Virtuoso [Mass Market Paperback]

Cause it clearly can't have been the same one being praised by all the glowing reviews here. Calling this mess a wallpaper historical is an insult to actual wallpaper historicals. Lumping it in with the works of Quinn and James (let alone Beverley) is appalling. Those women at least have a basic understanding of the social mores of the era and they might have actually read a book or two about the Regency (or at least Googled the basics).

A FEW of the more egregious problems: An earl who act as valet to their friend. A baroness who sells wares off a cart like a tinker! Incorrect terms of address. And please, there are no fruit muffins in the Regency! Basically this book (and I assure her others) is a tale of modern people dropped in to a fantasy land of pretty dresses and bizarre manual labor (cause so many lords knew how to put a roof on a house and all their friends would have been totally willing to pitch in, kind of like frat boys building a deck).

Romance? Maybe. HISTORICAL romance? Not even close.

"Virtuoso" is most definitely not my preference when it comes to Historical Romance. It is a very romantic romance, but it wasn't cloyingly sweet (except the ending), and the book does have good, scenic descriptions, flows smoothly, has witty dialogue, especially between and from the secondary characters, and offers a resolution to the internal struggles, if a bit contrived struggles, of the main protagonists.

Blackmailed by her husband's heir, widowed Baroness Roxbury, now masquerading as Mrs. Ellen FitzEngle, resides in a small cottage on an estate in Little Meldon, where she toils away in her gardens, selling her blooms at market and to perfumeries or such for profit. She soon finds herself with a new neighbor, one Lord Valentine Windham - pianist, fifth son of the Duke of Moreland, and one-passionate-kiss-a-year-ago acquaintance of Mrs. FitzEngle - who has won the terribly neglected property and its dilapidated manor in a game of cards from the above mentioned extortionist. And as the repairs on the house begin, so does our love story.

As to our main characters, they are, as Pink Floyd put it, "two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl year after year." They hide behind the figuratively erected facades and assumed identities. Valentine, now plain-old Mr. Windham, successful merchant, is trying to discover who he is apart from the piano (which, because of a hand inflammation, he cannot now play). And Ellen, guilt ridden and annoyingly untrusting, is trying to cope with her lot in life. But these flaws make our characters rich and interesting - quiet a change from the typical hoyden, debutant, or rake encountered in this genre.

What brings this novel down in my estimation is Ellen. While Val is beyond humanly romantic, understanding, and accepting, Mrs. FitzEngle is infuriatingly untrusting, naïve, and inexperienced, sexually (she's been wed for five years, I mean come on!!). Ellen's fear and guilt, which of course lead to her prevarications, are rather contrived. She is well aware of her innocence, yet torments herself and Val, especially toward the end of the novel, refusing to confide, to accept his good intentions, and to commit because she believes she has committed great crimes (but, she knows she is innocent - hmmm!!!). Burrowes could have done better with Ellen's internal struggle. What Burrowes offers with Ellen, left me shaking my head.

Now, the relationship between Ellen and Val takes time to form. However, it is imbued with such serious discussions and mature understandings that, at times, it feels more fictional than real. The sexual tension, attraction could not be felt, and there are two reasons for this: one, because the two protagonists had already met and kissed and two, because Grace Burrowes fails in describing her characters' physiognomies and characteristics as well as their attraction toward each other. The sex scenes, or shall I say sex scene - there was just the one, with the accompaniment of two make-out sessions - were a PG-13 affair, and tarnished with musical metaphors. However, there were no "predator/feral" descriptions in this novel, for which I am profoundly grateful.

Also, there are aspects of this work that defy the reader's expectations of the time period, especially when it comes to character behavior, even secondary character behavior. For example, it is not generally accepted for a Baroness, whether hiding that title or not, to toil away and work for a living. And, a member of the ton, fifth son of a Duke or not or even an Earl, does not typically engage in manual labor, repairing roofs, and barns, and whatnot. However, one could overlook these behaviors, as they adhere and contribute to the bucolic feel of this romance.

Overall, this is not a bad book. It targets the exceedingly sentimental reader; the reader who likes an exaggeratedly tender male protagonist, a very syrupy happy ending, but who does not desire much sizzle. If this is you, then pick this up.
originally on romancecritic

Grace Burrowes's THE VIRTUOSO, the third book in THE DUKE'S OBSESSION series, is an intensely romantic and emotional story of two damaged people finding healing with each other.

For virtuoso pianist Lord Valentine Windham, the Duke of Windham's youngest son, music is his life--until a hand injury prevents him from playing. Terrified his music might be lost to him forever, he must find something to fill the void while, and if, his hand heals. He wins a dilapidated estate at cards and throws himself into setting the property to rights.

Widowed Mrs. Ellen FitzEngle lives alone on Val's new estate. Ostensibly a grower of flowers and herbs, the lady carries a weighty secret. Damaged in a different way than Val is, she seeks to help him heal. And maybe Val can help her heal, too.

I don't have much sympathy for the sufferings of the rich and powerful. Their money provides a cushion poor people with the same problems don't have. Ms. Burrowes has overcome most of my objections by saddling Val with a condition no amount of wealth or privilege can overcome. I also like Val. He's another of my favorite kind of hero, the decent man. I also like that he's an accomplished musician, something he attained solely through his own efforts. In the previous two books of the series (THE HEIR and THE SOLDIER), he played the role of comedy counterpoint to the weighty emotions of the principals. This book strips away the camouflage to reveal the lonely, isolated man beneath.

The author has also balanced Val's privileges with Ellen's lack of them. Ellen is one of those poor people without money to cushion her suffering. Her plight is a mystery we and Val must unravel, and Ms. Burrowes keeps us guessing almost to the end exactly what horrors Ellen has endured.

But the mood is not all gloom. Abundant humor from the secondary characters as well as Val, who still can crack a smile or two through his distress, lightens the tone as we cheer Val and Ellen on.

I like all three books in the series, but THE VIRTUOSO is my favorite. Enjoy.

ARC provided by Sourcebooks

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