It's been two years since Lady Marion Tunstall lost her husband at sea. Two years of sorrow and grief. Only now has the young, comely widow finally re-entered society. It isn't until she and her family attend the merriment of a country dance that Lady Marion sees her dead husband, alive and well... and faints dead away.
Lord Tristan Tunstall has no choice but to confess—he is alive, yes, but not a whole man who can be a husband and father. When he offers her a divorce, however, Marion stubbornly refuses. Now she has forced herself back into his life, and into his home and (oh, God forgive his weakness) his bed. He cannot stop himself from wanting her. Loving her. But can he live with the secret she is keeping from him?
My historical romances are full of heat, humor, and quirky characters. I’ve always loved history, which was my college major. Things of the past fascinate me. Not those boring history classes in high school, but the history of people. How they lived their lives, what they ate, what they wore, the challenges they faced, what they worried about.
I have recently delved into Historical Cozy Mysteries. My very first one, For the Love of the Baron, a Historical Romantic Suspense novella, spurred me to try a full length, non-romance focused cozy mystery. A Study in Murder released last year from Crooked Lane Publishing, and the reviews have been excellent. The second book, The Sign of Death, released this year and the next book, The Mystery of Albert E. Finch will release in January of 2022.
I've also been busy keeping up with my Regency/Victorian romances. Check out my latest series, The Rose Room Rogues. Four brothers who own a gambling club and find themselves caught in the net of love.
Watch for my new Highlander series, The Sutherlands of Dornoch. The first book in that series, To Deceive a Highlander, will release March 30th.
Take a look around my website and check out some of the books I write, and their lovely covers. www.calliehutton.com
Many thanks to the heroine, Lady Marion for a likable read. This hero, Tristan, pissed me off. He was undeserving of the heroine from the beginning of the book to the end in my humble opinion.
Lady Marion lost the love of her life, the husband of her dream, and she mourned him long and well…for 2 painful years. Then she discovers her husband has been alive all along. He pretended to be dead…allowing his wife to grieve for him, a wife he claims he loves with his whole heart…because he is blind.
Then to add insult to injury, when Lady Marion discovers he is alive, he insists on divorcing her, a thing that would ruin her if it was at all possible, all because he loves her so much.
WTF am I missing here? For me that is not love. His actions only showed me what a selfish ass he is. Leaving his wife to grieve horribly, then hope she would remarry and moved on while he hid his presence making her a bigamist if he had succeeded, then when all that failed he planned to divorce her…because he is blind. I mean it must be horrible to not have sight, and I tried to feel the pain and the fear that would have led Tristan to such a decision…but I didn’t feel it. It was his constant thinking of how much he loved and missed his sweet darling wife who has been everything to him that made me not fall in love with his character. You don’t treat someone you claim you adore so terribly.
“He was a blind man, with nothing to offer a woman.”
This is a reoccurring thought of our hero throughout the book. Despite the fact he was able to do a lot by himself. Apparently in Tristan’s world, a blind man is not a man at all, but a hapless idiot who cannot learn to do anything for himself much less provide for his family/ wife,and care for a child.
I pushed past my outrage with him because I was enjoying Lady Marion’s character. She was a treasure. Probably too sweet. She was not at all angry when she learned of her husband’s duplicity. Even if she displayed some outrage, it was very fleeting. Instead, she was genuinely happy he was alive, and wanted to be with him. Because she truly loved him.
“He was all she had ever wanted her entire life, and something as minor as blindness was not going to take him from her. She would fight the blindness and fight him. In the end she would prevail.”
I thought she was a gracious and kind soul for not wanting to kill him after having her endured such pain. I never thought of her as weak. Even in the face of him pushing her away, insisting on a divorce several times, she remained true. She ignored her pride, focused on the love and passion between them, breaking down his doubt, his selfishness, and forgiving him to see their love. She loved him truly and I admired her for it.
