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Clayton #2
Perfect Sin
PERFECT PLAN...
He was the ultimate rake. But Randall Clayton, 7th Duke of Beldon, harbors a hidden motive for seducing the fiery haired, passionate Caitlin Harmon. Rand is on a mission to find a murderer...and it's leading straight to Caitlin's father.
PERFECT SEDUCTION...
She was the ultimate temptation. Cait Harmon, the feisty, intellectual daughter of an American adventurer, is certain she will never fall in love. But one dance with the powerful, compelling Duke of Beldon and Cait's heart is lost forever.
PERFECT SIN...
Theirs was the ultimate love. They were the talk of London, until passion and betrayal tore them apart. Now, in Perfect Sin by bestselling author Kat Martin, Rand must embark on the quest of a lifetime: proving to Caitlin that love is the most powerful treasure of all.
He was the ultimate rake. But Randall Clayton, 7th Duke of Beldon, harbors a hidden motive for seducing the fiery haired, passionate Caitlin Harmon. Rand is on a mission to find a murderer...and it's leading straight to Caitlin's father.
PERFECT SEDUCTION...
She was the ultimate temptation. Cait Harmon, the feisty, intellectual daughter of an American adventurer, is certain she will never fall in love. But one dance with the powerful, compelling Duke of Beldon and Cait's heart is lost forever.
PERFECT SIN...
Theirs was the ultimate love. They were the talk of London, until passion and betrayal tore them apart. Now, in Perfect Sin by bestselling author Kat Martin, Rand must embark on the quest of a lifetime: proving to Caitlin that love is the most powerful treasure of all.
339 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 15, 2000
53 people are currently reading
737 people want to read
About the author
Kat Martin
188 books3,170 followersKathleen Kelly Martin (aka Kathy Lawrence, Kasey Mars)
Kathleen Kelly was born on 14 July 1947 in the Central Valley of California, USA. She obtained a degree in Anthropology and also studied History at the University of California in Santa Barbara. She was a real estate broker, when she met her future husband, Larry Jay Martin. A short time after the two became acquainted, Larry asked her to read an unpublished manuscript of an historical western he'd written. Kat fell in love with both the book and the author! Then, after doing some editing for him, she thought she'd try her own hand at writing. She moved on to become a full time writer.
Published since 1988, she signed her books with her married name, Kat Martin, but she also used two pseudonyms: Kathy Lawrence for a book in collaboration with her husband Larry Jay Martin, and Kasey Mars for her first contemporary romances. The New York Times bestselling writer, among her many awards, has won the prestigious RT Book Review Magazine Career Achievement Award. To date, Kat has over eleven million copies of her books in print. She has been published in seventeen foreign countries, including England, South Africa, Spain, Argentina, Germany, Italy, Greece, Norway, Sweden, Russia, Bulgaria, China, and Korea.
Currently residing with her husband, a Western-writer and photographer, in Missoula, Montana, USA. But when they are not writing, they also enjoy skiing and traveling, particularly to Europe.
"I've always loved books. I was an avid reader, with any number of my own stories rolling around in my head. Writing them down seemed a logical step."
"I love anything old," Kat says. "I love to travel and especially like to visit the places where my books are set. My husband and I often stay in out-of-the-way inns and houses built in times past. It's fun and it gives a wonderful sense of a by-gone era."
Kathleen Kelly was born on 14 July 1947 in the Central Valley of California, USA. She obtained a degree in Anthropology and also studied History at the University of California in Santa Barbara. She was a real estate broker, when she met her future husband, Larry Jay Martin. A short time after the two became acquainted, Larry asked her to read an unpublished manuscript of an historical western he'd written. Kat fell in love with both the book and the author! Then, after doing some editing for him, she thought she'd try her own hand at writing. She moved on to become a full time writer.
Published since 1988, she signed her books with her married name, Kat Martin, but she also used two pseudonyms: Kathy Lawrence for a book in collaboration with her husband Larry Jay Martin, and Kasey Mars for her first contemporary romances. The New York Times bestselling writer, among her many awards, has won the prestigious RT Book Review Magazine Career Achievement Award. To date, Kat has over eleven million copies of her books in print. She has been published in seventeen foreign countries, including England, South Africa, Spain, Argentina, Germany, Italy, Greece, Norway, Sweden, Russia, Bulgaria, China, and Korea.
Currently residing with her husband, a Western-writer and photographer, in Missoula, Montana, USA. But when they are not writing, they also enjoy skiing and traveling, particularly to Europe.
"I've always loved books. I was an avid reader, with any number of my own stories rolling around in my head. Writing them down seemed a logical step."
"I love anything old," Kat says. "I love to travel and especially like to visit the places where my books are set. My husband and I often stay in out-of-the-way inns and houses built in times past. It's fun and it gives a wonderful sense of a by-gone era."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
March 30, 2016
She has a miscarriage and what does hero do? He runs back to his mistress we the reader get a lovely scene of him having sex with her and that goes on for a month until heroine catches them together when they are dining out. How was this book ever put in as a romance book I don't know, I HATED this guy and after this book refused to read anymore by this author!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 26, 2011
I really wanted to like this book. but the hero killed it for me.
An emotionally weak hero is not what i look for in a HEA romance book.
Spoilers ahead
The part that really killed it for me - he went back to his mistress Hannah after his wife (the book's main heroine) lost their baby prematurely. According to him, he had no idea how to cope with the pain so he ran all the way back to london, leaving the heroine coping with the lost of her baby AND her husband. But that was not the worse part. the weak hero wined and dined his mistress in town for a MONTH. Leaving the heroine getting 2nd hand news/gossip that her husband was back with his mistress (which was very true i might add.) Still believing that her 'kind' husband would not betray her in such a way, she went down to london to try to make things work between them.
She caught the hero and his mistress in a restaurant together. Yes they were just having dinner, but it did not matter what they were doing, the heroine KNEW for sure now that the hero had betrayed his vows and had bedded another woman. The best part was he froze and asked her, "what are u doing in london, i though u were in the country." WTH i know.
the heroine replied with tears flowing down her face, "i wanted to surprise you and i think i did."
she ran from him and went to africa be with her father.
I seriously could not care less about the story after that. After a month of wining, dining and bedding his mistress, he finally realized he loved his wife and was going to break off with the mistress AFTER they left the restaurant. but poor heroine caught them together at the very last moment. I was like oh my god, it took a month of bedding another woman to realize he was in love?! And he claimed that he had no idea how to cope with the pain of losing his baby and the love he felt for his wife. Was he just weak or stupid. I don't know. maybe just stupid.
