A WInter's Scandal

A Winter's Scandal by Candace Camp 1207

Thea Bainbridge has never thought she needed more in her life than being sister to the local village vicar and helping him write sermons and help run the town as needed. But when she learns that Gabriel, Lord Morecombe, has suddenly become a landowner in the area and moved into his new house she can't help but remember their brief kiss nearly a decade ago when she had been in London for her sister's come out. Thea herself had never had a come out and had thus been relegated to spinsterhood, but she is still embarrassed and upset that Gabriel does not even recognize her. Gabriel has relocated to the country with the company of several of his friends, including Thea's cousin, Ian who is eager to escape his new wife, Emily, for the holiday season. While readying the church for the nativity scene Thea discovers a baby in the manger and, after seeing a brooch with the Morecombe crest, immediately assumes that he is Gabriel's son and wastes no time in confronting Gabriel and in the ensuing argument her hurt over their forgotten kiss is exposed.

Gabriel recognizes the brooch as belonging to his sister, Jocelyn, who absconded from her fiance, Lord Rawdon, a year ago and has not been heard from since. He teams up with Thea to help discover who left the baby in the manger, who the parents are, and where Jocelyn is. Matthew is an easy child and it does not take long for both Thea and Gabriel to fall in love with the cutie and they find themselves in each other's company quite a bit. Gabriel does remember Thea and cannot figure out how she could ever think she was forgettable and he has every intention of making sure she knows precisely how unforgettable she is and how much he desires her. When Matthew is kidnaped they have to race to save him from the kidnapper and a night spent alone in a cabin brings them even closer together. Even as they raise Matthew and work to find out what is happening, Thea believes that she will never be anything more than a distraction. When all is said and done they are left together to discover how they will make a life together work so that they can share their love with everyone, including Matthew.

Spinster sister's of vicars have been appearing a lot lately in romances I feel like and I admit that I don't really have a problem with it because I like the idea of a woman who has had responsibilities and work to do, finally finding love with a man who is equal to her and who appreciates her even while she has gone unnoticed for so long. Thea was intelligent and polite and respected by her community and wanted a family but had convinced herself she was fine with her life because she didn't believe she had a chance for anything more. She had built up the kiss between her and Gabriel because it was the closest she had come to intimacy and she was crushed when he did not remember it. She was obviously very caring because she took in Matthew and wanted what was best for him even if it meant she would have to give him up to his biological family. Gabriel was a town rake although we didn't really get too much evidence of this, which is fine with me, but he proved himself with his dedication to Matthew and his sister and with the way he treated and behaved so lovingly to Thea.

Their relationship was very well established as they spent a lot of time together and got to know each other and proved that they would work so well together. I really enjoyed reading about them together because there were just so many little moments that all added up to a really compatible couple who belonged together. They complimented each other very nicely as she grounded him and brought out the best in him and he gave her confidence in her own numerous abilities. There was some sex, not too much, but enough to give some much needed steam and establish some serious physical connection between them and I felt like it was a really important part of their relationship. The baby plot was a very important part of the story and was well blended with the romance but I did not get the sense that it was taking over and overshadowing the romance at all. It was a huge mystery and they just built on each other until I was very much confused but I really liked that I could not guess right away what was going on and the resolution was a complete shock to me.

Rating: A very enjoyable book with two compatible characters and a great mystery plot that was near perfect if it had been a little more fun or sexy.

An Affair Without End

An Affair Without End by Candace Camp 528

Lady Vivian Carlyle enjoys her life; she is unmarried and while she pushes the boundaries of what is acceptable in an unmarried lady she is invited to all the right parties and everyone wants to socialize with her. She has accepted responsibility for introducing Camellia and Lily Bascombe out into society as a special favor for her friend Oliver, Earl of Stewkesbury. Oliver is proper, staid, and regarded as one of society's most upright citizens and he and Vivian have always rubbed each other the wrong way. While they were nothing more than neighbors they were able to avoid too much contact with each other, but with his cousins requiring more attention from Vivian, the two of them are thrown together quite a bit. When a friend of Vivian's enlists her help in finding a missing brooch, Oliver appoints himself Vivian's protector to ensure that she does not get into too much trouble. At first Vivian regards Oliver's attention as obnoxious, but it is not long before both of them are learning that there is far more to their relationship than they had believed.

