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23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A very romantic romance about two good people, May 19, 2000
I don't like reading about adultery in my romances, nor do I like opening up a book only to find it's smack dab in the middle of a series. This book fits both scenarios but, much to my surprise, I couldn't tear myself away from it. Rosa is married to Digby, a sickly, older man, who has been unable to impregnate her. When Digby dies their home will pass into the hands of a nephew who belongs to a fanatical religious cult. In order to prevent this Digby encourages Rosa to find herself a handsome young man to get her with child. Sheltered Rosa loves Digby but he's always been more of a protector than a lover. When she was seventeen she was gravely injured and her face was scarred. Digby saved her life by proposing marriage. Because of her scars she has been living life as a hermit and, although she is frightened by Digby's request, it reawakens her adventurous nature and she agrees to his plan. So Rosa dons a mask and heads to a masquerade ball to find an "easy" man. But the men she meets repulse her and she decides to head back to the safety of her home. This is where she finds the hero who is laying unconscious in the middle of the street. She brings him to a friends' home and nurses him throughout the night. When he awakens he has no memory but is so grateful to the still masked Rosa that he offers her payment. She's very attracted to him and impulsively decides to ask him to make love to her and he agrees. During their time together something unexpected happens -- they fall in love. What follows is a very sensuous love story written with wry humor about two wonderful characters caught in an impossible situation. I ached for them and was not turned off at all by the adultery plot because of the way it was presented and because all of the characters involved were warm, loving and kind people. I couldn't tear myself away from this love story until the last quarter when the couple faced a necessary separation and an intrigue subplot took over center stage. I'm very glad I read this story and I can honestly say that it stands alone very nicely if you haven't read the previous "Malloren" books.
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
En enjoyable read, everthing by Jo Beverley worthwhile, August 8, 1999
By A Customer
This book is the fourth in a series of five books set in Goergian England telling the romantic trials and tribulations of the siblings in a powerful family. The hero and heroine in this story are not as temperamental as those in other stories, but this is in line with the personality of the main male character, being more phlematic than his other flamboyant siblings, and is not a draw back to the story. I did have a problem with the ease with which the heroine got the hero into bed (he just recovering from a serious poisoning!) but it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book. I have read many other romances by other authors with VERY implausible plot devices. Jo Beverly has written in many styles depending on the era she is writing about. She ALWAYS tells an interesting, compelling story, literately written with no glaring grammatical errors or obvious anacronisms to wrench the reader from the fantasy. She doesn't write a "standard" historical romance (trite, cliched), but makes her characters believable people reacting realistically (usually) to their circumstances. This book also gives the reader a glimpse of the plot line which will occur in the fifth book with the most powerful and flamboyant of the siblings, Beowulf Malloren, Marquess of Rothgar. I have followed her writing since her first in the "Rogues" regency series and have been actively trying to find all her other books since then. She is almost impossible to find in used book stores, which tells you the popularity she enjoys with readers. Happy reading!
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Jo Beverley strikes gold with this wonderful book, July 6, 1999
By A Customer
As a longtime fan of Jo Beverley I look forward to her rule-bending risk-taking romance novels. Adultery is often a tough sell to fans of the genre, but in Beverley's deft hands, the adultery is not only understandable, but both hero and heroine are made to suffer for an arrangement that becomes a love match. The wonderful hero, Brand Malloren, is very different than his siblings. If this is your first Malloren novel, don't worry, you do not need to have read the others to enjoy this one. But I'm betting you'll want to know more, especially about the intriguing Marquess of Rothgar, Brand's oldest brother. One of Jo Beverley's strengths is her heroines who are reliably feisty and capable. Rosamunde is no different. Scarred from an accident during adolescence and married to a much older man, you can't help but forgive her for falling in love with Brand, the man she needs to father her child for the sake of others. Jo puts a lot of obstacles in Brand and Rosa's path, which makes their ending all the sweeter.
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