While I was annoyed with our hero and thought he was very selfish…I liked the pacing of the story, and the overall plot. So it was still an okay read, with a sweet heroine, and an asinine hero. 2.5 stars
I guess Callie Hutton is an increasingly popular HR author. This is, I think, the second book by her that I have read and I truly found the Author's Note at the end to be very interesting, especially the part about "insurance brigades".
Now, as for the romance...eh, not so much. This is historical romance. Historical romance has a "hero" and a "heroine". Your hero is not supposed to be a weak, whiny, self-centered douchey guy. OK, I grant you that hero Tristan's recent disability is the one that's my worst nightmare and I might be just as whiny as he was if it happened to me. But then nobody is going to write a book with me as hero or heroine, so I can be a whiny, weak, annoying person. The hero in a HR should *not* be, or at least not for almost the whole book. Hero = heroic, right?
The heroine Marion, Tristan's wife, is a bit better but she lacked follow-through. If she says, and I paraphrase here, "If you're here, I'm here. If you go to London, I go to London. You can't get rid of me", then that is exactly what she should do. She gives up at about the mid-point of the story and goes back home to her family, until finally encouraged to do what she had declared she would, i.e., stick to Tristan like a burr. (And he needed several burrs in his patootie.)
I also did not appreciate her less-than-stellar not-full disclosure of a certain piece of information to Tristan. Nor did I like the fact that Tristan didn't really improve until the 80-90% point of the story, and his reaction after he finally does find out this bit of information is not priceless, it's horrible.
So what's good? As others have said, the relationship between Tristan and his valet. Also the introduction of a lovely dog and the importance of this to Tristan. And, of course, as I mentioned earlier, the Author's Note. But other than that, this is a pretty generic romance, with generic and not very interesting characters. I've read many better HRs about heroes with the same disability.
Marion's spouse Tristan served in the Royal Navy, was blown overboard in an explosion & presumed dead. Marion mourned him for 2+yrs. Then she saw Tris at a country dance.
Tris sustained injuries. He was irrationally stubborn. A man (Tris) couldn't claim to love a lady (Marion) and then treat her the way he did. He seemed younger than his stated age.
Sorry to say, I have placed this writer in the hit-or-miss category. I've read stronger/ better books by her.
J'ai vraiment bien aimé ce 4e tome. J'attendais de le dire avec impatience, car j'avais pu découvrir un peu Marion dans les précédents tomes. Ici, les choses sont clairement différentes. L'intrigue est très bien construite, même si l'auteure fait durer un peu les choses en longueur. L'alchimie entre les deux protagonistes aurait pu être encore plus forte, mais elle était déjà pas mal. Ensuite, le roman traite d'un sujet profond qui est très bien décrit et que l'on ne voit pas venir. J'étais donc surprise. L'histoire a pris un nouveau tournant. Dans les remerciements, l'auteure nous explique ce tournant grâce à de vrais faits historiques. Ce qu'elle fait toujours d'ailleurs. Je me suis fortement attachée à Marion, donc j'espère la retrouver un peu dans les prochains tomes.
"It's been two years since Lady Marion Tunstall lost her husband at sea. Two years of sorrow and grief. Only now has the young, comely widow finally re-entered society. It isn't until she and her family attend the merriment of a country dance that Lady Marion sees her dead husband, alive and well... and faints dead away."Callie Hutton I loved this book from the beginning. It grabbed my attention and never let go. Callie Hutton has a way of dragging you in to the life of the book and puts you smack dab in the middle of what's going on. Once Marion realizes that Tristan is truly alive and well for the most part she sees no reason why together they can't live a happy life even if Tristan is blind. It takes a strong person to over look the lie for what it is and forgive the person. I loved Marion. She knew that she loved Tristan and no matter what, she would stay be his side even if the man was as stubborn as an old mule. Tristan works very hard at putting up walls to keep Marion at arms length. After a night of passion he leaves Marion in the country to be as far from her as possible. Little does Tristan know Marion will not be left out of his life and she has a surprise of her own. Will Tristan see that he can be the man Marion knows he can or will he continue hide behind his blindness. As much as I loved the main characters Ellis, Tristan's valet and long time friend was hilarious. The banter between the two was full of barbs and well meaning advice that was not welcomed by Tristan. I loved every minute Ellis was in a scene.
