Oliver York comes back from the war destitute; he needs
to find a rich woman to marry or else he will lose
everything. Oliver is now the Earl of Carlisle, his
father recently died but not before squandering almost
everything the family had. American Grace Halton finds
herself in a similar predicament: she must sail to
England to marry in order to get her meagre dowry from
her English grandparents; she needs money so her sick
mother can heal. For neither Oliver nor Grace is falling
in love an option. And yet, when Oliver sees the poor Miss
Halton, exceptionally beautiful but so uncomfortable at a
ball, he invites her to dance and that's how everything
begins.
And what a memorable dance it is! It's at the very
beginning and it constitutes one of the most exceptional
scenes I have ever read: so lovely, sad, funny; no one
will forget that fabulous passage in the book.
I was anxiously awaiting book one of Ms. Ridley's Duke
of War series as I had so much enjoyed the prequel,
and saying THE EARL'S DEFIANT WALLFLOWER does not
disappoint is the understatement of the year! Grace and
Oliver are lovable, charming, touching characters, their
romance is heartbreakingly beautiful and moving. I also
loved how Grace and Oliver interact with each other; they
are truthful, they respect each other, and yet they are
in such pain because they fall in love and it cannot be.
Ms. Ridley sweeps the reader across time and space with
her glorious, flawless, lush, witty prose; such superb
writing: clever, airy, accurate; sheer perfection, and
things move along swiftly. The characters are all so
different, genuine, multifaceted; there are several
players on the scene, and all of them are so fascinating
that I can only hope we get to read all their stories.
THE EARL'S DEFIANT WALLFLOWER is a simple story really,
but it is made magnificent because of all the emotion Ms.
Ridley infuses in her story; her descriptions of the
clothes, the society, the gossip, make everything so
authentic that the outside world ceases to exist for a
while. I smiled, I laughed, I cried; I felt for those
fictional characters. This is Regency romance at its very
best! I cannot recommend THE EARL'S DEFIANT WALLFLOWER
highly enough! Outstanding!
Oliver York returns from war to find his father dead, his
finances in arrears, and himself the new Earl of Carlisle.
If he doesn't marry an heiress—and fast!—he and his
tenants
are going to be pitching tents down by the Thames. He
definitely shouldn't be trading kisses with a penniless
debutante... no matter how captivating she is!
Miss Grace Halton is in England just long enough to
satisfy
the terms of her dowry. But a marriage of convenience
isn’t
as easy as she’d hoped. Back in America, her ailing mother
needs medicine only Grace’s dowry can afford. Which means
the dashing earl she can't get out of her mind is the one
man she can't let into her heart.
© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy