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Company of Rogues #2
An Unwilling Bride
The Duchess of Belcraven committed a folly, and bore her husband another man's child. Only a third son, however, so all was patched over. Then the two older boys drowned, leaving disaster. Now, over twenty years later, the duke discovers that he has a daughter, a child of his blood, and he compels the two to marry -- the arrogant ducal heir, devastated to learn for the first time that he is illegitimate; and the independent schoolteacher raised in the principles of the Rights of Women. Is there any common ground at all?
351 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1992
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About the author
Jo Beverley
140 books1,126 followersMary Josephine Dunn was born 22 September 1947 in Lancashire, England, UK. At the age of eleven she went to an all-girls boarding school, Layton Hill Convent, Blackpool. At sixteen, she wrote her first romance, with a medieval setting, completed in installments in an exercise book. From 1966 to 1970, she obtained a degree in English history from Keele University in Staffordshire, where she met her future husband, Ken Beverley. After graduation, they married on June 24, 1971. She quickly attained a position as a youth employment officer until 1976, working first in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, and then in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire.
In 1976, her scientist husband was invited to do post-doctoral research at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. When her professional qualifications proved not to be usable in the Canadian labour market, she raised their two sons and started to write her first romances.
Moved to Ottawa, in 1985 she became a founding member of the Ottawa Romance Writers’ Association, that her “nurturing community” for the next twelve years. The same year, she completed a regency romance, but it was promptly rejected by a number of publishers, and she settled more earnestly to learning the craft. In 1988, it sold to Walker, and was published as "Lord Wraybourne's Betrothed". She regularly appears on bestseller lists including the USA Today overall bestseller list, the New York Times, and and the Publishers Weekly list. She has been the recipient of numerous awards including the Golden Leaf, the Award of Excellence, the National Readers Choice, and a two Career Achievement awards from Romantic Times. She is also a five time winner of the RITA, the top award of the Romance Writers Of America, and a member of their Hall of Fame and Honor Roll.
Jo Beverley passed away on May 23, 2016 after a long battle with cancer.
In 1976, her scientist husband was invited to do post-doctoral research at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. When her professional qualifications proved not to be usable in the Canadian labour market, she raised their two sons and started to write her first romances.
Moved to Ottawa, in 1985 she became a founding member of the Ottawa Romance Writers’ Association, that her “nurturing community” for the next twelve years. The same year, she completed a regency romance, but it was promptly rejected by a number of publishers, and she settled more earnestly to learning the craft. In 1988, it sold to Walker, and was published as "Lord Wraybourne's Betrothed". She regularly appears on bestseller lists including the USA Today overall bestseller list, the New York Times, and and the Publishers Weekly list. She has been the recipient of numerous awards including the Golden Leaf, the Award of Excellence, the National Readers Choice, and a two Career Achievement awards from Romantic Times. She is also a five time winner of the RITA, the top award of the Romance Writers Of America, and a member of their Hall of Fame and Honor Roll.
Jo Beverley passed away on May 23, 2016 after a long battle with cancer.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 382 reviews
May 27, 2018
That's my take on the heroine of this novel and it's a large part of why I disliked this story so much. She's portrayed as a stereotypical radical feminist who is starchy, unfeminine, unattractive and a bit obsessed with her "cause". I guess this will appeal to a lot of female readers but it just didn't appeal to me personally. I like heroines who are strong but who are also soft, feminine and pretty. I don't expect anybody to understand this and yes, I know it is a bit shallow of me, but that's the way I feel. The H was another reason I hated this book. He's the opposite of the heroine: he's a whiny, golden pretty boy ( as pretty as she's plain ) and he even tells her he finds her unattractive and there's even a scene where he hits her. That is not my idea of romance. The other thing that I found objectionable was that the heroine eventually became best friends with the H's former mistress ! I can understand ( even though I don't share it ) the heroine's radical feminist zeal but becoming best buds with her husband's former mistress is taking the whole sisterhood thing too far. Or, maybe I'm a very backward type of woman who ( as I'm sure some readers will be thinking ) is failing the feminist cause by not buying into the whole "sisterhood at all costs" motto. Whatever.
The heroine also irritated me because she's so insecure about her lack of good looks that she refused to wear pretty clothing or fix her hair in an attractive manner. She thinks that people will see that she's still not able to look attractive and will laugh at her. That level of low self esteem is too fucked up for me. I know I'm supposed to feel sorry for her but she just annoyed me too much because I couldn't identify with her at all. I am not even gonna waste time writing about the rest of the storyline. The storyline started off in a promising manner but everything just flatlined for me when I found it impossible to like the MC's. I didn't think they were suitable for each other and the H was like a sniveling little boy instead of a sexy adult male. Plus I didn't appreciate the fact that the author needed to stereotype the heroine by making her unattractive; was it so hard for the author to create a radical feminist who is actually pretty ? The heroine was more of a caricature than an actual character. I should've taken a nap instead of reading this:
January 31, 2012
Ahhhh...*sigh*...Jo Beverley. It's like...coming home. Reading one of your novels is like wrapping myself up in a cozy blanket and sipping some hot cocoa and marshmallows while snuggling up with my teddy bear. They are just comfy, cozy, feel good reads.
I really liked this story. Jo Beverley's historicals always set the perfect tone for the period, with the impeccably detailed settings, the lively cant and jargon, and the mannerisms at all levels of society. When I pick up one of her books, I know that I can almost always just lose myself into the experience. This book was no exception, and I really enjoyed seeing the characters and their relationship grow.
THE STORY, BRIEFLY
Through some shocking news, our heroine, 24-year-old schoolteacher Beth, is forced to confront a new reality for herself - one in which she is now betrothed to marry the glittering, dazzling and charming Lucien de Vaux, Marquess of Arden. Neither is necessarily going into this with a happy face, but neither really has the means not to be manipulated into the marriage, either. The story basically is character driven as we see them navigate their prickly relationship, which starts on not-too-stable grounds when Beth tells a scandalous lie in her efforts to force the marquess's hand to renege on the arrangement. Needless to say, Lucien's hands are tied, as well, unbeknownst to Beth. The bulk of this story is their learning to trust each other - whether it's (a) Lucien's coming to terms with Beth's lie and her independent nature or (b) Beth's becoming comfortable with Lucien's rather volatile temper and alpha approach to life. There is some intrigue that occurs in the background with a whole slew of secondary characters, who keep things lively and bring with them unexpected turns of event.
THE CHARACTERS
I liked both Lucien and Beth. There were times in the beginning of the story when they were both "feeling each other out," so to speak, that I just thought "Ugh, you're both being knuckleheads!" - but I meant it in the fondest way possible.
He was a charming rogue, and she was spunky and didn't back down. They were both highly intelligent, which would, ultimately, unite them. He didn't know that she, with her fiery independence and sharp intellect, was what he needed in his life, and she didn't know she even wanted him, with his aggressive alpha shtick and confident charm, in her life. That said, Lucien could also be a total jerkface at times, but that was usually only after Beth had provoked him monstrously. He's the heir to a dukedom and has been raised in privilege all of his life; she's been raised by her "aunt" in a girl's school and passionately supports the feminist ideals of Mary Wollstonecraft. She can't hold her tongue, and he can't hold his temper. Fireworks, anyone?
The one part that kind of shocked me, though, occurred when Lucien's temper got a little out of hand and he crossed a romance hero *gasp*-worthy line (for me).
The secondary characters are also quite delightful, and it warmed my heart to see a really sweet reconciliation of a couple of the secondary characters midway through the story. Loved it. The villains were suitably vile, the servants were cheekily full of character, and the other roguish young men (who clearly have other books in this series) were dashing. The other Company of Rogues members were numerous, and I had a bit of difficulty keeping them straight. Nonetheless, I think this book has convinced me to seek out more of Beverley's Rogues series. I had been disappointed in The Secret Wedding (part of her Malloren series) in the past, so I had thought to keep only to her traditional Regencies. Now...it looks like there's more Beverley in my future, as long as I stick to her Regency series!
ROMANCE & SEXYTIMES
This story really is about a pair of people who are thrown together through events not of their choosing. As such, the romance is rather slowly developed as we see them first get to know each other, then - warily - become comfortable with each other. It takes time to build the attraction and appreciation for each other's intelligence and wit. The build up to the sexytimes is pretty drawn out. Like...reeeeeally drawn out. A lot of time goes into their just being aware of each other "in that way," and, once they are, there are those lies and temper-temper issues that kind of stand in the way of anything physical. Once they get past the lies, they need to work towards making Beth more comfortable with the physical aspect of marriage, and Lucien plays the gentleman in that respect, recognizing that going from schoolmistress to marchioness in the span of weeks is enough to make any gal a little wary of sudden change (which, after all, the sexytimes would be for a chaste maiden).
