Customer Reviews

The Cad

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I fell in love with Edith Layton's books when I read "The Duke's Wager." I'm still in love. It's good to see some things stay constant in this changing world. Bridget has a defect -- a scar, an insurmountable handicap in many people's Regency Whirl. But Edith knows that what people often most love about us are our very faults and she reminds us of this. Her characters jump off the page and into our room. They're right there, behind us, just over our shoulder, if we could ever take our eyes off our book long enough to look.

"I have a confession," he said. "Sometimes I yearn to kiss that scar, did you know that? Yes, look shocked. I've wanted to put my lips on it -- trace it with my tongue, even -- to acknowledge it for you and for me. I've been tempted to do that so many times but was afraid of what you'd think. It's not because I'm perverse -- or that perverse." He grinned. "Or because I feel sorry for you, or because I'm trying to heal the hurt, or any of that muck. But because if it weren't for that scar, we'd never have met. Have you ever thought of that?"

"No!" she said, tilting her head to the side as she considered it. "That's the nicest compliment you've ever paid me, I think."

"Then I'll have to do better in the future," he said, and went back to his beef."

Thank you, Edith, for giving just the nicest flavor to my daily beef, too. You not only entertain, you make me think. What a gift!

Paula Kosinski

I'm so glad I started reading Edith Layton's novels! This is the first longer one I've read, and I enjoyed it so much. I'm really looking forward to the rest of this series!

Bridget is the archtypal 'poor relation', passed around from family to family among her many relations. At present she is acting as companion to her beautiful cousin Cecily; she was considered suitable, her aunt tells her, because of the contrast between her and her cousin. Because Bridget, though beautiful in profile, has a very visible flaw once she turns to look at someone properly: she has a deep, jagged two-inch scar on her face, just beside her mouth. She's very conscious of the scar, and is deliberately self-effecing as a result, hating to be stared at.

But one evening, at a ball, someone does stare at her, and she makes the mistake of staring back. He is Ewen, Viscount Sinclair, a known rake. And, living up to his reputation, he follows her, gets her alone and offers her carte blanche. She refuses, but he engineers another time alone with her and offers again. When she refuses this time, he offers marriage.

Her relatives assure her that he couldn't possibly have meant it, that he might pretend to want to marry her but will simply seduce her instead. And since she refuses to believe them, they throw her out. With nowhere to go, she flees to Ewen, putting her trust in him.

We're told bits and pieces about Ewen along the way: that he has been married before but hates to talk about it, that he spent many years spying for the British government on the Continent, and that he used the cover of rakish activities in order to fulfill his missions. And he certainly has been a rake; the expectation of his friends on meeting Bridget is that she is his latest mistress. But he marries her.

Then, not long after the wedding, he abandons her in the country house he'd taken her to - and where he also used to take his mistresses - and goes back to London. It is at this point that the question of whether he is a cad or not comes about. Has he, as Bridget wants to believe, been honest with her about everything - including the fact of their marriage? Or has he been playing a game with her and has now abandoned her, as the servants, Ewan's cousin Drummond and the knowing street-urchin Gilly would have her believe?

Find out for yourself in this very touching, poignant love story!

I haven't read any of Edith Layton's books before _The Cad_, but be sure that I'll be picking up all of them before too much longer. This Regency romance features a heroine with common sense and a certain wry look at life, occasioned by her position as the poor relative. The hero, the Cad of the title, is and he isn't. Some of his caddishness is a facade assumed to cover his role as a spy in the Napoleonic wars, some is a reaction to his previous, failed, marriage, and some is just because ... he falls head over heels in love and has to do anything he can think of to get this woman to marry him. There are some very enjoyable secondary characters, particularly the flower girl, Betsy, and her bigger sibling, Gilly, but the book centers around the primary couple, which is as it should be. I found the writing to be much more true to life than in many romances, and the amount of period detail was just enough to bring it to life without overwhelming.

and a solid 3.5 at that. Like other reviewers I have to agree-this was a book that started fantastically but quickly lost steam when the hero, called away, is seemingly gone for almost half of the book.