**Received from NetGalley in exchange for honest review**
The synopsis of this book makes it sound really exciting. The actual book is just kind of 'meh'. I really liked Marian. She's been a devoted wife to her husband even in death. And mourning his death was very hard for her to get through. Then, lo and behold, her husband is actually still alive. He's returned but not to be her husband. He wants to divorce her. All because he's blind.
WHAT?
I was really expecting the "secret" to be something scandalous, he owed some dutchess money that he couldn't pay back so he had to become her sex slave. Well, maybe not that crazy, but still I was expecting more than "Hey, honey, I'm alive and I love you and all but we can't be married anymore so divorce me. Because I'm blind." He claims its all because of his love for Marian but what kind of asshole puts someone through mourning their death and then the threat of divorce after the show up alive?
I like the author's sense of humour and use of words but the hero leaves a lot to be desired. I loathe self pity. As for the heroine perhaps I am in the minority but she had no pride at all. This is a man who abandoned her for years instead of feeling anger she chases after him relentlessly! shameful! I am still to finish the book but ah! it is not authentic at all! She is portrayed as completely pathetic.
While browsing titles offered on Net-Galley, I came across this Regency historical romance. The book description caught my eye, and I accepted it from the publisher for an honest review. I always enjoy Regency romances, and I have read books by this author in the past and have enjoyed them. I am so glad I found this fantastic book! It captured my attention from the first page and kept me enthralled all the way to the end. I adore a story that grabs me right away and can keep my attention the entire time I am reading.
Lady Marion Tunstall has mourned the loss of her beloved husband for over two years. At last, her family has convinced her to rejoin society. When she enters the assembly room, her gaze falls upon her deceased husband on the arm of another woman. She swoons and her brother, the Duke of Manchester sweeps her up into his arms and carries her from the room after telling her husband he will call upon him on the morrow.
Lord Tunstall is stunned when he realizes his wife is in attendance at the assembly room. His companion apologizes, but the damage has been done. His wife now knows he is alive. Tristan is blind and had planned on his wife never learning he had survived the explosion of his ship, which took his sight. Now that Marion knows her husband is alive, she refuses to be parted from him and moves into his country estate against Tristan’s wishes. He tells her he wants a divorce, but then he finds out that a divorce is not possible. He informs her that while they will remain husband and wife, it will be in name only because he will never chance getting her with child. However, there is one small problem. He allows passion to sweep them away one evening when he hears her weeping from his cruel words.
Marion discovers she is going to have a babe. Afraid of Tristan’s reaction to the news, she keeps it from him. Will her secret tear them further apart, or will her husband allow the blinders to come off and embrace the woman he has always loved?
Tristan is my favorite kind of male character, a tortured soul, filled with angst and denial of what is clearly in front of him, a hero to hate yet love at the same time. At times, I wanted to shake his pig-headedness out of him. His determination to deny Marion’s love and refusal to accept that she does not care that he is blind throve me a bit crazy at times. Although part of me wanted to despise him, my compassionate side would not allow it.
Marion is a saint to put up with his attitude. She is determined to get her husband back and refuses to allow him to turn her away, which he does repeatedly. Personally, I would have given up on the man, but she never does. Talk about a loyal woman, Marion takes it to the extreme, but I am glad she does. It makes for an engaging read fraught with deep emotion and passion.
I loved the pacing of this emotionally-charged story. It kept me flipped the pages on my Kindle wanting to know if Marion would succeed and get her stubborn, extremely bull-headed husband to accept that it does not matter that he is blind, she loves him regardless. I promise that if you like a tale of deep devotion and determination against all odds, then this is a book you will enjoy. Happy reading!