Yes he grovelled and traveled to africa to bring her back but I couldnt get pass the cheating.it ruined the story for me.
pls avoid this book if you don't want to get emotional traumatized.
I am living in fear of encountering another case of HEA book cheating after this one.
An emotionally weak hero is not what i look for in a HEA romance book.
Spoilers ahead
The part that really killed it for me - he went back to his mistress Hannah after his wife (the book's main heroine) lost their baby prematurely. According to him, he had no idea how to cope with the pain so he ran all the way back to london, leaving the heroine coping with the lost of her baby AND her husband. But that was not the worse part. the weak hero wined and dined his mistress in town for a MONTH. Leaving the heroine getting 2nd hand news/gossip that her husband was back with his mistress (which was very true i might add.) Still believing that her 'kind' husband would not betray her in such a way, she went down to london to try to make things work between them.
She caught the hero and his mistress in a restaurant together. Yes they were just having dinner, but it did not matter what they were doing, the heroine KNEW for sure now that the hero had betrayed his vows and had bedded another woman. The best part was he froze and asked her, "what are u doing in london, i though u were in the country." WTH i know.
the heroine replied with tears flowing down her face, "i wanted to surprise you and i think i did."
she ran from him and went to africa be with her father.
I seriously could not care less about the story after that. After a month of wining, dining and bedding his mistress, he finally realized he loved his wife and was going to break off with the mistress AFTER they left the restaurant. but poor heroine caught them together at the very last moment. I was like oh my god, it took a month of bedding another woman to realize he was in love?! And he claimed that he had no idea how to cope with the pain of losing his baby and the love he felt for his wife. Was he just weak or stupid. I don't know. maybe just stupid.
Yes he grovelled and traveled to africa to bring her back but I couldnt get pass the cheating.it ruined the story for me.
pls avoid this book if you don't want to get emotional traumatized.
I am living in fear of encountering another case of HEA book cheating after this one.
February 11, 2010
I did give this two stars, but then I realized I really didn't like this book. So I downgraded it to one star. I submit this guy as a nominee for "Jackass Hero Award." Complete and utter pig of a man. One of those books you wish would end with the heroine telling the hero to get lost.
December 27, 2021
ALERT! ALERT! Cheating hero!
Hero leaves the heroine after she has a miscarriage. He goes to London and spends a month with his mistress. Hero and heroine were married!!!!!!!
PS. I haven't read this book but, I am a "Fidelity Godmother" so I don't want any of my Goodreads' friends that HATES cheating heros read this book. If someone does not have any problem with cheating heros, so go ahead!
XX
Hero leaves the heroine after she has a miscarriage. He goes to London and spends a month with his mistress. Hero and heroine were married!!!!!!!
PS. I haven't read this book but, I am a "Fidelity Godmother" so I don't want any of my Goodreads' friends that HATES cheating heros read this book. If someone does not have any problem with cheating heros, so go ahead!
XX
October 23, 2015
If you page thru the reviews of this, you'll see a bunch of one-star ratings. Why? The hero, Rand Clayton, cheats on his wife--right after she's lost their baby.
But unlike other reviewers, that's kind of why I liked this story. Yeah, at the time, I hated the guy, and I wanted the heroine to dump his ass. I cried for her. And it doesn't hurt that the heroine did exactly what I would've done. Anyway, the fact that I was that emotonally engaged is a plus, rather than a minus. I am bored sick of books that fail to grab me by the emotional short hairs and make me care what happens.
I also like that this story had more going for it than just the relationship. The heroine and her father are archaeologists searching for an ancient treasure. They have gotten mixed up with a guy who is suspected of a number of elaborate frauds, one of which resulted in the suicide of the hero's cousin. These added elements kept things moving at key times. So I'll give it four stars.
But unlike other reviewers, that's kind of why I liked this story. Yeah, at the time, I hated the guy, and I wanted the heroine to dump his ass. I cried for her. And it doesn't hurt that the heroine did exactly what I would've done. Anyway, the fact that I was that emotonally engaged is a plus, rather than a minus. I am bored sick of books that fail to grab me by the emotional short hairs and make me care what happens.
I also like that this story had more going for it than just the relationship. The heroine and her father are archaeologists searching for an ancient treasure. They have gotten mixed up with a guy who is suspected of a number of elaborate frauds, one of which resulted in the suicide of the hero's cousin. These added elements kept things moving at key times. So I'll give it four stars.
to-avoid
March 6, 2009From Fani:
'The book you should definitely avoid is "Perfect Sin" by Kat Martin. Hero, suposedly loving the heroine even though he thinks it's just lust, goes back to his mistress when the heroine miscarried their baby. I don't think there was any way the hero can redeem himself after such an act.'
'The book you should definitely avoid is "Perfect Sin" by Kat Martin. Hero, suposedly loving the heroine even though he thinks it's just lust, goes back to his mistress when the heroine miscarried their baby. I don't think there was any way the hero can redeem himself after such an act.'
December 29, 2015
The h suffers a miscarriage, to which the H responds not by staying with her and helping her deal with it, but by leaving her and running off to London in order to cheat on her with his ex-mistress. For a month.
There's no coming back from that
(No, but seriously...how the hell does someone write something like this and think A-HA! Yes...THIS is romance!!)
There's no coming back from that
(No, but seriously...how the hell does someone write something like this and think A-HA! Yes...THIS is romance!!)
June 30, 2010
Cheating bastard! I dislike romance novels with a cheating H or h, however, its been awhile since I've come across one this vile. The hero in this book is just appalling, but what makes it worse is the heroine who takes the douchebag back. I guess they're perfect for each other.
January 10, 2022
5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
What did I love? To begin with, everything.
Standalone
Narration: third-person
Length: 352 pages
Setting: London, England 1805; And Africa<3
Themes: Angst-filled Second Chance Romance. Includes major groveling! (see shelves)
Content Warnings:
Sexy Times : Numerous *explicit* steamy scenes.
Music: Theme from Indecent Proposal; The End-from Man On Fire.. This one is brilliant, and went well with their time in Africa. Listen entirely. Wow.
The book description is pretty awesome, so I'll skip a recap of my own.
HEA √ Epilogue included. The epilogue wasn't exactly grand but it still left me happy.
What did I love? To begin with, everything.
Standalone
Narration: third-person
Length: 352 pages
Setting: London, England 1805; And Africa<3
Themes: Angst-filled Second Chance Romance. Includes major groveling! (see shelves)
Content Warnings:
Sexy Times : Numerous *explicit* steamy scenes.
