Surrender to the Earl

Surrender to the Earl by Gayle Callen

Audrey Blake has been blind since childhood and so her family is very protective of her to the point where she feels suffocated. When her husband died in the war he left her an estate but her family always comes up with an excuse to prevent her from travelling. Robert Henslow, the Earl of Knightsbridge, served with Mr. Blake, and he believes his actions were responsible for Blake's death and feels like he owes the widow a debt of gratitude. When he visits Audrey at her family home he sees how capable and strong she is and how her family refuses to see this and treats her like a child. When she asks for his help escaping he agrees but the only way he can think to get her out is by pretending they are engaged. Her family is surprised, especially her beautiful younger sister who is upset that her older sister is once again taking the matrimonial prize, but they do let her go with him. She is excited to finally be starting her own life and knows that she will have a lot to prove to everyone, but she is wary of this pretend engagement.

Mr. Blake had courted and married her so he could use her dowry to purchase a commission in the army so she is wary of new attachments and does not want to come to be dependent on someone else. When Audrey arrives at her new home the servants are surprised and everyone can immediately sense that they are hiding something but she wants to get out to a good start with everyone so does not push. When Audrey's ladies maid becomes sick Robert accompanies her around the village and helps her look through estate matters. He admires her independence and determination but believes that they get in the way of her forming attachments to other people. He wants a real relationship with Audrey but she cannot give up her fears and feels betrayed when he reveals the truth about her husbands death. Together they must learn that it is okay to depend on someone else, to trust and love someone enough to know that they will never let you down.

I was immediately intrigued by a book featuring a blind heroine because I realize how much many romances rely on descriptions and details, and I was very impressed with how Callen developed a real character and didn't gloss over the hardships that would come with being blind. Audrey was a very interesting and likable character; fiercely understanding and reluctant to accept any help, but it made sense when considering the way she had been so protected her entire life. She was very capable of running her own life and obviously cared about those around her from her spoiled sister to her lady's maid to the family who works at the estate. Robert was a very admirable character with a keen sense of honor and I really enjoyed reading about him falling in love with Audrey. It was obvious he was proud of Audrey's abilities and would be accepting of her abilities without trying to smother her or control her. Yet it was clear that he would do everything he could to protect her and wanted to have a relationship where both of them were partners.

Audrey and Robert spent a lot of time together in various situations and we were able to see how they would get on under different circumstances. Throughout the book what really stood out was how supportive Robert was of Audrey at all times and that was really what she needed. The two were very attracted to each other, and even without her being able to see him, that aspect was really clear throughout the book. However, there really was very little sex in the book and even if what was there was hot, I felt like there should have been more. She worried that he was using sex to control her and that was one of the little issues that irritated me in the book. There was also the problem of him believing he was responsible for her husbands death and those little dramas took away from the book. I really liked the relationship between Audrey and her sister and how it developed throughout the novel as just an extra little treat.

Rating: A very good book with a unique heroine who was portrayed so honestly and I really felt like the relationship was a strong one.

Return of the Viscount

Return of the Viscount by Gayle Callen

Cecilia Mallory grew up India as her mother dragged her and her brothers around the country, following Cecilia's father who was an officer in the British army. When one of her brothers dies, they were twins, she moves back to England and vows never to return to India. Once her father dies her brother inherits the Earldom and proceeds to run the estate into the ground; he drinks and gambles and generally avoids all responsibilities to his title and leaves Cecilia to pick up the pieces. Cecilia can only gain access to her inheritance through marriage so she decides to marry Seargant Michael Blackwell, a friend of her father's in the army, believing him to be her father's contemporary. Michael joined the army, despite his title, to prove himself and even went so far as to enlist as an ordinary soldier instead of buying a commission. He agrees to Cecilia's mad scheme as a favor to his old captain whom Michael respected, but believes there must be something about Cecilia that makes ordinary marriage an impossibility. After being wounded in action he returns to England to meet his wife and both of them are in for a huge surprise; Cecilia is beautiful and intelligent and Michael is young and virile.