The two become more engrossed in the search for the jewels and connect this particular missing jewel to a series of jewel thieves that have been operating in the ton for months. Their search leads them to a country estate where they are stranded for the night and after a few too many drinks Oliver finds himself giving into temptation and into Vivian. He is horrified about what happened because it goes against his code as a gentleman but Vivian has no regrets and boldly suggests that they become lovers for real. While he can't imagine actually marrying Vivian, he also can't imagine spending the rest of his life without her. Vivian realizes that underneath his proper exterior is a man that makes her life special, a man she is quickly coming to love. But the jewel thieves are still out there and are more determined than ever to protect their business, whatever the cost. When they threaten Vivian, Oliver must put aside all of his "gentleman-ly" tactics in order to save the woman he loves, put aside their past differences, and create a happy future for both of them.

An Affair Without End is the conclusion to the Willowmere series which I have enjoyed immensely and both the previous books have been building to the finale featuring Vivian and Oliver. The classic mismatched couple that complements each other perfectly, this book did not break any new ground when it came to heroes and heroines, but Camp is such a skilled author that she does manage to make her book seem new and interesting. I enjoyed Vivian because she was a social butterfly who liked the endless social whirl of the season and doing the social niceties with the ton. A lot of authors, in an attempt to be different make their heroines country mice who prefer horses and small groups, and in doing so those heroines become typical and the social butterflies are more original. So I liked that and the fact that Vivian was an older unmarried lady, 28 is not so old but is practically ancient in romances, and while she enjoyed her unmarried state, there wasn't a huge deal made about it. She was fun and friendly, but I did kind of enjoy when she learned that there was only so much she could push society.

Oliver was also the typical proper hero and I did not find quite as much fun or interesting about him as I did with Vivian, but I guess I'm never going to get tired of reading about these kinds of heroes so I liked him as much as I like most romance novel males. Their relationship went smoothly, if typically, and the sex was enjoyable if not exactly hot or inventive. I enjoyed their interactions together, especially when they were not dealing with the jewel ring. The jewel thief plot line was really intense and took up a lot of room and while it did not overwhelm the story, I did not really enjoy it at all. I was bored and just really wanted it to end, but I did like that I was surprised by what happened by the time it was revealed who the big bad guy was. I really enjoyed the side romance featuring Camellia and Vivian's brother Gregory, because it was sweet and really did feature two original characters and they worked together so incredibly well. There were a few moments in the book that featured female characters doing TSTL things and that irritated me a little.

Rating: A fairly unoriginal, yet well written, romance with two characters who had a really strong relationship, but I was unimpressed with the jewel side plot.

Scandalous

Scandalous by Candace Camp 1018

Priscilla Hamilton leads a quiet genteel life in the country with her intellectual father, and writes adventure novels under a pseudonym, which makes her ineligible for marriage. When a man appears at her doorstep she takes responsibility and decides to nurse him back to health. He cannot remember who he is but he does know that he was kidnapped and held in a small hut by two men. When he manages to regain his strength he wants to figure out who he is and who had kidnapped him and why. He doesn't think that roaming around the countryside looking for villains is something a lady should do, but he quickly learns that Priscilla is not an ordinary female. She is intelligent, she takes control and she relishes any opportunities for adventure and he finds that he enjoys her company, and her help, while he is out unravelling the mysteries of his life.

As the two spend more time together they begin to fall in love as she can't help but admire a man who is willing to let a female in on such "unlady-like" pastimes and he admires her helpfulness and her ingenuity. They discover that the two bad guys are in cahoots with the dowager Duchess of Ranleigh's lover. Priscilla's friend, Alex, is the heir apparent to the dukedom but b/c the last duke's oldest son disappeared after being accused of murdering a servant girl, he cannot inherit until the brother is declared dead. Things begin to look good for Priscilla and the man who has become "John Wolfe" and she imagines a future with him until one night they discover that "John Wolfe" (SPOILER ALERT) is actually Bryan and the son of the heir who had run away. Priscilla doesn't think that she could marry Bryan because of the differences in their station, but he is determined to show her that all that matters to him is her.

