. And I agree, but again - I don’t think this detracted from the story. I don’t know how much gender was being explored in the 1800s, but perhaps the concepts of gender fluidity/being non-binary was not something she would have realized was a possibility? I truly don’t know, I’m just speculating. And so to Charity, the best thing was a melding of what she knew and what she wanted - she wanted the freedom to live and dress how she wanted to, but she wanted to love Alistair openly, which meant she had to live as a woman. To me, this story was the best option for her. (And I’m using she/her pronouns as that’s what Cat Sebastian used in the book, as she said in her author’s note that’s more true to the time period - and will be familiar to readers.) ...more
She was a mystery, all right, and one he meant to solve. But first he was going to amuse himself with her charade by installing her in his cabin an
She was a mystery, all right, and one he meant to solve. But first he was going to amuse himself with her charade by installing her in his cabin and letting her think his cabin boy always slept there. He would have to pretend he didn’t recognize her, or let her assume he simply didn’t remember their encounter. Of course, there was the possibility that she might not remember it, but no matter. Before the voyage was over, she’d share more than his cabin. She’d share his bed.
Besides my love/hate of Fabio covers and my love/hate of "old school romances" (though I guess this straddles the line between 'old school' and 'modern' as it was published in 1990) - I wound up loving this book. The only other older romance I've read is Whitney, My Love by Judith McNaught and the problematic parts put me in such a bad mood for days. I was so surprised and happy this book felt fun and... dare I say... lighthearted?
SUMMARY
Georgiana "Georgie" Anderson is in England against her will and trying to hitch a ride on a ship back to America. The youngest of six siblings and the only girl, she's been raised around sailing and shipping businesses her whole life and after jaunting to England with only Mac (an uncle figure) she's hellbent on getting back to America, ASAP.
The only availability is on a ship where they'll have to work, which means Georgie will masquerade as a 12 year old cabin boy for the captain, who just happens to be James Malory - a pirate, rake, debaucher.
But James sees through her disguise immediately and finds himself intrigued by her, something that doesn't happen often. And as they set sail for Jamaica (where she plans to find another ship to route her back to America), he'll do anything to keep her close.
THOUGHTS
Like I said, I was surprised by how fun this book was. I feel like I expect old school romances to be much more serious and I liked that we got a ton of POV from James and that he wasn't an emotionally stunted iceman. Sure, he has emotional problems and frequently talks about not wanting a wife or commitment... but he's not a truly evil person.
I found the scenes between him and Georgie to be really funny. As the audience, we know that he knows she's a woman, while she believes she's getting away with the gig. So he's trying to push her into crying "chicken" by asking her to wash his back, by walking around naked, by one night complaining that he has a headache and needing her to read erotica to him to put him to sleep. I fully recognize these things aren't okay for a captain to do to a cabin boy or a woman dressed as a cabin boy, but just within the story and how James was written I leaned into the comedy of errors aspect of the story.
I didn't love either of them as a character, because Georgie was so brash and hotheaded she came across as bratty or spoiled, but I thought them paired up was funny. As was the inclusion of both of their family's, even though at times the scenes with what felt like a dozen people felt like they were running on. I especially enjoyed interactions between Georgie and Jeremy her "stepson" who's only 3 years younger than her....more
"I think you are a gifted detective but have little understanding of what life is like for the female population. You aren't the first man to suffe
"I think you are a gifted detective but have little understanding of what life is like for the female population. You aren't the first man to suffer from this failing and you won't be the last. I simply ask that you consider my words the next time you think to dismiss some act by a lady as improper. Consider how much of what we've designated as proper and improper is less about manners and more about keeping ladies in their place. Where they won't get in the way of the men."
This book had so many aspects within it that made me think I would enjoy it. Kate is a widow and owner of a newspaper; she's outspoken and confident; she takes lovers; she has a strong female friendship with another writer. But a lot of about this book just didn't click for me.
SUMMARY
Kate and her new friend Caro decide to write a column for the newspaper Kate owns called A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem because of the lack of information on a new serial killer. In the first article they interview a barmaid who provides a clue the police didn't catch, and after publishing it Andrew Evesham (the detective on the serial killer case) is removed and replaced.
After Kate retreats to a country house party, she stumbles on a dead body... and Evesham is called to help investigate.
Sparks fly as the two pair to solve the mystery.
THOUGHTS
Like I said, there were certain things about this book that just didn't work for me. For one, I didn't buy the romance at all. I think it could have been interesting had they been hooking up throughout the book or before the book... a sort of antagonistic relationship where he's the "crime solver" and she's the "crime reporter" and the two are constantly at odds. But how it was, it was this weird sort of instant attraction but I didn't buy into the chemistry at all. And the leap to love was just too far for me.
