Series: Diamonds in the Rough, #7
Traits & Tropes: bodyguard; fake relationship; class difference; slow burn
Publication Date: 05.25.21
Genre/Setting: Historical; Regency; London, England, 1821
Heat Level: 1
Rating: 3.5/5
Even knowing he shouldn’t, Blayne MacNeil can’t seem to help himself when he agrees to act as bodyguard to Miss Charlotte Russell. He’s suitably shocked when he arrives to tell her he can’t help her after all, only to have her announce him as her new fiancé. Blayne has been in hiding for nearly 20 years and announcing an engagement, no matter how inauthentic, could prove deadly. If he’s recognized by the wrong people, it could lead to a murder charge.
Charlotte has met with some success as a published novelist and is determined to establish her independence and avoid marriage. Since no respectable society gentleman would tolerate his wife writing adventure stories, she must thwart her parents’ plans to marry her off. When her newest manuscript is stolen, her brooding fake fiancé is her staunchest ally and the greatest threat to her freedom.
I’ve got some mixed feelings here. I loved the premise of the bodyguard turned fake fiancé, but beyond that there was such a plethora of other plot devices and elements in use that it got to be a bit much. This made the story feel a bit hectic at times while at others the pacing was rather slow. I found my attention span wavered similarly as well.
From here on, you chance some mild spoilers as I get my thoughts out. Charlotte took some getting used to, especially as some of her thought processes were a little nonsensical and she could be rather arrogant, but I generally liked her and appreciated her determination to fight for Blayne and not let him push her away. Yet, conversely, as her parents kept finding new obstacles for her, she at one point nearly just meekly gave up, and this seemed out of character. There was just a lot going on here, so some things weren’t fleshed out as much as they perhaps could’ve been while others received a bit too much attention. I wanted more of a real comeuppance for the villain here and a true clearing of Blayne’s name and his restoration to his rightful place. Instead, it left me feeling like the victory was rather hollow and there was just too much crammed into the story.
With all of these occurrences, our MCs don’t get any steamy time together until nearly the end of the story and even then, it was quite tepid. I can enjoy a good slow burn, but this was rather too little and too late for me, as well as somehow lessening the true connection between the MCs. I think this could’ve been more poignant and emotional than it was, especially given everything Blayne had suffered, and I wanted the MCs to get at least a little more time together without outside characters, threats, or other situations to deal with, so this felt like a missed opportunity. The back and forth with Charlotte’s parents also got old fast. They were so awful and wishy-washy and I just wanted Charlotte to be decisive in her interactions with them and stick to her guns rather than giving them further opportunities to hurt her or cause issues. I also wanted to see more of Carlton Guthrie stepping up to help Blayne, a man who is supposed to be like a brother to him, rather than leaving the situation in the hands of his own brother-in-law just when Blayne needed him the most. I understand this was useful to set up Marcus’ story, which I do look forward to, but after everything Blayne had done for Carlton, I wanted to see that relationship come a bit more full circle. Overall, this has elements I loved and others not so much. The writing was solid, and I liked these two as a couple, but their journey felt rather discombobulated and lacked sufficient gratification to leave me wholly satisfied with the ending.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3601858442
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/2385572665
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