My least favorite of the series. I just couldn't get past the gaslighting and trauma she was taking on and dude want's to let you go but everyone's peer pressure for them to get back together was really unhealthy. Most times in period romance I ignore allot of this because, lets be real, it's romantic fantasy not real people getting hurt. BUT when you show a person who has been through trauma and dude also looses his sight. That persons recovery is... I don't know, is theirs? How they decide to cope is theirs too. I couldn't tell you why I couldn't put on my rose colored romance glasses for this one. I would be interested in what a person of the blind community would have to say about this book.
I would recommend to those romance aunties that like the wounded type and can set aside allot.
WARNING: Don't read this book without a big thirst towel to wipe away your tears of sadness & kookiness!
Lady Marion Tunstall married her BF since childhood & when she said I do, her life was complete. They had only a few months together until her hubby, Tristan, was shipped back out to sea, but they were with 1 another 24/7. Her only regret was not getting knocked up, but she will never forget those precious days. Marion's world is dissolved with the news of Tristan's death at sea & she locks her herself away from her family, friends & the whole cruel world for 2 years, as she GRIEVES for her lost love & her shattered heart will NEVER be whole again. With the help of her loving family & her new klutzy sister-in-law, Penelope, she is ready to rejoin the world of the living!
Tristan Tunstall was raised with his older brother in a loving home & when he was 10, he meet 6 year old Marion & they just clicked & became inseparable. But everything changed the night a fire wipeout his childhood home & killed his family. Tristan was made a ward of Marion's duke dad & Marion pulled him back into the living with her kindness & giving heart. Tristan joins the Royal Navy & soon awarded his Baron title for bravery & then he sees grown up Marion, he WANTS, so he courts, woes & marries her. When he is called back to sea, he just wants to await his resignation to be approval, but once again fire destroys his life as his ship goes KABOOM!
Marion is kinda excited about her 1st country ball, but she sees a ghost from her past arrive & on the arm with some hussy, so she does what any girl would do, FAINT! Tristan can't believe that Lorelei lied to him & walks him straight into his wife & Marion's duke brother, Drake, gives him a order to send his address ASAP! The next day Drake shows up at Tristan's home & demands answers, so Tristan says he is blind, has been hiding in London for years & wants Marion to forget him or better yet divorce him. Marion is at home thanking God for bring her hubby back, but Drake BURST her happy bubble with the news of his blindness & he wants absolutely nothing to do with her. Soon she moves unannounced into her hubby's home & his kooky & meddling clan of servants embrace her & even his companion, Lorelei, turns against him. Now he has to smell her unique scent, hear her soft footsteps, smell her happy girlie parts & listen to her "just has great sex" voice as she reads to him, but he will keep his pants on! Marion soon learns that hubby can plays archery, boxes to trier himself out & soon a furry mutt named Argos becomes his new companion, but she doesn't know how to break up his self imposed PITY PARTY!
After another night of fire filled nightmares for Tristan, Marion tries to help him, but all he does is scream & crush her spirit, but soon his pulls his head out his selfish a$$ & goes to her room to apologize! As he holds her, TEMPTATION slams into him & let's just say that a blind hubby makes love with his hands, lips, tongue & his wand is made of 100% granite! The next day Tristan panics & flees to London, so Marion is devastated that he ran & goes home to her family! Soon she follows him to London, shocked to learn that Argos is his blind aide & he will accept her in his life, but NO SEX or KIDS EVER! Just as they reach an agreement, will untold secrets destroy their fragile relationship? Can Marion load enough C4 into his PITY PARTY & demolish it once & for all? Will Tristan ever believe he can be a real hubby & not a useless man? Is Marion able to show him that his blindness only makes him stronger? Is Tristan able to face his greatest fears for the only woman he has & will ever love? How much times will Tristan fire his "tell it like it is" valet?