While Michael decides it would be an excellent idea to make their marriage work, Cecilia has no intention of having a real marriage and makes no secret of her determination to avoid any commitment with Michael. Michael sees that he will have an uphill battle trying to win over a woman who has grabbed control of her life and sees giving up that control as a failure and refuses to allow anyone to help her or have any say in what she does. He takes the tack of silently supporting her and offering his advice only when asked and slowly Cecilia comes to see that Michael is not out to steal her independence or insult her choices. But no matter how much they grow to love each other and depend on each other there is the problem of his career and her desire to stay in England and nurture her estate and possible family. A shocking discovery shows Cecilia that she must overcome her fears and inhibitions in order to have a happy ending with the man who loves her.

This is the start of a new trilogy about wounded soldiers that Callen is starting and I'm hoping that she was just working out some kinks because I felt like this fell far from her previous works. I wanted to like Cecilia because she was independent and intelligent and had no fear of going after what she needed. However, I quickly lost any appreciation I had for her as I read about her treatment of Michael and any respect I had for her when she continually stuck up from her brother no matter what horrible things he, or his friends, did. She refused to see what was right in front of her nose when it came to Michael and was quite mean to him and could not admit her feelings for him until the very end. It was like Callen attempted to switch the typical romance novel stereotype by having the female scared of her feelings instead of the male, but I dislike it either way. Michael was a pretty great guy, not least because he stuck by Cecilia throughout all of her awfulness even if I couldn't really understand why. He was very supportive and worked with Cecilia's issue and was generally very caring of her feelings.

They did not spend as much quality time together as I would have liked, and despite the fact that they did live in the same house I wasn't really able to see how they would function as a couple since Cecilia never let her guard down and it was like Michael had to walk on eggshells around her. I just did not really sense a loving, caring, relationship based on mutual respect and trust between these two. Cecilia was terrified of being tied to Michael so there was very little sex between them and it was, quite frankly, barely lukewarm. I was not a fan. There was the little mystery of who was trying to harm Cecilia and that was a surprising bright spot in the novel because it really was a mystery and I had no idea who could be behind the attacks. However, I did role my eyes every time Cecilia refused to admit she could be in trouble because I hate that in heroines who are in danger. The ending, and the resolution to their major problem, happened abruptly, and did not really seem in character with Cecilia. To top everything off the book was boring and incredibly slow moving and hard to get through. I had an incredibly hard time finishing the book and kept putting it down because there was nothing drawing me to finish the book; reading it was really just a chore.

Rating: A boring book with a very weak relationship between a heroine I didn't like and a hero who was a bit of a blah and only a tiny little mystery to stitch it together.

A Most Scandalous Engagement

A Most Scandalous Engagement by Gayle Callen 1216

Peter Derby owns a club that has recently come into ownership of a scandalous nude painting featuring an unknown society lady. When Elizabeth Cabot and her cousin sneak into the gallery to steal the painting Peter and his two closest friends know the subject of the painting must be one of those girls. Peter lays his money on Elizabeth while his friends each choose one of her cousins and they each set out to prove themselves right. Elizabeth had been a reckless child, always getting into scrapes, and always being rescued by Peter who lived nearby, even though his family was common while hers was part of society. Now she is the darling of the ton and intent on proving that she has left her scandalous past behind her, even while she is the one who posed for the painting. One of her suitors, Lord Thomas, threatens to tell the ton it is her in the painting if she does not marry him. To circumvent his blackmail she claims she is already engaged and enlists Peter's help by pretending to a sham engagement with him.

Peter agrees because he has harbored deeper feelings for Elizabeth for years, but always felt like she was too good for him. Now that he has his own fortune, he thinks that the two of them can finally have a future and sets out to prove to her that they would be perfect for each other. Of course they must pretend to be madly in love in front of the ton and pretend begins to become very close to truth. But Elizabeth has always fancied that she would marry William, her best friend's brother, and to keep herself from falling under Peter's spell she claims that their passionate interludes are merely practice for when she can use what he's teaching her on William. Everyone is worried that both of them are making a mistake; that Elizabeth is marrying beneath herself and that Peter will never be accepted into the ton he is marrying into, and both of them worry that the other is getting worried about these things as well and wants out. Both of them will have to be honest with the other about what they want before they can be happy.

