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A review by attytheresa
A Christmas Promise by Mary Balogh
3.0
This one gets major stars awarded because it really delivered on the whole Regency Christmas at the snowbound family country house theme. Absolutely delighted in all the scenes and descriptions of gathering greens and yule log, decorating the house, sledding, caroling, even a children's Christmas pageant! However, it had other problems.
A bankrupt Earl, inheritor of crippling debt and a decaying family estate from a dissolute cousin, is coerced into marriage with *gasp* a Cit's daughter, sight unseen. Joe, the Cit, is a coal dealer, and has a fortune to rival Midas. He also has a beautiful 19 year old daughter he desires to see settled in marriage to a title, the sooner the better because Joe is dying of cancer. Joe will see his daughter settled before he dies. And so Eleanor, who will not say no to her father especially as the man she loves has 'freed' her because he will not force her to live the impoverished life he can only offer, and the Earl are married after only one meeting with each other. It does not go well.
There are a number of sex scenes, all but one where the Earl forces Eleanor to perform her conjugal duties and Eleanor complies in a manner that brings to mind that old trope 'just lie there and think of England." It was quite distasteful in truth. And the one intimate scene that is provided has our heroine not fully awake! Ugh.
Ultimately the Earl and Eleanor come to realize they had misconceptions about each other and fall in love during the Christmas festivities that actually salvaged this regency romance. As well as did the deftly drawn variety of side characters. Eleanor is no tepid miss either but a very strong personality coping with a great many difficult moments in her life, fighting back as best she can. And the Earl is actually quite likable. I just have a problem with the author's treatment of sex.
A bankrupt Earl, inheritor of crippling debt and a decaying family estate from a dissolute cousin, is coerced into marriage with *gasp* a Cit's daughter, sight unseen. Joe, the Cit, is a coal dealer, and has a fortune to rival Midas. He also has a beautiful 19 year old daughter he desires to see settled in marriage to a title, the sooner the better because Joe is dying of cancer. Joe will see his daughter settled before he dies. And so Eleanor, who will not say no to her father especially as the man she loves has 'freed' her because he will not force her to live the impoverished life he can only offer, and the Earl are married after only one meeting with each other. It does not go well.
There are a number of sex scenes, all but one where the Earl forces Eleanor to perform her conjugal duties and Eleanor complies in a manner that brings to mind that old trope 'just lie there and think of England." It was quite distasteful in truth. And the one intimate scene that is provided has our heroine not fully awake! Ugh.
Ultimately the Earl and Eleanor come to realize they had misconceptions about each other and fall in love during the Christmas festivities that actually salvaged this regency romance. As well as did the deftly drawn variety of side characters. Eleanor is no tepid miss either but a very strong personality coping with a great many difficult moments in her life, fighting back as best she can. And the Earl is actually quite likable. I just have a problem with the author's treatment of sex.