Julia Thomas faces her wedding day with dread. Twice her age, Simeon, the Earl of St. Martin, has an appetite for cruelty, yet Julia is bound by duty to marry him. Now, alone among the disturbing occupants of Simeon's home and terrified of his viciousness, Julia turns for companionship to his cousin, Griffin St. Martin, the one man who seems to be everything she's ever dreamed of--but who may not be anything he seems.
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
A simple plot involving a young woman who is forced to honor her childhood betrothal to a despicable earl, then finds love in the arms of an unlikely hero, takes a refreshing turn in this latest Regency by the author of Angel in My Arms. Responsible for the care of her self-absorbed mother and simple-minded, beautiful sister, Julia Thomas has no choice but to marry the cruel Earl of St. Martin. Soon after her arrival at the earl's London home, Julia falls in love with his foppish cousin, the Baron Griffin Archer, who dresses in garish clothing and is rumored to be homosexual. But like the Scarlet Pimpernel, Griffin's outrageous facade masks a man only Julia can see?a model of masculinity involved in a dangerous scheme to protect the king. To further complicate matters, she soon learns that Griffin is married and loves his wife. While the ending offers double happily-ever-afters, they come about in a way that is neither unique or surprising. Still, the lively narrative and rich characters outweigh those shortcomings, making this a first-rate read.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Faulkner is a page turner.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Once More (Zebra Historical Romance) (Paperback)
Colleen Faulkner's new book is fantastic. It kept me awake reading until the middle of the night when I had to be at work in the morning. The mix of gritty historical reality mixed with deep romance is rare in historical romance novels. She made me feel as if I was in the room with the evil husband. He made my skin crawl. The caring and sacrifice of a sister for her mentally challenged sister touched my heart. No one who loves English romances should miss this new Faulkner novel. Angel In My Arms was my favorite Colleen Faulkner keeper until Once More. This writer is not afraid to tackle difficult moral subjects within the bounds of traditional, sensual romance. A definite winner.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good historical fiction, a little low on actual romance,
By Gemma "bookworm" (Alberta, Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Once More (Zebra Historical Romance) (Paperback)
From the back cover:
Julia Thomas faces her wedding day with dread. Twice her age, Simeon, the earl of St. Martin, has an appetite for cruelty, yet Julia is bound by duty to marry him. Now, alone among the disturbing occupants of Simeon's home and terrified of his viciousness, the red-haired beauty turns for companionship to his cousin, Griffen St. Martin, the one man who seems to be everything she's ever dreamed of, but who man not be anything he seems... Devotion to king and country has forced Griffen St. Martin to live a lie, agreeing to a loveless marriage and years of secret service safeguarding the royal heir. Now, his only aim is to root out a lethal plot against the new king--one that Simeon himself may be hatching. Simeon's young bride is an unexpected complication, and one that becomes an irresistible temptation. As Griffen attempts to unravel both the deadly scheme and his own undeniable longings, Julia finds herself tangled in a desire that threatens all she loves--as well as her own life... And my review: It's obvious that this author did her research. Her history is well drawn and vivid. However, I often felt that the history was a main focus of the novel, and not the romance. Which is fine, if you like historical fiction with a bit of romance for added "spice". Not so satisfying if you like history as a backdrop for a blossoming relationship. One complaint I had with this book was that the hero felt very distant. Most of the book is written from the heroine's point of view. In fact, it isn't until several chapters have passed that we get to get inside the hero's head. As a result, I never really got a handle on who he was. Also, if the hero was dressing as a dandy was all a cover, why didn't the author make that clearer in the beginning of the book? He's supposed to be a romance hero, yet the reader is left seeing him as dressed foppishly, and rumored to be having a homosexual relationship with his slave? If I'm supposed to cheer for Julia to end up with Griffen, the author should make it very clear right away that he is not homosexual, and that he is only dressing effeminiately because he's an undercover agent. Yet if I hadn't read the back cover, I would have had no idea for the longest time that it was all just a cover. Sorry, but this came across as a glaring mistake for a romance novel. I found the secondary romance much more satisfying than the one between the hero and heroine. Pity there was much less time spent developing it. However, the author gives a good inside look into life during the time period, and also what it would have been like to struggle with what looked like obsessive-compulsive disorder in the villian of the story. For historical fiction, ONCE MORE delivers; this author obviously has talent. As a romance novel, though, it falls a little short. It all depends on what you're looking for in a book.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best I have read!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Once More (Zebra Historical Romance) (Paperback)
Julia Thomas must care for her "slow" sister, Elizabeth. Therefore, she honors the agreement made between her father and Simeon, the earl of St. Martin, when she was a child. They wed. Julia knew how cruel the earl was and at one point tried to get out of the wedding. The earl told Julia he would have Elizabeth taken away if she ever so much as disagreed with him. She was trapped. Griffin St. Martin was the earl's cousin. Devotion to the king and country has made him live several lies. Griffin was wed to an elderly lady he loved as a mother, was considered to prefer men, and dressed outrageously! Julia and Griffin fell in love. However, by wedding the earl, Julia has now put her life, as well as, her sister's and Griffin's in danger. ***WONDERFUL! Much treason is afoot! You will hold your breath as each one unfolds. I laughed myself silly at times and sat on the edge of my seat others!***
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