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A review by turophile
Thomas by Grace Burrowes
4.0
How much should one cling to the binding ties of family? At what point must one focus on self-preservation? And can a woman remain independent and true to herself, yet marry?
Those are the fundamental questions posed by this book. And despite the name of the series (The Jaded Gentleman) the book really is about Loris Tanner, the book’s heroine.
The book opens as Baron Sutcliffe, aka Thomas, arrives at his newly purchased estate and finds Loris, the acting steward, in a dispute with the stable master over the treatment of a horse. Thomas is impressed with the work she’s down the last two years as acting steward, but alpha male that he is, believes no woman should play such a role. She should be married and spending her time in drawing rooms. “All in all, she’d proven competent as an interim steward, but to Thomas’s expert eye , she was utterly inept as a woman.”
Yet – I kept reading despite that utter inanity.
Unfortunately, such inane sentiments were not uncommon during the time period when this book is set, and Thomas correctly recognizes that if something happened to him, a future landholder might not be willing to keep her on as a steward. Thomas takes it upon himself to teach her the manners needed in polite society so that she can choose whether to move into a different role.
The book unfolds as Thomas teaches her grace and manners while she teaches him about managing estate. In the backdrop, there’s an ongoing mystery about small acts of sabotage and a neighboring gentleman who’s interested in marrying Loris so that he can inherit under terms of a will which require him to take a wife.
The other important arc of the story is Loris’ relationship with her father, who raised her from a young age. When sober, her father was a competent, and at times excellent, steward. But when he went on a bender, oh boy. Loris always stood by to rescue him and would follow him to wherever his travels lead. As a result of his last bender, however,a neighboring widow accused him of raping her. Though many doubted the claim, her father disappeared, leaving Loris alone for two years.
As the story progresses Loris uncovers clues suggesting her father is still alive and she’s left with the dilemma of whether to follow her heart or rescue him.
Loris’ coming into her own as an independent woman was my favorite aspect of the book. I wish we got to know Thomas better. We learn a little about his background, but the book never delves into who he is very much. His character develops enough to move beyond his expectations of a woman, but I’d really like to know him better, esp. since the series is about jaded men.
An enjoyable read, but I wanted more. 3.5
Those are the fundamental questions posed by this book. And despite the name of the series (The Jaded Gentleman) the book really is about Loris Tanner, the book’s heroine.
The book opens as Baron Sutcliffe, aka Thomas, arrives at his newly purchased estate and finds Loris, the acting steward, in a dispute with the stable master over the treatment of a horse. Thomas is impressed with the work she’s down the last two years as acting steward, but alpha male that he is, believes no woman should play such a role. She should be married and spending her time in drawing rooms. “All in all, she’d proven competent as an interim steward, but to Thomas’s expert eye , she was utterly inept as a woman.”
Yet – I kept reading despite that utter inanity.
Unfortunately, such inane sentiments were not uncommon during the time period when this book is set, and Thomas correctly recognizes that if something happened to him, a future landholder might not be willing to keep her on as a steward. Thomas takes it upon himself to teach her the manners needed in polite society so that she can choose whether to move into a different role.
The book unfolds as Thomas teaches her grace and manners while she teaches him about managing estate. In the backdrop, there’s an ongoing mystery about small acts of sabotage and a neighboring gentleman who’s interested in marrying Loris so that he can inherit under terms of a will which require him to take a wife.
The other important arc of the story is Loris’ relationship with her father, who raised her from a young age. When sober, her father was a competent, and at times excellent, steward. But when he went on a bender, oh boy. Loris always stood by to rescue him and would follow him to wherever his travels lead. As a result of his last bender, however,a neighboring widow accused him of raping her. Though many doubted the claim, her father disappeared, leaving Loris alone for two years.
As the story progresses Loris uncovers clues suggesting her father is still alive and she’s left with the dilemma of whether to follow her heart or rescue him.
Loris’ coming into her own as an independent woman was my favorite aspect of the book. I wish we got to know Thomas better. We learn a little about his background, but the book never delves into who he is very much. His character develops enough to move beyond his expectations of a woman, but I’d really like to know him better, esp. since the series is about jaded men.
An enjoyable read, but I wanted more. 3.5