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So Many Secrets
In the winter of 1449, Jane Blackwell agrees to marry a man she has never met. Whisked away to a home filled with dark secrets, the fearful young girl is left to adapt to a mercurial man who answers to no-one.
Even were it not for Rufus Fairfax, the duke Le Greniere’s murky history, his current business dealings seem to be shadowy at best. As Jane catches him in half-truths and outright lies, she begins to suspect him of skullduggery to devious ends. Yet, Jane herself is hiding many secrets with no desire to divulge them to her unsuspecting husband.
However, with England coming to a fever pitch of political unrest, the couple has a limited amount of time before they either reveal their secrets or face complete ruin.
Even were it not for Rufus Fairfax, the duke Le Greniere’s murky history, his current business dealings seem to be shadowy at best. As Jane catches him in half-truths and outright lies, she begins to suspect him of skullduggery to devious ends. Yet, Jane herself is hiding many secrets with no desire to divulge them to her unsuspecting husband.
However, with England coming to a fever pitch of political unrest, the couple has a limited amount of time before they either reveal their secrets or face complete ruin.
- GenresHistorical Fiction
366 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 20, 2012
4 people are currently reading
16 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 2, 2013
These are the things that I look for in a historical romance:
1. An interesting heroine. I hate the cliche, goody-goody, cardboard heroine whose only emotion is panting after every man she sees. I want a realistic, fleshed-out, heroine with whom I can empathize. This novel has that down pat. Jane is quite unique to the genre, and while she is mousy at times, there is plenty of reason for it. Most importantly, we watch her mature and change over the course of the novel.
2. A sexy hero, of course. At first I thought Rufus was a little too unusual, but that's mostly because the character comes at you full force early on. At length, I found that all of his strength and kindness, his quirks and good looks had me falling for him right along with Jane.
3. A somewhat accurate picture of the era. I am a history major and I love this period in English history. It is just rife with drama and intrigue. The author captures it quite well, along with all of the fun little facts history books generally overlook. It is not written in Shakespearean English (and honestly, why would it be?) but beyond that it is a very accurate portrayal of the decade. The author's note at the end even explains what liberties have been taken, what is fact, and how it all ended.
The only thing I would change about this book is the length. It is quite long and I really wanted to know what Rufus's secret was. That said, I couldn't put it down and I would highly recommend this book.
1. An interesting heroine. I hate the cliche, goody-goody, cardboard heroine whose only emotion is panting after every man she sees. I want a realistic, fleshed-out, heroine with whom I can empathize. This novel has that down pat. Jane is quite unique to the genre, and while she is mousy at times, there is plenty of reason for it. Most importantly, we watch her mature and change over the course of the novel.
2. A sexy hero, of course. At first I thought Rufus was a little too unusual, but that's mostly because the character comes at you full force early on. At length, I found that all of his strength and kindness, his quirks and good looks had me falling for him right along with Jane.
3. A somewhat accurate picture of the era. I am a history major and I love this period in English history. It is just rife with drama and intrigue. The author captures it quite well, along with all of the fun little facts history books generally overlook. It is not written in Shakespearean English (and honestly, why would it be?) but beyond that it is a very accurate portrayal of the decade. The author's note at the end even explains what liberties have been taken, what is fact, and how it all ended.
The only thing I would change about this book is the length. It is quite long and I really wanted to know what Rufus's secret was. That said, I couldn't put it down and I would highly recommend this book.
May 2, 2013
Jane Fairfax takes her sister's place in an arranged marriage in order to escape a heavily abusive family life. She meets Rufus, the Duke of Fairfax at the altar and the two hardly speak two sentences to one another before Jane finds herself putting away her shoddy, old dresses in her new room in his house. The two quickly become fast friends, but it is evident that Rufus is hiding something and that, along with Jane's suspicious nature keeps their romance from blossoming.
I'm not a huge romance fan and this author's first novel, The Gates of Nottingham, a gory medieval thriller, was what actually led me to read this. The reason that I don't usually read romance novels is that the stories are dull and the characters staid. I was glad to find that the writer's panache for unique characterization has not left her, despite the switch in genre.
Even in spite of the unlikely, though plausible set-up, the interactions are so real that they have somewhat erased my negative image of the arranged marriage plot. These two don't just bicker, check each other out, bicker some more, then have sex. No, they treat each other kindly and with respect, honor their commitment to each other, and allow their love to grow in the midst of all of the intrigue and threat of war.
This is a story that will make you smile to yourself when you remember it.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews