The book: The Spurned Viscountess by Shelley Munro
The particulars: Historical Romance, Carina Press, available as e-book
The review:
The blurb:

Cursed with the sight and rumors of witchcraft, Rosalind's only chance at an ordinary life is marriage to Lucien, Viscount Hastings. She doesn't expect love, only security and children of her own. Determined to go through with the wedding, she allows nothing she encounters at the gloomy Castle St. Clare to dissuade her.
Recently returned from the Continent, Lucien has no time for the English mouse his family has arranged for him to marry—not when he's plotting to avenge the murder of his beloved Francesca. He has no intention of bedding Rosalind, not even to sire an heir.
Though spurned by her bridegroom, Rosalind turns to him for protection when she is plagued by a series of mysterious accidents and haunted by terrifying visions. Forced to keep Rosalind close—and tempted into passionate kisses—Lucien soon finds himself in grave danger of falling in love with his own wife . . .

My impressions:

I picked up this book earlier this year when Carina Press offered it for free with a coupon. I never got around to read it, until now.It is a decision that I regret, because this book was really, really good.
I could almost taste the sea salt in the air when I read it. It wasn’t just the setting that felt realistic. The smugglers presence and how they affected the villagers added another layer of suspense. Both Rosalind and Lucien were scarred by the past. Those scars made them struggle with trusting each other. This was one of the most heartwrenching romances I have read in a long time. When I reached the end, I closed the book with a content sigh. I’ll definitely get more of Shelley Munro’s books!

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A classic regency romance with a strong female character and a stunningly likable male counterpart. Shelley creates a world where beauty masks ugliness and initial prejudices are pridefully wrong. The tale is packed with intrigue, scandal, plots and romance. The excitement builds through events and erupts in a heated confrontation that digresses beautifully as promised. Readers who enjoy Lauren Willig's Carnation series will certainly enjoy Shelley Munro's style and writing.

Rosiland's defiance is a touch redundant, but she is a young, strong-willed bride so it fits with her character traits. A couple phrasings were modern and I wondered if the references were factual to the time period. Lastly, the reference or word choice used for the male member was crude in comparison to the other sweet and elegant sensitivity used to describe romantic coupling.

Similar to Pink Carnation series by Lauren Willig. ( )

THE SPURNED VISCOUNTESS by Shelley Munro is a historical romance set in 1720 England.It is the revised version of The Second Seduction. It is well written with depth, details and is fast paced. It has betrayal, tragedy, sensuality, romance, suspense,paranormal, secrets, treachery and second chances. The hero, Lucien, is scarred, strong, determined to find the murderer of his first wife, memory lost, is married for convenience, and finds himself falling in love with his beautiful new wife. The heroine, Rosalind, is beautiful, comely to some, has the gift of sight(which people claim she is a witch),a healer, the spurned by others who believe her to be a witch, looking for love, marriage, children, happiness and finds herself married to the scarred, less than happy viscount, Lucien. Together they set out to find the mysterious "Hawk", a smuggler, evil man with secrets of his own.Lucien, although, fights not to love or care about Rosalind, finds he is falling in love with her. Rosalind helps Lucien remember his past, and move on toward his future with her. This is a wonderful story of love, forgiveness and moving on with your future. I would recommend this book especially if you enjoy some paranormal aspects, true love, romance, mystery, intrigue and sweet sensuality.This book was received for review from Net Galley and details can be found at Carina Press and My Book Addiction and More. ( )