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jackiehorne's review against another edition
2.0
I loved Burrowes' early books, but after a while, they all started to read the same, so I went on a hiatus. When this one was on sale for .99 as an ebook, I decided to give Burrowes another try. Weirdly, all of the falling in love between the primary couple in this book took place in a previous book, so I went and got that one (Beckmann, Lonely Lords #4), expecting to read more about them. But we aren't given much of their story in that book, either. Thus this story, in which a lord who ran away from his estate after being attacked and fearing his younger brother was to blame, and who then comes back to get to the bottom of things after he hears said brother has been in 3 different duels didn't really work for me on the romance front. The secondary couple (the former fiancee of the missing lord, and the lord's younger brother, who married said fiancee after his brothers' apparent death) was far more interesting; wish we had gotten their story, rather than Gabriel's...
kathflynn's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
language_loving_amateur's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
nelsonseye's review against another edition
3.0
I may upgrade later. I wish more had been explored with the other couple(s) and the mystery around Gabriel's accidents.
writer595's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
nelsonseye's review
3.0
I may upgrade later. I wish more had been explored with the other couple(s) and the mystery around Gabriel's accidents.
bananatricky's review
3.0
For me Grace Burrowes' habit of telling half a story in one book (in this case, Beckman) and concluding in another is getting old. At least in this book we don't suffer the repetition of half a book, just from a different perspective.
As we found out in Beckman, Gabriel is not a land steward but instead, for reasons unknown, a nobleman in hiding. He and Polly are clearly in love although their relationship has been platonic.
The book starts with Gabriel deciding it is time he resumes his old life. His friends and family believe he died from his wounds in Spain and his younger brother has ascended to the title, and married Gabriel's fiancé. With Gabriel gone, Polly decides to leave the farm and pursue her painting career. In the traditions of all novels, her first commission is to paint Gabriel's brother and his wife, although she is totally unaware of this fact.
There are lots of sub-plots at work.
Who tried to kill Gabriel and why?
Gabriel's brother is in love with his wife but they have not consummated the marriage because of various misunderstandings. On Gabriel's return, his sister-in-law's mother tries to revoke the marriage and force her to marry Gabriel. No, I don't know how that would work either, but it is something to do with breach of promise and allegations that Gabriel's brother knew he was alive and misled them on purpose.
Polly gave birth to her brother-in-law's child when she was barely sixteen. Her elder sister has brought the child up as her own daughter. Polly feels that these circumstances make her unsuitable to marry Gabriel now that he is revealed to be nobility.
She also desperately misses her daughter and regrets allowing her sister to claim the child.
In return, her daughter feels abandoned and displaced by the imminent arrival of a new cousin.
Then there is yet another instance of sabotage of the farm to be investigated.
With all these plots the underlying romance is strangely muted, maybe because from the start we know they love each other?
Edited because I consistently called Gabriel Gareth throughout the entire review as Jen was kind enough to point out. Oops.
As we found out in Beckman, Gabriel is not a land steward but instead, for reasons unknown, a nobleman in hiding. He and Polly are clearly in love although their relationship has been platonic.
The book starts with Gabriel deciding it is time he resumes his old life. His friends and family believe he died from his wounds in Spain and his younger brother has ascended to the title, and married Gabriel's fiancé. With Gabriel gone, Polly decides to leave the farm and pursue her painting career. In the traditions of all novels, her first commission is to paint Gabriel's brother and his wife, although she is totally unaware of this fact.
There are lots of sub-plots at work.
Who tried to kill Gabriel and why?
Gabriel's brother is in love with his wife but they have not consummated the marriage because of various misunderstandings. On Gabriel's return, his sister-in-law's mother tries to revoke the marriage and force her to marry Gabriel. No, I don't know how that would work either, but it is something to do with breach of promise and allegations that Gabriel's brother knew he was alive and misled them on purpose.
Polly gave birth to her brother-in-law's child when she was barely sixteen. Her elder sister has brought the child up as her own daughter. Polly feels that these circumstances make her unsuitable to marry Gabriel now that he is revealed to be nobility.
She also desperately misses her daughter and regrets allowing her sister to claim the child.
In return, her daughter feels abandoned and displaced by the imminent arrival of a new cousin.
Then there is yet another instance of sabotage of the farm to be investigated.
With all these plots the underlying romance is strangely muted, maybe because from the start we know they love each other?
Edited because I consistently called Gabriel Gareth throughout the entire review as Jen was kind enough to point out. Oops.
catniprocks's review against another edition
4.0
slooooooow burn on this one. I can see why some didn't like it. A LOT of talking and not a lot of action. Well, sexy action there is, but not a huge mystery to solve. And what mystery there is isn't much. But I'm liking Grace Burrowes' writing the more this series goes on. One word of warning, I would NOT read this series out of order. Too much is explained in the early books.
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