For the pervy factor, there's a pretty good build up of tension throughout the book, but note that there's only one sexytimes scene, and it's kind of halfway-opened door. Like...it's initiated, but then we cut scene to the afterglow. The build up is really nicely done, though, and their dancing... *sigh* made me blush. :)
OVERALL
If I don't miss my guess, this book was originally one of Jo Beverley's traditional Regencies written forSignet <correction> Zebra and which she expanded. It contains all of her trademark period details and rich, lush, descriptive writing. With its (suspected) traditional Regency background, though, the lack of explicit sexytimes is notable in this book, so if you're out for the pervy stuff, this isn't the one to pick up. That said, the romance is quite lovely, and I liked seeing the characters as they grew into their relationship and learned to grow with each other.
Side note: I caught a couple of typos (e.g., "welding" when it should have said "wedding" and "sway" when it should have said "away"). Seriously, people, this is big agency publishing here! Zebra, do you want a new proofreader? You know how to reach me.
I really liked this story. Jo Beverley's historicals always set the perfect tone for the period, with the impeccably detailed settings, the lively cant and jargon, and the mannerisms at all levels of society. When I pick up one of her books, I know that I can almost always just lose myself into the experience. This book was no exception, and I really enjoyed seeing the characters and their relationship grow.
THE STORY, BRIEFLY
Through some shocking news, our heroine, 24-year-old schoolteacher Beth, is forced to confront a new reality for herself - one in which she is now betrothed to marry the glittering, dazzling and charming Lucien de Vaux, Marquess of Arden. Neither is necessarily going into this with a happy face, but neither really has the means not to be manipulated into the marriage, either. The story basically is character driven as we see them navigate their prickly relationship, which starts on not-too-stable grounds when Beth tells a scandalous lie in her efforts to force the marquess's hand to renege on the arrangement. Needless to say, Lucien's hands are tied, as well, unbeknownst to Beth. The bulk of this story is their learning to trust each other - whether it's (a) Lucien's coming to terms with Beth's lie and her independent nature or (b) Beth's becoming comfortable with Lucien's rather volatile temper and alpha approach to life. There is some intrigue that occurs in the background with a whole slew of secondary characters, who keep things lively and bring with them unexpected turns of event.
THE CHARACTERS
I liked both Lucien and Beth. There were times in the beginning of the story when they were both "feeling each other out," so to speak, that I just thought "Ugh, you're both being knuckleheads!" - but I meant it in the fondest way possible.
He was a charming rogue, and she was spunky and didn't back down. They were both highly intelligent, which would, ultimately, unite them. He didn't know that she, with her fiery independence and sharp intellect, was what he needed in his life, and she didn't know she even wanted him, with his aggressive alpha shtick and confident charm, in her life. That said, Lucien could also be a total jerkface at times, but that was usually only after Beth had provoked him monstrously. He's the heir to a dukedom and has been raised in privilege all of his life; she's been raised by her "aunt" in a girl's school and passionately supports the feminist ideals of Mary Wollstonecraft. She can't hold her tongue, and he can't hold his temper. Fireworks, anyone?
The one part that kind of shocked me, though, occurred when Lucien's temper got a little out of hand and he crossed a romance hero *gasp*-worthy line (for me).
The secondary characters are also quite delightful, and it warmed my heart to see a really sweet reconciliation of a couple of the secondary characters midway through the story. Loved it. The villains were suitably vile, the servants were cheekily full of character, and the other roguish young men (who clearly have other books in this series) were dashing. The other Company of Rogues members were numerous, and I had a bit of difficulty keeping them straight. Nonetheless, I think this book has convinced me to seek out more of Beverley's Rogues series. I had been disappointed in The Secret Wedding (part of her Malloren series) in the past, so I had thought to keep only to her traditional Regencies. Now...it looks like there's more Beverley in my future, as long as I stick to her Regency series!
ROMANCE & SEXYTIMES
This story really is about a pair of people who are thrown together through events not of their choosing. As such, the romance is rather slowly developed as we see them first get to know each other, then - warily - become comfortable with each other. It takes time to build the attraction and appreciation for each other's intelligence and wit. The build up to the sexytimes is pretty drawn out. Like...reeeeeally drawn out. A lot of time goes into their just being aware of each other "in that way," and, once they are, there are those lies and temper-temper issues that kind of stand in the way of anything physical. Once they get past the lies, they need to work towards making Beth more comfortable with the physical aspect of marriage, and Lucien plays the gentleman in that respect, recognizing that going from schoolmistress to marchioness in the span of weeks is enough to make any gal a little wary of sudden change (which, after all, the sexytimes would be for a chaste maiden).
For the pervy factor, there's a pretty good build up of tension throughout the book, but note that there's only one sexytimes scene, and it's kind of halfway-opened door. Like...it's initiated, but then we cut scene to the afterglow. The build up is really nicely done, though, and their dancing... *sigh* made me blush. :)
OVERALL
If I don't miss my guess, this book was originally one of Jo Beverley's traditional Regencies written for
Side note: I caught a couple of typos (e.g., "welding" when it should have said "wedding" and "sway" when it should have said "away"). Seriously, people, this is big agency publishing here! Zebra, do you want a new proofreader? You know how to reach me.
January 11, 2022
Okay done with #2
And I liked this book till almost the end but then ….
And I liked this book till almost the end but then ….
June 26, 2016
This book is a real mess, but at least it wasn't obnoxiously so (as the first in the series was). It's a bit of a problem that it's tied as tightly to the first as it is. You can probably read this one without the first, but you'd miss quite a bit of the characterization.
Part of my trouble is that I didn't really like either main character. Beth was beyond merely prickly and was outright self-destructive. Worse, she was a very well-drawn example of a smart person being their own worst enemy through unchallenged assumptions and arrogance. This is compounded by Lucien being the same with his own unchallenged assumptions and arrogance. Which made their relationship hard to take as you could see how well suited they'd be if they could get over their mutual stupidity. I saw a lot of this in college where smart people would become the dumbest versions of themselves because their egos got in their way. So good characterization, but not exactly in a good cause.
I had only minor issues with the plot, such as it was. Well, okay, at one point I nearly DNF'd the book because of a contrivance that was just stupid and the last little adventure was both unnecessary and unnecessarily complicated. Oh, and completely out of character for all involved. So I guess the plot was problematic, but since it was a giant step up from the first book, it felt less dire, I suppose.
Oh, and while I didn't have a problem with the weird feminist break in this novel, Beverley made some odd choices here that may cause others problems. I call it a break because Beth spends most of the novel being a proto-feminist in a nearly anachronistic way. Beverley tries to support it by bringing in some of the more outspoken feminists of the day, particularly Mary Wolstencraft. Personally, I think Beth is more modern than is supported, but the real problem comes with plot elements that has Beth backtracking a bit and eventually taking a stance that is something of a betrayal of those ideals when . So invoking feminist principles anachronistically works against specific events in the book in a way that will cause an emotional backlash from those engaged in those modern principles. I can't think this was a good idea.
Anyway, the book was okay, but there was nothing that really engaged me beyond wanting to get to the next in the series. The couple plot stupidities and the ludicrous final adventure dropped me from charity enough to put this in the two-star "it's okay" final category.
A note about Steamy: There's a couple explicit sex scenes, but one is with the mistress, Blanche. I actually liked her and liked where the relationships ended up. We saw in the previous book how Lucien's relationship with her was more caring than loving and I thought Beverley did a good job showing how their move to a non-sexual friendship could work out for both in an interesting way.
Part of my trouble is that I didn't really like either main character. Beth was beyond merely prickly and was outright self-destructive. Worse, she was a very well-drawn example of a smart person being their own worst enemy through unchallenged assumptions and arrogance. This is compounded by Lucien being the same with his own unchallenged assumptions and arrogance. Which made their relationship hard to take as you could see how well suited they'd be if they could get over their mutual stupidity. I saw a lot of this in college where smart people would become the dumbest versions of themselves because their egos got in their way. So good characterization, but not exactly in a good cause.
I had only minor issues with the plot, such as it was. Well, okay, at one point I nearly DNF'd the book because of a contrivance that was just stupid and the last little adventure was both unnecessary and unnecessarily complicated. Oh, and completely out of character for all involved. So I guess the plot was problematic, but since it was a giant step up from the first book, it felt less dire, I suppose.
