Review: An interesting and enjoyable read for fans of Historical Romances
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 8, 2014
After hearing about Ms. Charles' books from a friend, I decided to investigate them on my own.  Having followed a reading order guideline published on Ms. Charles' website, this is the third of the "Tenacious Trents" books I have read.  I am not usually a huge fan of this genre, but Ms. Charles' writing style is an easy one to enjoy.  The main drawback I had to this particular story had more to do with the editing than the writing.  I would recommend that Ms. Charles have her editors review the e-book version and correct some rather glaring errors, including the several times that the main male character, Clayton Trent, Lord Bentley, is incorrectly identified as having the main female character's last name (Lord Westin).  I know that sometimes when one is relying on a computer analysis of a text, errors can often be overlooked simply because a word may be spelled correctly, even if it is completely the wrong word or out of context.  A close proofread would benefit the e-book, as the errors are enough to throw off the flow of the text.Aside from the editorial issues, I found this to be a thoroughly enjoyable read.  It did not take an overly long session to complete the book, maybe 4 hours or so in total, so it could be considered a quick weekend or beach read.  The main storyline revolves around Eleanor Westin, an unmarried twenty-something, struggling to support herself and her four orphan siblings while trying to avoid her odious grandfather who is unwilling to assist her in any way, and Clayton Trent, a thirty-something peer of the realm, who is searching for a wife in order to fulfill his familial duty of producing an heir for his title and estates.  Eleanor, or Elle, has been put out by her grandfather's attitude toward her siblings, and cares less about her own future than that of the younger children, but wants to ensure that they will be taken care of and be able to stay with her.  Clayton, or Clay, has been so brainwashed by his cruel and abusive father that what he needs and what he thinks he needs are two entirely different things.  His search for the perfect wife seems fruitless, despite his attraction to Eleanor.  She will just not suit.  Concurrently, Elle feels an attraction to Clay, but can't get past his cold, gruff public persona.  A lot of assumptions get made by both parties until the misunderstanding between them is so great it seems almost insurmountable.  Just when all seems lost, Ms. Charles introduces a diabolical twist to the (somewhat) formulaic storyline.  I will not spoil it for future readers here, but suffice to say, it changes everything.  It is worth mentioning here that, while this book is written using a tone familiar to readers of historical romances, that there are two somewhat explicit sexual passages within the story, and some depictions of violence, as well.  None of these were enough to deter me from the story, but some readers may find them uncomfortable.In addition to the main storyline, there are a couple of larger story arcs that are well worth mentioning.  In this book, we are introduced in depth to the oldest of the four Trent brothers, however readers of "Compromised For Christmas" will discover that they have already made the acquaintance of the youngest of the brothers, John, and the second eldest brother, Jordan, is featured slightly in "Landing A Laird".  As I was learning more about Clay, I found myself wanting to go back to the other two titles to examine these other brothers more in depth, as some of their escapades from the other two books are referenced here.  Additionally, some elements from "Compromised" intertwine with another story arc about missing relatives that is not resolved in this book.  As the "Tenacious Trents" series continues, I expect we will learn more about the brothers and their other relatives.  Ms. Charles does a nice job here of tying the stories together.  I look forward to learning more about each of these brothers and their extended family in future titles in the series.Overall, I would recommend this book to fans of historical romance.  It is a good - but not great - representation of the genre and and enjoyable story.  I look forward to reading more of Ms. Charles' work in the future.