Her marriage of convenience seems far too convenient . . .

Desperation drove Cecilia Mallory to seek a union with a stranger—one who would wed her sight unseen and grant her full access to her inheritance with no expectations whatsoever. She anticipated, perhaps, an older, undesirable, equally desperate husband—never the young, vibrant, and devastatingly attractive man who answered her call. What could such a man really be after?

Unknown to Cecilia, Viscount Michael Blackthorne, a soldier and gentleman, owes a debt of honor to Lady Cecilia's father, and granting her unusual request to wed seemed a worthy way to repay it. But an unseen threat perilously close at hand is convincing Michael that his true responsibility is to protect the beautiful, warm-hearted lady he has married . . . the woman he is unexpectedly coming to love.

Review

A slow, sensual romantic build with mystery attached…

Sergeant Michael Blackthorne is a man plagued with honor. Determined to fulfill a debt to his died commander, and seeking retribution in his own way he entered a marriage ‘sight unseen’.  On the doorstep of his wife’s family estate his original intentions are put to shreds as he finds himself ensconced in his wife’s affairs, and enthralled by beauty he was not aware of.

Cecilia thought her proxy marriage was to an old man, one her father doted upon, and likely to never be seen. Her assumptions are put to shame when the virile personage of her husband appears at her door. He’s eager to help, and interested in furthering their martial acquaintance. Yet, Cecilia has her reserves based on years of pain and sadness. Can these two find common ground or will Cecilia fall to yield to the growing attraction they both are experiencing?

Control, this is one word to sum up Cecilia. She hates losing control, in fact would rather die and suffer unimaginably then lose control. When you’ve experienced the death of multiple family members control seems like the only thing to maintain balance, and wash away the pain without turning to imbibing spirits or narcotics.  So that’s what Cecilia does, she control’s the estate, her money, and the terms of her marriage. Her reason for getting married to begin with was all about control, and I enjoyed watching this strong woman learn to relinquish, and to rely on someone else for a change. Callen is wonderful at showcasing character growth and I enjoyed reading through Cecilia’s.

Blackthorne is another beast. Similar to Cecilia he experiences a ton of growth; I really enjoyed Blackthorne because he was a man in touch with his feelings. From the moment Callen introduces him to readers we know that he’s a man with a lot of internal struggle, but he’s honorable. The second plus he’s attracted to his gorgeous wife. He married her thinking she wasn’t a beauty, hence why she was so eager for a proxy marriage. Most think he’s after Cecilia’s money, but Blackthorne could care less. He’s more focused on doing his duty to Cecilia and her brother as a debt owed to their father. His biggest internal struggle is learning to forgive himself. Externally he has to combat Cecilia, her brother, and an unseen enemy’s desire to end Cecilia’s life.

This little mystery bit of the story would normally irritate me. I tend to shy away from books with ‘a murderer on the loose’. I don’t think the subplot, but in this book it was an irritant. If anything it helped offset Cecilia’s control and made her appear vulnerable. The murderer also gave Blackthorne a chance to truly redeem himself, in what way I won’t say.  The book didn’t really have a ‘wow’ factor. I was just satisfied with the story, especially the characters and this drove my interest to finish.

My favorite moment is where Cecilia mentions she’s glad to have Blackthorne around to beat back her old suitors; married life isn’t that bad in this case. His response to that is even better:

Michael’s dark eyes glinted. “I don’t mind being used by a beautiful woman.”

She arched a brow. “ ‘Used’? What a wicked word.”

“And it has very many meanings of which I will be pleased to show you.”

She didn’t quite understand what he meant, but it felt decidedly wicked, and to her surprise, that felt decidedly…good.

Wicked and good, most definitely two words I like in the same sentence. Overall, Return of the Viscount is a delicious way to start off a new trilogy of stories. I can’t wait to become familiar with the additional wounded men Callen is planning on introducing.  If you want something simple and just a good story to get involved in this book falls in that category.

For those who enjoy Mary Balogh.

Reviewed by Landra

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