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5.0 out of 5 stars
Do NOT miss this one!, Mar 5 2004
Alexandra "Alex" Huntington had loved Bryceson Wakefield, the Fifth Duke of Hawksworth, since childhood. She knew he married her to care for his relatives, freeing him to join the war against Boney. She never expected him to leave only moments after their vows had been spoken though! When she received word Bryceson had been killed at Waterloo, it was up to her to care for his nieces, his uncle, and her own aunt. Hard to do, since Bryceson never provided for them in case of his death! Everything went to his cousin, Baxter, who cast the lot of them out and began spending his new fortune. A year after her husband's reported death, things became desperate. Alex made a bargain with Judson Broderick, Viscount Chesterfield. She would marry him if he would pay off all debts. Judson kept the bargain. He paid everything. Yet in the church, only seconds before Alex said "I do", her deceased husband walked into the church to claim her! Bryceson was horribly scarred, inside and out. As he and Alex courted, the Ton had called them Beauty And The Beast. He had been the golden one. She had been the plain one. As he claimed his wife, Bryceson could not help but notice their roles had been reversed. While he had been away, Alexandra had become a beauty! Feeling she deserved better than he, Bryceson planned to give her an annulment. However, not until his childhood nemesis, Chesterfield, had married elsewhere. Until then he would keep his hands to himself, no matter how hard that would be. What he did NOT expect was for his wife to set out to seduce him! ***** This author, Annette Blair, swept me off my feet with the last book, The Undeniable Rogue. I never thought I would read such a wonderful story again! With this book, I have been proven wrong! The main characters of her last book return as secondary characters. Also, as with last time, the author added an unusual pet. It all sums up to one of the best tales written during the entire 2002 year! Hmmm, I foresee awards ... Pre-order, if you can, or mark your calendar. Either way, DO NOT MISS OUT! Marvelous! ***** Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Totally Satisfying Read, Oct 5 2003
Alexandra "Alex" Huntington had loved Bryceson "Hawk" Wakefield, the Fifth Duke of Hawksworth, since he had saved her from a muddy ravine when she was three and he was eight. On that day he became her 'knight in shining armor'. When he married her, for whatever his reasons, it was the happiest day of her life and the most devastating when he left immediately after the wedding to run off to war. Hearing later that he had been killed at Waterloo, she would carry on, in spite of the fact that it was to his sister-in-law that he sent his last letter. As his widow, she was left in charge of his aunt, and two nieces but no provisions had been stipulated in the event of his death, wrongfully assuming that all of the Hawksworth widows would be cared for in the event of his death. Unfortunately, upon his demise everything went to his cousin, Baxter, who promptly tossed Alexandra and his family out of their home. A year and a day after his death, Alex made a pact to wed Judson Broderick, Viscount Chesterfield. The arrangement was made in return for a very large sum of money to pay debts. Moments before saying 'I Do', Bryceson, limped down the aisle and stopped the wedding.This then was where the horribly scarred Hawk finally decided to come back to life. He took one look at the beauty Alex had become and knew he had to stop her from marrying, of all people, his old nemesis, Chesterfield. He vowed in his mind that it would only be until he could get an annulment before setting her free, not wanting to subject her to a life with the broken and disgusting looking man he felt he'd become. Thinking that Alex would be repulsed by his appearance, he vowed he would keep his hands off of her, but what he never expected was that SHE would have the devil of a time keeping her hands off of him! Alex didn't see a monster, she saw the man she thought of even as she walked down the aisle to marry another. She'd always loved Hawk and after waiting all this time for her wedding night, she would do whatever was necessary to become his wife in truth! In this second entry to the 'Rouges' series, the author treats you to another wonderful story centered on a survivor, scarred physically and mentally, from the infamous battle of Waterloo. She paints a vivid picture capturing the emotional baggage Hawk brings home as Alex does her best to prove that the beauty of a man is in his heart and gentle ways, not his countenance. In addition, the reader is introduced to new and old cast members that will amuse and infuriate you. As the scenes unfold she will make this a story that you never want to see end yet it will leave you totally satisfied, even as you sob into your tissues or clear the lump in your throat that will form by the sheer talent of her prose. For me, another total read that I can highly recommend.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Another war-wounded peer who needs love and healing, Mar 14 2003
Alexandra has loved Bryce all her life. To Bryce, she was his childhood shadow always following him around and getting him into trouble. In a last (and futile) effort to gain his father's approval and respect, Bryce honors his father's deathbed request to go and fight Napoleon. But before he leaves, he decides to marry Alex so that she can take care of his family (two nieces and uncle) while he is gone. He leaves immediately after the vows are exchanged without a wedding night or staying for the reading of his father's will. He should have stayed for that one, since the will stated that if Bryce married Alex (his father disliked and disapproved of her), he would lose everything but his title.Alex does all she can to care for the family, tossed out by the new heir when Bryce is reported killed in action. They move into Alex's run-down family manor but need money. After grieving for a year, Alex agrees to marry Viscount Chesterfield for financial security. But the ceremony is halted by a disheveled, limping, bearded Bryce seemingly back from the dead. Yes, he's back but for how long? Though he claims her from Chesterfield (his nemesis) he plans to annull their marriage and set Alex free to marry a man she can love. She deserves better than a dispirited, broken man like him. As he discovers what she's had to deal with in his absence he becomes increasingly ashamed of himself. He's returned, but has nothing to offer her - no money, no estates only his loser self. If only he knew that she has never stopped loving him. But she won't show him that because she is still smarting from the fact that he waited a year to tell her that he was alive. She decides to teach him a lesson by seducing him and then walking away. See how he likes being left! Alex slowly learns, however, that Bryce's war experiences have left him damaged not only physically, but spiritually and she longs to help him heal. Will he let her? I liked the family dynamic. Love and concern for family is ultimately what keeps them together. I found the soon-to-come-out Claudia and her relentless pursuit of Chesterfield amusing ("he's my destiny!") and six year old eavesdropper Beatrix ("Bumble Bea") just adorable. It was also refreshing that Bryce (along with Alex) has to start over and build a new future instead inheriting one. A good read, if a bit on the slow side.
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