I don't feel that I knew either character. We learn about Kate's past mainly through other people, like her friend Val recounting the marriage her parents arranged with a controlling man twenty years her senior. She never talks about it or even really thinks about it, or her past - except for I think one passage where she notes that even as the daughter of a marquess she was never raised wealthy. Andrew, on the other hand, we know is the grandson of a baronet (though he cut off Andrew's father), and his father is a vicar. But his past? His personality? Lost to me.
Finally, the mystery. I don't love romance mysteries, so they have to be well done or entertaining. This one missed the mark for me. I wasn't invested or interested in it, and the "reveal" was done in a spewing monologue immediately before everything is righted. And then the story wraps up - truly - two pages later.
—
I received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review. I know the ARC is an uncorrected proof but I hope they change the formatting of speech because it was distracting. Ex:
"This is one character talking," character said. "They are still talking." "Ok the same character from above is still talking. They should have left the end quotation mark off after 'talking' above to imply the next line was the same character."...more
It wasn't healthy, this want, this need, to keep her around. Why? Because she seemed able to read him more than any other female of his quite large
It wasn't healthy, this want, this need, to keep her around. Why? Because she seemed able to read him more than any other female of his quite large acquaintance? Because he liked sparring with her? Because of that damned spark that wasn't going away? What the devil was it about her?
This is my second Anne Mallory, and I liked it better than the first (One Night is Never Enough). I picked it up thinking it'd be a romance with mystery... but this was more a full on mystery that happened to have a romance in it. Not my favorite plot (I'd prefer a romance that's character driven rather than "solve a mystery" driven) but for what it was, it was good.
SUMMARY
TW: child molestation, sex ring, victim blaming, PTSD
Marietta Winters' brother Kenny has been arrested and tried by public opinion as the Middlesex Murderer. Her family is disgraced and broke, no thanks to her helpless, drunk older brother Mark, and to help fix things she goes to Gabriel Noble - a mysterious man who she was told can "fix" things. Either for 10,000 pounds, which she doesn't have, or three favors, to be retrieved at any time.
The book follows them unraveling this mystery of who the REAL killer is, which happens to be intertwined with Gabriel's mysterious and tormented past.
THOUGHTS
This book was so much darker than I expected. I kind of thought it would be a typical historical romance 'mystery' where a Sherlock Holmes type guy solves a puzzle with the heroine being a sidekick a la Watson in Elementary... providing a human touch, distraction, additional insight. This book definitely took a turn with the subject matter, which is why I included a trigger warning.
(view spoiler)[The murders are of women who ran basically a sex ring for minors. Six women in the aristocracy preyed on young boys (implied boys ages 8-18) and would engage in group sex/rape. I mean, it's horrifying. Especially because to some of the characters - including Gabriel, a victim - they say things like, "six women pouncing on a 16 year old boy... who wouldn't want that?" Gabriel in particular says it in a way where he's trying to downplay the obvious effects it has had on him throughout his life. (hide spoiler)]
I felt the plot was hurt by the fact that the audience was kept so out of the loops of Gabriel's thoughts. It was done to try to keep things as a "surprise" to the audience but because Gabriel would learn something and his internal monologue would panic but we wouldn't know WHY - it turned into a big info dump at the end when everything was revealed.
I'm giving this a 2 because I didn't think either the romance or the mystery was *great*....more
I'm so confused by this book. First of all, the description: "But when she finds herself under the weather and drinks a "healing" tonic, the potion prI'm so confused by this book. First of all, the description: "But when she finds herself under the weather and drinks a "healing" tonic, the potion provokes the most maddening desire..." By 'under the weather' they mean she's getting her period. This is a book by a woman, for women (predominantly for women, I should say) - can we not call it her period, or menses? (Also, plot hole? Because she talks about how she's about to get her period but then she and the hero keep hooking up and she... never gets it?) And the "healing tonic" is her sister drugging her with what amounts to 1800s female viagra.
I'm not shelving this on "don't recommend" because I'm clearly the minority on this one - all my Goodreads friends liked this book and I got a bunch of messages saying it was awesome. I don't know if it was any one thing that made me dislike it, because I was definitely having fun in the beginning of the book, but once I got to the 75% mark I was kind of like... is this it?
