Secrets of a Viscount

Gentlemen of Honor: Volume 1

De: Rose Gordon

Narrado por: Stevie Zimmerman

One summer night, Sebastian Gentry, Lord Belgrave hauled the wrong young lady to Gretna Green. When her identity is exposed, the only obvious solution is to get an annulment. Only, just like his elopement plans, things didn’t go as planned and while she has reason to believe they are no longer married, he knows better. Wanting to make things right for her, he offers to help her find a husband…

Isabelle Knight has just been given an unexpected fortune and is in the midst of doing what she never believed she'd have to do: spend a Season on the Marriage Mart. Finding no one who seems to catch her fancy - or even seems bearable to tolerate until death do them part-- her entire world is sent spinning with the sudden appearance of none other than her former husband. Isabelle is in no position to refuse his offer to help her find a husband and reluctantly agrees, but what neither counts on is her future husband just might be the one she’s still secretly married to.

©2014 C Rose Gordon (P)2017 C Rose Gordon

Could've been good, but...

The author turned the Heroine into an ignoramus. She was so stupid & easily manipulated that truly, it was hard for this reader to root for her. At 22 yrs old, she was stupider than she was at 16 when the story started. Her stated emotions were never supported by her actions or interactions. She was angry, for example, but instead converses flirtatiously & never actually acts like what an angry person would. Emotionally confusing. They were supposedly "friends," but ne er once did they actually act like it - and in fact it was stressed that it was always one-sided with her affection towards him. His disinterest & preference for her sister & perception of her being a mere annoyance & completely unwanted was so thoroughly repeated for 75% of the story that it was unclear why she should even want to be with him. The Hero was also never held to full account for his cruelty towards her and his actions afterwards did not match the so-called logic of his "honor" & "responsibility" for her. Even his explanations in the last 30 minutes didn't ring wholly true after 75% of the story demonstrating his disrespect for her.

Ultimately neither character grew, there was no arc of development individually; and thus their development together lacked integrity, true romantic spark, & believability. Then the final 20 minutes they acted in love. But up to then, it was like watching a dumb puppy keep rolling back to be kicked again after acknowledging that he didnt want her or wanted her sister, etc... Not once did either character admire the other for anything other than looks or "spunk." Just not believable.

Without the H/h growth & authentic love trajectory, even the other supporting characters didn't make sense as being integral to the story & seemed somewhat two-dimensional.