Abbigael Granger, a well-off Irish lass, is sent to London
to seek a husband. In the 1820s Dublin is the second city
of the Empire but her rural home in Donegal is far from
society. Her father, a member of the Privy Council, places
her with his cousins the Blackbournes who promise to
introduce her to all the right people. But at 21, and not a
raving beauty, she's not at all certain of success.
Leif, Lord Riley, is a RECKLESS VISCOUNT used to ignoring
husband hunters but from the first time he meets Abbigael
he notices that she's not the usual schooled miss. Devil-
may-care with a reputation likely to ruin a girl's good
name, he inveigles an introduction. But Abbigael is very
conscious that she must behave impeccably. After her
mother's death in a carriage accident she suffered a
breakdown, and she can't allow any suspicion to taint her
now, for nobody would wish to marry possible insanity.
Leif's father dies and he inherits 500 acres of ruined soil
in northern Sussex, with a crumbling castle. Suddenly an
heiress is exactly what he needs to restore his property.
But nobody wants to let him near their daughter, and as for
Abbigael, the girl who intrigues him, rumours are already
flying....
The angle is certainly unusual as I don't recall reading
about possible insanity before in a historical romance
heroine, and Amy Sandas addresses a situation which we
still tiptoe around today. If someone has a breakdown we
see them as fragile and in need of support or medication
for some time. In the 1800s there was no medication,
except the opiate laudanum, and little understanding of
mental illness. While this is an adult romance, we see
lovemaking in the context of a relationship, strengthening
the connection of the lovers. I was a little surprised
that Leif is particularly determined to restore an orangery
on his estate; surely the times would have given priority
to a family chapel?
I enjoyed RECKLESS VISCOUNT which sweeps us along in a
grand passion, and so will many fans of historical romance;
I'll be looking out for more by Amy Sandas.
When this scoundrel abducts an innocent it’s his heart in
danger of being stolen.
London society sees Leif Riley, Viscount Neville, as a
reckless charmer of wealthy women. No one sees his silent
desperation to restore his impoverished ancestral holdings
to their once-formidable glory.
When he spies a fresh-faced Irish lass at court, something
beyond her slim, feminine form and hefty dowry quickens his
pulse. Which only makes the truth—that a love match will
never be his—too much to bear.
Pursued across the Irish Sea by a secret that could shatter
her dream of a loving husband and children to cherish,
Abbigael Granger has no time for handsome rakes. Yet she
can’t deny how Leif’s stolen kiss illuminates her innocent
body.
Awakening from a despair-driven binge, Leif is horrified to
find that his impulsive abduction of Abbigael was no
drunken dream. Yet while Abbigael discovers there are
certain pleasures to be found in a rake’s marriage bed,
Leif wonders if he can ever leave his scandalous past far
enough behind to be the man of her dreams. Or if he
deserves the heart she offers.
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