Helpful Score: 5
Connie Brockway's long awaited & newest historical. I had this on my wish list from the moment I knew it was due to be released. Overall, I thought it was an excellent book, but graded it somewhat less than perfect at a B+. The heroine is an animal empath and the widow of a con artist & fake medium, and the hero is a man driven & determined to expose supernatural fakes. She and her husband run afoul of him in the opening chapter, and even though he is profoundly attracted to her, her life is ultimately destroyed due to his intervention in her husband's nefarious activities. She goes to work for a former acquaintance as a governess & companion for his mildly telekinetic daughter after her husband is killed, and ends up caring for her after the death of the girl's father. The hero coincidentally is a relative of the daughter's new guardian, and he finds the heroine again six years after their first encounter, when he journeys to Scotland to investigate a possible threat to the girl's life. Of course, he's still attracted to her and sparks immediately start to fly...
This book ultimately reminded me a lot of Brockway's 2001 Victorian Romance, The Bridal Season. It has a similar storyline and the author's signature comic subtlety abounds. It failed somewhat to engage me as consistently as some of her previous efforts, however. The story lags a bit toward the middle, but picks up very nicely later in the second half. I felt the resolution of the external conflict was somewhat abrupt, and the ending a little nice & neat for all that the hero had so many trust issues with the heroine due to her past; I really felt like more of a heartfelt discussion between the H&H was in order to fully resolve their internal conflict. That said, I still highly recommend it and will be adding it to my keeper shelf. I adore Connie Brockway and I'm nothing short of thrilled to see her writing historicals again. Even her less than perfect efforts are ahead of the pack in terms of wit & originality.
Grade: B+
Sensuality Rating: PG-13
This book ultimately reminded me a lot of Brockway's 2001 Victorian Romance, The Bridal Season. It has a similar storyline and the author's signature comic subtlety abounds. It failed somewhat to engage me as consistently as some of her previous efforts, however. The story lags a bit toward the middle, but picks up very nicely later in the second half. I felt the resolution of the external conflict was somewhat abrupt, and the ending a little nice & neat for all that the hero had so many trust issues with the heroine due to her past; I really felt like more of a heartfelt discussion between the H&H was in order to fully resolve their internal conflict. That said, I still highly recommend it and will be adding it to my keeper shelf. I adore Connie Brockway and I'm nothing short of thrilled to see her writing historicals again. Even her less than perfect efforts are ahead of the pack in terms of wit & originality.
Grade: B+
Sensuality Rating: PG-13
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