Customer Reviews

Bedding the Heiress (Cameron Sisters)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Francesca Dunroy is in a pickle. Due to her own foolishness, she has lost a priceless family jewel to a loathsome rake who she thought she was in love with. In desperation she decides to seduce him into giving it to her at a ball -BUT she seduces the WRONG MAN! Justin Maddox maybe the new Duke of Colster and new to London society (he was kidnapped in infancy and raised in the highlands before his twin brother found him and restored his title) but he knows a fiery lass when he sees one. Sparks fly between these two, even though neither is interested in marriage. They seem to be constantly bumping into each in the most unexpected places. While Francesca searches for her jewel, Justin is experiencing a major identity crisis. How is a former Scottish blacksmith supposed to act like an English duke? And what of the possible Scottish rebellion? Who's side is he on? Just who should Justin trust? The land where he was raised or his own twin brother?

I enjoyed this one sort of. Both the H/H have major trust issues with their families for different reasons. They turn towards each other as a means of a lifeline. A well developed romance. Very good love scenes with likable characters. The only thing lacking is drama/action. There is a little bit with the loathsome rake who possesses the jewel, but thats about it. Maxwell (author) spends a fair amount of time and uses plenty of secondary characters to introduce a possible Scottish rebellion plot which never materializes. There are plenty of people threatening and harassing Justin into giving them what they want, but no one actually ACTS on the threats! Sheesh! Whats the point of the villains telling the hero "you'll be sorry if you don't....." or "we'll kill you if...." and then NOTHING happens to back that up? The reader doesn't find out till the epilogue that the whole thing is just a setup for the sequel. Gimme a break!

So if you liked the prequel (In the Bed of a Duke -which I had mixed feelings about), you'll probably like this one. Not as good as some of her earlier historicals (Falling in Love Again, You and No Other etc) but perhaps worth a read just to continue the series. It looks like Maxwell in saving all the Scottish/English conflict for the next in the series -at least I hope so!

Francesca Dunroy is considered both a catch and somewhat of a pariah of the London ton. She is desirable because she is quite beautiful and an heiress who will inherit a lot of money and land upon marrying. She is considered an outsider because due to her recently deceased mother's illness, she had missed coming out to society at an appropriate age, she is older than most unwed ladies of the ton. Also, her father married a younger woman very quickly after being widowed. London society is punishing her for her father's lack of mourning.

Then one night at a lavish affair hosted by her father, she meets the newly and reluctantly named Duke of Closter, Justin Maddox. Justin is of English nobility who was raised as a blacksmith in Scotland. He is a sexy man who is more that a little out of his element and uncomfortable with his new position. When Francesca inadvertently walks into his arms the sparks ignite and soon they find themselves more involved with each other than either of them seems to want.

This book is part of a series, you could probably read it as a stand alone, but I wouldn't recommend it. It has been so long since I read the last book in the series, that it really took some deep searching in my brain to remember some of the characters. I had a hard time remembering how Justin and Phillip got to be where they were in this book. I wish I would have read the last book over, as a refresher.

Francesca and Justin make a charming couple with a lot of passion and Ms. Maxwell writes an exciting tale. This was a delightful historical romance with wonderful characters. This book was really hard to put down, but things like sleep, food and family kept getting in my way. I stayed up into the wee hours of the morning last night reading; I kept saying one more chapter then I will go to bed. If my eyelids would have cooperated I would have finished this story last night, one more chapter was never enough.

At the end of the book you get a small insight into the next book in the series, I am really looking forward to it; I hope Ms. Maxwell won't keep us waiting long.

The premise of this book is actually very good for a romance novel. Perfect, in my opinion. We have two social misfits. A heroine that has been ignored by society due to her father's marriage occurring before the mourning period for his wife has properly ended, (and to a woman younger than his daughter) who is forced to make her social debut at 24. And a Scottish blacksmith that finds out he is actually an English duke, torn between his duties to both countries, whild having to adapt to social obligations and the nuances of Regency England. Both characters have all the makings for a perfect romance, I would say. Misfits drawn together by their loneliness!

