Review: I Liked it well Enough
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 01 23, 2014
This book has an interesting plot and the romance between the h and H is really sweet.  The hero, William, Lord Bradley, is a tortured soul.  His first loved died as a direct result of his father's cruelty.  Fearing he is just like his father, William lives the life of a dissolute rake, moving from one woman to the next, never allowing himself to get close to anyone.The heroine, Beatrice is in a fine fix.  She is being forced into marriage with a truly evil man.  In order to avoid marrying Mr. Spens Beatrice, with the help of her cousin Helen, devises a plot to lose her virginity.  Beatrice believes that once she is ruined, Mr. Spens will no longer wish to marry her.  To that end, Helen gives Beatrice a list of potential lovers and takes her to a ball where the more debauched members of society are in attendance.  The first name on her list is Lord William Bradley.Beatrice seeks William out, only to find him surrounded by a flock of women, all vying for his attention.  William is immediately drawn to Beatrice and instantly recognizes that she does not belong in such a place.  Realizing that Beatrice means to lose her virginity that night, William intercedes to prevent her from carrying out her plan.  William's involvement in Beatrice's life leads to a marriage in name only between the two.William takes drastic measures to ensure Beatrice's safety, all the while fighting against his budding feelings for her.  For her part, despite knowing about the debauched life which William leads, Beatrice finds herself falling in love with her husband.To add intrigue to the plot, William and Beatrice must fend off Mr. Spens attempts to regain control of Beatrice.  The book is fairly well written, although the story is a bit flat, by which I mean it didn't really come alive for me.  I liked Beatrice and William well enough, but I never really felt connected to either of them.  Furthermore, Mr. Spens was more cartoon caricature than real world villain.The end result is that the story that unfolds is interesting, but not in the least bit gripping.  I would read say this book is worth reading, but it's not one that would come to mind when recommending a book to a friend.  Ms. Kiernan can certainly weave a good tale, but the book failed to engender any real emotion in this reader.