Music: Theme from Indecent Proposal; The End-from Man On Fire.. This one is brilliant, and went well with their time in Africa. Listen entirely. Wow.
The book description is pretty awesome, so I'll skip a recap of my own.
HEA √ Epilogue included. The epilogue wasn't exactly grand but it still left me happy.
August 22, 2021
This definitely won't be everyone's idea of romance...and to be honest, it isn't mine either. I did laugh when Rand said that he had paid for his mistake becuase I must have missed the part where he did. But I didn't go into reading this as a romance...just a story, so my usual issues don't apply. It was well-written, but there is no way I believe in the HEA.
February 18, 2024
DNF- this had potential and started out good but I wanted More Romance and less Searching for antiquities.
January 4, 2025
3.5 Stars
Opinion Breakdown
The Good: The chase by the H and the premise.
The Not-So-Good: The ending. We really should've had more of a HEA !
The Bad: The lack of communication. From both mcs.
Overall: This has been on my tbr list for what feels like forever, so when it became available at my local library, I snapped it up. I'm glad I read it, but yet again, I wasn't all that moved by the angst like I had hoped I would be. Yes, I felt sad for them. Yes, I wanted to punch the H for the h. Yes, I was (mostly) satisfied with the amount of grovel. Overall, it just was a little better than okay for me. I wanted a much more in depth ending. I also wanted more communication (and not just sexually). I just wanted...more.
Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is Caitlin and Rand's story. Caitlin is in London with her father trying to earn sponsors for their adventure to find a necklace owned by Cleopatra. Rand is instantly drawn to the American girl and he is also trying to find out the mystery behind his cousin's death that is related to Caitlin's father in some way. The more time they spend together, the more they are drawn to one another, and end up married. There are some sad moments that cause some huge mistakes, some adventures, and some sexy times...and they get a HEA ending.
Point Of View (POV): This alternated between focusing mainly on Caitlin and Rand in 3rd person narrative (with a few other side characters too).
Overall Pace of Story: Good for the most part. It felt long at times, but I never skimmed.
Instalove: No, but instant connection and lust (and later claimed they've loved each other all along)
H (Hero) rating: 3 stars. Rand. He was an idiot, but I also understood his damage from his father and how it impacted his stupid decisions.
h (heroine) rating: 3.5 stars. Caitlin. I liked her. I appreciated her strength and self confidence, but I did want her to hold out with the H and communicate better at times.
Sadness level: Low, no tissues needed. It could be a me thing though because this is a book that many other readers claim to be very emotional with.
Push/Pull: Yes
Heat level: Good. They have some good tension, chemistry, and scenes -- but not so much it takes away from the story.
Descriptive sex: Yes
OW (Other Woman)/OM (Other Man) drama: Yes
Sex scene with OW or OM: Yes
Cheating: Yes
Separation: Yes
Possible Triggers: Yes
Closure: This ends in a pretty good place but I definitely wanted more of a jump ahead glimpse into their future. Thee wasn't much time in between the resolution of the conflict and the end. I would still call this a HEA ending
Safety: This one is probably Not Safe for most safety gang readers
Opinion Breakdown
The Good: The chase by the H and the premise.
The Not-So-Good: The ending. We really should've had more of a HEA !
The Bad: The lack of communication. From both mcs.
Overall: This has been on my tbr list for what feels like forever, so when it became available at my local library, I snapped it up. I'm glad I read it, but yet again, I wasn't all that moved by the angst like I had hoped I would be. Yes, I felt sad for them. Yes, I wanted to punch the H for the h. Yes, I was (mostly) satisfied with the amount of grovel. Overall, it just was a little better than okay for me. I wanted a much more in depth ending. I also wanted more communication (and not just sexually). I just wanted...more.
Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is Caitlin and Rand's story. Caitlin is in London with her father trying to earn sponsors for their adventure to find a necklace owned by Cleopatra. Rand is instantly drawn to the American girl and he is also trying to find out the mystery behind his cousin's death that is related to Caitlin's father in some way. The more time they spend together, the more they are drawn to one another, and end up married. There are some sad moments that cause some huge mistakes, some adventures, and some sexy times...and they get a HEA ending.
Point Of View (POV): This alternated between focusing mainly on Caitlin and Rand in 3rd person narrative (with a few other side characters too).
Overall Pace of Story: Good for the most part. It felt long at times, but I never skimmed.
Instalove: No, but instant connection and lust (and later claimed they've loved each other all along)
H (Hero) rating: 3 stars. Rand. He was an idiot, but I also understood his damage from his father and how it impacted his stupid decisions.
h (heroine) rating: 3.5 stars. Caitlin. I liked her. I appreciated her strength and self confidence, but I did want her to hold out with the H and communicate better at times.
Sadness level: Low, no tissues needed. It could be a me thing though because this is a book that many other readers claim to be very emotional with.
Push/Pull: Yes
Heat level: Good. They have some good tension, chemistry, and scenes -- but not so much it takes away from the story.
Descriptive sex: Yes
OW (Other Woman)/OM (Other Man) drama: Yes
Sex scene with OW or OM: Yes
Cheating: Yes
Separation: Yes
Possible Triggers: Yes
Closure: This ends in a pretty good place but I definitely wanted more of a jump ahead glimpse into their future. Thee wasn't much time in between the resolution of the conflict and the end. I would still call this a HEA ending
Safety: This one is probably Not Safe for most safety gang readers
January 9, 2021
You could really feel the hero’s remorse in this one, and I liked that. I swear, historical romances always excel in male groveling/agonized regret.
April 21, 2025
3.6 stars
There are only two other books from KM that I've read before, and I loved them for years: Innocence Undone and Heartless. This is because I find that KM's style of HR in these two books is really set apart from most contemporary HR authors. Based on these two books, I found that KM's recipe for success include exciting and rich plots that have the allures (but not the full contents thankfully!) of bodice rippers of old, Alpha heroes who are borderline cavemen where their women are concerned, angsty situations, exotic settings and very steamy encounters.
And so, I have always wanted to try another KM Historical which might match my expectations. After finishing Perfect Sin, I can now say that indeed the recipe is followed, except that the hero was the biggest sinner compared to the heroes from Innocence Undone and Heartless because he really went a step further (too far!) than them. Did I like Perfect Sin as much as these other two books? No. But because the story was real solid (and followed the recipe!) and the plot actually matched the great length of the book, I am rounding up my rating.