So Priscilla was pretty much your average spunky and heroine who wanted a taste for adventure. John was said adventure and him not knowing much about himself made it rather difficult to form an opinion really. I guess it says how much we judge someone based on their past actions, however Idon't necessarily think that's a bad thing. Her secret was, in my opinion, rather ridiculous as she wrote under a pen name and it seemed unlikely anyone would ever discover who she was, and even if they did it should have been obvious to her that John would not care. There is a decent amount of sex between them and it is fairly warm if not precisely hot and was just a back drop to the story and nothing too important. Priscilla and Grace spent a lot of time together and their relationship really did progress well throughout the novel and I could see why they fell in love with each other.

So I was totally sucked into discovering who John Wolfe was and why he had been kidnapped. There were kind of subtle hints throughout the book but I was still totally thrown when his identity was revealed and thrown in a very good way. The reasons behind his kidnapping were a lot of fun as, of course, there was a bad "guy" and the villain was deliciously awful and self-centered and ripe for comeuppance. It also led to a nice little side mystery of who killed the servant girl that the oldest son who disappeared was accused of murdering and led to an extra little romance that was so sweet and wonderful. Unfortunately it also led to some angst anger on Priscilla's part that was horribly overdone and I wanted to slap her and tell her to get over it. It caused the story to drag on a bit and I did not enjoy that- the story could easily have been 40 or so pages shorter.

Rating: A good mystery with adequate romantic development, but two characters I could not really enjoy exactly.

A Gentleman Always Remembers

A Gentleman Always Remembers by Candace Camp 815

When Eve Hawthorne was widowed after her officer husband died she moved back in with her father and stepmother. The arrangement was not at all pleasant so she accepted a job as a companion/ chaperone to the two young American cousins of the Earl of Shrewsbury, who was happy to hire her with the recommendation of her friend, Vivian. The Bascombe girls quickly take a liking to their new chaperone, but it is their cousin's half-brother, Fitzhugh Talbot, who most enjoys her company. When he goes to pick her up he finds her playing with her younger brother in a river with her skirt tucked into her dress and he cannot getthe image out of his mind. He is determined to bring out this carefree woman again and wants to begin an affair with her. Despite being married, Eve has never known sex as her husband had been impotent, and while she is interested in experiencing that she knows that having an affair would ruin her reputation and put her very livelihood at risk.

But she is forced to enlist his aid when one of her charges, young Lily Bascombe, is far too interested in Fitz's friend, the rakish Neville Carr, who is already pre-engaged to another young woman. The Earl has been called back to London and suddenly it is the carefree Fitz who is taking charge of the estate when many come down with the measles, and who finds himself for once being the honorable guardian as he attempts to warn Neville away from Lily. Things get even more heated when someone starts delivering threatening notes to Eve claiming that her husband was a thief who killed himself and stole the very watch the Eve cherishes from him. She tries to be brave, but when someone starts breaking into the house, she tells Fitz and the two become closer than ever. Fitz needs to find the man who is threatening Eve because suddenly he can't sand the thought of anything happening to her.

I always like the chaperone getting a little something for herself and Camp does a pretty good job of it here. Eve is great however I thought it a little too noble of her not to have accepted Vivian's generous offer to come live with her. I'm all for a woman trying to make it on her own, but in that day and age when someone gives you a way out I think she should have taken it. I also thought that Camp did an excellent job explaining away her virginal status because apparently the virgin widow used to be all too common in the genre and while not so now, the situation still needs some good back story. The women are of course all fast friends and get along famously, which sometimes annoys me in stories as that is so rarely the case in real life, but Camp also does a great job with this- perhaps because one of the villains of the story is Lady Sabrina, who I absolutely love to hate in the Willowmere series.

And another staple is the rogue with no worries who suddenly finds himself wanting to tie himself to one woman and take up all the responsibilities he had been all too eager to hand off to another. Fitz is really pretty average for a romance novel hero; supposedly bad but still noble to stop just shy of ruining the heroine. The sex between these two is pretty good but I really felt like it could have been better as there was some great chemistry between them throughout the rest of the book. The whole letters and stealing ex-husband was a little weird really as it just seemed to show up when it was convenient and then disappear when there was other things that needed to be done. I guess I'm also a little upset as I hoped the Bascombe sisters would get their own series/ books but their stories are obviously being thrown in as side-romances for the men of Willowmere. One of my favorite parts of this was reading about Neville Carr's weak-willed "fiance" growing a spine and I wish there had been more.

