Series: Saints & Scoundrels, #3
Tropes: suspense/danger; abused heroine
Publication Date: 01.27.20
Genre/Setting: Historical; Regency; Scotland
Rating: 4 stars
As a young debutante vaunted for her ethereal beauty, Constance Campbell was determined to settle for nothing less than a duke. Now the Duchess of Kilmaine has learned to be careful what she wishes for. As she suffers at the hands of her cruel husband, Duncan, Connie hides her true pain from everyone, even the childhood friend who comes to check on her.
Dr. Alec McGuiness had no desire to return to Scotland, especially not to check on the one woman who ever got under his skin, but he finds he cannot refuse his dear friend's request to check on her friend. Alec knew how high Connie's aims were and despite being an earl's son, he knew his status as a professional and a younger son would never be lofty enough for her. But when Alec sees Connie he knows immediately that something is very wrong and when the Duke is murdered in bed, next to a sleeping Connie no less, Alex knows he must help Connie and keep her from being framed for the murder.
In order to keep her brother-in-law from having her committed to an asylum, or worse hanged for murder, Connie finds herself on the run. She enjoys this slight bit of freedom but is dismayed by her attraction to Alec, who has devoted himself to keeping her safe. Though she finds herself increasingly comfortable with Alec, Connie is afraid to ever give a man power over her again. For his part, Alec remembers all too well the snobbish, catty girl Connie used to be and has no wish to have his heart broken again as it was when he was betrayed by the girl he'd once hoped to marry. With more secrets coming out about Connie's late husband, her feelings for Alec may be a moot point.
As a survivor of severe domestic abuse, Connie had a lot of issues to deal with. Alec also had trust issues after having his heart broken by both his parents and the girl he'd hoped to marry. Connie was rather nasty to Alec when they were younger, as she was unabashedly focused on marrying a title, but despite this Alec cannot abandon his childhood friend when she's in such dire straits. Connie starts to come into her own without her domineering mother or late husband getting in the way and I liked that it is she who pursues a deeper relationship with Alec and it is Alec who pulls away.
There were lots of characters in this one and at times I struggled to keep straight who was who and what their motivations were. There were also some issues with incorrect forms of address, some awkward phrasing and a huge overuse of the word darn in particular, but this is just down to my pet peeves and will likely be fixed in final edits. This story had plenty of intrigue, which I liked, but somehow the story still seemed to drag in places, especially between Alec and Connie. Many of Connie's inner monologues became rather repetitive to me, which is probably why I perceived a lag in the story, and all the descriptions of her great beauty got a bit old after awhile. Nonetheless, the mystery was good and I really did enjoy the story.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Dr. Alec McGuiness had no desire to return to Scotland, especially not to check on the one woman who ever got under his skin, but he finds he cannot refuse his dear friend's request to check on her friend. Alec knew how high Connie's aims were and despite being an earl's son, he knew his status as a professional and a younger son would never be lofty enough for her. But when Alec sees Connie he knows immediately that something is very wrong and when the Duke is murdered in bed, next to a sleeping Connie no less, Alex knows he must help Connie and keep her from being framed for the murder.
In order to keep her brother-in-law from having her committed to an asylum, or worse hanged for murder, Connie finds herself on the run. She enjoys this slight bit of freedom but is dismayed by her attraction to Alec, who has devoted himself to keeping her safe. Though she finds herself increasingly comfortable with Alec, Connie is afraid to ever give a man power over her again. For his part, Alec remembers all too well the snobbish, catty girl Connie used to be and has no wish to have his heart broken again as it was when he was betrayed by the girl he'd once hoped to marry. With more secrets coming out about Connie's late husband, her feelings for Alec may be a moot point.
As a survivor of severe domestic abuse, Connie had a lot of issues to deal with. Alec also had trust issues after having his heart broken by both his parents and the girl he'd hoped to marry. Connie was rather nasty to Alec when they were younger, as she was unabashedly focused on marrying a title, but despite this Alec cannot abandon his childhood friend when she's in such dire straits. Connie starts to come into her own without her domineering mother or late husband getting in the way and I liked that it is she who pursues a deeper relationship with Alec and it is Alec who pulls away.
There were lots of characters in this one and at times I struggled to keep straight who was who and what their motivations were. There were also some issues with incorrect forms of address, some awkward phrasing and a huge overuse of the word darn in particular, but this is just down to my pet peeves and will likely be fixed in final edits. This story had plenty of intrigue, which I liked, but somehow the story still seemed to drag in places, especially between Alec and Connie. Many of Connie's inner monologues became rather repetitive to me, which is probably why I perceived a lag in the story, and all the descriptions of her great beauty got a bit old after awhile. Nonetheless, the mystery was good and I really did enjoy the story.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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