Oh, and while I didn't have a problem with the weird feminist break in this novel, Beverley made some odd choices here that may cause others problems. I call it a break because Beth spends most of the novel being a proto-feminist in a nearly anachronistic way. Beverley tries to support it by bringing in some of the more outspoken feminists of the day, particularly Mary Wolstencraft. Personally, I think Beth is more modern than is supported, but the real problem comes with plot elements that has Beth backtracking a bit and eventually taking a stance that is something of a betrayal of those ideals when . So invoking feminist principles anachronistically works against specific events in the book in a way that will cause an emotional backlash from those engaged in those modern principles. I can't think this was a good idea.
Anyway, the book was okay, but there was nothing that really engaged me beyond wanting to get to the next in the series. The couple plot stupidities and the ludicrous final adventure dropped me from charity enough to put this in the two-star "it's okay" final category.
A note about Steamy: There's a couple explicit sex scenes, but one is with the mistress, Blanche. I actually liked her and liked where the relationships ended up. We saw in the previous book how Lucien's relationship with her was more caring than loving and I thought Beverley did a good job showing how their move to a non-sexual friendship could work out for both in an interesting way.
October 3, 2023
Mary Wollstonecraft fucks harder than any man in this book
April 8, 2012
I’m not sure how many books of Beverley’s I’ve read – three or four including this one – but I always have the same reaction: dismay. I’ve read so many glowing reviews of her work, and I really enjoy traditional regency romances, so it seems weird to not enjoy her books.
This one starts out with a promising device – the arranged marriage between two unwilling protagonists. I'll admit I like this device, as artificial as it is; I typically really enjoy the often-slow process of overcoming the various obstacles, getting to know each other, falling in love. As far as romance conventions go, it's miles ahead of a spy plot for allowing for real character development and relationship building, IMHO.
Also promising is the fact that both protagonists are clever, educated sorts, though he has taken pains to hide this since his school days. I like bookish protagonists, so I would expect that this story would have a great deal of appeal to me.
Why did I dislike this particular execution, then? Partly I think because the main characters were written very convincingly as unable to get along for the main part of the book. Every single conversation goes sour, every misunderstanding possible is taken, neither character is particularly admirable – she in her martyrdom and he in his obsession with her sexual purity. His frequent thoughts of thrashing or throttling her are given a forgiving explanation by a friend (that he’d like to get his hands on her some other way), but then when he thinks that she’s entertaining another man in her bedroom, he . The heroine takes the blame for this, as she had previously tried to provoke him into breaking the engagement by suggesting that she’d had several lovers, but neither that nor his promises never to do it again exactly washed the sour taste from my mouth.
Part of the problem, I realized at some point, was I never felt persuaded that despite the clashes that there was any hidden attraction, or any secret pining, or something to indicate that they even liked each other. Even a little bit. Or that at least they felt a little lust. There's the little "battles of wits," but even those felt more competitive than relationship-building.
Anyway, quite close to the end, the protagonists are declaring their love for each other. I could put that in a spoiler thingie, but it’s a romance. The protagonists being in love by the end shouldn’t exactly come as a surprise. But the thing is, if I knew these people in real life, I would be surprised. The hero says something like “I think I fell in love you back when so and so happened,” and it felt like rewriting history. At that point, I was already mulling over how I would rate it. One star for lack of enjoyment? Three stars for it being not that badly written and maybe a case of it’s-not-you-it’s me?
One of the things that decided me was the way the subplot was resolved, which was absurd. There was an obvious purpose in this part (reassuring that no matter how angry the hero gets there won’t be a repeat of the previous incident), but besides that it just filled me with disbelief.* Nothing seems consistent in terms of character, and all it did was make me wonder WTF happened here? It went from being an adequately realistic if depressing domestic romance to being an over-the-top farce. *Actually, even the obvious purpose of the argument scene filled me with disbelief. It seems hardly appropriate to take protectiveness-anger and equate it with feeling-sexually-betrayed anger, and then be all rosily confident that he'll never act out in the same way as he did before.
But my favourite line was the hero’s final praise to the heroine - the cognitive dissonance made me laugh out loud.
Final rating – one star for my actual reaction (didn’t like it) with a one-star bonus for the chuckle.
This one starts out with a promising device – the arranged marriage between two unwilling protagonists. I'll admit I like this device, as artificial as it is; I typically really enjoy the often-slow process of overcoming the various obstacles, getting to know each other, falling in love. As far as romance conventions go, it's miles ahead of a spy plot for allowing for real character development and relationship building, IMHO.
Also promising is the fact that both protagonists are clever, educated sorts, though he has taken pains to hide this since his school days. I like bookish protagonists, so I would expect that this story would have a great deal of appeal to me.
Why did I dislike this particular execution, then? Partly I think because the main characters were written very convincingly as unable to get along for the main part of the book. Every single conversation goes sour, every misunderstanding possible is taken, neither character is particularly admirable – she in her martyrdom and he in his obsession with her sexual purity. His frequent thoughts of thrashing or throttling her are given a forgiving explanation by a friend (that he’d like to get his hands on her some other way), but then when he thinks that she’s entertaining another man in her bedroom, he . The heroine takes the blame for this, as she had previously tried to provoke him into breaking the engagement by suggesting that she’d had several lovers, but neither that nor his promises never to do it again exactly washed the sour taste from my mouth.
Part of the problem, I realized at some point, was I never felt persuaded that despite the clashes that there was any hidden attraction, or any secret pining, or something to indicate that they even liked each other. Even a little bit. Or that at least they felt a little lust. There's the little "battles of wits," but even those felt more competitive than relationship-building.
Anyway, quite close to the end, the protagonists are declaring their love for each other. I could put that in a spoiler thingie, but it’s a romance. The protagonists being in love by the end shouldn’t exactly come as a surprise. But the thing is, if I knew these people in real life, I would be surprised. The hero says something like “I think I fell in love you back when so and so happened,” and it felt like rewriting history. At that point, I was already mulling over how I would rate it. One star for lack of enjoyment? Three stars for it being not that badly written and maybe a case of it’s-not-you-it’s me?
One of the things that decided me was the way the subplot was resolved, which was absurd. There was an obvious purpose in this part (reassuring that no matter how angry the hero gets there won’t be a repeat of the previous incident), but besides that it just filled me with disbelief.* Nothing seems consistent in terms of character, and all it did was make me wonder WTF happened here? It went from being an adequately realistic if depressing domestic romance to being an over-the-top farce. *Actually, even the obvious purpose of the argument scene filled me with disbelief. It seems hardly appropriate to take protectiveness-anger and equate it with feeling-sexually-betrayed anger, and then be all rosily confident that he'll never act out in the same way as he did before.
But my favourite line was the hero’s final praise to the heroine - the cognitive dissonance made me laugh out loud.
Final rating – one star for my actual reaction (didn’t like it) with a one-star bonus for the chuckle.
September 17, 2009
This was my first Jo Beverley and I was underwhelmed. Too bad, because I love the arranged marriage/marriage of convenience theme, and I do like my bluestocking heroines. I'm glad I decided to read her again after this one. I didn't like Lucien at all, and I found Beth rather cold. I wasn't buying the romance in this one, and I felt like I never got pulled into the story. But I do have to say that Beverley is a great writer, because I did finish the book. I liked that Lucien's mistress, Blanche Hardcastle, kicked Lucian to the curb after she found out he got married. That was a bravo from this reader. I hate when the hero keeps his mistress after he gets married! I might have try and read it again and see if I like it better the second time, since I fell in love with the Company of Rogues after reading Forbidden. This one's definitely my least favorite in the series so far.
June 27, 2008
Very long commentary, but I think it is an example of this writer's progress and various genres and gender conventions:
uptoandincluding18: He finally backhanded her so she is thrown bruisingly against the wall (verbatim). I've anticipated this event with as much anticipation as she did her deflowerment, which still hasn't happened and won't take much space from the few pages that are left. Before he hit her they told each other they loved each other, which was necessary because Beverley was so talentless that she could not show that, ever, and had it happen in the summarised events that happened between scenes. Equally charmless was the handling of the servant boy, and by now it's clear there will never be any interaction between Beth and her father. Clarissa, whose story was written later and who made me anticipate the hitting, is seen as stupid and shallow here, another convention of all Regency romances of these times, just as Eleanore's marriage keeps shining more and more glowingly, with admonissions that Beth will have to work on hers to reach that happiness.