The saving grace to the story is the supporting characters (whom I understand will be prominant in future books) especially street urchins Gilly and little sister Betsy.

For a historical-the novel does have several plot problems-my biggest complaint is the servants rudeness to the heroine-who is now the Viscountess, AND their boss.

I find their behavior towards Bridget highly implausible-they would have treated ANY guest of the Viscount with respect for fear of losing their positions.
But-that being said-the novel's first half, and the promise of future storylines with these characters-makes this book enjoyable enough to recommend.
3.5 stars.

In trying to sum up this book, the best word is intriguing. This is a very romantic book in the truest sense of the word. It keeps you wondering what is true and what is false. The characters are flawed but make sense together. I liked the secondary character until some of the other readers. First book of hers but it makes me want to check out another one. If you are looking for a Rachael Gibson or Nora Roberts, go elsewhere but she has solid writing. More like Kathleen Woodiweiss

"The Cad" began wonderfully..I love a book where we dont have to wait long for the H/H to meet...I really was into this at first and was so excited because I thought that I had found a keeper...well, imagine my disappointment then when this story fell flat on it's face a little more than half way through...There was a huge separation between the H/H that had me desperately skimming ahead to see when they would finally be together again..also, there were many secondary characters in this book that instead of making things more interesting just annoyed me..."The Cad" wasnt awful...but it was definitely not more than mediocre at best.

I recently read THE CAD by Edith Layton and fell head over heels in love with both the hero and the book. Being a Layton fan, I am always in awe of the way she crafts language and her keen use of humor, but in addition, THE CAD has completely original, fascinating, and three dimensional characters drawn so vividly that they spring to life after a few lines of reading. THE CAD is chock full of unexpected plot thrills and chills that had me in a constant state of surprise and delight. I am a Layton fan, but I'd have to say that this is definitely one of my favorites!

This book had been on my "to be read" bookcase for 2 or 3 years. Finally I picked it up, and I am so thankful that I did. It is a sweet romance with a hero any woman would welcome into her life. The Cad is a keeper. This is one of those stories that will "call" to me to re-read for the adventure, the love, the conflict, and a hero who overcomes all to keep the woman he truly loves..Oh My.
The lady The Cad chooses had been injured as a child and mistreated as a young woman by her entire family. She never expected a whirlwind romance, much less a marriage for herself as she saw herself as a worthless scared burden to her family.
Take the time to savor the romance, and enjoy this story that touched my heart..

This is the first book of Edith Layton's which I have read and I truly enjoyed it. It is a "light" read and went very quickly. That's why I only gave it 3 stars......though the story was interesting, with an unusual twist, I felt that there could be so much more. The skill and writing style are all there. I would have liked to have seen more depth outside the basic storyline. The little things that make the story interesting. Adding the flower girl and her sibling was a great start in that direction. I do recommend this book, and I will try to find some of her other books as well....ENJOY!!!!

Talk about keeping you guessing until the end! I honestly did not know how this was going to be resolved. Our hero has to be a hero,.....right? But, what if he wasn't a hero, what if he was a fake....what if he lied to our heroine...only to find at the very end, he was more of an honorable man than he thought, even of himself.....or, what if he was a cad, out for what he could get without any thought ot the person he'd be hurting, right until the very end, when of course, he'd have a revelation, and have to redeem himself. Which is it? Well, read the book and find out! Cause until the final reveal, I wasn't sure myself! Especially when the "Blast from the past" turns up. (no spoilers thank you!). I read my first Ms Layton in a short story anthology, and thank the stars that I did, 'cause it has introduced me to an author that, with "The Cad" has gone into my top 5 RegRoms of all time. Well done Ms Layton, kudos for keeping me up until 4am, cause I just had to finish the book to know the real Ewen! I have read almost all of the rest of the C series, (not #2 as it's not on Kindle.......hint hint Amazon?!?!?!) but to me this is the best. Enjoy!