Author: Aubrey Wynne
Genre/Age: Historical Romance/Adult
Series: Wicked Earls' Club (Book Four)
Publisher: Plato Publishing
Format: ebook via The Romance Reviews
Rating: ✺✺✺.5
Links: Goodreads
Synopsis: He’s inherited the title of rake. She hides behind her independence... Fate accepts the challenge.
Grace Beaumont has seen what love can do to a woman. Her mother sacrificed her life to produce the coveted son and heir. A devastated father and newborn brother force her to take on the role of Lady Boldon at the age of fifteen. But Grace finds solace in the freedom and power of her new status.
Christopher Roker made a name for himself in the military. The rigor and pragmatism of the army suits him. When a tragic accident heaves Kit into a role he never wanted or expected, his world collides with another type of duty. Returning to England and his newfound responsibilities, the Wicked Earls’ Club becomes a refuge from the glitter and malice of London society but cannot ease his emptiness.
Needing an escape from his late brother’s memory and reputation, Kit visits the family estate for the summer. Lady Grace, a beauty visiting from a neighboring estate, becomes a welcome distraction. When the chance to return to the military becomes a valid possibility, the earl finds himself wavering between his old life and the lure of an exceptional—and unwilling—woman.
Love when you least expect (or want) it...
Kit wasn't ready to take over his twin brother's title after his untimely death. As a military man, he isn't used to the pacing of running a country estate. Nor is he prepared to handle the possibility his title may be stripped from him, just as he settles in, if his widowed sister-in-law gives birth to a boy. With his life in limbo, he finds solace in the feisty young woman who has just come to stay at his home. Yet, as he tries to grow closer to her, she pulls away.
Grace doesn't want to marry. After the death of her mother, Grace has taken on a strong role in her family home, caring for her father and helping to raise her younger brother. Any man who would take her away from her home and try to stifle her independence should be considered an enemy. But Grace can't seem to view Kit as anything other than handsome, kind, and extremely tempting to her quickly crumbling resolve.
I'm a little bit conflicted in how I feel about this book. If you are new to this series, you will find that these books are each written by a different author but all revolve around the same group of men who are members of a club for bachelors. We do see a bit of the club in the book, but rest assured that it isn't necessarily the focus of the story. I actually had a bit of trouble figuring out what the focus of the book really was.
Let me explain. This is obviously a romance story. We see things from two points-of-view and those are from our hero and heroine. We get a short peek into our couple's first meeting. Then we jump to their separate lives and we learn how they came to be in their current circumstances. But then we continue to see them live apart, without any connection or interaction whatsoever. In fact, it's well into 40% of the book before our couple reconnect again and the story actually starts to move along. By then, I was sort of skimming and starting to lose interest.
When the pair do finally begin their romance, it's sweet and fairly steady pacing from there on. The couple enjoy each other's company and there is plenty of time spent together, yet I wish there had been more intimacy between them. We do eventually get a kiss or two and that was worth it. I just wish we hadn't had to wait so long to get there. I think if the first part of the book had been condensed some, omitting mundane things like 'packing lists', the story would have been better balanced.
In closing...
I am definitely curious about the next book to come from this author as it looks to feature this same couple and a secondary character. It sounds like spooky fun. 3.5 suns!
Book provided by and reviewed for:
No comments:
Post a Comment