Review: A Happy Surprise
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 22, 2013
What Not to Bare was a classic lesson for me in "don't judge a book by its cover". Literally. I loved the book, but I hated the cover. More on that later.Lady Charlotte is known in society as The Abomination due to her taste in clothes, or lack thereof. She's not oblivious to the fact that everyone hates her clothing, but she persists in dressing the way she wants. She's funny and self-deprecating, but sadly thinks of herself as an Eternal Burden.Lord David, nicknamed, Mister Gorgeous (Which sounds like a professional wrestler to me. Maybe that explains the cover?) has just returned from India and is eager to return. When his superior informs him that courting Charlotte is the way to get there, he is less than pleased.Both characters are used to being judged solely by appearance, but they learn quickly to see beyond that with each other. David and Charlotte are both likable. We spend time in both their heads and I found myself laughing with both of them, especially Charlotte. I adore the way that girl thinks and truly felt like her friend by the end of the book. And poor, normally silver-tongued David. He is so completely thrown by Charlotte and set adrift in her presence. His thoughts and the decidedly un-charming things that end up leaving his mouth while bypassing his brain ("You're not ugly" comes to mind) made his character so much more than just the "handsome rake who falls in love with the unexpected girl" that so often appears in romance novels.I loved this book. The cover, however, left me decidedly cold. What is going on? Is he a werewolf? A vampire? Does he just have an aversion to wearing shirts? Wait! He's got a belt! He's content to show off his shiny chest (Where is that light coming from?), but modest enough to not want to flash his lower bits.Maybe I'm so irked by the cover, just because the book itself is so charming. It was humorous and sweet, without being sappy (there were a few steamy parts).And this cover just seems...wrong.* I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.