This is the book #4 of the Marriage Mart & Ms. Hutton fills this 1 with flawed characters & hilariousness galore. I fell in love with Marion in Penelope & Drake's romance (The Duke's Quandary) with her grieving heart & Ms. Hutton just added more to her already fabulous story. Marion may of been quiet, but her mom, the Dowager Duchess, gave all her kids a fighting heart & I loved how Marion STALPED ON her big girl undies & then STALKED & CHASED her reluctant hubby! First, I must say that I don't like the word HATE because it's a word that is so hurtful & damaging, so if I do use it is rare, but necessary! That being said, I have to be completely honest & state that I absolutely HATED Tristan, with his 24/7, 365 fulltime PITY PARTY! I know I have used that phrase a lot, but that is what defined his every waking moments, things he couldn't do because of his blindness! Now I know blindness is a tough & life altering disability, but his MAN CARD was revoked because his was 100% WUS! I didn't think Ms. Hutton could ever make me like him, but she ripped apart his essence, uncovered all his flaws, BEOTCH SLAP him with reality & slowly he rebuilt himself into a better man. This is best emotional journey that I have ever read for any hero & Ms. Hutton not only made me like him, but she whipped out her hammer & chisel & chipped away part of heart that will always belong to Tristan! Now I love some hilariousness & with this serious subject of blindness, I didn't think Ms. Hutton signature ROFL & Hyperventilating would work, but she had a kooky clan of servants surrounding Tristan & they all were like Downton Abbey on a KOOKINESS STERIOD with all their meddling. Ellis was Tristan's valet & he held nothing back with his verbal diarrhea & had some great 1 liners that had be choking on my SNORTS! And Ms. Hutton had some AMAZING scenes as Tristan uses his braille moves to tantalizing Marion into screaming satisfaction! Throughout this all romance, I was either ROFL with tears running down my face or having my heart ripped out & I must confess that I had tears running down my face & that ugly running nose thru the last chapters, so I must give Ms. Hutton my top score of 5 fingers up & 10 toes for this heart wrenching & heart warming tale. Just a extra note to Entangled Publishing & Ms. Hutton, y'all totally need to include a WARNING LABEL or at least some KLEENEX!
NetGalley ARC given for my honest review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Well I’m all about Scottish Highlanders and had I known Books 5&6 were the twin sisters in this series I may have started with the first Book. Nah!!!But now I know they are all apart of the Manchester’s. Those next 2 stories I absolutely loved. Marion and Tristan were great. I just loved the characters and storyline so much. Well the last story is about Mary so I’m off to read that one! Book #7 coming up.🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰💜💜💜💜💜💜
A sweet and romantic read, The Baron's Betrayal was a lovely historical romance. I really liked this book. It was an emotional story about a couple reuniting and I thought it was an enjoyable read.
Marion was great. She was determined to prove to her husband that his injuries didn't matter to her and he could be a great husband and father anyway. There were moments where she got discouraged, but she knew that she couldn't give up and needed to give him time to adjust to the changes in his life. She was both a wise and kind character and I liked her.
Tristan had his good moments and his bad. He was definitely sweet and likable when he wasn't actively pushing Marion away. It was easy to sympathize for him because his life had changed dramatically due to his injuries and he struggled to grow accustomed to his new life. However. while I understood his reasons for pushing Marion away at first, it became rather annoying as it kept going. He was so wrapped up in his own view of himself that it took him until near the end of the book to realize that his loved ones didn't see him in the same way as he did. But, while I did get irritated, I still like his character overall.
The romance was interesting. While Marion and Tristan already loved each other and hadn't stopped loving each other, they also had to build a new relationship to overcome Tristan's fears. That made for a neat dynamic. I thought they were a sweet couple and I was happy to see them get a happy ending.
The plot was steadily paced and had me interested all the way through. I thought the story was lovely and the ending was great.
The Baron's Betrayal was an enjoyable historical romance that I really liked. Romance lovers, this is a book worth checking out.
*I received a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
I enjoyed this story, it was touching and had a plot that kept me interested throughout. I really felt for both Marion and Tristan, Marion for the pain of losing and then finding her husband again, and Tristan for the immense struggle of coming to terms with his blindness and how it affected his sense of worth. While I understood why Tristan kept pushing Marion away, it was still difficult to see how much that hurt her.
For me, it felt like they were more apart than together during the whole story. I would have loved to see a bit more in the epilogue about them as a family, how they were together toward the end of the pregnancy and with their baby.
____________________________________ Summary;
(Spoilers)
Lady Marion and Tristan have known each other since childhood. Tristan serves in the Royal Navy, and after a heroic act, he is granted the title of Baron by the royal family. When he sees Lady Marion at her coming-out ball, he is immediately captivated. Marion, too, only has eyes for her childhood friend. He courts her, and within two months they are engaged, marrying a month later. They are madly in love and cannot get enough of each other.
After a few blissful months of marriage, Tristan returns to work with the Navy, but suffers a terrible accident. Marion is told that her beloved husband has died, leaving her heartbroken. She hardly leaves her room for two years, mourning the future with her one true love that was so cruelly taken from her.
But Tristan survived the ship explosion, though not without consequences. He was left blind by the blast. A month after the accident, his memories start returning. While in the hospital, he befriends a man and his mother, Mrs. Gibbons. When the man dies, Mrs. Gibbons takes it upon herself to care for Tristan and keep him company. They grow close and decide to live together as companions. Tristan tells Mrs. Gibbons about his great love, Marion, but believes he can no longer be a good husband or father in his condition. Over the past two years, he has become bitter and angry. Mrs. Gibbons decides to take matters into her own hands and secretly arranges for Tristan to purchase a house near Marion. Tristan believes he is living somewhere quiet, far away from her.
At a gala, Marion faints when she sees her supposedly dead husband on the arm of another woman. She is brought home, and the next day, her brother Drake visits Tristan to demand an explanation. Tristan tells Drake everything, and Drake immediately notices that Tristan is blind. Tristan insists that he cannot be a good husband to Marion and that she deserves someone else.
Drake returns home and tells Marion, who has been crying nonstop since the night before, everything. She cannot understand why the love of her life has pretended to be dead for two years. But when Drake explains, she is overjoyed. He may have chosen to stay away from her, but at least he had a reason. Marion, however, is determined to show him that she will not be cast aside so easily. As their wedding vows said: in sickness and in health.
Marion visits Tristan and can hardly believe her eyes, he is alive. Now that she has a second chance at love, a home, and a family, she refuses to let it go, especially not with the man she loves. But Tristan tells her she must move on, to marry someone who can truly be a good husband to her. Marion doesn’t listen. The next day, she arrives at his new home with all her belongings and moves in. Mrs. Gibbons and the staff are delighted, but Tristan is far less so. Still, he cannot bring himself to send her away. He is determined to prove to her that they are not meant to be together. Yet this proves difficult, as his body still responds to Marion’s presence just as it did at the start of their marriage, her scent, her voice, her very being consumes him.
Marion begins trying to seduce Tristan with small touches, but he resists for days. One night, however, he can no longer hold back. He hasn’t been with anyone for two years and had resigned himself to the idea that he never would again. For him, it is Marion or no one. They make love, and Tristan finishes inside her. Immediately, he panics, fearing this could result in a pregnancy. Marion, however, is overjoyed at the thought that she may be carrying his child. She wakes up radiant and full of hope, believing she can conquer the world now that Tristan has let her back in. But then she learns that Tristan has gone to London and has no intention of returning. Heartbroken, she packs her things and goes back to her family.
Soon, Marion discovers she is pregnant and knows she must tell Tristan. After a few days, Tristan begins to regret leaving and decides to return, but moves into a different house. Marion finds out and moves in there as well.
Tristan consults his lawyer, who tells him that the only way to divorce Marion is to move abroad. Marion’s devastated reaction breaks his heart, and he abandons the idea. He accepts that they will remain married and live under the same roof as friends. He tells her this clearly, making it known that he has nothing more to offer her, as he truly does not want children. Marion now finds it even harder to tell him the truth.
They move to their house in London, where, after months, Marion finally tells Tristan she is pregnant. He is furious and demands that she leave. He storms off to his club, expecting her to be gone when he returns. Although it pains her deeply, Marion decides she is done running. She will stay by Tristan’s side for the rest of her life, with their child, until he accepts them.
