Review: The Viscount's Vow
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 24, 2013
Believing Evangeline (Vangie) Caruthers to be responsible for his father and brother's death, Ian Hamilton, Viscount Warrick, lies in wait for the perfect opportunity to ruin her. Yet, in spite of his personal protests, he notices every nuance of her expression, every step of her graceful dancing, and the slightest twitch of her smile."Had he imagined it, or had her steps faltered and her shoulders slumped, just the merest bit? Was her smile a little strained? Ian stared, searching her face. No, she smiled as brightly as ever." (pg 10/428)And even when his mind for vengeance won out, he still retained enough morals to help Vangie when she fainted for lack of air -- though he planned to ruin her in the beginning -- which unfortunately landed them in a compromising situation as a result as his trying to help her breathe, and thus, the forced-marriage trope was employed.My initial opinion of Ian as an honorable rogue changes quickly enough. Yes, he is a scoundrel of the first order, but he is also misguided and doubles as a villain for most of the story. As the story has more from his perspective than Vangie's, the streak of cruelness within his character arises quickly and it takes him a long time to channel that strong emotion into something more subtle, to like and love. Unsurprisingly, the latter is the biggest challenge for Ian, as he holds Vangie in such contempt, as well as veiled prejudice against her Romani blood. Vangie is the quintessential pure and beautiful heroine, who has a heart of gold and astounding gentleness despite her situation (being snubbed by the ton for her birth). She is also not a complete pushover, which is evident when she defiantly runs away from Ian after their marriage. Vangie is a very emphatic character, which makes her a nice counterpart to Ian's harsh coldness, in ways like Christine to Erik in Phantom of the Opera, but for the Ian holds a grudge against her.The story's resolution was done nicely, tying up loose ends and giving a finish to the true villain of the book, who didn't emerge immediately amidst the tangled emotions of the protagonists. The historical research I greatly enjoyed, especially the story takes place in both Regency London and Romani dwellings, with detailed points of each setting that makes it distinct and colorful. I will certainly be anticipating Collette Cameron's next work.