Zakład o miłość

Sainthill-Barrington #2

by Adrienne Basso

Piękna i bogata lady Meredith wzbudza ciekawość salonów swą oryginalną decyzją - postanawia pozostać sama, a nie, jak inne panny, szukać męża. Nie zamierza rezygnować z niezależności nawet wtedy, gdy szelmowski zakład popycha ją w ramiona szarmanckiego i zabójczo przystojnego markiza. Jednak w obliczu tajemniczej groźby Meredith musi szukać w jego ramionach bezpieczeństwa i miłości.

Genres: Romance, Historical Romance, Historical, Marriage Of Convenience, Mystery, Regency, Historical Fiction

239 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2002

About the author

Between stints as a corporate financial analyst, marketing consultant and public librarian, Adrienne Basso has parlayed her vivid imagination and desire to tell romantic stories into a twenty-four-year writing career. She has published contemporary, Regency, Victorian, vampire, and Scottish medieval romance novels. She enjoys the challenge of creating stories that emphasize the everlasting power of love and is truly delighted that her characters always achieve the fantasy of living happily ever after. A native New Yorker, Adrienne, her husband, and their incomparable dog now live in New Jersey.

Reviews

[Cruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author: Adrienne Basso
First published: 2002
Length: 4426 locations (kindle)
Setting: London, 1810. Regency.
Sex: (Deliberately) Unsatisfactory at first, gets better and frequent. Vague reference to an m/m interlude for secondary character.
Hero: Widow who has taken to role of rogue with hard drinking, gambling, whoring to deal with his loss.
Heroine: Friend to Trevor's late wife.
Almost Cheating: Trevor has a mistress at the start of the book.

A really enjoyable romance with a solid mystery. Good, multi-dimensional characters and a believable HEA.

Highly recommended.

Connected Books:

Are your books part of a series? Do I need to read them in any specific order?
I do, however, have cross-over characters in many of my Regency novels. Some make brief appearances in several books; others are secondary characters in one novel and then a main character in another.
Readers inquire all the time about the connections in my novels. None of my titles are part of a structured series. They are all stand-alone stories. Therefore, it is not necessary to read one book to understand the plot/characters of another, nor is it necessary to read the books in any particular order.

http://www.adriennebasso.net/connecte...

To Wed A Viscount - Miss Faith Linden and Griffin, Viscount Dewhurst
To Protect An Heiress - Lady Meredith Barrington and Trevor Morely
To Tempt a Rogue - Harriet Sainthill and Nathaniel Bennett
The Wedding Deception - Claire Barrington and Jasper Barrington
How To Enjoy A Scandal - Jason Barrington and Gwendolyn Ellingham
How To Seduce A Sinner - Dorothea Ellingham and Viscount Carter Grayson
A Little Bit Sinful - Eleanor Collins and Sebastian Dodd, Viscount Benton

References:
Author's website: http://www.adriennebasso.net/

(ISBN 978-1-6018-3035-7)

-CR-

[Rosi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick and easy read. I thoroughly enjoyed the banter between Meredith and Trevor. Her character is one that will capture the reader's heart. She is a no nonsense type of gal from beginning to end! Trevor, on the other hand, did a complete one-eighty after their nuptials. This confused me because he was very quick witted and he was the one to propose and remained aloof after he did so. Talk about mercurial moods! From one page to the next she professed herself in love with Trevor, yet her previous behavior with him seemed only flirtatious and friendly in nature. Of course he reciprocated but mostly because she was more like an enigma. I just hated the way he treated her after the marriage but he certainly did another one-eighty after he realized that Meredith's life is in danger. Overall, it was a cute story. The murder mystery was also a shocker! I did not see that coming, in fact, I thought I guessed who the killer was but was very wrong! I liked that element of surprise!