That's more a convention of historical romances like Woodiwiss, one that deadens the heart. How each heroine has to suffer mental and physical anguish all alone, the adults around her unapproachable or even laughingly forcing her into non-consentual relationships, and once that is over they are suddenly the most tender friends and allies. This sort of circle of friends scares me deeply and sickens me. Usually Regency is not so much used for the theme of possession, so I sense the reason for Beverley splitting her sagas in two periods here in the early works. Beth may briefly admit she will always fear blows from her husband from now on, but the focus is on how she sensibly accepts it and he regrets it - just as hypocritical (of the writer) as having Lucien threaten and bruise her repeatedly right up to the wedding, and then suddenly say he could never force a woman and be "gentle".
uptoandincluding 13: he is not getting any better, nor is my stomach ache. Around page 130 are two good observations how she's unhappy to look pretty when that only makes it obvious she can't be stunning, so would rather not be seen as having tried to do that - and his brutality and inability not to dominate and force her, the whip as something natural the man can't help but hold over the woman. All the author's add-ons about how Lucien is just as nervous and blabla sicken me more because he is not being forced by his own father to have sex and be the possession of someone else. Nicholas and Eleanor, also NEVER portrayed as actually loving in the other book, are of course here the epitome of perfect partnership and erotic romance *still sick thinking of how Beverley described their matings* and of course regret they came too late to help poor Elizabeth and bemoan the barbarism of the wedding, instead of doing much.
The other thing that Beverley claims now and in later books is that Beth runs around in rags and hobnobs with servants when she never SHOWED her do anything like that. Beverley has no grasp of the nobility /lowerclass aspects she says she spoke about.
Chapter 4-6: I hate that brutish asshole. He had seemed bad in glimpses in other books, which was always described as awesome, but I can sense more forced sex coming on, and he's such an unreasonable stupid chauvinist with not a single redeeming feature. Where Ludovic (Heyer) could not help but appeal in his wildness alternating with humour and genuine compassion, this Lucien (Beverley) is nothing but "most handsome", and his disgust and violent sexual and bodily threatening after the financial forcing by his father makes the "charming" French mother seem like the wife watching her daughter get abused *sickened rage*
Chapter 2-3. Despite the garish cover, on which a cross-eyed female adores a too-old man, the book started out ok. It was well-written, using the POV of various servants - but that was simply because Beverley followed Heyer wholesale, so much so that in this book, which is an amalgam of These Old Shades and Devil's Cub, the even called them the Duke and Marquis of Avon (Heyer's were the Duke and the Marquis of Andover).
Sadly they lack all the charm and edge of the original. A devil's cub shouldn't be big-muscled, blond and blue-eyed. Usually I'm fine with light heroes, but this rogue is not appealing or charming, and that I already know he will beat his wife worries me as much as Beverley's first novel with the awfully executed rape aftermath.
But I think Beverley means well; I hope she intended to be more rather than less emancipated, even if the first novel was awful. Here man and wife both have illegitimate children that now have to marry to make it all good, and the reason Duke didn't mount Duchess was he didn't want to be tempted to kill bastard if he got a real son, so hey, there is actual reason and thought behind the plot tanglements.
Beverley's faible for 20 or more years of loveless suffering though annoys me, and I wish she had severed the ties to Heyer more, because inviting comparison to genuinely fascinating, genuinely dangerous characters that still are true to their partners makes Beverley's tamer, mistress-riddled men not seem more modern, just slightly unappealing.
ETA: it ends with the obligatory group adventure, where Beth, who had been abused for ages for briefly claiming to not be a virgin, is cheered on as she displays breasts and legs while pretending to be a prostitute - not just by the husband but also by her father :/
I would forgive her most of that if only Beverley had an inkling of affection, what I like to call love, or were able to show people falling in love.
uptoandincluding18: He finally backhanded her so she is thrown bruisingly against the wall (verbatim). I've anticipated this event with as much anticipation as she did her deflowerment, which still hasn't happened and won't take much space from the few pages that are left. Before he hit her they told each other they loved each other, which was necessary because Beverley was so talentless that she could not show that, ever, and had it happen in the summarised events that happened between scenes. Equally charmless was the handling of the servant boy, and by now it's clear there will never be any interaction between Beth and her father. Clarissa, whose story was written later and who made me anticipate the hitting, is seen as stupid and shallow here, another convention of all Regency romances of these times, just as Eleanore's marriage keeps shining more and more glowingly, with admonissions that Beth will have to work on hers to reach that happiness.
That's more a convention of historical romances like Woodiwiss, one that deadens the heart. How each heroine has to suffer mental and physical anguish all alone, the adults around her unapproachable or even laughingly forcing her into non-consentual relationships, and once that is over they are suddenly the most tender friends and allies. This sort of circle of friends scares me deeply and sickens me. Usually Regency is not so much used for the theme of possession, so I sense the reason for Beverley splitting her sagas in two periods here in the early works. Beth may briefly admit she will always fear blows from her husband from now on, but the focus is on how she sensibly accepts it and he regrets it - just as hypocritical (of the writer) as having Lucien threaten and bruise her repeatedly right up to the wedding, and then suddenly say he could never force a woman and be "gentle".
uptoandincluding 13: he is not getting any better, nor is my stomach ache. Around page 130 are two good observations how she's unhappy to look pretty when that only makes it obvious she can't be stunning, so would rather not be seen as having tried to do that - and his brutality and inability not to dominate and force her, the whip as something natural the man can't help but hold over the woman. All the author's add-ons about how Lucien is just as nervous and blabla sicken me more because he is not being forced by his own father to have sex and be the possession of someone else. Nicholas and Eleanor, also NEVER portrayed as actually loving in the other book, are of course here the epitome of perfect partnership and erotic romance *still sick thinking of how Beverley described their matings* and of course regret they came too late to help poor Elizabeth and bemoan the barbarism of the wedding, instead of doing much.
The other thing that Beverley claims now and in later books is that Beth runs around in rags and hobnobs with servants when she never SHOWED her do anything like that. Beverley has no grasp of the nobility /lowerclass aspects she says she spoke about.
Chapter 4-6: I hate that brutish asshole. He had seemed bad in glimpses in other books, which was always described as awesome, but I can sense more forced sex coming on, and he's such an unreasonable stupid chauvinist with not a single redeeming feature. Where Ludovic (Heyer) could not help but appeal in his wildness alternating with humour and genuine compassion, this Lucien (Beverley) is nothing but "most handsome", and his disgust and violent sexual and bodily threatening after the financial forcing by his father makes the "charming" French mother seem like the wife watching her daughter get abused *sickened rage*
Chapter 2-3. Despite the garish cover, on which a cross-eyed female adores a too-old man, the book started out ok. It was well-written, using the POV of various servants - but that was simply because Beverley followed Heyer wholesale, so much so that in this book, which is an amalgam of These Old Shades and Devil's Cub, the even called them the Duke and Marquis of Avon (Heyer's were the Duke and the Marquis of Andover).
Sadly they lack all the charm and edge of the original. A devil's cub shouldn't be big-muscled, blond and blue-eyed. Usually I'm fine with light heroes, but this rogue is not appealing or charming, and that I already know he will beat his wife worries me as much as Beverley's first novel with the awfully executed rape aftermath.
But I think Beverley means well; I hope she intended to be more rather than less emancipated, even if the first novel was awful. Here man and wife both have illegitimate children that now have to marry to make it all good, and the reason Duke didn't mount Duchess was he didn't want to be tempted to kill bastard if he got a real son, so hey, there is actual reason and thought behind the plot tanglements.
Beverley's faible for 20 or more years of loveless suffering though annoys me, and I wish she had severed the ties to Heyer more, because inviting comparison to genuinely fascinating, genuinely dangerous characters that still are true to their partners makes Beverley's tamer, mistress-riddled men not seem more modern, just slightly unappealing.
ETA: it ends with the obligatory group adventure, where Beth, who had been abused for ages for briefly claiming to not be a virgin, is cheered on as she displays breasts and legs while pretending to be a prostitute - not just by the husband but also by her father :/
I would forgive her most of that if only Beverley had an inkling of affection, what I like to call love, or were able to show people falling in love.
October 8, 2022
Lots of uncomfortable moments for readers as this couple's forced marriage causes upset. He tried to charm her but she lashed out due to her horror of being forced. Her words take on a life of their own, and badly damage their relationship. I didn't like either of them, she's overly righteousness and he's frustrated. One terrible night he crossed a line, horrifying both of them. I liked how the book pushed the boundaries, but they are not my favourite couple in this series.
July 21, 2012
I LOVE the angst involved in arranged/forced marriages, and in that aspect, this book was a joy. While the "romance" between Lucian and Beth wasn't really full of chemistry or sexual tension, I did enjoy their battles of wits, and the injustice of having to give up everything you've ever wanted in life because of the whims of someone more powerful.
However, the fact that we get the same level of explicit detail (which, I admit, isn't all that much) when the hero schtups his mistress as when he does the same with his wife was a huge turn off. Add to that the fact that said mistress and wife later become friends with no animosity or jealousy between them, and the fact that the hero backhands the heroine (giving her a big honkin black eye) and she INSTANTLY forgives him and for the rest of the novel goes on and on and on about how she knows he'll never do it again because he loooooooves her (b*tch please), and I could barely finish it.
