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Kindle Edition, 2nd edition, 373 pages
Published May 15th 2012
by Danelle Harmon
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Series: The de Montforte Brothers, #1
My Rating: ❀❀❀❀❀
Genre: Historical Romance
Lord Gareth de Montforte is an irresponsible, fun-loving rake when beautiful Juliet Paige arrives from America with his late brother's baby, hoping to give the child a name. Gareth impulsively weds her, only to discover he wasn't ready for all the responsibilities of marriage and fatherhood. They're in for plenty of trouble and heartache, until they discover that their love can overcome anything.
A fun, romantic read with just the right amount of steam! The premise drew me in because I was sure it'd be a hot, sexy story with just the right amount of raw emotion. But I got more than I baragined for when I read this. Gareth isn't just an implusive rake who decides to marry his brother's fiance in order to provide a family for her and her baby (his brother's daughter) but also a man who is seeking to prove himself to not only his family and the world, but also to his own self. It's about Gareth growing up into the sweet, caring man that he really is deep inside and leaving the "Wild One" behind him. He's hard headed about it at times, or as Juliet calls him, proud, but there was a lot of layers to his character that I really loved. He's perceptive, funny, sweet and fiercely devoted to his family. Yes, he has a fair amount of pride and a temper, but I think it gave him the perseverance to throw off the cloak of the Wild One and become a fine man as well as a good husband and father.
The story starts out dramatically enough with Gareth rescuing Juliet as her stagecoach is being robbed and develops beautifully from there. I really didn't expect a lot of what happened--how they married, Juliet's doubts about it, the fight that follows the marriage, or how they ended up at Mrs. Bottomlay's and then Swanthrope. Everything flowed smoothly and logically,
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| Book Two of The de Montforte Brothers |
I ought say a word about the herione. I honestly liked her. It might not have easy to like a herione who marries her late fiance's brother--and only to gain her daughter a father and name, and because she has a fair amount of desire for him, but Juliet was easy to like. She loved Charles, but she also gave Gareth a fair chance to prove himself to her, despite her uncerainity about everything. She questions whether or not she and Charles would have made a good match, and condemns everyone for comparing Charles and Gareth and allows herself to move forward despite the grief she has been living with for the past year. I admired that about her because it takes true strength to not only solider forward for the sake of her child, but to pick up the pieces of her life, put them in the past and carry on for her own sake as well.
The ending? Happily ever after of course, for Gareth and Juliet, but it does leave me wondering a couple of things. First, what else is the Duke of Blackheath (Gareth's oldest brother) up to? Why does he meddle in the life of his siblings--and why is he so sneaky about it? And secondly, what about Charles, the supposedly dead brother and Juliet's "late" fiance? I certainly can't wait to read the rest of this series. It promises both wonderful characters and refreshing stories. I will certainly be looking up more by Danelle Harmon.
2 comments:
Of course, I fell in love with Gareth, too. You described him perfectly.
Thanks Jonetta! And thanks for recommending the book to me :D
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