I won't say much about the book's whole plot because it's a big book and a lengthy plot with lots of things happening. Concerning the romance, the pacing was excellent and kept me riveted even when I don't really like when my HR stories take place a lot outside England. There were so many opportunities for angst in the complicated relationship between Rand and Cait but in effect, few were really digged deeply into (except for one, which I will say more on below). At the start of their relationship, I hated how Rand took Cait for an easy woman just because she was American! And even if he was torn after she followed her father on his expedition, I was not convinced he would have chased her had she not been pregnant. That was fertile ground for the big betrayal to follow because their marriage did not start on solid bases. One big cookie point for this couple was that their sex scenes were very hot for an HR. There were even 'jungle sex' scenes (two!🥵)! Rand and Cait may not be in final my favourite couple in KM books, but by the end of the book I more or less believed in their love.
Now about the big 'Sin' of the title.
TW: Cheating (on-page) and Miscarriage (on-page)
(I am including these TW, because though they are not deal breakers for me, I was really surprised when the cheating hit my face. I really did not expect this to happen in this book. And not the way it did.)
The rest is under spoiler tag because it includes long venting on my part. Please skip at your leisure.
Overall, I think the high-emotionality and rich plotting in KM's Historicals are really an experience in itself, worth the frustration engendered by the imperfections. Venting helps with that, lol 😅
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 9, 2013
I ended up hating this book because the hero betrayed the heroine when she needed him the most. I can read books with a cheating hero and sometimes a book can even become a keeper despite the cheating, but in this instance the betrayal was too painful for me.
can-never-read
April 1, 2016Great way to deal with miscarriage...Cheating with his mitress....Lovely...
Self note:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Self note:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 17, 2019
I get all the angry one star reviews, I really do. Dude did something truly awful. But...
I've read worse.
This was another read on my 'husband redemption' list and, honestly, he kinda earned a second chance. Horrible to say after he did what he did, I know, I know. That's why I read those though, I do believe in second chances.
Fictionally, anyway. ;)
I've read worse.
This was another read on my 'husband redemption' list and, honestly, he kinda earned a second chance. Horrible to say after he did what he did, I know, I know. That's why I read those though, I do believe in second chances.
Fictionally, anyway. ;)
October 29, 2020
The characters and prose were a bit flat. The most interesting part for me was learning the answer to the question of what the emotional repercussions would be for Rand, the H, when he succeeded in his plan to seduce Cait, the h. Since Cait was an American who had a largely unconventional upbringing traveling the world with her father on his archeological expeditions, and was used to a certain measure of independence, Rand believed that not only would she be open to a quick love affair but also that he need not fear that any consequences would include the expectation of marriage. And for her part, Cait was not interested in marrying anyone anytime soon. So in Rand's view, a love affair with Cait should be quite simple and straightforward. But of course this wouldn't be genre HR if events were to play out the easy way! However, once I got my answer to this particular plot point, around midpoint in the story, I didn't find the remainder of the story to be terribly engaging.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 6, 2021
Warning- the hero of this story cheats with his long term mistress Hannah for a month a sad point in his marriage with Caitlin. Caitlin had a miscarriage towards the later months of her pregnancy and went into a deep sad state. Rand leaves her in the country and takes up his old life style. So he just does not one time cheat he is having sex with the OW for weeks during this phase. Rand doesn't figure out he loves Caitlin until after/during his cheating. BTW his mistress had been with him off and on for 10 years and is in love with him.
However, they find their way back together and he convinces Caitlin that he will not cheat on her again. There is an epilogue, but not far out enough in the future to the reader to know if he does keep his word and not cheat again.
However, they find their way back together and he convinces Caitlin that he will not cheat on her again. There is an epilogue, but not far out enough in the future to the reader to know if he does keep his word and not cheat again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
not-in-this-life
February 7, 2018Hell to the NO! Cheating hero, yuck. I don't understand why authors do this kind of crap... in a "supposed" Romance book.
June 12, 2020
Reread 6-12-2020. Still 3⭐️. She’s likable but even with some redemption it took a long time for him to step up.
March 1, 2022
I think I don't like the authors writing style. Story was okay and so were the characters. Eh.
August 31, 2022
Lo malo de este libro que no hay nada destacable, es correcto y punto
Una muchacha américa se introduce en el mundo de los lord ingleses porque su padre necesita apoyo para sus descubrimientos ya que es arqueólogo y quiere encontrar el collar de cleopatra. en todo esto conoce al prota que tienen flechazo y un deseo muy fuerte, mas que amor yo creo que es deseo lo que tienen.
Una muchacha américa se introduce en el mundo de los lord ingleses porque su padre necesita apoyo para sus descubrimientos ya que es arqueólogo y quiere encontrar el collar de cleopatra. en todo esto conoce al prota que tienen flechazo y un deseo muy fuerte, mas que amor yo creo que es deseo lo que tienen.
February 20, 2021
1 Cheating Star!
Cheating/Marital infidelity is a big, fat NO-NO for me! I hate cheating heroes. I never like my hero to mess around with other women, especially if he's married. So this one did not do it for me... at all.
Cheating/Marital infidelity is a big, fat NO-NO for me! I hate cheating heroes. I never like my hero to mess around with other women, especially if he's married. So this one did not do it for me... at all.
June 10, 2023
My rating: 3 stars
What I liked: I liked Cait(h) and how she did what she wanted. I loved the chemistry between Cait and Rand(H) but my favorite part was when Cait went to see for herself Rand with his mistress. I love a good gut wrenching scene.
What I didn’t like: I didn’t like how Cait didn’t call Rand out about certain things or demand more answers. Like when he tells her that no man will touch her but HELLO he took a mistress….. I wanted her to say well you did it so it looks like I can. And I needed more details about the affair. I mean he didn’t intend to get Cait pregnant so is she sure he didn’t mess up again, did he pull out??? I needed those details and because of that I felt like some good angst conversation was missed out on. Also, I would like to know what happened with the mistress…who is paying her rent now and does he have any contact with her? It would have been great if we got him telling her that she had a month to move out and that he will no longer be in touch with.
***Major Spoilers/ Details/Triggers: Cheating, miscarriage, suicide of a side character. h and H meet when they are at party. h is visiting England with her father to try and raise funds for an expedition her father is doing to find Cleopatra’s necklace. H and h have a strong attraction but neither want to get married. H is also weary of the h and her dad because one of the partners helping the dad, swindled his cousin causing the cousin to commit suicide. They continue to hang out especially since they have the same friends and so the H can see if he can find anything out. h continues to help her dad raise funds. H continues to look for proof. H asks h out on a picnic knowing that it isn’t proper. h accepts because she never really needed to follow the rules of society and she is an American. There they kiss but h stops it. H wants the h and tries again especially knowing that the h will be leaving for the expedition. h agrees and they have sex (H realizing that the h was a virgin) and spend the weekend together. H and h get into an argument when he tells her he believes that the partner is no good. h thinks that is the only reason he went after her was for information. Right before the ship takes off the H goes to see her. They make up and h leaves. While on the expedition h finds out she is pregnant. Other man that likes the h finds out about the pregnancy and asks her to marry which she agrees. She knows the H doesn’t want to marry and so she thinks that is the best choice for her and her unborn child. H back in England has been staying to himself. When the h writes to her friend about the pregnancy she goes to the H to tell him. H decides to go after the h. When he gets there he learns that she accepted a marriage proposal to the om. Not letting that deter him decides to seduce the h and have them get caught. When caught, her father makes the H and h wed. H and h leave the expedition and head back to England. h isn’t happy at first but they decide to make the relationship work. H’s father was an asshole and believes woman were only there for sex and babies definitely not to love. H knowing his feelings are growing for the h gets scared. So he decides to spend less time with the h. When h goes into early labor and losses the baby she shuts down. H not knowing how to help and afraid of losing himself leaves the h and goes to London where he starts back up with his mistress. Setting up a house and relations. After a month goes by, the h gets herself out of her depression and decides to go after the H. When someone tells her about the H and ow, she goes to see for herself. H and ow are there and h confronts him. h leaves and goes back to help with the expedition. H realizing that he messed up and loves his wife goes after her when his friend tells him not to give up and go fight for her. H arrives and h isn’t happy but the h’s father needs him especially when the H says he will fund the rest of it. H, while helping, sets to get the h back. H saves the h’s life and the h tells him about how the partner has been stealing money. H keeps showing the h that he loves her, that he is changed and he will never cheat on her again. h makes him work a little more for her forgiveness and eventually has sex with him. They find the necklace. h tells the H that she will be going back to America and not with him. He finally tells her how afraid he was and thought he was weak. h just walks away. While returning to the camp, the partner with the tour guy start to sabotage their return. When they are near the camp, the partner grabs the h at gun point and makes them give him the necklace. He proceeds to take the h with him. The tour guy try’s to kill the H and rest of the people, which he does kill some of them on the thin trail. The H is able to shoot him. H goes after the h. H shoots the partner and in the process the H also gets shot. h tells the H that she loves him and that she will stay with him. H is saved and they head back to England. The h’s dad gives the necklace to the museum. HEA
Descriptive Sex: Yes
Final thoughts: This was my first time reading this author. I wanted to like this so much more but I just needed more. Since I haven’t read a historical romance in awhile this was definitely a nice change up.
What I liked: I liked Cait(h) and how she did what she wanted. I loved the chemistry between Cait and Rand(H) but my favorite part was when Cait went to see for herself Rand with his mistress. I love a good gut wrenching scene.
What I didn’t like: I didn’t like how Cait didn’t call Rand out about certain things or demand more answers. Like when he tells her that no man will touch her but HELLO he took a mistress….. I wanted her to say well you did it so it looks like I can. And I needed more details about the affair. I mean he didn’t intend to get Cait pregnant so is she sure he didn’t mess up again, did he pull out??? I needed those details and because of that I felt like some good angst conversation was missed out on. Also, I would like to know what happened with the mistress…who is paying her rent now and does he have any contact with her? It would have been great if we got him telling her that she had a month to move out and that he will no longer be in touch with.
***Major Spoilers/ Details/Triggers: Cheating, miscarriage, suicide of a side character. h and H meet when they are at party. h is visiting England with her father to try and raise funds for an expedition her father is doing to find Cleopatra’s necklace. H and h have a strong attraction but neither want to get married. H is also weary of the h and her dad because one of the partners helping the dad, swindled his cousin causing the cousin to commit suicide. They continue to hang out especially since they have the same friends and so the H can see if he can find anything out. h continues to help her dad raise funds. H continues to look for proof. H asks h out on a picnic knowing that it isn’t proper. h accepts because she never really needed to follow the rules of society and she is an American. There they kiss but h stops it. H wants the h and tries again especially knowing that the h will be leaving for the expedition. h agrees and they have sex (H realizing that the h was a virgin) and spend the weekend together. H and h get into an argument when he tells her he believes that the partner is no good. h thinks that is the only reason he went after her was for information. Right before the ship takes off the H goes to see her. They make up and h leaves. While on the expedition h finds out she is pregnant. Other man that likes the h finds out about the pregnancy and asks her to marry which she agrees. She knows the H doesn’t want to marry and so she thinks that is the best choice for her and her unborn child. H back in England has been staying to himself. When the h writes to her friend about the pregnancy she goes to the H to tell him. H decides to go after the h. When he gets there he learns that she accepted a marriage proposal to the om. Not letting that deter him decides to seduce the h and have them get caught. When caught, her father makes the H and h wed. H and h leave the expedition and head back to England. h isn’t happy at first but they decide to make the relationship work. H’s father was an asshole and believes woman were only there for sex and babies definitely not to love. H knowing his feelings are growing for the h gets scared. So he decides to spend less time with the h. When h goes into early labor and losses the baby she shuts down. H not knowing how to help and afraid of losing himself leaves the h and goes to London where he starts back up with his mistress. Setting up a house and relations. After a month goes by, the h gets herself out of her depression and decides to go after the H. When someone tells her about the H and ow, she goes to see for herself. H and ow are there and h confronts him. h leaves and goes back to help with the expedition. H realizing that he messed up and loves his wife goes after her when his friend tells him not to give up and go fight for her. H arrives and h isn’t happy but the h’s father needs him especially when the H says he will fund the rest of it. H, while helping, sets to get the h back. H saves the h’s life and the h tells him about how the partner has been stealing money. H keeps showing the h that he loves her, that he is changed and he will never cheat on her again. h makes him work a little more for her forgiveness and eventually has sex with him. They find the necklace. h tells the H that she will be going back to America and not with him. He finally tells her how afraid he was and thought he was weak. h just walks away. While returning to the camp, the partner with the tour guy start to sabotage their return. When they are near the camp, the partner grabs the h at gun point and makes them give him the necklace. He proceeds to take the h with him. The tour guy try’s to kill the H and rest of the people, which he does kill some of them on the thin trail. The H is able to shoot him. H goes after the h. H shoots the partner and in the process the H also gets shot. h tells the H that she loves him and that she will stay with him. H is saved and they head back to England. The h’s dad gives the necklace to the museum. HEA
Descriptive Sex: Yes
Final thoughts: This was my first time reading this author. I wanted to like this so much more but I just needed more. Since I haven’t read a historical romance in awhile this was definitely a nice change up.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 15, 2023
Todo me pareció muy rápido y cringe 🫤
August 18, 2024
I love a marriage-in-crisis romance, and very rarely I like to play with fire by reading one featuring that third rail in romance: infidelity. Maybe it speaks to my faith in the genre that I maintain the small hope that I will discover the one book which skillfully deploys the atomic bomb of romance and manages a satisfying HEA.
