Review: The Oxforshire Triangle
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 06 27, 2014
This is actually a 2 1/2 star rating Leaning more towards 3 than it is 2 stars. The title I gave describes how I began to view the book. We met Henry Gisborn inThe Grace of a Duke (The Daughters of the Aristocracy)when he comes to claim his bride Charlotte. This book starts right after he leaves Charlotte in pursuit of Hannah.He is only one side of the triangle . He believes himself to be in love with Sarah. They have known each other since they were 16. He's never been with any other woman and the 2 share a 10 year old son Nathan. I felt at times he was very selfish and the author did not go to any great lengths to convince her audience that he understood what love really means.Sarah is clearly not in love with Gisborn but has no where else to go so she remains in the dower house under Henry's protection until she can make other arrangements. She has turned down his marriage proposal, does not allow him to kiss her , does not let him stay the night and has been encouraging him to find a wife in the upper class. All of this is because she wants him settled so she can move on and get married and have more children.Than there is the 3rd side of the triangle, Hannah. Hannah grew up with a father who constantly had a mistress. I believe she felt no love or support from him. Now at 21 she thinks all a wife is good for is to breed and it is the mistress who gets his love. She is a lady and as such to be of that age and think this told me the father failed her. He claimed to have found out too late it was his wife he truly loved but here is his daughter the image of her mother and he doesn't teach her to be confident or strong. Instead he degrades her in front of her future husband and talks about her as though she is a half wit. The author makes you feel as though she had a loving father but actions spoke louder than words.Hannah was not dumb but I do believe she was sheltered and very nave. I like my heroin's with more spunk and out spoken, lively. She is no Lillian BowmanIt Happened One Autumn (The Wallflowers, Book 2)Hannah however allowed the housekeeper to decide the menu's. Her reasoning being that the staff would know better what the earl would prefer. At one point when she notices there should be more servants she acts as though the decision does not involve her. She should, as the countess, be taking control of running his house.There is no post marital relations, in fact Sarah makes it quite clear to Hannah he will be sent away if he comes to her bed because she has a perspective beau. Anyone who reads romance novels know that it will be either the H/h who will be reluctant to give their heart. Most of the time we know that they have already lost their hard fought struggle but just aren't being honest with themselves. That is precisely the same for this book except they get married earlier. It's believable that they wouldn't be madly in love as they meet and marry on almost the same day.Hannah, I think with her only friend being her dog Harold, would have fallen in love fast just because of the intimacy they shared and not ever having that I think would made her become attached a lot faster. She didn't express any type of jealousy or anger towards his favoritism towards Sarah but was so fast to share her bed.Grisborn's biggest disappointment to me was that after finding out Sarah is going to marry he actually cries to his wife and says she's mine by all rights. Like some adolescent school boy who had his toy stolen on the play ground. We were too far invested with their feelings developing to take 50 steps backwards. It made no sense he was hardly spending any time with Sarah at this point. Than get's upset at his wife who mutters about a lost loved one because he wanted it to be him she dreamt of. Clearly a man who wanted his cake and eat it too. It made him so shallow and unappealing to go off comforting Sarah over Nathan's near death experience and leave his wife sitting on the floor hugging her muddy dog.Sarah is the one who sets Gisborn straight about his selfishness and that is the biggest disappointment is we never see Hannah let him have it. To grow as a character and stand up for herself. The author has away of wanting you to keep coming back, for me, but it will be awhile before I read another because she substitutes passion for love. They go hand in hand in my opinion and it was never really displayed that he was truly sorry for being such a selfish twit. I've read worse but for those who hate reading about a man longing after another it was not over done just implied by the hero but it was the heroin's acceptance to the point she wanted Sarah and Nathan to move to the same house (sister wives, I guess). There are still problems with spelling as well.