- The questionable scene of Charlotte riding Kingston in the hallway. I don't know if this is a consent issue because it's from his POV after and he talks about enjoying it / being enthralled by her, but later he does call it an attack (jokingly). - The ridiculous nature of the tonic. It's never described and I think it's meant to be cute/funny but I just don't get it. - The insta-love. The first half of the book takes place over I think 24-48 hours... the rest is a few days, a week tops? I'm like... are you in love, or are you just horny? It's fine if you're just horny but lets call a spade a spade. - The plot was weak for me. It was just her being horny from the potion, her being horny without the potion, her literally cheating on her childhood sweetheart, and questioning getting married. - See above - literal cheating. - There were so many points where we as the reader know her engagement to her childhood sweetheart is a bad idea. They barely talk, his parents are terrible, he has no spine, she's never kissed him, she doesn't want to kiss him, she isn't planning her wedding (her dragon mother in law is), - oh and she has a full on Carrie Bradshaw panic attack in a wedding dress and needs to be ripped out of it because she can't breath. Like, did any of those ring a bell? Or, when she finally comes to the realization, does she think through any of these things or her complex emotions towards her childhood sweetheart - who she does remember fondly as being exactly what she needed after her mother passed? No, she just is like, "boom, done." No thinking through it... no fall out... no discussion.
This one just didn't work for me. I think there were parts that were cute and fun and I liked the idea of a girl who's horny and can't control it because it was kind of hilarious in the beginning where she was swimming nude and he was like "wanna go again?" and she's like "NO!!! but ok yes" - but it didn't really play out for me....more
“You can’t deny there’s an attraction between us, so we’ll have that at least. I can assure you that within my bed you will find pleasure.” “Not arr
“You can’t deny there’s an attraction between us, so we’ll have that at least. I can assure you that within my bed you will find pleasure.” “Not arrogant, are you.” “I’ve traveled the world. I’ve learned a good many things. You’ll benefit from the knowledge.” “And outside of the bed?” “We’ll be polite to each other. Respectful. The day will be yours to do with as you please. The night will belong to me.”
Finally finished the Hellions of Havisham series! I do wish I had read Edward and Locke's book before reading the Marquess of Marsdens, but this was a good ending for this generation of hellions.
SUMMARY
Killian, Viscount Locksley, lives at Havisham Hall with his father, the mad Marquess of Marsden. He's the last of the hellions to remain unmarried, and though he knows he'll eventually marry and secure an heir, he has no desire to fall in love - he has seen how the death of a beloved spouse can cause someone to crumble.
One day he comes upon his father, who announces... he is remarrying! Mrs. Portia Gladstone. They've been corresponding over letters and he's marrying her today - they have a contract and everything.
Locke steps in, trying to protect his father and because he can't deny that he's incredibly attracted to the tart tongued woman who shows up on his fathers doorstep. He finds one way around the contract: he will marry her instead. But he tells her they will live apart in the day, and come together at night - for their mutual pleasure only.
THOUGHTS
This book was very sexy, and featured a lot of baths. I don't think they took a lot of baths together but they each seemed to bath nearly every day. I couldn't help but think... what year is this? Can they install plumbing yet?
I enjoyed both characters and the build up of their relationship. Locke's fear of love and wanting to keep Portia at bay was a natural response to being raised by a man who spoke of his dead wife as though she was around... who locked all doors to keep them as they were when she died. But I liked that Portia got through those walls unintentionally, by just being herself. She is kind and generous, but stands up for herself and her family; she wants to make Havisham a home. Reading about her making over the music room and then entertaining Marsden there nightly with her piano playing (and that then spurring him to want to take meals out of his room) was a nice characterization of both her and the marquess.
Marsden was such a source of comic relief, as he and Portia joked around - often times on inappropriate things. On Marsden and Linnie cavorting all over the house... and him walking in on Locke and Portia! It makes his story (and his novella) all the more tragic.
I don't love plots with (view spoiler)[pregnancy, especially pregnancies where the woman is trying to fist the baby on another man without telling him. I understand why Portia did it, and I understand why it was needed... it's just not my preference for a trope. Locke whispering, "I wish it was mine" after he found out was heartbreaking. I think this book could have been better if it was like When the Earl Met His Match - where the heroine goes to the earl at like five months pregnant and he accepts her immediately. Then again, she was honest. ... I'm wondering if in any of these stories there's a male hero who raises another man's son as his heir. That was the backstory in To Pleasure a Prince, but we didn't get to see Marcus' father actually find out and raise him - just after he was grown. (hide spoiler)]...more
“Don’t become bitter with regrets, George. Celebrate what we had. Teach our son to love. See that he’s happy.” He nodded. She was right. He needed t
“Don’t become bitter with regrets, George. Celebrate what we had. Teach our son to love. See that he’s happy.” He nodded. She was right. He needed to carry on. For Killian’s sake. Killian St. John, Viscount Locksley. The precious heir she’d given him. “I miss you, Linnie, so damned much.” “I know, but I’m not so far away.”