That evening, a fire breaks out in the house while Marion is still inside. Elsewhere in London, Tristan is speaking with an old Navy comrade who tells him how lucky he is to still have the love of his life by his side, someone who fully accepts him as he is. Realizing how foolish he has been, Tristan orders his coachman to take him home as quickly as possible, hoping Marion hasn’t left yet. On the way, they learn that the streets are congested due to a fire. Tristan and the coachman continue on foot, rushing toward his house. When they arrive, his worst nightmare becomes reality: the house is ablaze, and Marion is trapped inside.
The firefighters warn him not to enter due to the thick smoke, but Tristan, already blind and knowing every corner of the house by heart, rushes in and rescues Marion from the burning building.
The doctor examines Marion, and Tristan is beside himself with worry, desperately asking about her and the baby’s health. Marion doesn’t understand why he suddenly cares when he previously wanted nothing to do with her or the child. But Tristan approaches her, admitting how foolish he has been and that there is nothing he wants more than to be with her and their baby.
This is book 4 in the Marriage Mart Mayhem series.
Lady Marion Tunstall has been mourning her husband for two years and is finally ready to re-enter society. Having decided to go to a country dance she is shocked to see her not so dead husband and faints dead away.
Lord Tristan Tunstall never planned to let his wife know he was alive. Having become blind in battle, he believes that his wife is better off without him. When he tries to dissolve the marriage, Marion refuses. She wants her husband no matter that he is blind. They married through sickness and health!
Can Marion convince Tristan that their marriage is worth saving?
I loved Marion! Here is a woman who has spent 2 years grieving for the love of her life. She is finally ready to go out into society and what happens? Her not so dead husband.
Tristan on the other hand was another story. I just couldn't like him. He claims to love his wife as much as he ever did, but refuses to stay married to her. He believes that he can't be the kind of husband and father that Marion needs him to be. I honestly feel like he was just feeling sorry for himself and then he made life decisions for both him and Marion. Which in any loving, committed relationship (which he supposedly had with Marion), you just don't do.
Tristan did redeem himself a little at the end of the story, but I still didn't like him much. I'm giving this book 3 stars because I really did enjoy Marion.
Thanks go out to Entangled Publishing via NetGalley for a copy of the book in exchange of an honest review.
The Baron's Betrayal 'The Baron's Betrayal' by Callie Hutton is book Four in the "Marriage Mart Mayhem" series. This is the story of Marion and Tristan. Please note this book was first released in 2015 with a different cover. Marion thought her husband had died about two years ago. But imagine her shock when she finds he is alive and just didn't come forward to let her know. We find that Tristan was injured and that he felt Marion was better off without him and kept up the pretense of being dead. Once Marion finds out she goes forward to force herself into his life again. Even though Marion is hurt that he would think she wouldn't want him even after they were friends, lovers than husband and wife...she goes forward to make them have a future. "My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read."https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1...https://www.amazon.com/gp/profile/A2H...https://twitter.com/soapsrus68https:/...https://www.tumblr.com/blog/romancebo...
This reunited lovers romance is the story of Tristan and Marion. When Tristan was lost at sea and presumed dead, Marion came to terms with this, only to discover two years later that in fact her husband is alive but hiding the fact from her due to his blindness and belief that he can no longer be a true husband and protector for her. Can Marion convince him otherwise?
I enjoyed this story, though I did think that it dragged a bit while Tristan was deciding whether or not to allow Marion back into his life. I liked Marion - she was spunky and determined in her efforts to woo her husband back. Tristan was a bit more difficult to like as he was stubborn until nearly the end of the story. The love scenes they shared together were sweet and sexy. I thought the setting was well described, and the interactions of Tristan with his servants were some of my favourite lines of dialogue in the story. It was a solid addition to the Marriage Mart series. 3 stars.
Note: a copy of this story was provided by the publisher for review.
