Customer Reviews

The Lord Next Door (Avon Romantic Treasure)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This, I'm guessing, is the first installment in a trilogy involving the Shelby sisters; and what a good and promising first installment it proved to be as well. Though, perhaps, "The Lord Next Door" may not be to every romance reader's taste. To begin with it is more of a sweet love story that unfolds over the course of a couple's first few weeks of marriage. There are very few explicit bedroom scenes, although those that are in the book are rather sensual. Also, aside from the usual plot gambit of the hero and heroine not trusting each other completely, there is practically no plot conflict involved at all. This could all have led to "The Lord Next Door" being a rather lackluster read. Fortunately, however, Gayle Callen provides us with a heroine, Victoria, and a hero, David, that captured my sympathy and had me rooting for them to work through their problems and so achieve their happily ever-after ending.

Victoria Shelby was ten when she started corresponding with her neighbour's (the Earl of Barnstead) cook's son, Tom. Over the next few years, even though the two never met, both Victoria and Tom became good friends until Tom mysteriously vanished. Which is why, when a twenty-six year old Victoria faces the fact that she must marry in order to save her ailing mother from a life of penury (her father had died and left the family quite penniless), she decides to knock on her neighbour's door in order to ask for Tom's whereabouts. Imagine her horror and chagrin when she discovers that Tom never actually existed and that she had been corresponding with David, Viscount Thurlow, the earl's only son all along. Imagine also her shock when Viscount Thurlow turns up at her doorstep the next day proposing marriage. With a family name almost synonymous with scandal, the up and coming Member of Parliament and businessman needs a respectable and demure wife who will run his household smoothly and hostess the many dinner parties he must give. Victoria was brought up to be exactly such a wife. And while Victoria knows that she cannot afford to refuse David's offer of marriage, she nevertheless quails at the thought of tying herself to the boy who betrayed her trust by pretending to be someone he wasn't all those years ago. But the more she gets to know him the more she realises that David needs her help and her understanding. And Victoria quickly resolves to become a wife that will be an assert to her husband, as well as to win her husband's love and respect. Unfortunately, also in the mix is a secret she promised never to reveal. Can two people have a successful marriage when there is a secret between them?

What's really well done in "The Lord Next Door" was the manner in which the author allowed for the characters to develop -- for example, one reads with appreciation of how Victoria's mother, Mrs.Shelby comes out of the cocoon of her grief in order to give her daughter some good advice and support during some uncomfortable stages in the marriage, and of how the Earl becomes less of an ogre and is revealed to be an unhappy old man in pain. I also liked the manner with which she developed the relationships between her characters, like the one that developed between Victoria the cantankerous Earl, and of course between Victoria and David. Mostly however, this was a sweet story about the love and respect that develops between two people who were emotionally wounded individuals that are a little leery about trusting each other. Nothing else. It is well crafted and well told (even if the language was a tad too modern in spots. And readers looking for something a little different from the usual fare that seems to be heavily populated with heroes and heroines that annoy might want to consider "The Lord Next Door."

I bought this book while looking for something to read one night. The heroine, Victoria, is struggling to keep her family off the streets in the wake of her father's shady death.

As a child, Victoria, who was never good at the genteel things (sewing, watercoloring, dancing, flirting) at which her sisters excelled, befriended a neighboring servant boy named Tom and the two corresponded through a journal for nearly six years.

Suddenly, Tom stops writing, years pass, Victoria's father dies and she's faced with the choice of being kicked out of the family home (along with her mother) or marrying to secure a place in the world. So, out of desperation, she ventures next door and asks to see Tom (the two never met because of their differing social classes) only to be confronted with Viscount David Thurlow, who tells her immediately that he pretended to be Tom all those years ago.

Family scandal has ruined many of David's chances to secure an advantageous marriage and, after finding out about Victoria's situation, he offers to marry her in order to solve both their problems.

For a while, the marriage is in name only because Victoria wants time to get to know David and he agrees to her terms, but this gives the book time to build characters and sexual tension between the two.

The flow from chapter to chapter was consistent and I never grew anxious because of a slow pace, but I did find myself wondering at minor issues of plausibility.

For instance, when they were children, Victoria and Tom wrote to each other in a journal...for FIVE years. Unless that journal was the size of a college dictionary, I honestly don't see how they corresponded that long and only went through one journal and STILL had blank pages to write on in adulthood.

I was also rather skeptical about the 360-degree turnaround of the relationship between David and his father, the earl. The older man is sick and near death and bitter, but suddenly, Victoria reads to him for a week and he's making apologies and explaining his actions? Hmm.

I also didn't think that for the amount of weight given to the deep, dark family secrets kept by David and by Victoria, that the secrets were all that dark. Once the truth came out, everyone involved basically said, "Oh, that's not so bad," but if these were things that Victoria and David truly felt m ight ruin their relationship, I think the secret OR the reactions should have been more profound.

All in all, though, I thought this was a very charming love story about childish affection maturing across time; one of those "meant to be" loves that won't disappoint the casual reader of regency romance.