Rating: Camp really has become one of my go-to authors recently and while this is not her best this is still a fun read. Looking forward to Stewkesbury's story immensely.

A Lady Never Tells

A Lady Never Tells by Candace Camp, 629

Mary Bascombe is the oldest of four girls and when her mother dies she and her sisters go to England to find their grandfather. Their mother had eloped years ago when their grandfather had disapproved of the man she wanted to marry. Royce Winslow runs into the sisters on the docks and while he at first disbelieves them when they claim their grandfather is the Earl of Stewksbury, but with the proof of their birth, he agrees to take them to the new Earl. Their grandfather died a year ago and now their cousin is the new Earl. And Royce himself is the stepbrother to the new Earl so he is happily no blood relation to Mary. The girls prove themselves to be determined and well able to take care of themselves and they quickly shock everyone by regaling them with stories of Indians and guns and performing their own chores back in America. Although he plans never to marry, Royce is beginning to think that being married to Mary would be a very good thing.

Royce agrees to accompany the girls on a journey to Willowmere and on the way Mary's sister Rose is almost kidnapped. The entire family goes on lockdown with the Earl, Royce, and their half-brother, Fitz, worried about what might happen, while the sisters are convinced they can take care of themselves. Meanwhile Royce is having a very difficult time keeping his hands off of Mary and while Mary is quite happy about this, Royce quite bungles things by immediately asking her to marry him because it is the practical thing for them to do. Things are not made any better when Mary discovers that Royce had been in love with another woman and she has trouble believing that he is completely over this other woman. Finally the sisters have had enough and set up a daring plot to catch the villain, but they will need Royce and Shrewksbury's help. If everything goes as planned, they will be free and clear- and Royce will have to convince Mary that he wants her for more than convenience; convince her that he loves her.

The relationship between Royce and Mary played out rather slowly and without too much romantic excitement really. The most intriguing thing about it was when Mary started thinking that he was in love with someone else as it really is common romance fodder for a heroine to refuse the hero because he offers for her for all the wrong reasons. I couldn't really get interested in that. Unfortunately not very much was made of it, there wasn't enough angst over it, and it was forgotten very quickly. Royce's turn around happened amazingly quickly as usual as, surprise Mary was kidnapped, and he realized he needed her in his life. Still I really did like this couple and there interactions together were fast, fun, and devoid of arguments or ridiculous banter. I wish there had been more of them and I wish there had just been more spark between them- there really did seem to be just a little oomph missing. The sex between them was warm, definitely not hot, but there were plenty of kisses.

The kidnap plot was very interesting and much of it was surprising with a few twists, however nothing completely shocking really. At first I was frustrated that Mary did not share her suspicions about who was behind the problems, but it did not really cause any long term problems. The best part of it was that we got a glimpse of how amazingly well these sisters were able to take care of themselves. They could shoot, they could fight, they could run, and they could wear boys clothing. There "odd" habits were not just cute little additions to show how spunky they were- but they were obviously genuinely written character elements that worked really well. The relationships between the sisters really made this book and were really just heart warming to read about. There was also a very cute and brief side romance between one of the other sisters and her sweetheart that was just a little extra cuteness to the story.

Rating: A fun book with some interesting elements, but I did not think it was particularly special and maybe a little too long.

Suddenly

Suddenly by Candace Camp

When Charity Emerson believes that Simon "Devil" Dure is about to offer for her sister Serena, she quickly proposes marriage to him herself. Her sister is in love with another man and Charity wants Serena to be happy. After laying out all the reasons she believes they will suit, he is still skeptical: she is young and he is worried that she will expect him to fall in love with her eventually. Both their families are excited that the two have made such a good match, and as Charity and Simon spend more time together they discover that there are definitely some aspects of marriage they are going to very much enjoy. Their happiness is marred when Charity begins to receive notes warning her to stay away from Simon because he murdered his older brother and his wife, who actually died in childbirth. Simon has lived with these rumors for years, but he can't help but be pleased that Charity inherently knows that Simon would never harm any person without sufficient cause. He also likes her spunk, her ability to stand up for herself, and her tendency to stand up for him whenever he is maligned.

