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Season For Scandal (2013)

by Theresa Romain(Favorite Author)

3.5 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

1420132431 (ISBN13: 9781420132434)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Zebra

series

Holiday Pleasures

review 1: This may be the most unique regency romance I have ever read. The feelings I felt as I read this story were unlike the feelings I normally feel while reading these sorts of books. I really took some time to evaluate my feelings about the main characters. There were times when I wasn't sure if I LOVED this book or absolutely hated it. Eventually I came to an understanding with it and was able to award it four stars ... but it was a journey, one that I am unaccustomed to taking when I pick up a historical romance novel. So what made this unique?Many romance novels end with a Happily Ever After wedding. The struggles between the main couple have occurred. They have overcome whatever had been keeping them apart, and then they head off into the sunset together, full of absolute... more joy. Not this story. This story begins with a wedding, but happily married bliss does not soon follow. Edmund and Jane are in for a rough ride, and it was a pretty difficult ride for me to take with them as I read. After reading the second book in Theresa Romain's Holiday Pleasures series we knew that Jane adored Kilpatrick, but it was also clear that he was pretty oblivious to her feelings. In this story we get to see that obliviousness up close and personal, and it isn't pretty. It all starts with an overwhelmingly kind act as Edmund rescues Jane from a horribly placed wager, offering to marry her so that she can use her dowry to pay off her debt to an unscrupulous player. For Jane this could be a dream come true. She can escape the confines of her current life, rid herself of the debt she foolishly incurred, and marry the love of her life. Edmund is kind to her. What could go wrong?Well ... everything.Edmund was a hard character to like for at least 80% of this novel. 80%!!! Normally when I can't stand the hero of a novel it is because of his "roguish" ways. He is a womanizer, or a glutton, or unkind ... you know, the normal sort of rogue behaviors you encounter in regency romances. But you always stick with the guy because, like the heroine, you can see the heart underneath his roguish ways. Not so in this story. Edmund is nice ... REALLY nice. He is nice to everyone. He is that guy that dances with all the widows and wallflowers at the dance. He valiantly runs to save anyone who seems to be in need. The people love him. They cannot imagine how anyone could be unhappy as Edmund's wife. But this nice behavior is just his way of atoning for the sins of his past. He is nice, yes. But he will not allow anyone close to his heart. He buys Jane gifts because she asks for them. He caters to her every need. Seems like it is a good deal, right? But HE is not there. He is just performing an act. His heart does not belong to Jane. He is the love of her life, and he appears as if he will never, ever love her in return. And it is torture for her. And it was torture for me. Oh, how I felt for Jane! There were scenes written in this story that were absolutely brilliant. Their bedroom scene on their wedding night was an example of this brilliance. Theresa Romain was able to write a bedroom scene that had every single element that you always find in these stories, but instead of feeling the passion and romance of it, it seemed absolutely cold and heartless. Brilliant. It may have been one of the most disturbing scenes of this nature I have ever read, and I knew that this marriage was in trouble.Seeing this couple go through their (basically) loveless marriage was difficult, but it never seemed totally hopeless. I kept reading, hoping, for Jane's sake, that she could find her Happily Ever After with the man of her dreams. The big scandal keeping these two apart takes awhile to reveal itself. That was a bit frustrating. To be honest, the most difficult thing to handle in this story was Edmund's dishonesty with Jane. Why couldn't he just come out and tell her what was wrong? It would have solved so many problems for him. But, to be a bit realistic, this was a marriage of convenience for him, despite Jane's feelings. He really had not taken the time to get to know Jane at all, so he had no idea how his new wife would respond to his gigantic scandal. And Jane didn't truly know the man she was in love with. They didn't really begin to communicate with one another until late into this story. This is a cautionary tale about why it might be important to get to know your spouse a bit before you jump into a hasty marriage.Overall, I appreciated this story so much because of its unique nature. I felt different as I read, and it made me think a bit deeper about the themes presented. I normally grab a romance novel in order to escape and not have to think so deeply. This one took me by surprise. There might be some who will have a harder time appreciating this story because it may come across as a bit darker than some romances, but if you can see past Edmund's horribly uncaring behavior I think that you will find a satisfying and well-constructed romance that leaves you satisfied at the end. As unloving as Edmund could be, he does come to figure things out eventually. I did end up loving him as a character. If I have any huge complaint it is that I really hoped to get more time to spend with this couple after they finally worked things out and truly fell in love. But the Happily Ever After, or at least the beginning of it does arrive, thank goodness. Bravo for a somewhat daring approach in this genre, Theresa! Four stars!
review 2: I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley to review.I love love loved this book! Theresa Romain is quickly becoming one of my favorite romance authors. She has a way of creating very human characters who are easy to root for. All Jane wanted was some adventure and to be loved. Her actions reflect that and the reader can empathize with what she wants from her husband. Edmund is kind of a screwup when it comes to his wife. He tries to make her happy by buying her things. What's curious about this is that what she wants is what he freely doles out to widows, spinsters, and wallflowers: kindness. He does this to make up for the fact that he cannot take care of his own family. We see why he wanted a wife and why he holds her at an arm's length. The romance slowly creeps up on Edmund while Jane has been in love with him. The villain was creepy without being over the top or ridiculous. I loved that we got to see more of Alex and Louisa. I loved A Season for Surrender as well. Theresa Romain is great, and I cannot wait to read more of her work. less

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