Ms. Callen's latest effort is a nice diversion if nothing else. This story doesn't pop like some of her other titles but it's also not a story I'd go out of my way to avoid. Plainly put this read will entertain while you read but not exceptional with it's character development.

Victoria Shelby and her two younger sisters and mother have been left destitute after the death of their bank father/husband. The two younger girls have left home in order to obtain positions as a governess and as a companion. This leaves Victoria home alone to care for their mama. Things are beginning to turn desperate. A cousin will be returning to take the house and Victoria needs to find a place for her and her mother before they are left homeless. Remembering her childhood confidant Tom, she walks next door to see if perhaps he could help her. He had always been there for her in the past. A cook's son he was her friend first and foremost. Imagine her shock and surprise when she finds out the boy who she once shared her thoughts and dreams with through a diary is not a cook's son but rather the son of an Earl. When David Thurlow offers her marriage she is once again surprised. Why would this lord want to marry her? Having no choice she accepts the proposal hoping she is not making a big mistake.

David needs a wife. His father has ruined the family with a horrid scandal that is still whispered about years later. Trying to find his place in life he is surprised when his childhood friend turns up on his doorstep just when he needs her most. He needs a wife she needs a husband. They will suit well enough and the fact that his wife is scandal free is another incentive to convince Victoria to marry him. But will these two be happy? David is involved with his business interests and largely leaves his wife alone...only at night when they are caught up in David's sensual lessons do either allow the other to see what they think or feel. Will the secrets they both work so hard to hide eventually find their way to the light of day?

This story had a great deal of potential but the slow pace of the story took away from the read. David and Victoria were nice characters but secondary character Simon seemed to overshadow our hero. This is not what you want when you read a romance. Overall this is a sweet story but it lacks the fire that is normally found in a book penned by this author.

My Lord, my lord, my lord. Those two words fill the first 200 pages. I found myself gritting my teeth at page 100. I dislike not finishing a book, always hoping there will be something that redeems the story. I was happy to finally finish this somewhat lackluster story.

This book just dragged on and on and on. I could hardly wait to get to the end.

This story is perfect blending of historical detail, suspense, and romance. The end result...an enthralling read with larger than life characters and a very sweet romance. The Lord Next Door possesses everything for a good, satisfying read. This book is sharp and fast-moving. Wonderful love story, great characters with an emotionally scarred hero and strong but vulnerable heroine, unique setting, intriguing plot, heart-tugging emotion, excellent writing, intense sensual love scenes, and a superb ending. I loved watching Victoria and David fall in love. David takes his time with Victoria to get her use to the idea of being comfrontable with having sex with him. Each night comes into her room and takes it a little farther. That is hot. I also like the healing of wounds between David and his father. The Lord Next Door is a wonderful book.

I read this book directly following a novel with so many plot twists and character turmoil it left me emotionally exhausted. Compared to that, this book was pretty tame.It wasn't a bad read it just lacked a certain spark. In fact, it seemed a tad too "prim" since both characters believed they held secrets that weren't really as sordid as they made them out to be.

I feel the writer took the safe route on this one. If you like dark family secrets and flawed characters I'm afraid this book is not for you. If you want a sweet, tame love story then that is what you will get.

[1844, England]
I have liked Gayle Callen's books in the past - most recently His Scandal, Book 2 in her "His" Series - but I did *not* enjoy The Lord Next Door. I found myself wanting to skim parts of the book (which I NEVER do), especially the end and the last scene between Victoria and David where they go on and on, resolving every last thing that's been popping up throughout the book. There were some promising moments and scenes, but on the whole the book did not click for me and I would be hard-pressed to ever read it again, let alone recommend it to someone else. Callen is a talented writer and this is the first book of hers that I have disliked, so I'm just chalking it up as a fluke and moving on to her others (the two remaining books in the series seem promising ... we'll see!).

PRAISE:
~ The conversation between David and Victoria on their wedding night is entertaining and humorous.
~ It is a nice change in the genre to have the hero and heroine be the same age (they are both 26 years old when the story takes place).
~ Victoria's mother and David's father, who at the beginning of the book seem like they will be flat secondary characters cast in cookie-cutter roles (the silly, not-very-bright, social climbing mother and the mean, grumpy, and selfish father) were surprisingly interesting and were actually more engaging than the main characters!

CRITICISM:
~ David is a stern and secretive character and normally I can take my hero any way (geez, I make them sound like ice cream, lol) - laughing and joyful, serious and dour, haunted and vengeful, whatever - but for most of the book I found him inaccessible and not really all that engaging or interesting.
~ Victoria was even worse, IMO. Her character was not at all consistent - at times I found her to be far too boring, placid, and even weak, while at other times she showed a strength of character and will that did not at all ring true with the weak Victoria that we had just encountered a page or paragraph before. (Frankly, the Victoria of the diary entries in the Prologue almost seems more interesting than any adult version of her that we meet!)
~ There wasn't much chemistry between Victoria and David and I couldn't really see why either was attracted to the other ... there was just no spark. Again, this was definitely a failing of the characters that Callen wrote, because I know that she is most certainly able to write great chemistry and interesting characters who complement each other (read His Scandal).
~ The premise of the book and how it begins is shaky - Victoria's family is in dire straits so she goes to see the servant boy next door ... what could he possibly do to help them? How would marrying him accomplish anything? And if the family is so badly off, why are her two younger sisters working and she's not? This is of course how she and David are set-up to meet (with David actually being himself, and not "Tom") and for the plot and marriage-of-convenience to unfold, but it's all very contrived. Normally I can easily overlook implausible plots or contrived story ploys, but since the book didn't have much else to recommend it, this just added to my annoyance and disappointment.