This is the second in the scandalous series and carries on the story of the the nude portrait. The first installment was of average quality and this one was slightly better as I liked the main characters and the problems they faced more than the first, but it still had some of the same problems. Elizabeth's scandalous past is hinted at but not really shown and I couldn't help but feel a little mystified as to how a society lady would have ever posed nude for a painting. I don't know how she would have met this artist and how she would have gotten up the courage to do this and this really should have been talked about more. Unfortunately her wild behavior was a big part of her development as a character as she was working so hard to overcome her past and it was just hard to see this as we didn't really get a glimpse into said scandalous past. I enjoyed reading about her relationship with her mother as it was important and yet did not really take over they story and the secondary characters in general were well written and no overwhelming.

Peter was a more intriguing character than Elizabeth in general because he was fighting feelings of inadequacy and it's always great to read about someone who has harbored a secret longing for a long time. His attempts to make her fall in love with him were mainly physical, but I could still sense that these two had deeper feelings for each other. Their relationship progresses very naturally and quickly throughout the story and we were there every step of the way. They did know each other before the story started and so we missed out on a little bit, but I still felt like there was a good bit of development going on. Their wasn't a lot of sex per se but there was a ton of sizzling tension between these two that scorched the pages and I felt the entire book was very sexy. The mystery of the painting was not really a large part of the story because we knew from the beginning that she was the model and I liked that it was really just a part of the back round. There was the issue of Elizabeth being blackmailed into marriage and I also enjoyed how this element was carried through to the end and had a very satisfying ending.

Rating: More enjoyable than her last novel because I liked these characters better and side plots were enjoyable extras and didn't overwhelm.

His Scandal

His Scandal by Gayle Callen 813

Sir Alexander Thornton has been leading a dissolute life and is bored with his usual pursuits so when his friend Edmund challenges him he readily agrees. Alex bets Edmund to kiss one of the tons most eligible young ladies while Alex himself is challenged to kiss the very beautiful Blythe Prescott. The challenge to kissing Blythe lies in getting around her very protective older sister Emmeline, who is determined to find a decent match for her sister. Alex certainly does not qualify as everyone knows that he is quite scandalous and had masqueraded as his twin brother. Emmeline needs to keep Alex away from her sister and will do everything she can, including never letting her sister out of her sight, confronting Alex's mother, and even following Alex to his favorite tavern's and warning him to stay away. It is at said tavern that Alex is first set upon by two men, whom he chases away before he can discover what they are after.

But the more time he spends with Blythe, and by consequence Emmeline, the more Alex realizes that the younger sister is not for him. Emmeline's insecurities confuse Alex and he wants to discover more about her- especially when he learns that she was once in love but was unable to marry the man because her father disapproved of his lower station. Meanwhile Emmeline is trying to get her sister interesting in another man, but Alex misinterprets the situation and thinks that she wants this man for herself. Emmeline sees behind the carefree facade to the man who was hurt when he did his duty to the country by pretending to be his brother, only to have everyone turn against him when the truth came out. The two men who accosted Alex are still out to get him and will stop at nothing to get him even if it means going through someone they think he cares about.

While I normally would not have a problem with two characters coming together while he is in pursuit of another woman, I found it a little distasteful that said other woman was her younger sister. Even more so because he did not really give up his pursuit until well into the book and after he started developing feelings for Emmeline. And then more odd because Emmeline seemed remarkably unconcerned that man who had been after her sister was suddenly so attracted and attentive to her. It did not really add up for me. Emmeline and Alex did not really seem to have much chemistry going on in general and there time together was brief and overshadowed by her worries about her sister. There was one brief sex scene at the end that just left me feeling blah and a few very short scenes little up to it that were just as disappointing. I often felt like their interactions consisted of him being amused by her frustrations about his relationship with her sister.