Simon warns Charity away from a man named, Farraday Reed, who has shown himself to Charity to be nothing but honest, decent, helpful. Simon knows that Reed is not who he portrays himself to be. Years ago he ran off with Simon's sister, Venice, raped her, and tried to force her to marry him. At first Charity believes that Reed is a nice man and that he can help her discover who is behind the notes against Simon. When Simon finds out that she has been spending time with Reed, he is furious, but it is Venice who eventually tells her the truth. Unfortunately soon afterwords Reed is killed and Simon is the prime suspect because he had been seen arguing with Reed. Even though Simon calls off their engagement to save her, Charity knows that she needs Simon in her life as she believes she is already falling in love with him. She seduces him, marries him, and sets out to show him that they can have a wonderful life together. But rumors of Reed's death still haunt the couple wherever they go and Charity is determined that she will prove the man she loves is innocent. But someone is out there, trying to destroy their happiness, and when Charity is threatened, Simon must go rescue the woman he loves.

Charity was a great heroine. I loved that she went in their and proposed to him at the beginning to save her sister and it wasn't completely noble as she admitted that she wanted to help her sister, but she also wouldn't mind the benefits that came with being a Duchess. She proves herself throughout the book to be self sufficient, incredibly valiant in her struggles to get what she wants, and loyal to those she loves and is close to. And she manages to do all this without being "sassy" or "feisty" or any of those other adjectives that too often describe romance novel heroines. Simon is, like most heroes, wary of marriage, but he genuinely believes that he is incapable of love. I like that the story did not obsess over this aspect of his character, but just moved on while Charity slowly and methodically tore down the walls around his heart. I was rather surprised by the sex in the story as I don't remember Camp being so steamy, but, although there weren't a lot of them, the sex scenes that were there were quite good and since these two were so attracted to each other it made their relationship more believable and enjoyable.

The mystery involving Reed's death and who sent the notes is not exactly that big a mystery as it was fairly obvious that there was one person throughout the story who did not want Simon to be happy in his new marriage. I thought having this character be the villain was an interesting choice and, while not exactly completely new, was not quite the road most travelled. It was also nice in that it added to the romance without interfering, and lead to a nice, quickly resolved little kidnap plot at the end. What was most frustrating was the amount of time Simon waited before telling Charity the truth about Reed. Surely he knew that she would not just blindly follow orders and stop seeing him just on his say so. I understood why he felt like he could not, but it did get annoying to read about these arguments between them that could have been prevented if Simon would just have told Charity. Shout out to a great quote: Charity's sister Serena tells Serena that when she marries the reverend she's in love with, she looks forward to "be able to... commune with him in rightful solitude." Hilarious!

Rating: Really enjoyed this book, especially Charity who is such an amazing heroine! Good steam, good side plot, and only a little annoyingness. Pardon the picture. The only one I could find with my cover.

The Courtship Dance

The Courtship Dance by Candace Camp

The Courtship Dance is the fourth and final book in Candace Camp's Matchmaker series, pitting the "matchmaker" of the previous three books, Lady Francesca Haughston, with her cohert Lord Sinclair Rochford. Fifteen years previously Francesca and Rochford had been secretly engaged until Francesca was tricked into believed Rochford was carrying on an affair. She called off the engagement, married a wastrel who wasted all their money and left Francesca a penniless widow, and Francesca eventually discovered their had been no affair at all. So Francesca dedicates herself to finding a bride for Rochford to make up for blowing him off fifteen years ago. All of this had been disclosed in the previous book in the series, but a good job is done of regoing over everything lightly so a newbie won't be totally confused and a veteran won't be totally bored.

The side-ish plot of this story involves a friend of Francesca's former husband who comes home to England once he no longer fears prosecution over killing a man in a duel. He carries a paper claiming that Haughston gambled away the house Francesca lives in and it now belongs to him. Like most Camp books the side plot is cute, short, interesting and provides some interesting scenes without getting in the way. There were no fully developed secondary characters though; a few people from the previous books were brought in, some potential wives for Rochford, and of course the villian, but no "real" secondary characters at all. The side plot drags on longer than it has to though when Francesca refuses to go straight to Rochford for help, although when she finally does his first attempt to right things is rather pathetic and even I could tell that it wasn't going to work.