This is not that book.
It’s not the cheating in and of itself that killed this book for me, it’s that their reconciliation is ENTIRELY PREDICTABLE and unsatisfying. As soon as we learn Cait has returned to Africa:
-of course Rand will follow her
-of course he will watch over her
-of course her spine of steel will quickly fold like aluminum foil
-of course her body will be inexorably aroused by him, what with the musket he’ll be carrying and his naked river bathing
-of course he’ll be at turns remorseful and smug as hell
-of course he’ll risk his life to save her
-and of course she’ll realize she can’t live without him.
Boom, forgiveness granted and a marriage saved! No hard conversations, no painful truths expressed and confronted. Rand receives the emotionally face-slapping confrontation from Cait’s friend Maggie. Yeah, later in the jungle he admits to Cait that he ran away because he felt weak and helpless, but we don’t get the satisfaction of seeing Cait articulate the full scope of her pain, and his apologies are accompanied by the swoon-worthy edicts of “A wife belongs with her husband” and “Your body wants me”. Chrissakes, he doesn’t even tell her he loves her until he’s near death—and that’s after she’s told him first.
Cait believes that one woman will never be enough for him (who can blame her, right?). Her fear is never meaningfully excavated by Cait and Rand, which would have gone a long way towards allaying her insecurities. Instead, we get a scene where Maruba, a beautiful African servant with the expedition party, “tests” Rand within sight of Cait (who is hidden from his view) by offering sexual favours; and because Cait has abandoned all pretense of having a backbone, she takes his rejection of this tempting offer as evidence of his (re)commitment to fidelity. Really, how could she doubt his faithfulness now that she’s witnessed him turning down Maruba’s super hotness? (I hope I’m adequately conveying my sarcasm.)
The jungle provides all the convenient external drama whereby he can save her life, she saves his, they save each other, and marital trust is restored. Maybe I’m naive, but if I were trekking through a dangerous jungle, I would hope that all members of the party would be looking out for each other—you know, basic human decency. Placing Cait and Rand in a perilous situation cheapens their reconciliation; they are in constant peril, and all the life-saving derring-do serves as a shortcut to—or substitution for—a meaningful restoration of their marriage. He doesn’t really earn back her trust, and while he knows he hurt her, I don’t think he really sees the full scope of his abandonment and betrayal.
I felt cheated. I AM UNSATISFIED.
Also, let’s be precise, shall we?
-Rand didn’t commit “one mistake”—he abandoned his grieving wife for OVER A MONTH, banging his mistress and carousing around London the entire time. He even escorts his mistress in public, exposing Cait to humiliation by their peers.
-Rand claims he “never lied” to Cait. Absolutely false. He returns to London with the specific intention of returning to his “life in the city.” Did he explicitly lay out his plan to take up with his mistress and party hard? No, but it’s clear he abandoned his wife with the specific intention of hiring of his former mistress. I can read between the lines, and coupled with the scenes of Rand and mistress Hannah, to me it’s evident that he planned to resume relationship as soon as he hit London. What’s even more gross is that Cait agrees with his assertion that he never lied to her. UGH.
-Rand earns zero points for his inability to enjoy sex with the mistress. He still manages to get aroused, fuck her, and get off. Further deductions for using the mistress as a sex doll and dry fucking her. RAND IS THE WORST.
Am I applying a modern day lens to a situation that’s set over two hundred years ago? Of course I am—pretty sure two hundred years ago it wouldn’t even occur to a duke to give a flying fuck for his wife’s feelings about his mistress. And the author wants us to apply our contemporary relationship expectations to Cait and Rand’s marriage—otherwise why design Rand’s redemption in such a way as to appeal to the modern audience? Also, Cait is a very modern, anachronistic heroine.
For once, I would like to see a marriage-in-crisis HR where a heroine like Cait actually leaves her asshole/cheating husband and, during the separation, uses the funds at her disposal for fun times, fulfilling experiences, and maybe some casual sex. Cait is perfectly positioned for this: she’s intelligent, curious, independent, courageous, and capable of pursuing her own interests. Oh, and she’s a freaking DUCHESS; regardless of her disinterest in London society, that level of privilege must give her a degree of financial security and social capital to afford her some options—options other than where she ends up, which is returning to her dad as his unpaid assistant in his stupid fetch quest. Cait’s arc was both predictable and disappointing, as the story essentially reduces her arc to ping-ponging from her father to Rand several times. She exercises little agency in the story, and doesn’t really have a character arc of her own. My overwhelming impression of her was as someone subjected to plot machinations, more than any other character in the story; she’s moved about by the tides of other characters’ actions, and for all that were meant to see her as headstrong and independent, most of her story is defined by her capitulation to other people. I found Cait lacking in characterization and development, and I wasn’t drawn the way she was constructed as a Not-Like-Other-Girls type. She did surprise me with a few moments of self-awareness and clarity. I was moved by her words to Rand right after they’ve had angry sex in the jungle:
“Sometimes wanting isn’t enough. That was the mistake I made when we first met. I wanted you so much I didn’t consider the consequences. Now I know better. I don’t trust you, Rand. I never will again.”
Disappointingly, external drama soon comes roaring to life, the action and danger escalates, Rand takes a bullet for Cait and she realizes she doesn’t want to live without him.
This story contains not only an unsuccessful marriage-in-crisis romance, but also a plot where a group of white treasure hunters trample through the African coast in search of a fabled Egyptian artifact, a necklace that was originally stolen from an African tribe by Dutch slavers. I don’t need to unpack this, right? Then we have the depiction of Maruba, who in addition to her position as an assistant to the cook, sort of moonlights as a sex worker for wealthy white expeditioners. There is an on-page sex scene in which she’s abused and degraded by a white British member of the group. We already know this man is the big villain—did we need to see a black woman humiliated by a white man, just to drive home just how fucking evil he is? Oh, and did I mention that Rand is super proud of how he went to India to hunt tigers and to Africa for big game hunting? RAND IS THE WORST.
