Lady Arabella's Scandalous Marriage

Lady Arabella's Scandalous Marriage by Carole Mortimer 518

Lady Arabella St. Claire is impetuous by nature so when Darius Wynter, Duke of Carlyne, challenges her on her lack of experience she takes him up on it and finds herself on top of a desk in an incredibly compromising position when her brother, Hawk, walks in. Hawk is not pleased at the thought of his little sister marrying a known rake like Darius, so a year ago when Darius, who was still a mere Lord at the time, came with a proposal he turned him down flat. Unfortunately Darius believes that it is Lady Arabella who turned him down and he has been holding it against her every since. Still, she realizes that she has not met a single man who intrigues her and can hold her interest as well as Damien, so she decides that she will marry him. He is quite pleased at the idea of finally having the beautiful and quite feisty Arabella as his wife, but he is worried about a French spy who recently escaped from custody and his own younger brother, Francis, who has turned in to quite the horrible person and is out to get him.

On their wedding night he is called away to talk to someone, the inn that they are staying at burns down, and then there is a horrible carriage accident which makes it more obvious to Darius that this evil person is trying to kill both him and his wife. He believes this person may have also killed his first wife, a rich woman he didn't love who died less than a year after the marriage. It could be an escaped French spy or even his own brother, who has always coveted the dukedom, although he is not sure. Arabella is furious that Darius has to continually leave her, but all her anger is quickly turned to arousal at the slightest touch or look from Darius. He does not want anyone thinking that he actually cares about his wife or they might target her and he knows he could not bear to loose his wife. However, he is duty bound to keep her in the dark about his profession as a spymaster because of his promise to the crown. When the evil comes out of the woodwork, Darius realizes that it is time for love to play a more important role than duty and the two need to admit their feelings for each other- finally.

I find it odd that this book, indeed the two main characters, make so much out of the verbal spars the two of them are sure to have- almost as if there life will be a challenge. Indeed, Arabella doesn't tell Darius that she didn't turn him down, her brother did, because that would put an end to "their battle of wills" and she would lose. What? So a big misunderstanding that's not a misunderstanding because she knows about it and DECIDES not to put an end to it. Crazy! I am not a big fan of couple's whose main interactions consist of arguing or sparing/ banter and this book definitely falls into that category. I also found it weird that these two were in love with each other from the beginning yet they were just too scared to admit it to each other. The spy/ murder plot really did take over completely and it had a really big, and not exactly good, impact on the relationship between these two.

The sex between them was incredibly hot- like really good and very well written. However the book makes several references to him wanting to spank her and he actually does it! This may sound odd but I have no problem with spankings if they're doing it because both parties are enjoying it, but to do it for punishment is just incredibly patronizing- especially considering she's not a child. While it turns out that she liked it in the end, I found the entire thing to be rather humiliating for her so I didn't like it. This really does tie in with the ridiculousness of both of their actions. He is so intent on hiding his secret life as a spy hunter that he won't tell her why he has to abandon her on their wedding night and right after they have just made love. Unfortunately Arabella's actions are not all that much better as she does rather behave like a spoiled child, but I can at least see where she's coming from. I wish he could have told her why he was doing all these things- it seemed ridiculous for him to go on hiding it from her for so long- especially since her own life was in danger.

Rating: This book was not completely horrible, but I disliked almost all of the interactions between these two. At least it was readable.

The Heiress in His Bed

The Heiress in His Bed by Tamara Lejeune 517

Lady Viola Gambol is not at all pleased that her deceased father has arranged a not at all advantagious marriage to the Marquess of Bamph. He is in desperate need of her money, but she is not prepared to give herself to some random man in exchange for money. Her brother, the Duke of Fanshawe hires Julian Devize, to help with the marriage contracts. Julian is actually the second son of a baron, but he has stuck it to his family by becoming a working class stockjobber. When his family hires him to find his older brother in a brothel, he is startled to discover that a young virgin is being put up for auction without her knowledge, a young woman with connections to his employer, so he decides to purchase her. Unfortunate this requires that he "borrow" some money from the Duke. He takes Viola, whom he believes to be a Miss Mary Andrews, back to his place, tells everyone they're married, and after only a little ado decides that the two of them should marry. Viola believes herself in love and is thrilled that she has found a man who loves her for something besides her money.