However, as another reviewer said: I just did not care for either of these characters. The greatest flaw of this novel is it's horrendous execution. Francesca Dunroy is a brat. I really ended up rooting for her "wicked stepmother," Regina (We know this type, vapid, one-dimensional, greedy... total opposite of our supposedly "brilliant" heroine.). To exemplify my feelings here is an example: at one point in the novel Regina is admiring herself in the mirror and fixing her hair, our heroine thinks about how childishly Regina behaves and then displays her own astounding "maturity" by elbowing her out of the way and snatching the brush.

Ugh. And I should be sympathetic to her? Maybe if Regina was truly doing something horrible or annoying I could cheer this on as "just desserts." But, hypocritical much? She was never any better than the stepmother.

Her stupidity does not end here. After cavorting around with a rake that attempts to rape her she loses a valuable necklace at his apartment... then attempts to get it back by seducing her attempted-rapist and meeting him alone in a secluded area. Hmmmmmmm. I still cannot grasp the logic behind this. She exhibits this TSTL (too stupid to live) behavior throughout the novel.

This is obviously a sequel and the majority of the hero's development took place in the earlier novel. Therefore, he was rather bland this time around. Not too annoying, but not all that amazing either.

The romance itself was so dry and unbelievable. One of those were they meet, have sex that very same night, have changed each other's worlds and magically become better people the next day. Snore. Zzzzzz. Look, I enjoy the whole instant-attraction, spontaneous-combustible sex thing... when it's done well! This novel is a sad attempt.

In 1807 Phillip Maddox gives up his claim to being a duke to his recently discovered older twin Justin, who was snatched as an infant and raised as a blacksmith. Phillip is comfortable with doing the honorable thing, but Justin is not as he is a Scot not an Englishman. One thing he does is hide the "Sword of the Mackenna" that in either the wrong English or Scottish hands would mean war.

Heiress Francesca Dunroy enjoyed the attention of rake Lord Penthorpe following a sheltered life in which her mother died two years ago and her father instantly remarried a woman younger than her. However, she realized Penthorpe is no good as he stole her mom's necklace and is blackmailing her for its return.

Phillip accepts an invitation to the Dunroy party as a minor first appearance for his brother as the duke. Because Justin will be there, the small party becomes the event of the season. Justin hates the gala so he hides in the library only to have Francesca arrive. He kisses her just before Penthorpe comes to demand Francesca give him 1000 pounds if she wants her necklace back. Justin wants Francesca but assumes she is Penthorpe's mistress; besides he distrusts females after the betrayal of his ex-wife. As he becomes entangled in Francesca's affairs they fall in love until his Scottish past arrives with a vengeance.

Justin is a fresh character struggling between his old world and his new while his beloved Francesca is an out of control heiress who tries to protect her reputation only making it worst with every bold breech of etiquette she manages to break. The support cast is solid as they bring out the best and worst of the era. Though there is much less action involving the potential Scottish rebellion than in Phillips' tale (see In the Bed of a Duke) Regency fans will appreciate the anointing of the new Duke.

Harriet Klausner

The heroine, Francesca, is angry at her father and his new wife, and a bit angry at life as well. Mostly, she is angry at the scoundrel, Penthorpe, who convinced her to meet him discreetly, tried to convince her to elope with him, and then tried to compromise her when she wouldn't agree. Although a well placed knee allowed her to get away, she lost a prized piece of jewelry in the process. She develops a plan to cajole him into getting the necklace back. What she doesn't know until too late is that the man meeting her on her father's terrace is not Penthorpe, but Justin Maddox, the newly titled Duke of Colster. The two hit it off immediately, but Francesca's forwardness leads the Duke to assume she is more experienced than she is. The resulting story is funny and sultry.



This quick read will keep you turning the page. A great beach or poolside read!

In an attempt at rebellion Francesca Dunroy makes an almost fatal mistake when she tangles with a disreputable rake. While saving herself from rape she loses a treasured family heirloom. At a ball held in her honor she makes an assignation with the rake to convince him to return her property. The only problem is, in the darkened library, she mistakenly approaches and offers a clandestine kiss to a man she later discovers is Justin Maddox, the newly appointed Duke of Colster and London's most eligible bachelor.

