Sunshine and Shadow

by Kathleen Harrington

SCANDALOUS LIES

Colonel Roderick Fielding returns to England as a war hero with the title of earl, yet without a penny to his name. His family fortune stolen, he's prepared to wed an heiress...when one arrives conveniently on his doorstep.

A mistake brings beautiful Lady Christina Berringer to Fielding's door, and a fierce storm forces her to stay the night. But the London gossips leave her no choice but to marry immediately, or face disgrace. Headstrong and independent, she'll pursue her own goals, and keep her husband at bay...any way she can. Roderick has vowed to woo and win her-even as his heart aches with the scandalous tales she tells about herself. And while they lie to themselves and to each other, secret desires rage within...making them ready to explode in the passion of the moment...or surrender in the stillness of a night of love.

Genres: Historical, Romance

392 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1993

About the author

Kathleen Harrington, winner of the Colorado Romance Writers' Award of Excellence, has touched the hearts of readers across the country with her sparkling tales of high adventure and unending love. Her historical romances have been finalists for Romance Writers of America's RITA® Award, the Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice, Virginia Romance Writers' HOLT Medallion, and the Phoenix Desert Rose Golden Quill. Her fabulous heroes have garnered the K.I.S.S. (Knight in Shining Silver) Award. She lives in Southern California.

Reviews

[Heather ~*dread mushrooms*~]

"If it was your intention to thoroughly and completely ruin your own reputation, young lady, you couldn't have done a better job."

Obviously I bought this book because of the cover model, since I do that. The marriage of convenience plot didn't hurt either. Unfortunately, Mr. Dreamy McTightPants isn't half as swoony inside the book as he is on the cover.

I tend not to like it when there is a large age gap between the leads—in this case, about fifteen years. Not only that, Mr. Dreamy was married before to a woman who was pregnant with another man's child. Both she and the baby died during birth. So he's all hung up on that, and if only she had told him the truth, he would have done everything for her or some such nonsense. Yeah, I'm sure. His new wife, Christina, lies to him about the same thing, telling him she's pregnant with some guy's child. Eventually she reveals the name, and then this other guy shows up not knowing anything about the deception. That's about when I stopped reading.

I do like a hate-to-love plot, but I couldn't get into it here. Mr. Dreamy's behavior confused me. At one point he's kind and understanding, at another he's jealous and sarcastic, at another he's about to ravish Christina but holds back because, believing she's pregnant, wants to be sure the child isn't his. This didn't work for me.

There are certain things I can overlook, given the conventions and attitudes of the time, but I didn't like how Mr. Dreamy automatically controlled Christina's fortune. He was destitute because of his father's indiscretions (although destitute people in HRs can somehow still afford two houses and a handful of servants, not to mention other "basic" luxuries), so he needed her money to put his finances right. But she'd had her own philanthropic plans for the money and was utterly distraught at his refusal to let her use it. I think the reason I hated this so much was because he was presented as nice rather than evil. Just make him an ass who only wants her money, not a nice guy who has no choice but to use it for his own plans.

After all the adoring ladies he'd casually rejected, he'd married the one female in England whose only criteria in looking for a mate was whether he could play the violin.

If by some miracle I manage to finish the other book I have with me at the moment, I might read a few more pages of this. But only because I'll have no other option to fill my time.

[The_Book_Queen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars