Genre: Historical Romance
Bottom Line: This was a brilliantly written book with great dialogue and sensuality, but be warned that you will despise the hero at times and may want to chuck the book across the room.
Synopsis (Goodreads):
Felix Rivendale, the Marquess of Wrenworth, is The Ideal Gentleman, a man all men want to be and all women want to possess. Felix himself almost believes this golden image. But underneath is a damaged soul soothed only by public adulation.
Louisa Cantwell needs to marry well to support her sisters. She does not, however, want Lord Wrenworth—though he seems inexplicably interested in her. She mistrusts his outward perfection and the praise he garners everywhere he goes.But when he is the only man to propose at the end of the London season, she reluctantly accepts.
Louisa does not understand her husband's mysterious purposes, but she cannot deny the pleasure her body takes in his touch. Nor can she deny the pull this magnetic man exerts upon her. But does she dare to fall in love with a man so full of dark secrets, anyone of which could devastate her, if she were to get any closer?
Louisa Cantwell needs to marry well to support her sisters. She does not, however, want Lord Wrenworth—though he seems inexplicably interested in her. She mistrusts his outward perfection and the praise he garners everywhere he goes.But when he is the only man to propose at the end of the London season, she reluctantly accepts.
Louisa does not understand her husband's mysterious purposes, but she cannot deny the pleasure her body takes in his touch. Nor can she deny the pull this magnetic man exerts upon her. But does she dare to fall in love with a man so full of dark secrets, anyone of which could devastate her, if she were to get any closer?
My Thoughts:
This was a tough book for me. Generally, if a book has a marriage in the middle of the story instead of the end, I won't enjoy it. Here's why: the hero is always a TOTAL jerk in these stories, and his reasons for acting this way are always completely stupid. This book was no exception. Felix started out borderline sociopathic, but his manipulative ways were actually a bit endearing since Louisa saw straight through him. Then when we finally fall a bit in love with him, he acts absolutely despicably. When he realizes he's made a mistake, he tries to fix it by holding Louisa's sexual attraction to him over her head. By the last third of the book, when he finally realizes he has made a mistake, he became as sweet as can be, and I can grudgingly admit that I forgave him.
The romance was fabulous, considering that a majority of their relationship hinged on Louisa's sexual appetite. But they also shared an intellectual attraction, which I adored. They shared a love of astronomy and Felix even helped teach Louisa math and physics (complete with naughty teacher fantasies). Overall, the characters were wonderful. They were both smart and had a good sense of humor, and they were honest with their feelings.
I loved Thomas' writing style. It was honestly the redeeming factor in this book for me, and it's why I must say that I fully recommend this book to anyone who doesn't despise "unhappy marriage plots" as much as I do. I found myself unable to put the book down even in the height of my anger. Her characterization and dialogue completely drew me in, and I cannot wait to read another of Thomas' books!
Find it on: Amazon | Goodreads | Sherry Thomas
This was a tough book for me. Generally, if a book has a marriage in the middle of the story instead of the end, I won't enjoy it. Here's why: the hero is always a TOTAL jerk in these stories, and his reasons for acting this way are always completely stupid. This book was no exception. Felix started out borderline sociopathic, but his manipulative ways were actually a bit endearing since Louisa saw straight through him. Then when we finally fall a bit in love with him, he acts absolutely despicably. When he realizes he's made a mistake, he tries to fix it by holding Louisa's sexual attraction to him over her head. By the last third of the book, when he finally realizes he has made a mistake, he became as sweet as can be, and I can grudgingly admit that I forgave him.
The romance was fabulous, considering that a majority of their relationship hinged on Louisa's sexual appetite. But they also shared an intellectual attraction, which I adored. They shared a love of astronomy and Felix even helped teach Louisa math and physics (complete with naughty teacher fantasies). Overall, the characters were wonderful. They were both smart and had a good sense of humor, and they were honest with their feelings.
I loved Thomas' writing style. It was honestly the redeeming factor in this book for me, and it's why I must say that I fully recommend this book to anyone who doesn't despise "unhappy marriage plots" as much as I do. I found myself unable to put the book down even in the height of my anger. Her characterization and dialogue completely drew me in, and I cannot wait to read another of Thomas' books!
Find it on: Amazon | Goodreads | Sherry Thomas
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