VERY ANNOYING QUOTE(should have tipped me off right away that I wouldn't really like this heroine):
"She had no great mission in life, as some women had, to reform society or negate poverty. She would cast little scandal on a family already brimming with its own." (p.30)

THE SISTERS OF WILLOW POND TRILOGY:
This book is part of Gayle Callen's "The Sisters of Willow Pond Trilogy." The order of the series is as follows: Book 1, The Lord Next Door (Victoria's story); Book 2, The Duke in Disguise (Meriel's story); and Book 3, The Viscount in Her Bedroom (Louisa's story).

BOTTOM LINE and RECOMMENDATIONS:
*Skip it!* Read His Scandal by Gayle Callen instead, or if you want to read a *FABULOUS* marriage-of-convenience book, I recommend Mary Balogh's Slightly Married, Book 1 in the Bedwyn Family series (the whole series is worth reading and if you plan to do that, I would start with A Summer to Remember, which first introduces the Bedwyn family and is a prequel, or with One Night for Love, which precedes the prequel. You can check out my "So you'd like to ..." Guide of the Bedwyn Family for a complete breakdown.

The story is very pleasing. No terrible abuse or horrible treatment of each other. The two lead characters did at times treat each other poorly, but not abusively. I loved that as the book went on, they both grew and became better people/lovers/marriage partners. She and her family needed his money and house. He needed her steady character and for the fact that he could take satisfaction that he was able to help someone. The only thing I didn't go for was that she was so angry that as a child he didn't tell her who he really was. OK be annoyed, but she carried it too far. Still...loved the book.
Highly recommend.

Wouldn't you hate to write a book and all a reviewer could think to say about it is that it is O.K.? Actually, this (for me) was a prime example of the three B's---blah, bland and boring! Sorry Ms Callen. I read the whole thing hoping that it would get better, become somewhat exciting, seem a little more probable. Once again, for me, it just did not happen.

How likely is it that two people would live next door to each other for their entire lives and never meet (or her even SEE him)? Victoria found that Tom had written in her journal when they were both 10 years old. (Why did she leave the journal hidden outside under a bench?) Thus began a correspondence which lasted until they were 16 years old. He told her he was the son of the cook in the house next door. She was the daughter of a prominent banker. Naturally they would have been poles apart in the social order in 1828. But for them to have NEVER met? NEVER to have seen each other? NEVER to have talked? Please, that is simply totally unbelievable!

Then in 1844 Victoria's life came crashing down when her father died. Now it is ten months later and her two younger sisters have left the home to find work to support themselves leaving Victoria to take care of their mother and to try to find some means of putting food on the table. They are only going to be allowed to remain in their home for several more months before the new owners arrive to take up residence. She has been selling off everything of value in order to keep her mother, their servant and herself alive. Now she is at her wits end. She decides to go next door and find Tom to get him to marry her. Do you believe that? Talk about improbable. She had not corresponded with the man since 1832 (because that is the last time he answered in the journal) but she decided to just waltz next door and find him and get married???

Of course you all know by now that Tom, the son of the cook, never existed. Instead she finds Viscount Thurlow, David, who admits to having pretended to be Tom but now he wants to marry for his own private reasons and so will she marry him? Could this get any worse? (Actually, yes it could. I've struggled through some much worse!)

He has his secrets which he doesn't want her to find out and will never discuss with her. These have caused him to have a morbid fear of scandals and so he makes her promise, as a condition of their marriage, that she will never cause a scandal. She has her secret which she can never reveal to him without causing a scandal, but you'll notice that she marries him anyway. Could she not see that train headed her way? (If you read the book you will understand the reference to the train!!) Oh, what ever shall we do? (Here you should apply your own appropriate hand gestures. I would suggest the back of your hand to your forehead and a faint swooning action.) Please, folks, these two had itty bitty "secrets" which had to be strung out over an immeasurable length of time in order to make a book. This "offering" was 374 pages long. Try 100 pages, put it in an anthology, and it might have been slightly more interesting. Even then, you had better have other knock-out authors to keep it propped up.

Not a favorite of mine. It will be put into my to-go box now that I've written this review. Luckily for me, my name does not appear anywhere within its covers. Whoever buys it from the library Used Book Sale can't possibly blame me if they experience hours of tedium and boredom. Who knows, others seem to have liked it. Maybe the new owner will be luckier than I was.