22. Memoirs of a Scandalous Red Dress
Although the first romance books I read (read: inhaled) as a kid were historical romance, I rarely venture into that genre today. Especially the Victorian era. So why did I pick this one up? Honesty, I can't remember. But I'm SO VERY GLAD that I did.
Half of the book takes place in the present time (1837) and the rest is set in flashbacks of sorts. We come in to meet Lady Gossett (Pippin) as she attends a ceremony for her son in which he's granted the rank of captain. At first I was thrown off a bit (She has two kids, both of whom are adults) but things quickly get moving as she spots a man who she recognizes in the crowd - the man she's always loved.
Yeah, turns out it isn't Captain Thomas Dashwell (Dash) that she saw - it was his son. And Dash is in trouble - trouble that's found in the bottom of a bottle. Since both of Pippin's children are grown and her husband is dead, she immediately goes to his aid.
Except he doesn't want anything to do with her.
As we all know, I'm a sucker for a couple with a history and MAN, do these two have a history. I immediately felt for Pippin, a strong woman who was forced to make some very difficult decisions to save the ones she loved. And Dash, the man who fell into a deep, dark hole when he woke up all those years ago to find that the woman he loved was marrying someone else.
The writing was amazing. Ms. Boyle drew me in and never let me go. This may be the best romance that I've read all year. On top of that, I'm very anxious to find the other books in the Bachelor Chronicles based on the glimpses I got of Pippin's friends (they steal a house for their season and create the titular Bachelor Chronicles in order to find husbands - BAD A**!). And Pippin's son, John, made me want to smack him a couple times in the back of the head. I have a feeling that he may reappear in later books and I look forward to having him brought down a notch by a strong, sassy woman (maybe the stowaway Molly!). Yeah, go forth and read this book. Even if you don't like historical romance. What are you waiting for? GO! 10/10