Susannah Carleton - A Rake's Redemption
Book Description: It's time for rake Theo Middleford to settle down, but he'll settle for nothing less than a wife with the warmth of a friend and the fire of a mistress. Then he meets a Welsh beauty-and wonders if her gentle mien could mask passion. Likewise, she wonders if his rakish nature hides a weakness for her. Both are determined to find out...
Um, the story's called A Rake's Redemption, right? So, one would assume, given a familiarity with Regency romances, that the gentleman in question is a naughty one, and it's up to the lady to convince him that monogamy is worth it. But, no. Our hero, Theo, decides on the first page to give up his rakish ways and settle down with a wife. On the second page, we learn that he believes in fidelity and in honoring his marriage vows, so we don't even have to worry about that. Neither does our heroine. Most of the tension has left the story already, and it hasn't even actually started.
Later, we get introduced to Lady Sarah Mallory, a Welsh beauty. Why the author made her Welsh, I don't know, because it has nothing at all to do with the plot. A few random comments from other members of society ("Oh, you're Welsh?") and four Welsh words (bach, cariad, and Llwyn On) and we're done. That was the entire point of making her and her family Welsh.
Anyway, Lady Sarah is friends with Theo's cousin's new wife, and Theo quite likes the new wife, so he decides to shop for a bride among her friends. Somehow, Sarah's the one. Theo decides to court her for the rest of the Season. After about a day of this courting stuff, Theo is in love with Sarah. Well, that's handy.
Sarah has no idea why Theo makes her weak in the knees. No, seriously. She doesn't get it. Even if she's never read a book and was raised in a convent, doesn't she have girlfriends? Finally, towards the end of the book, Silly Sarah talks to her mom about it and finds out that she's attracted to Theo "as a man," whatever that's supposed to mean.
I won't bore myself with the rest of the plot, because it was dull and irritating. Sarah and Theo live happily ever after. We're not sure why, because neither of them seems to have much of a personality, so it's hard to see why they're such a perfect fit. Whatever. They deserve each other.
So, to sum up: boring characters, contrived plot, a rake who tames himself in the prologue.
I thought the name Susannah Carleton sounded familiar, so I looked her up, and I have read another book of hers. I was similarly disappointed, although not as much. I would have expected some improvement from 2003's A Twist of Fate, but there was actual deprovement worsening regress. I'm back to reminding myself to avoid another author.
Um, the story's called A Rake's Redemption, right? So, one would assume, given a familiarity with Regency romances, that the gentleman in question is a naughty one, and it's up to the lady to convince him that monogamy is worth it. But, no. Our hero, Theo, decides on the first page to give up his rakish ways and settle down with a wife. On the second page, we learn that he believes in fidelity and in honoring his marriage vows, so we don't even have to worry about that. Neither does our heroine. Most of the tension has left the story already, and it hasn't even actually started.
Later, we get introduced to Lady Sarah Mallory, a Welsh beauty. Why the author made her Welsh, I don't know, because it has nothing at all to do with the plot. A few random comments from other members of society ("Oh, you're Welsh?") and four Welsh words (bach, cariad, and Llwyn On) and we're done. That was the entire point of making her and her family Welsh.
Anyway, Lady Sarah is friends with Theo's cousin's new wife, and Theo quite likes the new wife, so he decides to shop for a bride among her friends. Somehow, Sarah's the one. Theo decides to court her for the rest of the Season. After about a day of this courting stuff, Theo is in love with Sarah. Well, that's handy.
Sarah has no idea why Theo makes her weak in the knees. No, seriously. She doesn't get it. Even if she's never read a book and was raised in a convent, doesn't she have girlfriends? Finally, towards the end of the book, Silly Sarah talks to her mom about it and finds out that she's attracted to Theo "as a man," whatever that's supposed to mean.
I won't bore myself with the rest of the plot, because it was dull and irritating. Sarah and Theo live happily ever after. We're not sure why, because neither of them seems to have much of a personality, so it's hard to see why they're such a perfect fit. Whatever. They deserve each other.
So, to sum up: boring characters, contrived plot, a rake who tames himself in the prologue.
I thought the name Susannah Carleton sounded familiar, so I looked her up, and I have read another book of hers. I was similarly disappointed, although not as much. I would have expected some improvement from 2003's A Twist of Fate, but there was actual deprovement worsening regress. I'm back to reminding myself to avoid another author.