This was a mediocre and disappointing marriage-in-crisis romance. Speaking of romance, I barely mentioned it because I didn’t find this romantic at all; while I liked seeing the moments of friendship and the sense of true accord between them, I did not like their romance; it felt like a superficial relationship mostly based on lust and intense attraction, severely lacking in trust or emotional intimacy. Their dynamic is characterized by fiery passion and constant push-pull, which isn’t my favorite but when it’s done right I am all-in. With Cait and Rand it’s the flavor of their particular dynamic that I did not enjoy, almost entirely because Rand is such an asshole for most of the book. He wants everything from Cait without giving any part of himself.
He always needs to maintain the upper hand. There is a moment when he becomes enraged because he believes Cait wants to trap him into marriage. Speaking of marriage, his manipulation of Cait to force her to marry him made my blood boil. He lies to her, doesn’t admit he knows about her pregnancy, orchestrates events whereby she’s humiliated and forced to marry, and HE THINKS SHE SHOULD BE GRATEFUL. What an ego on this guy. His cheating is a by-product of his massive self-involvement and sense of entitlement.
Any investment I had in Cait dissipated because I began to hate how easily she surrendered to Rand. There’s a lot of emphasis placed on his ability to seduce Cait into doing what he wants, and it sickened me that he deployed this tactic throughout the book.
Worst of all, not only is Rand an asshole, he’s a boring asshole. Rand’s denial of his feelings occupied too much space and went on for far too long. His self-centeredness and emotional immaturity were not compelling. Maybe if the writing was stronger I would have had more tolerance for Rand’s ridiculous lack of self-awareness, but for me there’s nothing interesting about
I found Rand to be so unappealing for most of the book, I hoped the author would do the heavy lifting necessary to redeem him for me; instead there’s action and danger to speed along the HEA.
Once again I am angry with myself for expending this much energy on a review for a book I not only didn’t enjoy, but will soon forget.
This is not that book.
It’s not the cheating in and of itself that killed this book for me, it’s that their reconciliation is ENTIRELY PREDICTABLE and unsatisfying. As soon as we learn Cait has returned to Africa:
-of course Rand will follow her
-of course he will watch over her
-of course her spine of steel will quickly fold like aluminum foil
-of course her body will be inexorably aroused by him, what with the musket he’ll be carrying and his naked river bathing
-of course he’ll be at turns remorseful and smug as hell
-of course he’ll risk his life to save her
-and of course she’ll realize she can’t live without him.
Boom, forgiveness granted and a marriage saved! No hard conversations, no painful truths expressed and confronted. Rand receives the emotionally face-slapping confrontation from Cait’s friend Maggie. Yeah, later in the jungle he admits to Cait that he ran away because he felt weak and helpless, but we don’t get the satisfaction of seeing Cait articulate the full scope of her pain, and his apologies are accompanied by the swoon-worthy edicts of “A wife belongs with her husband” and “Your body wants me”. Chrissakes, he doesn’t even tell her he loves her until he’s near death—and that’s after she’s told him first.
Cait believes that one woman will never be enough for him (who can blame her, right?). Her fear is never meaningfully excavated by Cait and Rand, which would have gone a long way towards allaying her insecurities. Instead, we get a scene where Maruba, a beautiful African servant with the expedition party, “tests” Rand within sight of Cait (who is hidden from his view) by offering sexual favours; and because Cait has abandoned all pretense of having a backbone, she takes his rejection of this tempting offer as evidence of his (re)commitment to fidelity. Really, how could she doubt his faithfulness now that she’s witnessed him turning down Maruba’s super hotness? (I hope I’m adequately conveying my sarcasm.)
The jungle provides all the convenient external drama whereby he can save her life, she saves his, they save each other, and marital trust is restored. Maybe I’m naive, but if I were trekking through a dangerous jungle, I would hope that all members of the party would be looking out for each other—you know, basic human decency. Placing Cait and Rand in a perilous situation cheapens their reconciliation; they are in constant peril, and all the life-saving derring-do serves as a shortcut to—or substitution for—a meaningful restoration of their marriage. He doesn’t really earn back her trust, and while he knows he hurt her, I don’t think he really sees the full scope of his abandonment and betrayal.
I felt cheated. I AM UNSATISFIED.
Also, let’s be precise, shall we?
-Rand didn’t commit “one mistake”—he abandoned his grieving wife for OVER A MONTH, banging his mistress and carousing around London the entire time. He even escorts his mistress in public, exposing Cait to humiliation by their peers.
-Rand claims he “never lied” to Cait. Absolutely false. He returns to London with the specific intention of returning to his “life in the city.” Did he explicitly lay out his plan to take up with his mistress and party hard? No, but it’s clear he abandoned his wife with the specific intention of hiring of his former mistress. I can read between the lines, and coupled with the scenes of Rand and mistress Hannah, to me it’s evident that he planned to resume relationship as soon as he hit London. What’s even more gross is that Cait agrees with his assertion that he never lied to her. UGH.
-Rand earns zero points for his inability to enjoy sex with the mistress. He still manages to get aroused, fuck her, and get off. Further deductions for using the mistress as a sex doll and dry fucking her. RAND IS THE WORST.
Am I applying a modern day lens to a situation that’s set over two hundred years ago? Of course I am—pretty sure two hundred years ago it wouldn’t even occur to a duke to give a flying fuck for his wife’s feelings about his mistress. And the author wants us to apply our contemporary relationship expectations to Cait and Rand’s marriage—otherwise why design Rand’s redemption in such a way as to appeal to the modern audience? Also, Cait is a very modern, anachronistic heroine.
For once, I would like to see a marriage-in-crisis HR where a heroine like Cait actually leaves her asshole/cheating husband and, during the separation, uses the funds at her disposal for fun times, fulfilling experiences, and maybe some casual sex. Cait is perfectly positioned for this: she’s intelligent, curious, independent, courageous, and capable of pursuing her own interests. Oh, and she’s a freaking DUCHESS; regardless of her disinterest in London society, that level of privilege must give her a degree of financial security and social capital to afford her some options—options other than where she ends up, which is returning to her dad as his unpaid assistant in his stupid fetch quest. Cait’s arc was both predictable and disappointing, as the story essentially reduces her arc to ping-ponging from her father to Rand several times. She exercises little agency in the story, and doesn’t really have a character arc of her own. My overwhelming impression of her was as someone subjected to plot machinations, more than any other character in the story; she’s moved about by the tides of other characters’ actions, and for all that were meant to see her as headstrong and independent, most of her story is defined by her capitulation to other people. I found Cait lacking in characterization and development, and I wasn’t drawn the way she was constructed as a Not-Like-Other-Girls type. She did surprise me with a few moments of self-awareness and clarity. I was moved by her words to Rand right after they’ve had angry sex in the jungle:
“Sometimes wanting isn’t enough. That was the mistake I made when we first met. I wanted you so much I didn’t consider the consequences. Now I know better. I don’t trust you, Rand. I never will again.”
