Customer Reviews

The Cost of Honor (Signet Regency Romance)

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'd have given a zero star (if it was possible). Towards the last chapter, the novel spans for over 28chapters, the so-called 'hero'(Christopher St. Charles @ Kit)was frolicking in bed w/his latest mistress in the morning while later at night he was declaring his undying love to his wife (what crap is this?),Juliet Barre, who happens to be the most sweetest, caring, loving & unselfish heroine I've ever come across. Kit is at the top of my most hated heroes list & let me list down his atrociousness to justify my accusation:
1) He 'rapes' a drugged (given by another seedy character in the novel)Juliet who happens to be an innocent vicar's daughter just because she was sleeping in his bed.
2) In the morning, our hero does the 'honorable' (my a**) thing by offering for marriage (in the name only, she is not allowed to expect more from him except being his countess) to Juliet.
3) He practically bullies this poor & timid (yet she can be quite resolved & determined at times) young girl from then on.
4) He doesn't give a fig for parading his mistress in front of his wife
5) He sends her off to live in the country after an incident which involves his mistress where Juliet was an innocent victim.
6) Juliet was pregnant at that time & she had to go thru a very difficult child-birth (she was in labor for almost 26hrs) ALONE!!Yes that's right, alone. Our 'hero' was too busy in the city w/ his latest conquest.
7) Kit had the audacity to accuse Juliet of infidelity right after their child was kidnapped, all based on a stupid portrait by a young pup (Jonathan)who is smitten w/Juliet.

I personally think Juliet would have been much happier w/Jonathan than this jerk of a 'hero'. I wonder how an intelligent, smart & sane woman like Juliet can love such a b****** (his only redeeming qualities are he is extremely handsome, wealthy & titled w/o an ounce of compassion, loving, faithfulness, caring in him!!!).

I am always a bit nervous when beginning to read the work of an author that is new to me. It seems to me that in all genres, but especially that of Regency Romance, it is extremely difficult to predict the quality of writing and the research behind that writing.

This novel was a happy surprise. It is the first I've read by Emma Lange and it definitely made me want to buy more. The storyline is intriguing (an earl is forced by honor to marry a girl of good family when he mistakes her for a willing bedmate and takes her virginity--she's been drugged by an unscrupulous servant) and the romance is very well-developed. The secondary characters are, for the most part, well-fleshed out. I also enjoyed the fact that the main characters' family played a large part in the storyline and did not fall into the usual Regency role (established by the great Heyer) of dysfunctional, irritating hangers-on. And yes, she does get the titles right! I really recommend this book to those trying Lange for the first time--it's better than fluff!