7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Slow start...much better finish, April 15, 2006
This third entry in the Royal Four series, about four powerful secret lifetime advisors to the king, focuses on the one code-named the "Fox." The previous Fox, the elderly Lord Barrowby, has just died, seemingly without having trained a successor. The other three rush to his country estate, where they are surprised to learn that Lord Barrowby trained his beautiful young widow, Julia, to succeed him as the Fox. She informs them that she has, in fact, been performing that role for the past three years while Lord Barrowby was incapacitated. The three men are taken aback by the idea of a woman in their group, and besides they do not trust Julia, so they ask for a few weeks to consider the matter, promising to return. They head straight to Marcus Ramsay, Lord Dryden, who is apprenticing to a youthful member of the Four, so he has a long wait. They tell the ambitious Marcus that he can instead take over the Fox's spot, if he can find some way to discredit Julia or prove her ineligible for the post.
Marcus arrives at Barrowby under an assumed name, pretending to be a suitor looking for a wealthy bride. There is already a healthy competition underway for Julia's hand. Julia believes that, as the all-powerful Fox, she would do best to find a weak and compliant husband, so she does not at first view the virile and opinionated Marcus as marriage material. However, as time passes and she sees and experiences more of him - he even invades her dreams - the sexually starved Julia, who had an almost platonic relationship with her late husband, begins to reconsider her criteria in a mate. Also, someone has begun to ruthlessly sabotage her estate, putting lives at risk. This brings into stark relief Julia's need for a strong man like Marcus whom she can confide in. Marcus, who set out to gain her confidence in order to destroy her, is now within sight of achieving his goal, but he has grown quite attached to Julia. Will he obliterate his competition, or will he surrender to her?
This story is a little slow to get going, with humorous elements such as the privy calamity tending to overwhelm the first half of the story. The action picks up in the second half when Marcus becomes conflicted about his objectives. It is nice to see the fiercely competitive, cocksure, and somewhat chauvinistic Marcus humbled by kind-hearted and capable Julia. The love scenes could use more warmth, though, and seem mostly physical, without a strong emotional connection. Also, the inclusion of so many passages from Julia's diary is a little distracting. However, Julia is an appealing and sympathetic heroine who shows admirable strength in adversity, and I enjoyed her and Marcus' funny asides. The conclusion was exciting and gratifying.
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4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
4 and a half stars but definitely worth the read., May 3, 2006
Of all the Royal Four books so far - this one has been my favorite (but I have a feeling I will love the next one due out in August). In my opinion - the Royal 4 books still aren't as addictive as the Liar's club books - and I love the tension between the two clubs that runs throughout both series. :)
Characters: Great tension between Marcus and Elliot (who is also a great supporting character and could be a future hero if CB wants to write more). Throughout the novel we see writings of Julia's own romance story that she develops as a means of "escape" from her past. Julia is very smart, but of all Celeste Bradley heroines - she stands out as the most emotional and dramatic one I can remember - (and she has a pet lion!!!)
Once again - as far as revisiting characters is concerned - Celeste Bradley does a fantastic job! (Dalton from book 2 in Liar's club! *drooool*) And I'm more excited than ever for Wyndham's book (the Falcon) to be released in the late summer. In fact of all the Royal 4, his character has seemed the most mysterious and observant, and I can't wait to see him fall in love and go mad w/ desire!
Plot: The flirting scene at the lake is my favorite! I was also surprised that Celeste Bradley even had another important running character throughout her series attacked in this one - great drama enhancer!
As far as the romance itself was concerned - yeah, it felt prosey sometimes but compared to the other royal 4 books - this one is steamier.
Final Grade: A- (if you're trying to follow along the running story line for the Liar's club books - this one's important.)
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