This book made me choke up several times, which I wasn't expecting. I knew it would be sad, as we met the Marquess in book one of the Hellions of Havisham series... but dang. This was a short novella but it packed such a punch.
SUMMARY
George, the Marquess of Marsden, met Linnie, the baker's daughter, when he was 12 and she was 8. She was a constant source of comfort and love and friendship. As they got older, they both fell deeply in love - though they knew they couldn't be together due to their class differences.
It's just before Christmastime, and Marsden has returned home with his best friends - the Duke of Ashebury and the Earl of Greyling. His mother is throwing a Christmas ball and wants Marsden to pick a wife... he says he will consider one of the eligible women she's invited if he invites Linnie as well, so he can gift her one perfect night before they part.
THOUGHTS
This love story is bittersweet, because of the ending that - if you have read any of the Hellions of Havisham books - you know is coming. I'm going to assume it's common knowledge but - anything below this is a potential for spoilers.
I don't even know where to start. How about the fact that we meet both the elder Ashebury and Greyling? Their sons are who the Hellions of Havisham series is about. Seeing them joke and interact much as their sons did was heartbreaking because we know that Ashebury and Greyling (and their wives) were killed in a train accident before their sons turned 10.
And Linnie... just a perfect, sweet heroine. Novellas really work best for me when the groundwork of the relationship is there, and this one had that as they have been friends for over a decade. Setting it around Christmastime was just an added bonus to seeing them fall in love and marry. We all knew it was coming... but of course, Linnie passes away in childbirth of her and Locke's only child, Killian - Viscount Locksley.
From the Hellions of Havisham series, we know that the Marquess of Marsden is considered "mad" as he can 'hear' Linnie in the wind of the moors at their home. This has caused him to pause the clocks in the house on the time of her death, her room has been boarded up, and he has few servants to tend to the large home. In this book, we see it from his point of view - that he has visions of Linnie. Whether they're really him communicating with her spirit or him going crazy we don't know, but I'd like to believe he was able to communicate with her - if only so he wasn't lonely as he waited to join her over 35 years after her death.
Can you blame me for crying??
Not to mention the callback to his and Linnie's conversation before they got married, when she said she saw him having four sons - two dark haired, two fair. And he remembered this after the orphaned sons of Ashebury and Greyling were delivered.
What the devil was he going to do with four boys? I see you with four strapping sons. The memory of those words was like a sharp kick to the center of his chest. Linnie could not have been referring to these boys. A woman with wide hips was supposed to give him sons. Not death. But he knew in his heart that he would never again take a wife, that he would never again lie with another woman, that he wouldn’t fill another with his seed. The reality was that Linnie had seen him with four sons. And the last of them had just been delivered.
Lastly - Sarah. The fact that the maid he hired to help Linnie get ready for the Christmas ball stayed on year after year and to help raise the boys... yes, I choked up again at that. Especially when Marsden says that he made the mistake of asking some servants if they could see Linnie and they thought him mad, which is why no one wanted to work for him anymore.
This book broke my heart but I'm okay with it....more
This is my second Candace Camp book and both have been 1 star reads for me. I'm not sure if it's her writing and pacing, or the plot... but this was rThis is my second Candace Camp book and both have been 1 star reads for me. I'm not sure if it's her writing and pacing, or the plot... but this was really painful to get through for me.
Maybe I don't like books that are an Englishman owning Scotland land. This is just a problematic piece of history and in so many stories like this one, the Englishman is doing something incredibly evil - like running the people who have lived on this land for generations out of their homes for an easy profit.
At first I though, what kind of fucking idiot doesn't check into what his steward is doing? Because the Earl of Mardoun's steward was BURNING PEOPLE OUT OF THEIR HOMES. But then we find out that he DOES know people are being run out, and he asks: "What, is it my job to let them live on MY land?" Like because the English monarchy gifted it to him it's *his* with no questions asked. And that people should just "get a job in a city" - okay, great... so they can leave the place their family has lived for centuries for, what, London? To work in factories when they've spent their lives as farmers or shepherds? And then he says "well they can move to Canada or Australia!" to which the heroine points out, these are poor cotters... they don't have enough capital to just up and move and start a new life somewhere.
It was PEAK white male idiocy.
Also, what a stellar hero he was for saying this to the heroine: “There are doubtless an ample number of women here who will warm my bed as well as you.” Wow, beautiful! I am swooning! ...more
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