This one is just a 2/5 for me.
However, the fact that we get the same level of explicit detail (which, I admit, isn't all that much) when the hero schtups his mistress as when he does the same with his wife was a huge turn off. Add to that the fact that said mistress and wife later become friends with no animosity or jealousy between them, and the fact that the hero backhands the heroine (giving her a big honkin black eye) and she INSTANTLY forgives him and for the rest of the novel goes on and on and on about how she knows he'll never do it again because he loooooooves her (b*tch please), and I could barely finish it.
This one is just a 2/5 for me.
December 4, 2020
This could have been a better book if not for the hr. I could not stand her. I sympathetis with her situation but she made it worse and stayed that way through the whole book. Why do authors make feminists shrews? You can be a strong woman without being a bitch. I did like the ending. The last 50pgs are very good, too bad the rest is not.
December 31, 2023
This is gonna be a controversial one lmao
(Read for the pod, more thoughts there)
CW: Violence, domestic abuse, sexual assault, murder, sexual content
(Read for the pod, more thoughts there)
CW: Violence, domestic abuse, sexual assault, murder, sexual content
June 7, 2021
A little bit of romance, some intrigue, and a whole lot of aggression, with boundaries being crossed left and right, made this book uncomfortable to read. When the Duke of Belcraven puts two young people in an impossible position, forcing them to wed, both Lucien and Beth reveal their true colors. Fortunately, compromises are reached, but it is almost too late as an old enemy makes inroads into their lives once again. I had a hard time liking Beth, although I could identify with her up to a point. I actually felt sorry for Lucien, who had the greater burden to bear. This book is a standalone and comes to a successful conclusion. Although I previously purchased this novel, I also received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily post this review. This is my honest review.
April 13, 2018
I had forgotten how much I hated book 1. Actually, I didn't realise this was book 2 at all.
It was slightly better than the first, but not by much.
All her supposed intelligence and you don't see an inch of it. Yes, she has wit and learning, but brain??? No, not much.
All her hate for the other victim, and never for the culprits.
She doesn't act the way she supposedly feel once. You know, it wouldn't be proper to offend the duke and that idiot of wife of his. *Facepalm*
I didn't see them falling in love. I was told that. Meh.
It was slightly better than the first, but not by much.
All her supposed intelligence and you don't see an inch of it. Yes, she has wit and learning, but brain??? No, not much.
All her hate for the other victim, and never for the culprits.
She doesn't act the way she supposedly feel once. You know, it wouldn't be proper to offend the duke and that idiot of wife of his. *Facepalm*
I didn't see them falling in love. I was told that. Meh.
April 10, 2014
"He backhanded her. She was thrown against the wall, her brief cry silenced by shock."
And it happens after they are married. After they declare their love. After you have seen them come to care about each other.
Just...there is nothing romantic in the heroine having to go about lying about how she got a bruise to her cheekbone. Nothing.
And it happens after they are married. After they declare their love. After you have seen them come to care about each other.
Just...there is nothing romantic in the heroine having to go about lying about how she got a bruise to her cheekbone. Nothing.
April 2, 2012
Just ok, not emotionally entertaining enough. I liked some of the points made, but it could have been better.
I wasn’t pulled in to the characters. I didn’t see how they fell in love. There was a lot of emotional coldness and distance for a long time. She tried to make herself unattractive to him and then was hurt when he said he found her unattractive. She lied to him, making him think she had had many lovers and that his touch bored her. When he touched her breast, she said to him “must you make such a meal of it? Can’t you just get on with it?” Her intention was to make him dislike her so much that he would somehow get them out of the arranged marriage. (But he did not have that power.) So all this did was to create the problem of disgust and distaste in his mind. Words said can never be undone. Then for most of the book, she wants to tell him the truth, that she is a nervous virgin, but she keeps chickening out. When they are alone, he is so cold that she can’t bring herself to be truthful. This wasn’t fun.
In romance, I like to see a couple fall in love emotionally. This did not have that. Instead the couple gets along intellectually. They find a common interest in books and ideas, and that grows their relationship. I didn’t see emotional desire, so it wasn’t as fulfilling. All of a sudden she announces to herself I’m in love with him. That didn’t feel right. My thoughts were when did that happen? Where are those chapters? He did the same thing.
I liked the idea of addressing the topic of abuse. A man hits his wife in anger, then she forgave him and knew he would never do it again. It’s such a serious and emotionally complex subject. I would have liked more depth with that part of the story. The way it’s done here is just kind of lightly thrown in. It’s not really part of either character.
The one sex scene was kind of dull.
There are a few secondary stories that added some interest: Blanche the former mistress, the Company of Rogues Lucian’s mischievous friends, and Sparro/Robin the street urchin taken in by Lucien.
DATA:
Story length: 347 pages. Swearing language: mild, including religious swear words. Sexual language: none to mild. Number of sex scenes: 1 ½. Estimated number of sex scene pages: 6. Setting: 1815 England. Copyright: 1992. Genre: regency romance.
I wasn’t pulled in to the characters. I didn’t see how they fell in love. There was a lot of emotional coldness and distance for a long time. She tried to make herself unattractive to him and then was hurt when he said he found her unattractive. She lied to him, making him think she had had many lovers and that his touch bored her. When he touched her breast, she said to him “must you make such a meal of it? Can’t you just get on with it?” Her intention was to make him dislike her so much that he would somehow get them out of the arranged marriage. (But he did not have that power.) So all this did was to create the problem of disgust and distaste in his mind. Words said can never be undone. Then for most of the book, she wants to tell him the truth, that she is a nervous virgin, but she keeps chickening out. When they are alone, he is so cold that she can’t bring herself to be truthful. This wasn’t fun.
In romance, I like to see a couple fall in love emotionally. This did not have that. Instead the couple gets along intellectually. They find a common interest in books and ideas, and that grows their relationship. I didn’t see emotional desire, so it wasn’t as fulfilling. All of a sudden she announces to herself I’m in love with him. That didn’t feel right. My thoughts were when did that happen? Where are those chapters? He did the same thing.
I liked the idea of addressing the topic of abuse. A man hits his wife in anger, then she forgave him and knew he would never do it again. It’s such a serious and emotionally complex subject. I would have liked more depth with that part of the story. The way it’s done here is just kind of lightly thrown in. It’s not really part of either character.
The one sex scene was kind of dull.
There are a few secondary stories that added some interest: Blanche the former mistress, the Company of Rogues Lucian’s mischievous friends, and Sparro/Robin the street urchin taken in by Lucien.
DATA:
Story length: 347 pages. Swearing language: mild, including religious swear words. Sexual language: none to mild. Number of sex scenes: 1 ½. Estimated number of sex scene pages: 6. Setting: 1815 England. Copyright: 1992. Genre: regency romance.
January 17, 2018
I don't normally write long-ish reviews, but I feel like I need to defend my rating.
I'm disappointed this book has such high ratings. As a whole, it's a bit of a mess. The characters are inconsistent, the story doesn't make a whole lot of sense on it's own (you'd probably need to read the first in the series to understand), and there's a lot of asshole-ery (yes, not a word, I know).
While annoying, none of this is enough to warrant a one star review. My review is based on one unfortunate scene, and the way it's delt with though the rest of the story.
To sum it up, our hero hits his wife. He had threatened to beat her on two separate occasions, and she had been anxious about his tendency to lean towards violence. Here are my main issues with how this was handled afterward:
1. Naturally, he's remorseful. Sick about it. Feels terrible. Blah blah blah. Somehow, his remorse has comforted her into believing he'll never do it again. Despite her reservations BEFORE he hits her, she's now completely confident he'll not raise a hand again. In no way am I buying this; it'll be an abusive relationship to the end.
2. She's visibly bruised, and it's clear some violence has been done to her face. One person is outraged and tries to defend her. Her maid is upset, and helps her try to hide the evidence. One other woman asks him about it, but doesn't really chastise him. Not another sole acknowledges it. She's happy about this, because in her way of thinking it's not their business and she's already forgiven him.
3. Years after writing this, the author defends it and says she wouldn't change a thing because it reflects the violent nature of the era and the war environment they were living in. That's fine. But am I going to read any more of her books? Probably not.
I'm disappointed this book has such high ratings. As a whole, it's a bit of a mess. The characters are inconsistent, the story doesn't make a whole lot of sense on it's own (you'd probably need to read the first in the series to understand), and there's a lot of asshole-ery (yes, not a word, I know).
While annoying, none of this is enough to warrant a one star review. My review is based on one unfortunate scene, and the way it's delt with though the rest of the story.
