Helpful Score: 4
Rakish Duke of Cynssyr has decided it's time for him to get married. Since he only gets the best of everything he's settled on Emily Sinclair, the beautiful youngest sister of mousy, bespecled Anne Sinclair, the sister he actually winds up married to after he accidentally debauches her. How does one accidentally debauch a woman? When circumstances contrive to have her in his bed and flying high on laudanum after she hurts her foot. Neither of them want to marry the other but they both decide to make the best of things, and it certainly helps that they constantly lust after each other.
*** This is the second Carolyn Jewel book I've read and it has many of the same problems - the hero has some character (even if it's an unappealing one) but the heroine is a complete cardboard cutout; flat, boring and lifeless. And while the Ruan (the duke) may have some character it's not the kind that you really want to spend several hours with, being arrogant and thoughtlessly high-handed but without any traits like humor or compassion that would soften his arrogance and make it endearing rather than annoying. As for Anne she's the classic Mary Sue - Jewel constantly writes Ruan thinking about how comfortable he feels with her while providing no reason for him to feel that way. All she ever does is act like a doormat while he makes his dictatorial pronouncements.
It's too bad - I like stories about rakes and bluestocking spinsters but this particular spinster was boring and the rake a real jerk. Although in all honesty I have to say they suit each other perfectly.
*** This is the second Carolyn Jewel book I've read and it has many of the same problems - the hero has some character (even if it's an unappealing one) but the heroine is a complete cardboard cutout; flat, boring and lifeless. And while the Ruan (the duke) may have some character it's not the kind that you really want to spend several hours with, being arrogant and thoughtlessly high-handed but without any traits like humor or compassion that would soften his arrogance and make it endearing rather than annoying. As for Anne she's the classic Mary Sue - Jewel constantly writes Ruan thinking about how comfortable he feels with her while providing no reason for him to feel that way. All she ever does is act like a doormat while he makes his dictatorial pronouncements.
It's too bad - I like stories about rakes and bluestocking spinsters but this particular spinster was boring and the rake a real jerk. Although in all honesty I have to say they suit each other perfectly.
Helpful Score: 1
For me, the subplot about a mistress ruined any appeal of the love story.
I really like Carolyn Jewel's books, however I kept hoping this story was going to get better and it just never did. It started out good, but the guy is such an arrogant ass, and the heroine is SO wishy-washy about everything, and he bulldozes right over her. She has absolutely no backbone-it was painful to read. I kept wanting to shake her! I love him, I don't love him, I might love him, I hate him, blah blah blah. It became really annoying after a while, and never did got resolved until the very last page. Maybe it's because this was one of her earlier books and her writing style has since changed? I don't know. I liked it, but I didn't love it.
I simply loved this story.