Marion spent two years thinking that her husband had died at sea, victim of a shipwreck. Two years later, she is still alone and dependent on her mother and the rest of the family. Did not overcome the trauma and the pain of having lost her husband, her best friend since childhood. Tristan, her missing husband, returns to London. However, it is not his will that Marion knows that he is alive and whole, so he remained hidden for two years and no one had the idea that he had survived the sinking.
I received a copy of this book for an honest review. A beautiful story is what I discovered. I am disappointed that I came in on book 4 and have not read books 1-3 of this series. I am a fan of any story where two people can face the obstacles these characters had to face and still get their happily ever after.
4.5 I’ve owned the Marriage Mart Mayhem series for year and have not gotten around to reading the books until now. No idea what I’ve been waiting for as I’ve enjoyed this series immensely. In this book we get Marion’s story, which has been brewing since The Duke’s Quandary. For me, this book lived up to the anticipation I had building since I first met Marion. She is strong, smart, loving, kind-hearted and determined. This is a love story that has you pulling for these characters to get their HEA.
I very much-loved Tristan and felt for his struggles right from the start. He’s stubborn, pigheaded, kind, loving and smart. His growth throughout this story was what I love to see. What ends up bringing this couple together in the end is perfect symmetry for their love, their characters and their story.
Hutton does with this series what I love about connect books, the characters from the previous books, particularly the Duke’s Quandary are seen in subsequent books. The reader gets to hear and see where those characters are months/years later. And the friendship between Marion and Penelope is carried into this story.
Well, another good story in this series. This time we have deception, stubbornness and determination all mixed together. Marion Tunstall, sister of the Duke of Manchester, still grieves for her dead husband until she spots him across the room on the arms of another woman at a country dance. For two years she thought her husband lost, presumed dead at sea after a fierce naval battle. Having been rescued but sustaining an injury that blinded him and left him with amnesia for awhile, Lord Trustan Tunstall has determined that Marion's life would be better off if she continues to believe he perished at sea. But Marion is having nothing to do with his crazy notions. She worms her way back into his life determined to continue her life with the man she loves despite his protest because she knows he still loves her.
Marion spent 2 years barely leaving her room while she mourned her husband, then on one of her first outings to a country dance he walks in with another woman on his arm. Tristan is actually blind and the woman is his companion to help him get around, but since Marion faints she doesn't learn this immediately. Tristan truly deems himself worthless because of his blindness, he doesn't believe he can be a proper husband or father as a blind man, but all Marion sees is the love of her life come back to her but he's pushing her away. There is definitely a lot of back and forth as Tristan lets himself feel and then remembers he's not worth it. Marion seems like kind of flat character but she is very stubborn and refuses to give up.
Did not enjoy this installment into the series. I was so disappointed in Tristian. I understand that he was still adjusting to the fact that Marion knew he was alive. He should have been ashamed that he allowed his wife to grieve for two years thinking he was dead. And he did it in the name of love. He loved her so much he would have her a bigamist. He loved her so much that he would have had her children any unlawful marriage be bastards. When that did not work (because she found out that he was alive), he loved her so much that he was have brought shame on her by divorcing her. His rejection on his wife and his unborn child was the high point of his love. He was the epitome of loving until it hurt. Marion deserve better. I did not enjoy this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Loved Lady Marion and wanted to kick Tristian for being an ass!! Marion grieved for 2 years, when she sees her supposed dead husband at a country dance. Tristan was injured in the war and when he woke up in a hospital not only was he blind but also had amnesia. It was several months before he regained his memory but wanted his wife to think he was dead so she could go on with her life. But with Tristian back he is not sure what to do except keep his wife away from him. With Tristian still angry from his accident it will take all of Marion’s patients to wait till he comes to his senses.
Quite the surprise for Marion, to have Tristan come back from the "dead". His plan was very well thought out and I was glad the duke pointed that out to him. Marion certainly deserved her happily ever after. Argos was an interesting addition. I hadn't realized that dogs were trained to help the blind so long ago, assuming that this part was historically accurate.