LADY ELEANOR'S SEVENTH SUITOR is book one in Anna Bradley's
http://freshfiction.com/series.php?id=4223">Sutherland
Sisters series. Although this series is connected
to Anna Bradley's Sutherland Scandals books,
readers unfamiliar with those books will still be able to
read and enjoy this story. This is not your typical
boy-meets-girl story. This is a story with complex
characters and a delectable romance that develops in spite
of hero's well-intentioned yet wicked machinations.
Camden West does a very bad thing in trying to blackmail
Lady Eleanor Sutherland into an engagement, but he does it
for the right reasons. Throughout LADY ELEANOR'S SEVENTH
SUITOR, Camden is described as being both a villain and a
hero. That dichotomy is entirely accurate, extremely vexing
for Eleanor to puzzle out, and absolutely delicious for the
reader. I love how Cam is stunned when Eleanor smashes all
his preconceptions of her. It was easier for him to deceive
her and use her as a pawn when he thought she was a just
another frigid, shallow, society lady. The kind of cold
union he is proposing is exactly what she fears most. After
witnessing her father's indifference and cruelty,
marrying for love is the only reason Eleanor would ever
consider marrying. Without knowing her innermost thoughts,
Camden is unable to appreciate the irony that Eleanor can't
help but comparing him to her late father -- a man they both
think of with disgust. His cousin and Eleanor both help Cam
see the error of his ways, and surrender to love and his
conscience.
I've read many books about bookish or intellectual
heroines, but Eleanor stands out. Eleanor has the same
shrewdness, big-picture thinking, and devotion to family as
one of Stephanie Laurens' "Cynster" characters. It is all
of these qualities that bowl over Camden and attract him
like a moth to a flame. Cam doesn't initially have any
qualms about using Eleanor for his own ends until he gets to
know her better and is enthralled by her. Eleanor, likewise,
is startled to discover that Camden West is not quite the
black-hearted villain she supposes him to be. From the
moment Eleanor and Camden first size each other up, the
sexual tension is spectacular. The verbal fencing between
this hero and heroine is a thing of beauty and makes me love
this book even more. I long for this kind of wit and
eroticism in other historical romances. Anna Bradley
balances the cat-and-mouse game of desire Camden plays with
Eleanor with emotionally-charged storytelling.
LADY ELEANOR'S SEVENTH SUITOR is a thrilling and sensual
romance that is a must-read for historical romance fans. The
drama between Camden's cousin and Eleanor's sister is
critical to the story, but doesn't take away from the
central romance. The loose ends and angst involved in
Charlotte and Julian's love story have me eager to read the
next book in this Sutherland Sisters series to see
how things work out.
Two sought-after sisters, a slew of suitors-and a vow to
hold out for true love. How many proposals will it take to
get to "I do"-especially when the stakes are high . . .
There have been six suitors so far, all vying for the
attention-and generous dowry-of the beautiful, elusive
Eleanor Sutherland. What does this woman really want? Who
has what it takes to melt the heart of the so-called Lady
Ice? These are the questions Camden West keeps asking
himself. But rather than wait for answers, Cam takes matters
into his own hands . . . for he has a secret weapon.
Cam knows that Ellie's sister, Charlotte, harbors a
scandalous secret-one that could bring ruin to the
Sutherland name. If Ellie marries him, Cam promises to keep
mum. But is she willing to sacrifice her own happiness for
her sister's reputation?
To Ellie's surprise, it becomes clear that Cam doesn't need
her money, nor is he interested in her status. Soon, what
begins as a sham engagement transforms into something
deeper, and more passionate, than Ellie could have imagined.
Is it possible that all Cam truly wanted was her? And is
that reason enough to say yes-or is handsome Cam hiding
something else? Even for a lady in love, only the truth will
do . . .