ASIN: B01M65BZ06
Publisher: The Passionate Pen
Publication Date: November 8, 2016
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
Blurb
Lucien, the Earl of Stenfax has been engaged twice, but only in love once. That was with his childhood sweetheart, Elise. When she threw him over for a man with more money and a higher ranking title, it broke him. Now she’s widowed and he finds himself drawn to her again, like a moth to her flame.
Elise had her reasons for walking away from Lucien, reasons he doesn’t understand. Back in Society, she’s now financially desperate and is even considering becoming someone’s mistress. But Lucien keeps appearing at the most inopportune moments and it’s only a matter of time before the desire between them explodes.
Time will tell if Lucien will be able to see past his lusty drive for revenge. And if Elise can convince him she’s worthy of more, despite the past.
Review:
This is the first book in this series that I’ve read and I not as satisfied as I’d hoped to be based on the blurb.
Lucien was devastated when Elise left him for a wealthier aristocrat, so much so that the damage had almost be permanent. I understood his pain, and my heart went out to him. The had a long history together, and for her to have written him off so easily – at least that’s the way it seemed- made his initial reaction understandable. I must admit, I was a little perturbed by her, but I knew that there’d be some good reason for what she’d done, although not what I assumed -parents forcing her in order to save the family from financial ruin. I must say, I’m glad it hadn’t been that as it would’ve been too cliche, not that the real reason was a whole lot better, albeit different.
As it turned out, I did like Elise, although I was still rather chagrined by her past behavior. The first thing I thought when I found out why she left him was the exact same thing he thought when she FINALLY told him the truth (after pussyfooting around and making excuses not to for far too long). She hadn’t trusted him. Their love had been so strong (so they said) that at the first threat to their happiness, she cowed down instead of going to him and trusting him to help her. It was his sister that she was ultimately trying to save, and if she’d known him half as well as she claimed – and should’ve since they’d known each other since their were children – she should’ve known he and everyone else in his family would’ve protected her and his sister. But she played the martyr and gave up their life together without even explaining anything to him. This was difficult for me to get over as a reader. For the author to write a love so strong but make the character react that way. It just didn’t mesh.
I got tired of the sex mainly because it was a deterrent to doing what actually needed to be done – talking. Also, it made Lucien seem weak, not lovelorn. She’d broken his heart tremendously – as evident by his intense reaction – but the moment he saw her again, he couldn’t help himself and they ended up having sex. What’s more disturbing is where they were and both of their reasons for being there which the location itself explains. But on and on – they see each other with the intent of settling things, and end up having sex and leaving everything else unsettled. I believe the author’s goal in doing this (not that I’m a mind-reader) was to show passion and an unbreakable connection, but it fell flat. Lucien didn’t trust Elise, but he loved her so much he couldn’t keep his hands off her. She hadn’t trusted him to be there for her, but she couldn’t say no to him. Once again, it doesn’t mesh well. What kept me reading was my desire to know the real reason behind her departure years earlier. And then I wanted to know how that issue would be resolved, which I see I have to read the next book to find out. I like Felicity, and I’d like to see how her and Asher work things out, but I’m almost afraid of being disappointed again.
Rating system: Cups of Coffee (the less the better)
0: You won’t need any coffee to stay up for this one. It’s intriguing enough all on its own.
1: You’ll stay up late, but not all night. Brew one cup.
2: You’ll read as long as you’re not tired. If you are, two cups should do the trick.
3: I hope you got plenty of rest; you’ll need it, or at least 3 cups.
4: If the cable goes out, read the book. It’s better than nothing, I guess. Oh, don’t forget your brew!
5: Find anything else to do- it doesn’t matter what it is. Don’t waste your coffee. Too much caffeine is bad for you.
My rating: 4 cups of coffee