The Captain and the Wallflower by Lyn Stone

The Captain and the Wallflower by Lyn Stone
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A quick and enjoyable read that I pulled out of the pile because I am a sucker for the plain jane, marriage of convenience, and scarred hero themes. Captain Caine Morleigh is an heir to an earldom who was badly scarred in the Napoleonic Wars. His fiancee' repudiated him after the bandages came off. She even screamed and fainted. That was enough for Caine to know he wouldn't be marrying her. Now Caine needs to find a new bride. This time around, he will choose an unattractive bride, a wallflower desperate for marriage, one who won't mind his unpleasant visage and make few demands on him, happy to be married. His eyes fall on Lady Grace, and he decides she's the one. She's very thin and unprepossessing in appearance. But she has spirit, which he finds out when he asks her to dance and then to marry him. Grace says yes, only to get away from her uncle, who has been mistreating and threatening her. But she is going to make sure that her marriage is to her benefit as well. She wants a real marriage in which her husband respects her and allows her to be true to herself and in which he demands no less than they both deserve in a marriage. Caine comes to realize that his wallflower bride will require a lot more of him than he expected, and give a lot more in return. And that he loves her for it.

I've missed reading Lyn Stone's historical romance books. I'm glad she's writing them again. This book has a trad regency feel, with authentic characters and actions that take me back to that period. Although not G-rated, it is not very explicit in sensuality, but the chemistry, attraction and bond between Caine and Grace is apparent and appealing. I loved Grace's spunk. She wasn't passive or willing to allow herself to be treated as less than she deserved. Her situation with her uncle put her in the position of being a victim but that wasn't natural for her. When she accepts Caine's proposal, she blooms with the freedom and safety he offers, and her real personality comes back to life, and in the process, Caine falls head over heels for her. I was glad that he came to appreciate his bride for the pearl that she was. I liked Caine a lot too. Although his initial plan seemed cold-hearted, he treated Grace kindly and respectfully from the beginning. There was never a question that he was a good guy. He just had some wrong idea about controlling his life by marrying the kind of woman who wouldn't demand too much from him. Fortunately, something in him choose the right woman in the end, and she was exactly what he needed, if not the convenient wife he expected.

Not a ground-breaking book or a foundation-shaker, but a good read. A pleasant love story that kept me reading. Write more please, Ms. Stone. 4 stars!

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The Viscount and the Virgin by Annie Burrows

The Viscount and the Virgin by Annie Burrows

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars


The cover and the blurb drew me in when I got this one with my monthly Harlequin Historical books. I knew I'd be reading it soon. It didn't disappoint.



I don't want to give away too many plot details, because that is the fun in reading this book. It was interesting how deeply Imogen and Monty's lives intertwine. When they met, they seemed to be adversaries, but a blistering attraction makes that unlikely. They don't seem to be what each other wants at first glance, but they need to look deeper to see that they are meant for each other.



Imogen/Midge and Monty both have emotional baggage that they are dealing with. Imogen is a very lovable heroine, although she's way too hard on herself. But, I could see why, never having felt loved and appreciated. She finds it hard to believe that her husband could love her and want to be faithful to her. She takes his every action as a rejection. But, Monty is dealing with this difficult father and trying to play catch-up since he was a soldier for most of his young life, and now he's the heir to an earldom that has been mismanaged by his older brother before his death. He's got a lot on his plate, and that governs his actions quite a bit.



In the first book I read by Annie Burrows, The Earl's Untouched Bride, I felt that the misunderstandings between the couple went on too long. I was worried that this would be the same, but thankfully she didn't belabor those. I liked that Monty reasoned through some of Midge's actions towards the end, and came to the correct conclusion, instead of believing the poison his woman-hating father had spouted about her. I like how protective he was of her. For once, she had someone looking out for her needs.



My one issue, and sort of a big one, was the love scenes. Ms. Burrows does such an excellent job of building tension, you think you are in for some nicely steamy love scenes, but they so quick and very non-descriptive. I was quite disappointed. I don't mind at all if the author chooses not to include love scenes; but I don't like the story is written so steamy with great chemistry and buildup, and then there are no good love scenes to show the culmination of that tension. That was the case with this story. There were passionate kisses and caresses, and the love scene would go by with no details (practically fade to black), and I felt like I had missed something. I think Midge and Monty deserved some good love scenes. Monty is pretty hot for his bride, and Midge feels so passionate towards him that she worries that she's being improper (after being condemned for being her wild/immodest parents' daughter for so many years). They really connect on that level, and their private moments are when the walls come down between them. It just doesn't fit to have these short, non-descriptive love scenes. That's why I can't really give this book five stars. It's a shame, because I loved this book. It would have been five stars if I hadn't felt cheated of some passion.



This is part of a Harlequin Historical series called Silk and Scandal. This is book five. I haven't read the first four books, although I plan to do so. It didn't hurt me to read this book out of order, although there is a larger continuity involved that relates to Midge's parents. There was a good secondary story with Midge's half-brother Stephen who is the illegitimate offspring of her father and a Gypsy woman. He's very embittered by the way he was abandoned, and wants revenge against his family, who he believes rejected him. It added another emotional layer to this story.



I'd definitely recommend this to fans of shorter regency romances. If you like the plain jane/spinster motif and married couple romances, I think you'll enjoy this. Although Monty comes off as arrogant and rude initially (reminding me a little of Darcy from Pride and Prejudice, although more passionate), he's really a nice guy. I liked him a lot. Midge and Monty were a great couple.



Overall rating: 4.5/5.0 stars.



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