[Amber · Rating 2 out of 5]

So...this is one where it's tough to make a call. I *think* that if someone asked me I'd say this is worth a read. And yet I rate it only two stars. The problem is that the mysterious stalker/murderer was far more interesting than the love story for me. This is a romance novel. Thus we have a problem. Another thing was the angst level. It was a little too high for my tastes, but that hasn't stopped me from recommending books in the past. So...while for me this was a "*shrug* meh." book I would still recommend it as an okay read, though I'm far from being in raptures over it.

[Thu Nguyen · Rating 3 out of 5]

When the book started with a serial murder plot, I thought I struck gold. But then it's all historical romance and zero investigation, how disappointed!
The only grace saving is that the main female character was very unconventional for her times, together with other characters, they were sarcastic, witty, and didn't give a fig about social proprieties, which made many funny moments.
The romance itself is one that made me want to despair and scream at the same time. Note to self: never read a romance where the male lead was still in love with his dead ex-wife.

[Nessa]

I didn't have it in me to read a story about the a heroine who marries the husband of her dead best friend...it just seemed so wrong, especially when we got the chance to encounter the dead woman, and knowing the fact that they were about to have a baby....

If we never got to know the best friend, I might have stomach this better, but the way Trevor and Lavinia were so in love? It made Meredith seemed like an intruder/third party EVEN THOUGH Lavinia was dead.

[Dpic · Rating 1 out of 5]

enjoyable fluff

[Priscilla · Rating 1 out of 5]

Que salada...

O segundo volume da série Sainthill-Barrington já começa chocando com a morte de uma mulher grávida, a violência é inteiramente gratuita já que a subtrama envolvendo um assassino serial é pouco explorada.

O viúvo e a melhor amiga passam por um salto temporal justamente para evitar o drama que a autora posteriormente tenta inserir para engrossar os capítulos, mas o resultado é um romance desequilibrado em que a separação não convence e a reconciliação é ainda pior.

Deplorável.

[Zaxs Yacs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adrienne Basso crafts a spellbinding tale of suspense, mystery, and unexpected passion among the elegant salons and ballrooms of Regency England. . .

Blessed with beauty, fortune, and noble birth, Lady Meredith Barrington puzzles the ton by choosing to remain single. Then a roguish bet placed by her younger brothers leads Meredith to impulsively flirt with—and boldly kiss—the handsome, brooding Marquess of Dardington. A threatened scandal results in a hasty wedding. Theirs is a marriage of convenience, and Meredith is determined to maintain her usual independent ways. Then an apparent accident nearly takes her life, and Meredith, shaken, finds herself turning again and again to her husband, for comfort, for reassurance. . .and more.

Trevor Morley, Marquess of Dardington, is less than pleased when he's forced to wed, and vows to avoid his lovely wife—no matter how tempting that soul-stirring kiss in the garden. But when the ton is rocked by a string of savage murders, Trevor comes to realize that the killer has targeted Meredith. He ensures that he's always at her side. . .day and night. Their intimacy ignites a fiery passion between them, and both are stunned to discover that what began in rueful obedience to Society's dictates has become a love match. But can Trevor protect the woman he cherishes from deadly harm?

**

From Library Journal

When Lady Meredith Barrington's best friend is killed while wearing Merry's shawl, Merry has no idea that she herself had been the intended victim. Now, eight years later, as the result of a wager gone awry, she finds herself in a marriage of convenience to the Marquess of Dardington, widower of her murdered friend, and the target of a murderer who is stalking the women of London in Jack-the-Ripper fashion. Sensual and rather gently paced, this Regency-set historical pairs a lively, outspoken heroine who knows her own mind with a conflicted hero determined to protect her and then gives them a crafty killer to deal with and a marriage to establish all under the critical, unforgiving eyes of the ton. Although more romance than mystery, this light story will appeal to the growing number of readers who enjoy their love stories laced with a dash of suspense. Basso has written several earlier historicals and lives in New Jersey.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Meredith Barrington reluctantly agrees to kiss Trevor Morely, the Marquess of Dardington, a well-known rogue, to help her two twin brothers, who have wagered that they can get a confirmed spinster to kiss a rake. The scandal resulting from Meredith's kiss, and the threat of a duel between her brothers and Trevor, pushes Meredith into accepting Trevor's offer of marriage. Complicating matters is the fact that Trevor is still mourning the death of his first wife, Lavinia, who also happened to be Meredith's best friend. At first Trevor spends most of the time trying to avoid Meredith, but when evidence surfaces that someone might be stalking his new wife, Trevor sets out to do whatever it takes to protect the woman he now loves. The sensuously detailed love scenes, undercurrent of danger, and polished writing fuel Basso's latest historical regency, which will draw fans of Amanda Quick and Nicole Jordan. John Charles

Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

[Justyna · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a bit...weird. The main character was strong and well-created, but then when she marries, everything seems to change, and she seems to be a completely different person, with no explanation whatsoever.

Lots of fun sex scenes, but on an emotional level I couldn't engage.

Nice twist with the serial killer motive, could be a bit more developed.

But a quick and generally speaking engaging read.

[Lady · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read two of Ms. Basso novels, and they never fail to evoke a sense of realism. She is becoming a go-to author when I need a good book. HR lovers will be happy with a scandalous romance taking center stage. Also, there are more connected novels.

The characters are the narrative's jewel. The author clearly portrayed the importance of marriage for a Regency era female. Also, I understood the hero's reaction to pain and suffering following a tragedy. Response to grief is a major theme. The author's humorous scenes amidst the foreshadowing suspense prevented the romance from dragging. Although, I must admit I skipped a few pages to get to the denouement, only to be disappointed because the villain's motive was senseless. Half star reduction. Serial killers have an abnormal psychological gratification with murder.

Finally, IMO this is not a dark story only a reminder: one must learn to let go of relationships, negative emotions, or situations, that keep you drowning in frustration.

[Tory · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trevor's wife dies suddenly in the first chapter of the book. She is Meredith's best friend. Eight years later, Trevor has become a rake, and is afraid to love again. Trevor makes a bet with Meredith's brothers (not knowing that they are related to Meredith). The bet is that they cannot find a passionate spinster. The brother's approach Meredith, asking her to kiss Trevor in order to win the bet. Unfortunately Meredith gets caught and in trying to help the situation, Trevor makes it worse and ends up proposing since he ruined her. Meredith is a strong character and I enjoyed seeing the relationship between them develop.

[Loren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I genuinely liked the characters and empathized with them, but I shouldn't have liked this book as much as I did. The villain's motives made no real sense, the hero's anxiety about his relationship with the heroine evidenced itself in a strange way, and the heroine fell in love way too fast, but I enjoyed the book nonetheless. If I could rate this 3.5 stars, I would, but instead I'll err on the generous side and give it 4.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

To Protect an Heiress was an entertaining read that did not fit the normal Regency Romance mold. It had all of the elements of a true romance novel, but it also had the added twist of a parallel plot of a serial killer roaming the streets of London.

The characters were distinct and relatable. The story was well written and did a good job of foreshadowing without giving too much away. I enjoyed it, and would highly recommend it to others.

[bell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This really wasn't much of a romance at all, it more leaned towards a mystery. In fact the romance part of the story never showed up until almost the very end. I found the heroine pretty unlikeable, she was very unemotional and detached. I found myself wondering why the hero even liked her , let alone put up with her. There wasn't any chemistry between them and I sincerely felt the hero deserved someone better. Is it worth reading for free? Sure..

[*MariaA* · Rating 4 out of 5]

GREAT!!! enjoyed it immensely, a very different plot since you don't get to read of serial killers in HR's and strong characters ,the H&H.

[Milena Benini · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book that tries to be a historical, a romance, and a mystery, and mostly fails on all accounts. Not entirely, though.