To sum it up, our hero hits his wife. He had threatened to beat her on two separate occasions, and she had been anxious about his tendency to lean towards violence. Here are my main issues with how this was handled afterward:
1. Naturally, he's remorseful. Sick about it. Feels terrible. Blah blah blah. Somehow, his remorse has comforted her into believing he'll never do it again. Despite her reservations BEFORE he hits her, she's now completely confident he'll not raise a hand again. In no way am I buying this; it'll be an abusive relationship to the end.
2. She's visibly bruised, and it's clear some violence has been done to her face. One person is outraged and tries to defend her. Her maid is upset, and helps her try to hide the evidence. One other woman asks him about it, but doesn't really chastise him. Not another sole acknowledges it. She's happy about this, because in her way of thinking it's not their business and she's already forgiven him.
3. Years after writing this, the author defends it and says she wouldn't change a thing because it reflects the violent nature of the era and the war environment they were living in. That's fine. But am I going to read any more of her books? Probably not.
September 24, 2021
My dive into the award winners of yesteryear is not going so well in the romance category. Actually, until around the 75% mark, I was enjoying this book. The heroine was a bit of a shrew and the hero was frequently nasty to her, but they were both thrown into a challenging situation.
Then there was a scene in which the hero backhands the heroine over a misunderstanding. He’s immediately apologetic and she immediately forgives him. Not only that, but insists it was really her fault. Sometimes I can overlook objectionable stuff in fiction, if the author has sufficiently established the historical setting and it makes sense for the characters. But it wasn’t handled well here, and it just pissed me off.
Then the last couple chapters were filled with a really dumb escapade in which the heroine disguised herself as a prostitute and the hero was fine with that and the author completely demolished any attempt to establish a “historical” setting for the previous bad behavior. Just ended everything on a really stupid note.
Two stars because most of the book was enjoyable. And now I’m going to read something written recently in hopes of escaping the casual violence disguised as “romance” that plagues these books of yesteryear.
Then there was a scene in which the hero backhands the heroine over a misunderstanding. He’s immediately apologetic and she immediately forgives him. Not only that, but insists it was really her fault. Sometimes I can overlook objectionable stuff in fiction, if the author has sufficiently established the historical setting and it makes sense for the characters. But it wasn’t handled well here, and it just pissed me off.
Then the last couple chapters were filled with a really dumb escapade in which the heroine disguised herself as a prostitute and the hero was fine with that and the author completely demolished any attempt to establish a “historical” setting for the previous bad behavior. Just ended everything on a really stupid note.
Two stars because most of the book was enjoyable. And now I’m going to read something written recently in hopes of escaping the casual violence disguised as “romance” that plagues these books of yesteryear.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 5, 2016
Que horror de libro, me ha costado acabarlo y casi lo dejo por aburrimiento, la historia prometia pero va perdiendo fuelle segun pasan las paginas para llegar a un final sin pies ni cabeza. He leido muchos libros de esta autora pero este podia haberselo ahorrado... lo dicho malo y sin argumento!!!!
August 11, 2014
OMG! Burn it! Burn it with fire! Seriously.
First of all, let me say that, in all fairness,the reason I probably didn't enjoy this book so much was because it wasn't at all what I was expecting. It was 3 in the morning, I thought it would be cute and fluffy with kissing bits. Needless to say, there was no kissing -apart from that scene which left me with a vague feeling of rape- and even less fluffiness.
Okay so the theme is marriage of convenience . The son to a duke, discovers that the reason he never bonded with his dad, is because he's not really his father. Oh yeah, somebody's mom got wild.
So the Duke decides that the only way for the heir to the title to be a "true" Belcraven, would be if he got his-the duke's- daughter to marry the "son" he raised his whole life. Can you say incestuous?
Also, that heroine. Oh, God! I have never wanted to cause pain to someone like that in my life! Honestly, she wonders why he threatens her with violence? LEAVE HER TO DIE!
The "heroine" is a plain-jane schoolmistress. Not only does she inherit a dukedom, a father that loves her, and a stepmom that doesn't seem to mind that well, you know, she's a bastard, AND a super handsome hubby who WANTS to make things work.She complains about it, and acts like the fuckin' victim.
She was just so " You may take my body but never my soul " on the guy and he wasn't. THAT. BAD.
Not only does she behave like a "rebellious" A.K.A man-hater, idiot the whole time, but when she finally decides to drop the whole act and get down and dirty with the guy, he HITS HER. HITS. HER
And do you know how our feminist, woman-defending litlle preacher reacts? She runs to him and doesn't even care. Yeah, way to support feminin rights you hussy.
Anyway, I couldn't take it anymore from there so I have no idea how it ends. Hopefully, they all die.
First of all, let me say that, in all fairness,the reason I probably didn't enjoy this book so much was because it wasn't at all what I was expecting. It was 3 in the morning, I thought it would be cute and fluffy with kissing bits. Needless to say, there was no kissing -apart from that scene which left me with a vague feeling of rape- and even less fluffiness.
Okay so the theme is marriage of convenience . The son to a duke, discovers that the reason he never bonded with his dad, is because he's not really his father. Oh yeah, somebody's mom got wild.
So the Duke decides that the only way for the heir to the title to be a "true" Belcraven, would be if he got his-the duke's- daughter to marry the "son" he raised his whole life. Can you say incestuous?
Also, that heroine. Oh, God! I have never wanted to cause pain to someone like that in my life! Honestly, she wonders why he threatens her with violence? LEAVE HER TO DIE!
The "heroine" is a plain-jane schoolmistress. Not only does she inherit a dukedom, a father that loves her, and a stepmom that doesn't seem to mind that well, you know, she's a bastard, AND a super handsome hubby who WANTS to make things work.She complains about it, and acts like the fuckin' victim.
She was just so " You may take my body but never my soul " on the guy and he wasn't. THAT. BAD.
Not only does she behave like a "rebellious" A.K.A man-hater, idiot the whole time, but when she finally decides to drop the whole act and get down and dirty with the guy, he HITS HER. HITS. HER
And do you know how our feminist, woman-defending litlle preacher reacts? She runs to him and doesn't even care. Yeah, way to support feminin rights you hussy.
Anyway, I couldn't take it anymore from there so I have no idea how it ends. Hopefully, they all die.
February 26, 2017
I wish I could like this book better than the previous one, but unfortunately it too falls flat.
Elizabeth is constantly described as being an intelligent and sensisible woman, despite being painfully shallow and stupid. She is an intellectual and a snob, and when I say intellectual, I mean in the style of the Me, an Intellectual meme and not genuinely. She is a budding feminist who, despite not wanting to be forced to marry a stranger and act as a broodmare for the de Vaux family, agrees to exactly that.
I understand that the Duke threatened her livelihood and her friends, but I also wonder at her not thinking of any alternatives, including running away (she could always have changed her name and worked as a governess in the country, or attempted to leave for Canada) or causing a scandal if the Duke didn't leave her alone. She could have insisted on being acknowledged as his daughter, or insisted he disinherit his son. She could have eloped with another man. Hell, she could have just thought about what she wanted in life and been as ruthless in her determination to get it as the Duke was.
She was supposed to be a booksmart nerdy feminist, and I get the appeal, but what I got instead was a silly nerdy doormat who let her father walk all over her and then purposely antagonised Lucien in the hopes that he would call off-- which is ridiculous, as she should have known a gentleman could never do so. If she was opposed to the marriage, she should have refused her consent. I find it hard to respect her at all, since she acts like a spoiled child having a tantrum, instead of the logical woman she asserts herself to be.
Lucien, on the other hand, is a complete fucking asshole who decides to be nasty to his fiancée since she's (understandably) upset at being stolen from her life and isolated from her friends and blackmailed into marrying a stranger in order to act as a broodmare. His resentment is no excuse for his treatment of her, though. Not only does he sexually assault Beth (and it was definitely a sexual assault, she clearly said no, struggled to get away, and he physically overpowered her) he then gets angry at her because of (assumed) sexual experience, and constantly threatens her with physical violence. He actually hurts her on two separate occasions-- near the end of the novel he hits her, on purpose, because he believes she has cheated on him. He is sorry afterwards, since it turns out there wasn't a man in her rooms after all, but I couldn't help but remember what he'd done earlier in the novel, at (I believe) their betrothal ball. He squeezes her arm hard so hard she sits down in shock, for speaking two words in a tone he didn't like.
That kind of behaviour was bad enough when I thought both of them were acting like spoiled petty children. But later on, after confessing his love for her, for him to fly into a sudden rage because of a hat, for him to actually strike her... how can I not believe he would hit her again? Of course he will hit her again.
