Ellice Traylor has endured a lot in her young life. She's
lost her father, brother, sister and her home. She now
resides with her former sister-in-law, Virginia, who has
remarried. Also living there is Ellice's mother, Enid, one
of the most horrible examples of motherhood you'll ever
encounter. Ellice has been relatively content here -- you
see, she has a secret. She is writing a scandalous, racy,
explicit novel. Here is where you need to suspend
disbelief. Yes, Ellice IS a virgin, yet she writes about
passion with authority and expertise, supposedly all based
on books she has read, and observing the animal life around
her. Ellice's contentment is about to end, as mama has
decided that it's time she marries. Horrified at the
thought, she needs a plan. When a visitor arrives in a large
carriage, Ellice decides to stow away and take her novel and
sell it, and live on the proceeds.
The plan unravels, when the visitor, Ross Forster, the Earl
of Gadsden, stays overnight due to bad weather. He goes to
his coach to retrieve his belongings, and finds Ellice
hiding there. In her haste to escape him, she leaves her
novel, which he picks up, and takes back to his room with
him. Later, as he's reading, (and finding it very
stimulating) he decides that Ellice must be an experienced
woman. Ross is a widower, and was betrayed in his marriage
in the worst way. He also had a scandalous father with a
notorious reputation. He has political aspirations, and
wants not even a hint of scandal to touch him. So, he finds
his attraction to this scandalous lady who has intentions of
publishing her racy novel unacceptable.
Still, they can't seem to resist stolen kisses. When mama
catches them, and creates a scene, he does the honorable
thing and says they'll marry. They each have conditions,
though, and draw up a humorous marriage contract between
them. After the marriage, Ross is determined to stay out of
her bed until he's sure she's not already pregnant with
another man's child. Ellice is having none of this, telling
him she IS a virgin, and seducing him, and proving it. They
have an explosive chemistry, and share a passionate week
together, and begin to share emotional intimacy too. Time
for happy ever after? Not quite.
As Ross becomes besotted with Ellice, thoughts of how he was
betrayed intrude, and he pulls back, leaving Ellice hurt and
confused. Normally, this is a trope that I really dislike,
but there was some serious wrong done to this man, so I
found that I understood his thinking. I liked him very
much, and my heart broke for what he endured in his first
marriage. Ellice was a bundle of contradictions. She was a
vamp, yet she was naïve in some ways, even childish at
times. Still, I liked her too, despite her being the most
knowledgeable, uninhibited virgin around.
THE VIRGIN OF
CLAN SINCLAIR is the third book of the Clan Sinclair
trilogy, but can be read as a stand alone. It's not a
typical journey to happy ever after, but it gets there, and
I totally enjoyed the trip, and smiled along the way.
Recommended!
The third sizzling romance in New York Times bestselling
author Karen Ranney's Clan Sinclair series
Ellice Traylor has a secret. Beneath her innocent exterior
beats an incredibly passionate and imaginative heart. She
has been pouring all of her frustrated virginal fantasies
into a scandalous manuscript. But when her plans for her
future are about to be derailed by her mother's matrimonial
designs, she takes matters into her own hands.
Ross Forster, the Earl of Gladsden, has spent his life
creating order out of chaos. He expects discipline and calm
from those around him. What he does not expect is a
beautiful, thoroughly maddening stowaway in his carriage.
But when Ross discovers Ellice's secret book, he finds he
can't stop thinking about what other fantasies the disarming
virgin can dream up. He has the chance to learn when a
compromising position forces them to wed. But can the
uptight Earl survive a life with his surprising new wife?
And how will the hero of Ellice's fantasies compare to the
husband of her reality?
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