2.0 out of 5 stars really flat and unattractive characters spoil this
Alex as a hero is just too dull for words. He is self-righteous, cares for no one but himself, and his supposed love for his one-year-old daughter is so extensive he dumps her with a woman he terms a whore in Scotland, determined to never see his wife Charlotte again.
The plot ‘twist’ hinging on his having ruined her in a garden is one thing-the twin brother supposedly having done the deed is another absurd convention for this genre of novel. He is nasty, unforgiving, and incapable of love. The panoply of secondary characters and love affairs we don’t care about pad out an overly long book.
Sophie York lusting after Alex (gross) and getting his twin Patrick in the next book you can see coming a mile off, though that next book is even worse, since Patrick is even more cruel to Sophie than Alex is to Charlotte, if such a thing is possible.
Regencies do not all have to be light and fluffy but I expect characters of consistency and some integrity. Every misunderstanding in the book would have been cleared up had the couple ever spoken to one another, instead of indulging in their sexual obsessions.
The love scenes were terribly wooden and not at all romantic, with her weeping all over the place, him nasty and accusatory, saying the most unforgiveable things which the ninny then forgives!
I am tired of near rape ‘love scenes’ in historical romance. What message are we giving to younger women-that love ‘excuses’ this kind of behavior? Rubbish.
I have read several of her other books, all with the same problems, in terms of the writing, and in terms of the characters’ situations. Add to that the terrible editing and numerous historical errors, and I have given up on this author completely, despite the fact that she came hoghly recommended to me by a romance editor for her supposedly sumptous writing and great love scenes.
Really, if this is all the are offering on the shelves these days, by all means, save your money and write your own novels!
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