Worse, I think, is the reaction of all and sundry when they know about his abuse. Clarissa, up until then a timid, silly young girl, is the only person who actually reacts appropriately to the situation. Everyone else acts as if the casual spousal abuse is nothing serious. I would have liked to see either the Duke or Duchess deal with Lucien in the aftermath, but instead the closest thing we get is Blanche asking Lucien if he's okay, after hitting his wife.
The subplot with Clarissa and Deveril was fine, although I would have preferred Clarissa's entrance earlier on in the book. Instead the first half of the book is a boring slog of social engagements and Beth being too sensible and intelligent to care about jewels or gowns (a touch of the Not Like Other Girls Syndrome, methinks) and the last third of the book a constant thrill ride. The outing to break into Deveril's house was poorly planned and even more poorly excecuted. For the life of me, I have no idea why they'd think to pretend to be hookers in order to sneak into the house and get out again, but never think to just hire actual hookers. It made no sense, and was a pretty stupid and silly ending to a ridiculous book.
I think the pacing of this book is terrible, and the love between Lucien and Beth is a literary convenience. Highly unconvincing, but it gives me hope that Eleanor's nasty brother will come back in a future book to get his comeuppance.
Elizabeth is constantly described as being an intelligent and sensisible woman, despite being painfully shallow and stupid. She is an intellectual and a snob, and when I say intellectual, I mean in the style of the Me, an Intellectual meme and not genuinely. She is a budding feminist who, despite not wanting to be forced to marry a stranger and act as a broodmare for the de Vaux family, agrees to exactly that.
I understand that the Duke threatened her livelihood and her friends, but I also wonder at her not thinking of any alternatives, including running away (she could always have changed her name and worked as a governess in the country, or attempted to leave for Canada) or causing a scandal if the Duke didn't leave her alone. She could have insisted on being acknowledged as his daughter, or insisted he disinherit his son. She could have eloped with another man. Hell, she could have just thought about what she wanted in life and been as ruthless in her determination to get it as the Duke was.
She was supposed to be a booksmart nerdy feminist, and I get the appeal, but what I got instead was a silly nerdy doormat who let her father walk all over her and then purposely antagonised Lucien in the hopes that he would call off-- which is ridiculous, as she should have known a gentleman could never do so. If she was opposed to the marriage, she should have refused her consent. I find it hard to respect her at all, since she acts like a spoiled child having a tantrum, instead of the logical woman she asserts herself to be.
Lucien, on the other hand, is a complete fucking asshole who decides to be nasty to his fiancée since she's (understandably) upset at being stolen from her life and isolated from her friends and blackmailed into marrying a stranger in order to act as a broodmare. His resentment is no excuse for his treatment of her, though. Not only does he sexually assault Beth (and it was definitely a sexual assault, she clearly said no, struggled to get away, and he physically overpowered her) he then gets angry at her because of (assumed) sexual experience, and constantly threatens her with physical violence. He actually hurts her on two separate occasions-- near the end of the novel he hits her, on purpose, because he believes she has cheated on him. He is sorry afterwards, since it turns out there wasn't a man in her rooms after all, but I couldn't help but remember what he'd done earlier in the novel, at (I believe) their betrothal ball. He squeezes her arm hard so hard she sits down in shock, for speaking two words in a tone he didn't like.
That kind of behaviour was bad enough when I thought both of them were acting like spoiled petty children. But later on, after confessing his love for her, for him to fly into a sudden rage because of a hat, for him to actually strike her... how can I not believe he would hit her again? Of course he will hit her again.
Worse, I think, is the reaction of all and sundry when they know about his abuse. Clarissa, up until then a timid, silly young girl, is the only person who actually reacts appropriately to the situation. Everyone else acts as if the casual spousal abuse is nothing serious. I would have liked to see either the Duke or Duchess deal with Lucien in the aftermath, but instead the closest thing we get is Blanche asking Lucien if he's okay, after hitting his wife.
The subplot with Clarissa and Deveril was fine, although I would have preferred Clarissa's entrance earlier on in the book. Instead the first half of the book is a boring slog of social engagements and Beth being too sensible and intelligent to care about jewels or gowns (a touch of the Not Like Other Girls Syndrome, methinks) and the last third of the book a constant thrill ride. The outing to break into Deveril's house was poorly planned and even more poorly excecuted. For the life of me, I have no idea why they'd think to pretend to be hookers in order to sneak into the house and get out again, but never think to just hire actual hookers. It made no sense, and was a pretty stupid and silly ending to a ridiculous book.
I think the pacing of this book is terrible, and the love between Lucien and Beth is a literary convenience. Highly unconvincing, but it gives me hope that Eleanor's nasty brother will come back in a future book to get his comeuppance.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 27, 2016
This should be renamed the "Unwilling reader".. I only was able to make it through this story by flipping furiously ahead. First, there wasn't any romance.. not one iota..nada..nothing. The H and HE didn't even have a slightly romantic scene until 70% into the book.
The Duke heirs all pass away, and all he has left is his younger son, whom is not really his. The Duke finds out he has sired a daughter with a one night stand, and then contrives to have them marry. He threatens them both and they marry. The rest of the story is arguments, (which are boring at best), and misunderstandings. At one point in the book, when they are going to finally consummate their marriage, (70% into the book), the hero finds some discarded men's clothes in his bedroom and hits the Heroine and then slams her into the wall. She promptly forgives him, ( like the next sentence), and he tells her he loves her. That is the only romance..
Now, I like the old Bodice rippers, which are filled with rape, violence etc. Yet, this hitting scene was out of place. Not only that, there was no real ask for forgiveness. He hits her, says I'm sorry , "I love you", and she reply's.."Hey that's ok". Even when he tells her he loves her, it is totally unbelievable, since there is no romance leading up to it.
Then a totally unbelievable story line happens, that has to do with one of her past students, an unwanted bridegroom , the hero's ex-mistress, his wife and some friends. It is a hurried plot line , since it occurs 80% into the book, more unbelievable things occur, and then the ending happens with the heroine dressed as a prostitute, which everyone thinks is a riot. The plot at the end was hurried at best, and totally unbelievable, and not even engaging . I literally just wanted the book to end. It certainly was not a historical romance ,(and I am pretty liberal in what I consider historical), just because an author add's carriages and describe period clothing , doesn't make it a historical.
I have read the previous "company of rogues", and thought it horrid at best.. obviously the series does not get better.
It's a sorry state that historical romances have become in this day in age...
The Duke heirs all pass away, and all he has left is his younger son, whom is not really his. The Duke finds out he has sired a daughter with a one night stand, and then contrives to have them marry. He threatens them both and they marry. The rest of the story is arguments, (which are boring at best), and misunderstandings. At one point in the book, when they are going to finally consummate their marriage, (70% into the book), the hero finds some discarded men's clothes in his bedroom and hits the Heroine and then slams her into the wall. She promptly forgives him, ( like the next sentence), and he tells her he loves her. That is the only romance..
Now, I like the old Bodice rippers, which are filled with rape, violence etc. Yet, this hitting scene was out of place. Not only that, there was no real ask for forgiveness. He hits her, says I'm sorry , "I love you", and she reply's.."Hey that's ok". Even when he tells her he loves her, it is totally unbelievable, since there is no romance leading up to it.
Then a totally unbelievable story line happens, that has to do with one of her past students, an unwanted bridegroom , the hero's ex-mistress, his wife and some friends. It is a hurried plot line , since it occurs 80% into the book, more unbelievable things occur, and then the ending happens with the heroine dressed as a prostitute, which everyone thinks is a riot. The plot at the end was hurried at best, and totally unbelievable, and not even engaging . I literally just wanted the book to end. It certainly was not a historical romance ,(and I am pretty liberal in what I consider historical), just because an author add's carriages and describe period clothing , doesn't make it a historical.
I have read the previous "company of rogues", and thought it horrid at best.. obviously the series does not get better.
It's a sorry state that historical romances have become in this day in age...
April 13, 2020
I hate hate hate hate it, when I love a book and near the ending it becomes pure crap!
This book was perfect... A handsome rake paired with a a feminist hero, not spineless and no doormat.
Well, that was the premise of the story.
Handsome Lucien is the heir of de Vaux duchy, and Elizabeth is the illegimate daughter of the duke. The duke thought it would be a great idea to have his daughter marry his wife's son, so his grandson will be still inherit...
It all starts with a hate to love plot. Elizabeth is really an unwilling bride and doesn't hesitate to show it, she even lies to keep Lucien away from her and that quite backfires lool.
But still, it was good because it creates good angst and tension.
Then they get married, spend some time alone together and realizes they love each other.
THEY LOVE EACH OTHER!!!
So why the bum had to hit her?!!! And she forgives him right after, no grovel, no backbone!!
