Review: Well written story, but I don't like the infidelity theme of the book.
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 04 23, 2012
---WARNING - This review contains some spoilers---The book was well written grammatically and character development was very good. In the beginning of the book, I had some sympathy for Catherine the heroine, trapped in a loveless marriage with a man who was mentally abusive. I even disliked Edgar, her husband, until I find out why he acted the way he did.I started losing my sympathy for Catherine though, after her first sexual encounter with Adam.  Perhaps, one sexual encounter could be forgiven, as her husband more or less set up the scene for it. But it becomes inexcusable when she goes to London and becomes Adam's mistress.  This book would have been OK for me but I couldn't get over Catherine's infidelity, which made the book distasteful to me.  The writer tried to paint Adam as an honorable man by mentioning that several times in the book; but honorable men don't set up other men's wives as mistresses - no matter the provocation. I would have had more respect for him, if he had kept away from Catherine, even if he was in love with her. I could see little evidence that it was love - not lust - that drew him to her.I find the ending of the story unforgivable: after more or less causing Edgar's death, Adam climbs into bed with Edgar's wife, in Edgar's home, and falls asleep with her. I found that to be very insensitive, unbelievable and unreal.  I mean, who does that? Even if he were the nastiest husband on earth, which Edgar certainly wasn't, as he never physically assaulted his wife, she should still have been given some regard in her own home.  What would the servants say (I assume they were present)? And I believe Adam could have taken more steps to protect Catherine's reputation by not going away with her before her time of mourning for her husband was over. There were just too many holes in the story to make it a realistic Regency story with Regency values (which is the main attraction of historical stories).After finding out the reason why Edgar behaved the way he did, I pitied him. It is difficult to hate the victim of abuse, and if the author's intention was to make us hate him, she didn't succeed. I just felt really sad about the whole situation, and that is why I give the book two stars. The plot needs more work to generate real enthusiasm for the star crossed lovers. The story would have been better told as a modern day romance.