J’ai presque honte de mettre ce livre ici, mais on ne peut pas être toujours un lecteur studieux et appliqué, une lectrice non plus. Ce livre était dans la centaine de livres offerts avec ma toute nouvelle liseuse que j’ai étrennée avec délice ces derniers jours, comme le montrent les avis de lectures mis en ligne en ce moment…
Je crois que j’ai lu adolescente les deux Harlequins de ma mère, qui trainaient sur les étagères (en secret, car je pense qu’elle aurait désapprouvé ce genre de lecture à mon jeune âge), mais depuis, je n’avais jamais retenté. Un peu de chick lit, comme l’on dit (ça fait poulet, non ?), pour savoir ce que c’est et parce que je ne boude pas toujours une lecture qui ne me demande même pas de temps de cerveau disponible.
Le constat est mitigé. Certes, je ne suis pas sûre que j’étais prête à lire beaucoup plus difficile. Mais tout de même... Cela ne me dérange pas de savoir d’ores et déjà comment un tel livre finira. Lorsqu’on lit un tel livre, on passe un pacte tout sauf implicite avec l’auteur et l’éditeur, donc cela ne me pose pas de problème de connaître la fin avant même d’avoir lu la première page. Mais tout de même… Je n’aime pas être prise pour plus bête que je ne suis, et ce livre m’a paru plein d’aberrations (l’honneur, certes, mais je doute que cela pousse à se marier dans de telles circonstances). Et puis j’aurais aimé un peu de piment, être tout de même un peu surprise le long du chemin qui me menait vers une destination déjà connue. Le lourd passé de chacun des protagonistes est tellement évident que je crois que j’ai fini par m’ennuyer.
C’était probablement un de mes premiers Regency romance, car oui, même pour ces livres on a inventé une catégorie. Ce ne sera peut-être pas le dernier (il y en a deux ou trois autres sur ma liseuse), mais ce ne fut pas une grande réussite, et c’est une litote, je vous prie de me croire.

I got this book for two reasons, one it was and still is FREE! And the second reason is it has my December theme of Christmas.

Everything in this story worked and meshed well, from our heroine Miranda, who was very ordinary and relatable character, to our hero Marcus who’s an honorable man with a gruff exterior.

Miranda and Marcus felt very real, and their love story and the plot were well-developed. I also liked the dialogue which was entertaining and helped move the story at a nice and steady pace.

Secondary character of St. John, the hero’s brother almost stole the story, that’s how well-developed he was.

I highly recommend it if you like a traditional Regency. The story is highly entertaining, intriguing and its complex characters.

This is a new author to me this year, and I’m sure to read her again. Please feel FREE to download it today!

Melanie for b2b
Book provided by the publisher through NetGalley
( )

Miranda is gently born but after her father gambles their money away, she works as a maid. The woman who raised her fears that she's growing up too pretty, and so blackmails an old schoolfriend into inviting her as a guest to the ducal house. Because Miranda arrives late in the evening, without a maid, her reputation is compromised. The duke feels constrained to marry her, but leaves the next day to investigate her claims to gentility. Miranda is left in a dusty old mansion with the duke's scapegrace brother St.John.

This like a less gothic, Regency-era take on [b:Rebecca|12873|Rebecca|Daphne du Maurier|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327871977s/12873.jpg|46663]. The duke's last wife was breath-catchingly beautiful, and Miranda keeps catching the duke and his brother staring up at her portrait in the gallery. What Miranda doesn't realize at first is that the duke married his last wife under family pressure, and that she was flighty, cold, and controlling. He hasn't married since her death many years ago because their marriage was such a disaster, not out of grief. The characters respond refreshingly sensibly to various romance tropes: for instance, when Miranda is threatened with blackmail unless she meets a man in the library for a tryst, she goes to the library with a weapon, knowing that she needs to nip blackmail in the bud. I also really liked that Miranda's main character trait is her work ethic. Her beauty is mentioned a few times, but what everyone talks about and responds to is how hard she works. Merrill doesn't just tell the reader Miranda is a hard worker, she shows us: her hands are calloused and scarred, she has personal formulas for cleaning wallpaper, she has no musical or artistic accomplishments because she spends her free time doing extra chores.

This book was free on amazon, so my expectations were low. But in fact, I was surprised by how much I liked this. I'm going to search out more books by Merrill in hopes they're as enjoyable as this one. It's so rare but wonderful to find someone who can write Regency romance novels with plots, heroines who are sensible, and heroes who aren't rape-y. ( )

Wonderful read!! I never wanted to put it down! Christine Merrill did an amazing job with this book. I will definitely be on the lookout for more of her books. ( )

I love the "marriage of convenience" story line, so was predisposed to like this one. It was a little light on obstacles to romance, but the villain was unexpectedly ruthless and helpful in adding confusion and tension. I liked the hero and heroine, and overall enjoyed this light read. ( )