Disappointingly, external drama soon comes roaring to life, the action and danger escalates, Rand takes a bullet for Cait and she realizes she doesn’t want to live without him.
This story contains not only an unsuccessful marriage-in-crisis romance, but also a plot where a group of white treasure hunters trample through the African coast in search of a fabled Egyptian artifact, a necklace that was originally stolen from an African tribe by Dutch slavers. I don’t need to unpack this, right? Then we have the depiction of Maruba, who in addition to her position as an assistant to the cook, sort of moonlights as a sex worker for wealthy white expeditioners. There is an on-page sex scene in which she’s abused and degraded by a white British member of the group. We already know this man is the big villain—did we need to see a black woman humiliated by a white man, just to drive home just how fucking evil he is? Oh, and did I mention that Rand is super proud of how he went to India to hunt tigers and to Africa for big game hunting? RAND IS THE WORST.
This was a mediocre and disappointing marriage-in-crisis romance. Speaking of romance, I barely mentioned it because I didn’t find this romantic at all; while I liked seeing the moments of friendship and the sense of true accord between them, I did not like their romance; it felt like a superficial relationship mostly based on lust and intense attraction, severely lacking in trust or emotional intimacy. Their dynamic is characterized by fiery passion and constant push-pull, which isn’t my favorite but when it’s done right I am all-in. With Cait and Rand it’s the flavor of their particular dynamic that I did not enjoy, almost entirely because Rand is such an asshole for most of the book. He wants everything from Cait without giving any part of himself.
He always needs to maintain the upper hand. There is a moment when he becomes enraged because he believes Cait wants to trap him into marriage. Speaking of marriage, his manipulation of Cait to force her to marry him made my blood boil. He lies to her, doesn’t admit he knows about her pregnancy, orchestrates events whereby she’s humiliated and forced to marry, and HE THINKS SHE SHOULD BE GRATEFUL. What an ego on this guy. His cheating is a by-product of his massive self-involvement and sense of entitlement.
Any investment I had in Cait dissipated because I began to hate how easily she surrendered to Rand. There’s a lot of emphasis placed on his ability to seduce Cait into doing what he wants, and it sickened me that he deployed this tactic throughout the book.
Worst of all, not only is Rand an asshole, he’s a boring asshole. Rand’s denial of his feelings occupied too much space and went on for far too long. His self-centeredness and emotional immaturity were not compelling. Maybe if the writing was stronger I would have had more tolerance for Rand’s ridiculous lack of self-awareness, but for me there’s nothing interesting about
I found Rand to be so unappealing for most of the book, I hoped the author would do the heavy lifting necessary to redeem him for me; instead there’s action and danger to speed along the HEA.
Once again I am angry with myself for expending this much energy on a review for a book I not only didn’t enjoy, but will soon forget.
September 26, 2010
Not my favorite Kat Martin book and if it had been the first I had read, I wouldn't have looked for other books by her.
In so many romance books the hero -- who up to this point has been something of a man-slut -- is surprised to find that he is suddenly uninterested in his mistress and it takes him a while to connect that change in attitude with the fact that he just met her, the woman destined to be his one-and-only to whom he will remain faithful from that moment on, even if he doesn't realize it yet. This book departs from that storyline.
In this story, the hero is, once again, a man of easy virtue, who has a friendly relationship with a former mistress. After a brief affair with the heroine, who ends up pregnant, he finds himself married and eagerly looking forward to fatherhood.
Alas, the child is born prematurely and only lives for a few minutes. Both parents' hearts are broken. Before either begins to recover from their grief, the hero falls back to his old ways and gets back together with his friend/former mistress with an emphasis on the mistress part of their relationship.
I hate that he did that, but given his grief and the less-than-solid foundation of his marriage, I can see this as a likely, though very bad,
choice. He realizes his mistake after a few weeks, but not before the heroine finds out.
Should the heroine have taken him back? That is entirely her choice. She gets to choose what she believes to be most healing for her.
In so many romance books the hero -- who up to this point has been something of a man-slut -- is surprised to find that he is suddenly uninterested in his mistress and it takes him a while to connect that change in attitude with the fact that he just met her, the woman destined to be his one-and-only to whom he will remain faithful from that moment on, even if he doesn't realize it yet. This book departs from that storyline.
In this story, the hero is, once again, a man of easy virtue, who has a friendly relationship with a former mistress. After a brief affair with the heroine, who ends up pregnant, he finds himself married and eagerly looking forward to fatherhood.
Alas, the child is born prematurely and only lives for a few minutes. Both parents' hearts are broken. Before either begins to recover from their grief, the hero falls back to his old ways and gets back together with his friend/former mistress with an emphasis on the mistress part of their relationship.
I hate that he did that, but given his grief and the less-than-solid foundation of his marriage, I can see this as a likely, though very bad,
choice. He realizes his mistake after a few weeks, but not before the heroine finds out.
Should the heroine have taken him back? That is entirely her choice. She gets to choose what she believes to be most healing for her.
August 31, 2016
the book was worth more than a 3 star but rand killed it. i was devastated when he got back wid his mistress. one scene was even described n i found this very awful. if the situation had been reversed, how wud he react ? how does a cuckolded husband respond ? so y these double stds !? y does the heroine forgive so easily while i'm sure the hero wud be plotting revenge against her. caitlin summarized the events so well in the end, like she knew rand loved her. she had known 4 some time now bcoz his actions spoke of a man madly in love wid his wife. yet he made dat one fatal mistake. however, i dunt count dat as one mistake bcoz he bedded hanna 4 a month, god knows how many times they did it!so it's more than 1 mistake! i'm not convinced in their HEA. as the french saying goes, "celui qui a bu boira".
February 13, 2016
Oh god I cried :( H was a major dirt bag but she doesn't forgive him easily and he has to travel across half the world to get her back and even then he has to do some serious groveling this was definitely a good read
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