My complaints about the book include a lateness of the sex scenes although I will admit that they are steamy and last a good long while. I also am partial to books that spend more time on the heroes P.O.V. and this book is sadly lacking. While Francesca is an incredibly likable character and I will admit I have been looking forward to reading her romance with Rochford- which I could foretell in the first book in this series- I did want more from Rochford. His character is barely developed at all, he just remains this strong, dark, rather silent mystery man who our very likable heroine falls in love with. He has perhaps 30 pages told from his POV which is unusual in Camp books so I wonder why she went down this route.

I am normally not a sucker for kidnapping plots but I particularly liked this one- I don't consider this a spoiler as when there's a villian in the book a small, easily- wrapped up kidnapping should be expected. Francesca struggles admirably well including a great part where she gets out of the carriage and goes running through the market place. Even if no one responds it was still great that she didn't just jerk against her bonds and wait for Rochford. And although we didn't get anything from Rochford, I loved Francesca. She is, as I said above, completely likeable. She's survived on her own by helping people move through society and her emotions are so dead on as she struggles to cope with her feelings for Rochford while sure that he will never forgive her for her spurning of him 15 years ago.

Rating: Probably deserves a 3 1/2 but will give it a 3 because I really would have loved more for Rochford so I could understand exactly why she fell in love with him.

The Bridal Quest

The Bridal Quest by Candace Camp

Another installment of the Matchmaker series, this book features Lady Francesca Haughston who has been "hired" by her long-time friend Lord Rochford, to find a wife for his cousin Gideon Lord Radbourne. Gideon is the long lost heir, who has only recently been returned to his family after being kidnapped with his mother while still a child. Living in the slums of London has left Gideon without the social graces necessary to attract a bride his family would find suitable. Enter Lady Irene Wyngate who lives with her brother and his horrible wife, as well as her mother because her father failed to provide well for her or his widow. Irene has of course sworn never to marry because of the example her father set for her, and this is certainly a big sacrifice given the way her sister-in-law treats her.

Francesca, discerning the attraction between Gideon and Irene, enlists Irene's help in getting Gideon ready for the house party being thrown to introduce him to suitable brides. The cast also includes Gideon's flighty grandmother Pansy, his boisterous great-aunt, and his obnoxious step-mother Teresa. Our hero and heroine are thrown together constantly and to nobody's surprise Irene's resistance to marriage begins to weaken, much to the chagrin of Teresa who hopes her son Timothy will eventually inherit the Earldom. Cleverly enmeshed in the story is the mystery behind the supposed kidnapping of Gideon and his mother and the reader will no doubt be surprised by the outcome.

Despite my almost constant assertions that I dislike murder/ mystery side-plots Candace Camp does an amazing job on them. The mystery is a real PART of the story and the story could not be complete without it. This is a far cry from the way most romance mystery's are written. I also enjoy how neither of our protagonists are ever excessively mean, rude, or nasty to the other. Very near the start they realize they like one another and although they argue, there is none of the hatred that seems to appear in so many novels. The periphery characters are all well written and developed, and Camp seems particularly agile at written the nasty woman/en found in all romance novels. Of particular interest were Lady Haughston and Lord Rochford, who will no doubt soon be featured in a novel of their own and I will just say that the buildup has been done perfectly.

The side plot also serves to distract the reader from the fact the hero and heroine, despite many kissing scenes, only make love once. ONCE! And that is very near the end of the book and is a far cry from the best I've read. Much of the book seemed to be filler, and while I've found this is very common in romance novels, I noticed it quite a bit in this one for some reason. Perhaps it is not as well written or perhaps I was just not as interested in the two main protagonists as I usually am. Irene's constant assertion that she will never marry got old quickly and seemed to unnecessarily prolong the book. And it is of course, always a problem, when all through the book I can't help but wonder when the Haughston-Rochford novel will be coming out.

The book was satisfying and intriguing, but I was never able to fully connect with these characters for some reason. However, I can't give it less than 3 because of the side plot and periphery characters.