Review: Good premise and very pleasant writing style, but there are a few issues
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 21, 2014
I've rounded up this review to a 4 star from a 3.5 because the author does have a great writing voice, and the plot moves steadily and keeps your interest through to the end.  I enjoyed the suspense and the resolution of the series storyline, too.  I'm not going to subtract stars from a rating just because a plot point or a character trait was not "how I might have written it."  I do recommend this book - it is a good, compelling story - if the the following things are not problems for a reader.  They annoyed me, but did not prevent me from finishing the book, nor feeling satisfied at the end.  The author's blurb is a bit misleading, because it is not a reckless evening that compromises the heroine, nor does the hero sense she needs something solid to hold to.  *Spoiler to the blurb coming* The hero purposefully initiates a scandal that otherwise would not have occurred, and he only thinks she needs some distance between her family, not that he can be her solid strength.First, the good stuff.There is a ton of chemistry between the hero and heroine from the moment they meet.  Graeme needs a wife; Charity's family thinks she needs a husband.  He wants a wife who's good with children, prepared to run an estate, and of a good disposition; if she's a bit on the less-than-handsome side, well, that may be for the better (less likely to need entertainments and Society, since he lives way up in the Highlands). She meets all his criteria, save that she's beautiful, but this now seems a plus rather than a minus.  Charity has been behaving with increasingly less care for her reputation, walking that fine line between propriety and scandal, but she's not yet in disgrace.We quickly learn backstory about both characters that explains their behavior and feelings about what they expect out of life.  Graeme is the guardian of his 6-year-old nephew and his mentally-fragile mother, and he feels great love and responsibility for them and his earldom.  Charity was traumatized in the previous book (this is book three of three) and lives with night terrors, and fears of large crowds, noises, and being kidnapped again; she hides all of these behaviors, fearing no man will want this in a wife.  Despite this she is very happy, loving, and considerate, which Graeme witnesses on several occasions, so he overlooks the odd, overwhelming-protective nature of her family, and the skittish behavior she exhibits on a few occasions.Now for the problems.  This is revealed in the first quarter of the book, but based on the author's blurb, you might think I'm getting ready to reveal a huge secret.  It's not, but skip to the paragraph with the *** if you don't want to know anything about the plot setup in the first quarter of the book.  Okay, problem one: the hero is pretty manipulative and impetuous himself.  He comes haring down from Scotland determined to bring home a wife.  He capitalizes on the heroine's more hoydenish tendencies and orchestrates all the resulting hullabaloo.  As a Regency lady, Charity was definitely going places and doing things she shouldn't, but no one knew until Graeme decided to use gossip to his advantage.  This would be true to the time period, however.  Men could do whatever they wanted while ladies could not; ladies would catch all the blame for any impropriety.  This double standard fully acknowledged and exploited by the hero just sat a bit uneasy in my stomach.Here's my next plot problem.  I'm going to be vague about it, but it is a major plot revelation about two-thirds into the story, so don't read if you don't want to know.  Problem two: when Graeme experiences Charity's first night terror, he reacts in a way that is utterly awful, and his actions cause further emotional trauma to poor Charity.  She continues to wrestle with her problems without any support from her husband, in a foreign land, far removed from her family.  Plus, his own mother is mentally fragile, and he had a daft uncle, so his experience with mental issues should have left him a bit more level-headed.  Thanks, husband.  When the situation is finally resolved, it happens way too quickly and with too little groveling, apologies, and jewelry for my taste.The final plot problem requires me to be specific, concerning the heroine's virtue before and after the wedding night, so skip to the next paragraph if you'd rather wait to learn.  We are quickly reminded that Charity was kidnapped in the previous book, and held alone in the dark for some manner of time, but the author is vague as to what happened to her of a sexual nature.  It was also revealed that a doctor examined her and found her "intact," but Charity (and even her family) still worries.  However, -spoiler- during the description of the wedding night, the author reveals yes, Charity was a virgin.  Yet later on in the story, characters, including Charity and her husband (who both knew the truth!), are still wondering if she was or not.  Strange and annoying, really.*** Okay, the spoilers, if you call them that, are done, but there is one more sticky point that faithful fans of historical romance might find annoying.  I normally read around this type of error, but the titles were so often mentioned, followed by the person addressed incorrectly, so it repeatedly distracted.  It may seem picky, but the author has chosen a specific time period and put her characters in the peerage, so title and address authenticity is a necessary plot point.  The hero is Graeme Maxwell, Earl of Leventhal, which makes him Lord Leventhal or just Leventhal (to his friends).  Unfortunately, he is always referred to as Lord Maxwell.  Miss Charity Medford, after marrying Graeme, becomes Charity Maxwell, Countess of Leventhal, and should be addressed as Lady Leventhal.  Unfortunately, she is addressed Lady Charity in the story (the address of an unmarried daughter of an earl).  The heroine's sister and brother-in-law are Elizabeth and Alex Bainbridge, The Duchess and Duke of Beaufort.  They should be addressed Duke and Duchess, or Your Grace or His/Her Grace - never Lord and Lady Bainbridge.  Graeme's mother lives in the Dower House (not Dowager), and she becomes the Dowager Countess of Leventhal after the marriage of her son.  Unfortunately, she is addressed as Lady Eleanor.  Again, I'm not trying to be picky, but If the book were contemporary and set in a hospital, we wouldn't address nurse Smith as Dr. Smith, call the hospital administrator by his/her first name, or perform surgery in the waiting room.  There are several anachronistic words and too-modern phrases used (bugger, blimey; social butterfly, save his sorry butt) that I ignore, but they may bother purists.So, despite the points I highlighted that seem to say otherwise, I do recommend this book.  It has a gripping plot, interesting characters, and plenty of action.  The hero annoyed me, for the reasons I mentioned, but I liked him in spite of himself.  He was a true representation of the patriarchal society of the Regency as well.  Plus, the hero and heroine had true chemistry - it was almost palpable before and during their love scenes (which were explicit, by the way, so beware if you like your romances sweet, not steamy).  The author set up their relationship to be one of everlasting love, and it's a believable premise.  If you can look past the plot hiccups and the title faux pas, this is a book that leaves the reader happy and satisfied by The End.