Review: Getting compromised has never looked this good
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 9, 2013
Ever since I got to know Willa and Hart on the pages ofSeducing Charlotte (Entangled Scandalous)I've wanted to read their story, and I'm thrilled that it was worth the wait. This book is everything I've come to expect from Diana Quincy: well-researched and detail rich plot, three-dimensional characters, and sparkling dialogue.During the Regency period, marriage was the most important milestone in a woman's life. Unmarried women had fewer liberties than their married counterparts, and yet, often in Regency romance women are portrayed determined not to marry. Willa is one of those women. However, for once, I could accept her motivation: with her reputation ruined, her marrying a fortune hunting scoundrel were high and with her cousin backing her independence both financially and socially, she could afford to forgo marriage. The only reason for her to marry would be to find a better situation than her cousin was able to provide her, and marriage to Hart would give her that.Hart is truly a swoon-worthy hero: not only is he a duke of self-made fortune, but also quite the forward-thinking gentleman and knight-errant all in one. He proves that he's willing to support the heroine's desire for financial independence and scandalous pursuits - noble cause aside, a daughter of a marquess at the time could not engage in trade. And he steps in to shield her from physical harm and from damage to her reputation all through the novel. He's honest to a fault when he'd be better off to keep his mouth shut, honorable at times when breaking a promise would be to his advantage, yet ruthless when it comes to protecting the woman he loves.So my only quibble is with the aftermath of their disastrous wedding night. To quote Willa "... I've wasted <time> brooding when we could have been doing this." She was, at the very least, just as culpable for the misunderstanding with her new husband, but failed to see that and spent too much time sulking. Thankfully, she got to her senses before wrecking her marriage completely. And the ending was simply wonderful.