Justin, the new duke is the older twin who was kidnapped at birth, raised in Scotland and earned his living as a blacksmith. Married and betrayed by a childhood sweetheart, he is determined to never marry again but the memory of Francesca's lips enflame his desires and when next they meet, in a most unusual scenario, Justin isn't about to let Francesca escape his embrace. As they discover true love, dangerous people from Justin's past come forward ready to ruin the happiness he's always longed for.

Maxwell is a perennial favorite of mine and her latest, BEDDING THE HEIRESS, is proof that this master word smith has not lost her touch. Consistently weaving together skillful plotting, a heady romance, delectable humor, along with a touch of dangerous intrigue has kept this author at the top of her game. Reeling you in from the very first page, Maxwell holds you enthralled until the last page is turned, and leaves you still aching for more. The lead characters are very well-developed with enough detail in their backgrounds that the reader can easily discern their motivations and their interactions with the numerous enhancing secondary characters all cleverly worked in to bring this story to life. Fans like myself, are sure to embrace this new hero who is caught between two worlds and will certainly look forward to the continuance of this fabulous series as Justin's enemies continue plotting to regain control of the sword of the MacKenna in this fabulously entertaining keeper.

Marilyn Rondeau, for www.ck2skwipsandkritiques.com

I had high hopes for this book and it just did not deliver. There are so many other wonderful historical romances out there.

In my opinion this book was worth the read because of the quality of the romance and the characters. It was more psychological than action oriented, but I enjoy that. This series has been laying out the foundation for the upcoming conflict surrounding the Sword of MacKenna and in this one it continues to do so. It does reveal more about the twins relationships with each other and resolves much of the past conflict in it. Justin's past marriage is put into perspective and he is finally able to find peace with it and move on. I really enjoyed the competent way she helped the characters work through their human flaws then gain insight into their behavior, which allowed them to grow into their love. The author shows excellent understanding of what makes people behave as they do and it is reflected in the character development.

A quieter and more contemplative love story that I thoroughly enjoyed.

I thought the premise of this story was actually pretty good, but was disappointed at the lack of development. First, the story is clearly a sequel to another. That, in itself, wouldn't be a problem, but the reader is at the same time expected to know the previous story and the background of the characters while also needing to have details filled in. There was too much going on that dwelt on the past, and that part of the plotline was of great importance to the hero, but not the heroine.

Despite the fact that I knew I was missing out on a previous book, I was still liking the story until I had about twenty pages left and it became clear that there was no way that all the loose ends could be tied up in any satisfactory way. In fact, the epilogue dealt entirely with secondary characters, and I found that to be very annoying. I don't mind if there's a tease for a sequel at the end of a novel, but I don't want it to be couched in terms of an "epilogue" that implies the story has ended.

I think Maxwell shows a skill at writing, but I don't know if I'll read anything else by her simply because I like my novels--even those in a series--to be self-contained, and this clearly was not.

Bedding the Heiress

I hate giving away any story line to the book, but wanted to share my opinion on this series. First, I suggest checking out Cathy's website and get the books in order. I've been reading them all back to back, so they all flow endlessly without me having to rack my brain on remembering who is who. I'm addicted to this series, although it isn't as "hard core" as some of the other romance novels I've read lately. This series is definantly more hearts and flowers than sex and sizzle... although I'm OK with that, because the story lines are capturing my attention. My favorite book in this series so far has to be The Price of Indiscretion (one of the few romantic books that made me shed a couple tears) and I also loved In the Bed of A Duke. In the Bed of an Heiress was a nice read, but mainly because I always seem to want to keep reading, even when the books are over, but it wasn't quite as exciting as the previous books... It did leave you with a cliff hanger ending, so I just ordered In the Highlander's Bed, and I have great hopes that this will rival her past books!

Overall, I recommend this series of books... it's been an enjoyable read for me. :)