Smitten by Books

A plan born of desperation… 

Once the toast of society, Grace Cabot and her sisters now await the shame of losing high status and fine luxuries upon the death of the Earl of Beckington. The dire circumstances are inevitable unless, of course, Grace’s wicked plot to seduce a wealthy viscount into marriage goes off without a single hitch. But once a stolen embrace with the wrong man leads her to be discovered in the arms of Jeffrey, the Earl of Merryton, her plan takes a most unexpected—and scorching—twist.

…and altered by passion

Governed by routine and ruled by duty, Jeffrey had no desire for a wife before he succumbed to Grace’s temptation. Though his golden-haired, in-name-only bride is the definition of disorder, he can’t resist wanting her in every way. But once her secrets meet his, society might consider their lives to be ruined beyond repair…while Jeffrey might just see it as a new beginning.

Other books in the Cabot Sisters series:

I’ll admit that at the start of this book there was a bit of a gothic feel to it. Hello, Mr. Rochester. Then it became more of a historical romance, but I liked the gothic feel. Our heroine, Grace makes a poor timed decision that ends up getting her hitched to Geoffery, an Earl who scowls all the time and is most disagreeable.

Yet, lovely and beautiful Grace is determined to make the best of the situation, especially since she’ll need Geoffery to save her family from scandal. I enjoyed this heroine who puts on her best face in all situations. She won’t be beaten down and takes measures into her own hands when he new husband fails to take the time to get to know her.

Speaking of the husband, Geoffery has his own afflictions that plague him and being saddled with a beauty like Grace is definitely not in his best interest. For the hero the emotional ride from acceptance, lust, and finally to love is a winding, curving road and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. This hero needs healing, poor tortured soul that he is and Grace is just the one to help him. Instead of trying to change him though she wants to heal him by embracing who he is, dark secrets, wants, and all. That’s what makes the book worth reading. When heroes and heroines come to love each other for who they are, it’s the ultimate reward.

The back drop of Bath, London, and the Merryton estate provides plenty of moving pieces and there isn’t a dull moment in the whole story. Sure there’s some scandalous secrets that keep the conflict at maximum, but nothing the H/h can’t handle. Pacing and plot were refreshing, an old trope once again given new life. For this book there’s no external villain, the evil deeds are perpetuated by the characters past, and past decisions. This doesn’t always hold a whole book, but in this case worked extremely well.

Overall, I’m looking forward to the last book in this series and will probably start perusing this author’s backlist. Any recommendations blog readers?

For readers who enjoy Lisa Kleypas and Loretta Chase.

Reviewed by Landra
Heat Level: Hot