When Gabriel Warren, the handsome Earl of Angelwood, offered marriage to Lady Lilith Mallory, he thought his happiness was complete. But then they were, discovered in very compromising circumstances -- and she disappeared. Now, years later, Gabriel enter's a notorious London gaming club to shockingly discover that the innocent woman he'd once wanted for his bride is now its seductive owner. Lilith is astonished at the sight of Gabriel, and part of her longs to relive the days -- and nights -- spent in his arms. But the man she once loved can destroy the livelihood she has made for herself. For Gabriel is now a powerful man, one who is determined to shut down her establishment. Yet with each touch, each kiss, she begins to wonder if they could ever have a future -- and overcome the scandals of their past.
Todos los libros que se basan en la época victoriana o similar me encantan. Una historia de amor de como un Lord se enamora y lucha con todos sus demonios para no caer en la fantástica tentación de Lilith. Una atracción que no pasa desapercibida y te mantendrá enganchada durante todo el libro.
DNF. Read 85% of the book before I just could not take it anymore. From the BOB blurb, the story had promise. But the story doesn't match the BOB blurb. The writing is over-the-top melodramatic with a hyper emotional heroine.
Here's the real story:
Regency romance time period
The heroine owns and runs a gambling hell. Ten years ago, she fell in love, was caught in the act by her mother (who for some reason decided to tell everyone in the Ton what happened). Her lover never wrote, never came of offer marriage. So she was shipped off to Italy to live with her aunt.
The hero has a goodie-goodie reputation in the Ton. He has vowed to make gambling illegal. His father died with the estate heavily in debt and his mother was norotious for her lovers. The hero refueses to be like his parents. Doesn't gamble, doesn't drink to excess, doesn't visit prostitutes. Oh, and did I mention that he hasn't been in England for ten years because he's been trying to restore the family fortune? How he managed to create his good-doer reputation while in Nova Scotia, the writer does not explain.
Also, the hero is the one who ruined the heroine ten years ago and when he wasn't working to restore the family fortune or working in parliment to stop gambling (while also in Nova Scotia), he was searching the world for his the woman he fell in love with ten years ago.
I overlooked the impossibility of one man doing all of the above.
But I could not overlook the behavior of the annoying heroine. She runs a gamblin hell but has no security detail, just her very large man of business. She's under attack by the owner of another club, a dangerous man who had her man of business beaten to a pulp. She doesn't want anyone (men specifically) to help her solve her problem. She won't close the club. She won't call for the authorities. She doesn't want the hero's assistance.
At this point, she proves she is TSTL.
Then she finds out how the hero's father really died and realizes that the hero is now willing to modify his stance on the gambling laws, no longer cares about his pristine political repuation and is willing to give up whatever he must to win her heart - she deiceds to close up the club and run away from the hero, never to see him again.
(Yeah, when the going gets tough, run away and hide leaving behind everyithng you own, the life you worked hard to create, and everyone who cares about you.)
She's more worried about reputations being ruined than about the safety and happiness of the people around her including herself. Woman has a death wish.
If real women (those who own successful gambling establisments) act the way this heroine does, then we as a gender need to personally appologize the the male gender for such childish behavior.
Gabe y Lilith eran una pareja explosiva, definitivamente pudo haber más, mucho más. Incluso, haber estado mejor escrito. La autora ya tenía una base (que era sin duda el libro 1, donde conocíamos parte del carácter de Gabrielle como amigo de Brave) Ya con esto, era fácil formarse una idea sobre el “héroe” del libro, y esperar algo más interesante. Otro punto en su contra, fue su protagonista. Una escritora no puede escribir acerca de una mujer fuerte, y luego hacer que el lector lea que en cada situación que se le presentó (y les aseguro que las hubo a cada rato) y que ¡la protagonista se la pasara llorando! En mi opinión fue impulsivo y descontrolado. El villano: pudo ser más malo (DIOS!!!! ¡¡¡Como quiero leer un villano malo, tan malo que tenga tatuado su pasaje directo al infierno!!!! ¿Acaso es mucho pedir más violencia, o la clase de agresión que pueda causar un perfecto intelecto maléfico? Al parecer si) U.U Y por favor… la gente no se la pasa teniendo sexo con personas a la que desprecian, y que además arruinó una década! (si una década) de tu vida!! Como mínimo yo hubiese mandado al protagonista a la #@¬•$%&’ɳ†
La historia estuvo llena de fallos (del tipo – error de confusión entre una pareja contemporánea y una pareja Histórica) cosas que muchos tal vez no se den cuenta, sin embargo como lectora compulsiva de ambos géneros, pude apreciar, y con respecto a eso no culpo enteramente a la escritora (porque me parece que este fue su segundo libro publicado –y sorprendentemente premiado) sino a su editor (o tal vez a su editor en Español).
no llenó mis espectativas.... y honestamente, no lo reocmendaría. U_U
Compelling and well written. Interesting inside view of gambling and its effects. Ms. Smith captures the essence of her characters and makes you feel invested in their lives.