But the Duchess of Berkshire recognizes Viola and she wants her own son, Simon, to marry her, so she plants a seat of doubt in Viola's ear and Viola runs off. Still thinking that she is Mary, Julian goes to the Duke to find Mary, but the Duke believes he is talking about the real Ma

ry and tells him the marriage is off. Then Julian hears that the woman has eloped with a Mr. Rampling, who just happens to live very close to Julian's sister and her husband so he hightails it down there to meet them. There Viola is pretending to a nursemaid to a drunken woman and helping the homely Lucy Rampling prettify herself- even if she is only interested in Alex Devize, Julian's brother, whom she believes is far too good for her. Viola just wants to know that Julian really does love her and plan to marry her, but thinks he just wants to make her his mistress. Much hijinks ensure as everyone believes that someone is marrying someone they're actually not, but in the end we manage to sort everything out- quite hilariously!

Viola is quite a bracing, and very easily dislikable, character who manages to deftly avoid complete horribleness. She is selfish, she is spoiled, she is quite judgmental, and she runs roughshod over everyone around her. Matters are helped because oftentimes she is right about what she is doing, but I had the most problems with her treatment of money and how she just threw it around. I can see her being a very troublesome character, but I found her interesting. Julian was a tad bizarre as the lordly son who bucked convention and alienates the ton by some barely legal business practices. They had some quite intriguing scenes between them but I wish there had been more. I like to have a few scenes where the protagonists spend some quality time together, just being nice to each other. The sex was hot enough, but there were some odd scenes where he was in such a hurry that the experience wasn't very good for her. I found it a little odd that Viola admired the fact that Julian was so disliked- she wanted a husband who inspired some feelings and she just didn't care which.

All of Lejeune's books that I have read have featured extensive mistaken identity plots that miraculously manage to be mostly amusing and not too annoying. Although there were definitely times I wanted to just have everything sorted out RIGHT NOW because it was getting a tad ridiculous, the vast majority of the time I was wonderfully amused and loving every minute of it. I think it's because something was always happening- there is very little downtime or fluff in the book.The cast of side characters, though quite extensive, is truly amazing and completely wonderful! Viola's brother is a delightfully amusing character who says the most ridiculous things because of his obsession with food, his obtuseness, and his own self interests in the oddest things. Some of my favorite scenes and quotes came straight from his mouth, including one where he refers to Bamph's mother as "the she-Bamph." Hysterical! There were a couple of side romances in this, from Julian's sister and her husband to Alex and Lucy and they added quite a bit to this book.

Rating: I did enjoy this book, but my favorite parts were really the parts where romance wasn't really involved- the funny parts for instance. Interesting, but not quite the best romance.

Private Arrangements

Private Arrangements by Sherry Thomas 515

Phillippa, Gigi, Rowland has been raised her whole life to expect marriage to a Duke. Her parents are both in trade and she is extremely wealthy so it would not be unreasonable for her to snare a titled, but broke, gentleman. She succeeds when she catches the attention of Lord Tremaine, heir to the current Duke of Fairford. When he dies she is distraught but soon sets her sight on his cousin, Camden Saybrook, the new Lord of Tremaine and it is not long before the two have fallen for each other. Unfortunately Camden is already promised to another woman and although they are not engaged, he considers himself taken despite his feelings for Gigi. She decides to take care of the matter by forging a letter from this woman claiming to have already married and setting Camden free. He promptly proposes to Gigi, and both are secure in the knowledge that they will have a great marriage. But right before the wedding he discovers her deception and marries her with the intention of making her life miserable afterwards.

He succeeds admirably, turning her away whenever she tries to seduce him, belittling her, refusing to forgive her, and taking another woman to his bed, until she finally admits they will never have a marriage. Ten years later she wants to marry a sweet young man, Lord Freedie, and asks Camden for a divorce. He agrees on the condition that she provide him with an heir within the next year, but Gigi has no intention of becoming pregnant or divulging the truth of their relationship to Lord Freddie. Being together brings up all the happy memory of when they were together before the marriage and makes them remember all of the mistakes they had both made in the past about their relationship. They are both scared of getting hurt, afraid of making the same mistakes, afraid of putting themselves out on a limb for the other after everything that had happened. When both of them realize what is happening it is going to take both of them to gather their courage, take a leap, and start on a new life together.

Another book about a married couple who hates each other and causes each other endless amounts of misery over something really fairly miniscule. Is this a new trend in romance novels? I guess I am just naturally inclined to be more forgiving towards heroines than their male counterparts, and while I admit that what she did was certainly bad- to hold it over her head for over ten years was more than a tad much. He was unbearably cruel to her even after she apologized numerous times and even he admitted it tore him apart! I cannot understand why he just did not forgive her or at least try to make something more of their marriage. The book contains many flashbacks to their courtship/ early marriage and while it was nice to have such a rich back story I would really have preferred to see more of them in the present, getting OVER what had happened in the past. The flashbacks were very emotional and it was so sad to read about them going from the happy perfect couple to these two people who hated each other, especially about how mean Camden became towards Gigi.

I can see why Gigi would be a very unlikable character but I won't lie, I loved how honest she was about her expectations and what she wanted. She was brash, she was somewhat offensive, and she went after what she wanted. Yes- people got hurt, but it was certainly a strong heroine who remained likable despite that. I also loved that she admitted her mistake about the letter and worked so hard to bring her marriage back together. Camden was not so likable and I really wanted to slap him quite a bit and tell him to get over it. The sex was interesting because there were some scenes that were incredibly hot, some that merely stopped when things got good, and a couple that were a little squicky because they were just doing it to get pregnant. I didn't have a problem with the fact that they had each taken lovers, because they both did and, oddly enough, because there had not been feelings involved- to me that would be worse. I liked the very short romance between Gigi's mother and a younger Duke quite a bit- maybe more than the main story.

Rating: This book was too emotional for even me. I really think this book deserves about 2 1/2 because I don't imagine I'd recommend this to anyone, but I can see how some might like it.

Dark Angel

Dark Angel by Mary Balogh 523

Lady Jennifer Winwood has been betrothed to Lord Lionel Kersey for five years, but circumstances have prevented their official announcement/ marriage. Finally Lionel officially proposes and she is all too happy to say yes as she has been in love with him for as long as she can remember. No, they have never really had a conversation or shared any intimacy with each other, but he is handsome in a golden pale way. Gabriel Fisher, the Earl of Thornhill, lives on the edge of society ever since he impregnated his stepmother, ran off with her to the continent, and then abandoned her when the baby was born. But Gabriel did not truly sleep with his stepmother and the true culprit is Lionel. Gabriel wants to get revenge on Lionel for what he did to his stepmother and for what has since happened to his own reputation so he decides that he will convince Jennifer to call of the wedding, thereby humiliating Lionel.

Jennifer finds that she enjoys Gabriels' company and has trouble believing all of the rumors that surround him. However, she remains steadfast in her belief that she loves Lionel, even though he remains cold and aloof towards her and hints that he may not really want the marriage. Unbeknownst to her he is also playing on the affection of her cousin, Samantha Newman. Eventually Gabriel realizes that he cannot go through with his plan as it will end up hurting Jennifer and the more he gets to know her, the more he knows that he likes her and does not want to hurt her. Unfortunately Lionel is on to Gabriel's plan and plants a letter that ends up completely ruining her and forcing a marriage between Gabriel and Jennifer. The two are forced into a marriage that both believe the other want. Gabriel needs to convince her that he does want her and that the best does not need to impact their future if only they can move on together.

This was published in the same book as Balogh's "Lord Carew's Bride" but it was still approximately the same length as other novels. I am very glad they decided to republish this and that I ended up getting 2 for 1 really. I have found Balogh's recent works a little too "calm" for my taste, and while this book certainly was not exactly exciting, the characters showed a bit more personality and there was quite a bit going on to keep the story interesting. Jennifer was well written and while I was frustrated with her insistence that she was madly in love with Lionel despite his actions and her own interactions with Gabriel, it was understandable why she behaved why she thought that way. She was innocent and naive, despite her claims to the contrary, and it took quite a lot to convince her that love was not something she felt out of duty, but because she genuinely cared about someone.