Gone is our fierce feminist and hello the abused doormat!
The story was a 5 star until this.
Then I remove 1 star because of the violence. Then another star because the author thought it would be a great idea to have Elizabeth befriend her husband's doxy. And another star was gone because the ending sucked!! All that story with Clarissa and Deveril, that was distracting from the romance and it ruined the ending.
So 2 stars.
Like, if you want to fully enjoy it, you can stop right after they said their ''I Love You'' and it may be a perfect 5 stars. Do not read further lool!!
This book was perfect... A handsome rake paired with a a feminist hero, not spineless and no doormat.
Well, that was the premise of the story.
Handsome Lucien is the heir of de Vaux duchy, and Elizabeth is the illegimate daughter of the duke. The duke thought it would be a great idea to have his daughter marry his wife's son, so his grandson will be still inherit...
It all starts with a hate to love plot. Elizabeth is really an unwilling bride and doesn't hesitate to show it, she even lies to keep Lucien away from her and that quite backfires lool.
But still, it was good because it creates good angst and tension.
Then they get married, spend some time alone together and realizes they love each other.
THEY LOVE EACH OTHER!!!
So why the bum had to hit her?!!! And she forgives him right after, no grovel, no backbone!!
Gone is our fierce feminist and hello the abused doormat!
The story was a 5 star until this.
Then I remove 1 star because of the violence. Then another star because the author thought it would be a great idea to have Elizabeth befriend her husband's doxy. And another star was gone because the ending sucked!! All that story with Clarissa and Deveril, that was distracting from the romance and it ruined the ending.
So 2 stars.
Like, if you want to fully enjoy it, you can stop right after they said their ''I Love You'' and it may be a perfect 5 stars. Do not read further lool!!
May 3, 2016
Ha sido un sí, pero no. El libro me ha gustado, pero lo justo. No es el mejor libro de Jo Beverley, he dudado de si llegar a las 4 estrellas, pero no, se queda en 3... y media.
Creo que la culpa ha sido de los protas, el libro no es malo, el planteamiento no es malo, pero con otra actitud por parte de los protagonistas, habría sido mucho mejor libro, porque el principio promete, y mucho. La lástima es que la primera mitad del libro Beth se hace insufrible, hace honor totalmente al título del libro. En cambio la actitud de Lucien es de resignación, pero acepta lo que le viene encima. Sólo ha habido una cosa de Lucien que no me ha gustado y le ha hecho perder una estrella al libro, no lo desvelaré, pero es algo a lo que no le gusta enfrentarse a ninguna lectora de novela romántica. Me pareció una sobrada de la autora que estaba totalmente fuera de lugar.
A pesar de ello, los libros de ésta mujer tienen gancho, y una vez conocidos a todos los "Granujas" quieres leer sus historias, así que seré masoca o no, pero continuaré con la serie.
Creo que la culpa ha sido de los protas, el libro no es malo, el planteamiento no es malo, pero con otra actitud por parte de los protagonistas, habría sido mucho mejor libro, porque el principio promete, y mucho. La lástima es que la primera mitad del libro Beth se hace insufrible, hace honor totalmente al título del libro. En cambio la actitud de Lucien es de resignación, pero acepta lo que le viene encima. Sólo ha habido una cosa de Lucien que no me ha gustado y le ha hecho perder una estrella al libro, no lo desvelaré, pero es algo a lo que no le gusta enfrentarse a ninguna lectora de novela romántica. Me pareció una sobrada de la autora que estaba totalmente fuera de lugar.
A pesar de ello, los libros de ésta mujer tienen gancho, y una vez conocidos a todos los "Granujas" quieres leer sus historias, así que seré masoca o no, pero continuaré con la serie.
August 18, 2011
Meh. Don't know why I keep expecting these to be good. The plots are creative for romances, but who needs a creative romance plot? Characters you can like, that's the ticket, not this weird-almost-creepy relationship stuff Beverly puts out. This time the hero (who is not the son of his "father") and the heroine (who is the daughter of the hero's father but not by the hero's mother, got that, no incest here) are being pressured into marriage but despite the absurdity of it historically, legally, or realistically, they do not just refuse to marry each other.
October 5, 2017
I couldn't get past the fact that Lucien hit Beth and she was extremely forgiving and cavalier about it. She didn't rake him across the coals at all! Plus, I really hate when the hero has mistresses and is sexually experienced and then acts enraged if he suspects the heroine isn't a virgin. Furthermore, there's this side plot with Lucien's parents that felt really unresolved.
October 16, 2015
Slow moving story with unappealing brute of a male lead and silly female lead who is all too forgiving and accepting. Wife bashing is never cool.
December 2, 2016
Good book but the heroine got on my nerves for the majority of the book. I am going to read book 1 of the series now.
June 29, 2024
This is a slow burn romance involving Lucien de Vaux and Beth Armitage. Lucien's father is not his father - his mother was forgiven of her indiscretion because Lucien had two other brothers - legitimate. Then they both died. At the beginning of this story, the Duke (Lucien's father) discovers he has a daughter through another woman and forces that daughter to marry his son so that the line of his succession stay pure.
Beth tries to find away out of this and thinks that if Lucien thinks she's already had lovers, he'll get rid of her. Too late does she realize he has no choice. Words spoken can't be undone. This is a major theme of the book as Lucien continues to mistrust her even when she later tries to correct the misunderstanding. They're both extremely intelligent characters and they go about hurting each other with their many arguments and how they interpret what's said. A subplot is Lucien's acquaintance, Lord Deveril, is conspiring to buy a bride, one of Beth's old students, from her parents as they have too many gambling depts. The subplot attempts to free Clarissa from Lord Deveril as well as introduce her to Lucien's other friends accomplices.
It's a really intriguing and nuanced plot. I was immersed in the characters viewpoints and ached for them when they continued to misunderstand one another. Just when I was losing my patience, they finally reconciled.
I really liked Lucien. Beth, I loved seeing her develop and evolve, especially when she saw the error of her ways.
CW: explicit sex scene about 80%through, most of the book's plot revolves around will they won't they consummate their marriage.
Beth tries to find away out of this and thinks that if Lucien thinks she's already had lovers, he'll get rid of her. Too late does she realize he has no choice. Words spoken can't be undone. This is a major theme of the book as Lucien continues to mistrust her even when she later tries to correct the misunderstanding. They're both extremely intelligent characters and they go about hurting each other with their many arguments and how they interpret what's said. A subplot is Lucien's acquaintance, Lord Deveril, is conspiring to buy a bride, one of Beth's old students, from her parents as they have too many gambling depts. The subplot attempts to free Clarissa from Lord Deveril as well as introduce her to Lucien's other friends accomplices.
It's a really intriguing and nuanced plot. I was immersed in the characters viewpoints and ached for them when they continued to misunderstand one another. Just when I was losing my patience, they finally reconciled.
I really liked Lucien. Beth, I loved seeing her develop and evolve, especially when she saw the error of her ways.
CW: explicit sex scene about 80%through, most of the book's plot revolves around will they won't they consummate their marriage.
July 19, 2022
Con todo lo que yo disfruto de las de Jo Beverley, esta me dejó mal sabor de boca. Os cuento.
Esto va de un matrimonio de conveniencia entre Lucien de Vaux, marqués de Arden y heredero de un ducado, tu prototípico calavera de la Regencia, y Elizabeth Armitage, una muchacha de familia normal. Ambos están resentidos de que se les obligue a este matrimonio. Me gustó la ambientación de época, incluidas citas de clásicos, lo bien retratados que estaban los personajes, Lucien y Beth, como personas imperfectas, que intentan hacer de tripas corazón, pero que no pueden evitar dejarse llevar a veces por el desánimo, que meten la pata en algunas cosas...
Lo que ocurre es que aquí es muy old skool, con machismo que incluye la violencia física de él contra ella. Tampoco ayuda una traducción que de vez en cuando me dejaba perpleja.
Crítica más extensa, en mi blog.
Esto va de un matrimonio de conveniencia entre Lucien de Vaux, marqués de Arden y heredero de un ducado, tu prototípico calavera de la Regencia, y Elizabeth Armitage, una muchacha de familia normal. Ambos están resentidos de que se les obligue a este matrimonio. Me gustó la ambientación de época, incluidas citas de clásicos, lo bien retratados que estaban los personajes, Lucien y Beth, como personas imperfectas, que intentan hacer de tripas corazón, pero que no pueden evitar dejarse llevar a veces por el desánimo, que meten la pata en algunas cosas...
Lo que ocurre es que aquí es muy old skool, con machismo que incluye la violencia física de él contra ella. Tampoco ayuda una traducción que de vez en cuando me dejaba perpleja.
Crítica más extensa, en mi blog.
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