Alex's feelings of insecurity over being the younger twin were intriguing but, like many things in this book, not really developed fully. Likewise the two men who were after Alex turned out to be a dud of a plot and really quite ridiculous to the point where I wanted to slap someone. One of my favorite aspects of this book was woefully underdeveloped and that was the relationship between Emmeline and her father. It was very interesting to me as he was so disinterested in his daughters and yet manipulated Emmeline's relationships to his own benefit and I really felt as though so much more could have been made of this when it was merely a little blurb in the book. Despite the fact that the writing was actually quite well done and there was a good balance of dialogue and prose it took me several weeks to finish this book and I had to put it down several times.

Rating: Not a horrible book by any means, but I really did not get a good sense of these two characters really falling in love.

In Pursuit of a Scandalous Lady

In Pursuit of a Scandalous Lady by Gayle Callen 606

When Julian Delane, the Earl of Parkhurst, sees the scandalous painting of a nude, but anonymous, lady of the ton, he knows precisely who the model is. He recognizes the giant red heart-shaped diamond around her neck as the one worn by Rebecca Leland. He is especially interested in this diamond, the Scandalous Lady, because it had been a gift to his father from a grateful maharaja and it had disappeared ten years ago. In a great scandal his father had fallen into despair and ruin before committing suicide and leaving Julian to clean up his messes, take care of the family, and bring up the Earldom's finances. He is determined to get the diamond back and after making a wager with his friends that he can reveal who the model of the painting is, he begins to randomly show up at the same events that Rebecca attends. Rebecca is tired of living a secluded life after having been sick for most of her childhood and she wants a grand adventure out of life. She saw posing for the painting as just one step in her journey.

When Rebecca is accosted by ruffians demanding she hand over the necklace she decides that the best course of action is for her to head out to the country by herself- both disappearing from them and diverting their attention from her family. Julian sees Rebecca as she is escaping and hops on the train with her where he decides that the best thing would be for him to accompany her. She is adamant that she be an equal partner in their agreement, and plays quite a few tricks on him when he doesn't consult her. They need to discover what happened to the necklace and it is a dangerous journey as people are murdered, villains threaten people, and they are forced to assume identities as commoners to hide in plain sight. Living in such close quarters with each other really allows them to learn a lot about each other and although she has decided never to marry, Rebecca's resolve is severely tested. When the truth about the Scandalous Lady his close to home, Rebecca and Julian work together to put everything to rights and allow them to forge a future for themselves.

I really wanted to sympathize with Rebecca as the over protected proper lady who really wanted to let loose, but the method that she chose was both unbelievable and not really something I could appreciate. She'd never been in society and yet she posed nude for a well known artist? That does not seem likely. And for much of their harrowing journey she continues to view the whole thing as part of her grand adventure even as it becomes more and more obvious that the people after them are very dangerous. However, the tricks she played on Julian were quite funny and it was obvious she could hold her own against him without resorting to arguments or annoying-ness. Julian was completely mouth watering- strong and tough and protective while still being able to give up a little control and share some responsibility. Supposedly this was a major point of contention between them, yet he seemed to accomplish it admirably. I really liked him and loved the way he treated Rebecca.

It took me a long time to really get into the Scandalous Lady plot as I really am not really much for diamonds and big mysteries unless they're very well done. This one was just adequate really and near the middle-ish I did start to enjoy it a little bit more. It served as a great way to get our two protagonists together for a long period of time and it was really great reading about them interacting together in a completely different setting then the one they normally occupied. However, I will say that I felt the mystery part of this story really overwhelmed the story and took up more room than I would have preferred, even if it did serve as a vehicle for their relationship. The sex between them was really crammed into about 25 pages near the end even if there was some nice buildup and I would have preferred it more spread out, especially since they were in such close quarters. This book did set up some sequels very nicely and I do plan on reading them when they come out as the characters seem like they'll be fun.

Rating: A fairly enjoyable book with a yummy hero and great time together, however I did not really get into the mystery plot.