Gabriel was great as the tortured and wrongly accused hero who could only be saved by the love of a good woman. And it worked because he really did become a better person as his feelings for Jennifer manifested themselves. I kind of did wish he had bothered to explain the truth about the situation to Jennifer a little sooner. His actions after the marriage while Jennifer was feeling depressed were wonderful- it was obvious that he was trying so hard to make her feel better and work things out the best that he could. I was a little worried that Lionel would not get his comeuppance, but luckily I was wrong on that score and although it's not a big splash, it's enough. Unfortunately towards the end the book does drag on a little bit as Jennifer starts to worry that she will never be able to forgive Gabriel for what he did, which I just found odd as it worked out for the best anyway. The book sets up Samantha's story quite nicely and that review will be coming very soon.

Rating: The book had a really good start and was quite promising, but unfortunately took a turn for the worse near the end. Still fairly good and satisfying.

The Wild Marquis

The Wild Marquis by Miranda Neville 425

Juliana Merton is recently widowed and took over the running of her late husband's bookshop, although she has noted a marked decrease in purchases since a woman gained control. She desperately wants in to the auction of Lord Tarleton as it is expected to be quite amazing; and she wants the opportunity to buy back the folio of "Romeo and Juliet" that had once belonged to her mother before being "stolen." Cain, the Marquess of Cain, is just as eager to attend, not for any deep love of books, but because he wants to regain his family's copy of The Hours, which mysteriously disappeared from the collection around the same time Cain's saintly father kicked him out of the family. Cain engages the help of Juliana to aid him at the auction, and it is not long before he realizes he wants quite a bit more from her than help with musty old books. Juliana harbors secrets of her own as her parents were never married and she had been thrown out by her grandfather's heir as soon as he inherited.

Juliana suspects someone has been coming into his her shop and messing around with things but she cannot prove it. She and Cain finally give in to their mutual passion for each other, but Juliana is too proud to be his mistress and she does not think he can give up his philandering ways. When she discovers some inconsistencies in the books for sale at the auction, Chase begins to suspect that Juliana was born legitimately and that someone is desperately trying to cover it. A wrench is thrown into things when Cain's sister shows up in an attempt to get away from their incredibly religious and probably insane mother who wants to marry her off to a middle aged clergyman. Cain knows that if he wants to gain guardianship of his sister he needs to marry well and he is even more determined to prove that Juliana is legitimate. But there is still someone out there, the person who killed Julianna's husband and covered it up as a robbery, who is trying to protect a deep dark secret. Juliana and Cain must work together to discover Juliana's past and try to bury Cain's own dark secrets to make a life together.

These were two great characters who were meant to be together. Juliana is perfect as the tradewoman who is struggling to make ends meet and trying to forge a name for herself in a very male dominated field of book selling and purchasing. There was one odd scene where she regarded a different tradesman with quite a bit of distaste because of his very middle-class back ground which I found very odd though. Cain was much more interesting to me because I always like stories that involve religion driving someone to madness or at least to do some incredibly horrific things and that was certainly the case in his family. He was also great because he was genuinely interesting in and wanted to help the women of the country try to improve their lots and he was certainly a lot more progressive about equality between the sexes than most of his peers (even some people today, really). Cain and Juliana worked very well together and they had some absolutely great moments. The sex was very hot although I wish there had been quite a bit more of it.

I won't lie: I admired the author's attempt to think of a new and interesting way to bring intrigue into a romance novel, but I just found it very difficult to care about these books. I guess there's a reason author's usually turn to spies and treason and not rich men stealing very old books from each other. It did get more interesting as we learned that there was some real intrigue going on as we had to discover who wanted to cover up Juliana's legitimacy, where the proof of said legitimacy was, and how exactly Cain's father had been blackmailed into giving up his copy of that devotional work. But the books themselves, although I have great love for them, did not really do it for me. In addition it was very difficult for me to keep all of the character's straight and they really seemed to blend into each other. I had to be introduced to someone several times before I remembered who he was and why/ if he was important, and some of them I still am unsure about. I also liked the little side plot involving Cain's father's madness and the secrets he was hiding as it was resolved, but did not end in a happily ever after and ruin the realism of it.

Rating: Above average book, but there was not all that much to distinguish it in the romance department, only a very well written mystery plot (or two).