Continuing to enjoy this series. I'm not totally comfortable with the shaming of Rafe as a means to get him to stop drinking, but I do love all the secondary romances that are going off like fireworks all around the story. ( )

I hate giving a book a single star when the author has any skill at all, but, rather than add joy to my life like most books do, this seemed to suck away the joy I came in with. lol. If it hadn't been the third book of a series I don't think I would have finished it. Imogen had annoyed me since the first book, she's selfish (she never stops to think how her actions are likely to ruin everyone around her), scathing (she verbally attacks nearly every person who cares for her), and she's a fool- throwing herself after any man who happens to wander past her (Maitland, Ardmore, Mayne, Gabe) all of whom clearly *do not want her* but she just keeps at them anyway! I still might have enjoyed the story despite all that, Rafe was endearing (though flawed) since he made up the nursery for his wards in the first scene of the first book. I had been keeping an eye out since then for him to show any interest beyond guardianship for any of the women, but there haven't really been hints, even when watching for them, (he cut into a dance with her that one time?, but it was to stop her from making a scene, which seems like something a brother would do as well, so not really an expression of interest beyond being her guardian...). If it had turned out in the end that he was gay it wouldn't have been a shock! Having no interest is fine if later you really build his developing feelings for a woman, but it's definitely lame if you only pretend later that he's really been head over heels all along. We've been in his head plenty of times and if he'd had those thoughts we should have at least seen something besides annoyance and attempts to keep her from ruination. But the REAL kicker- was his disguising himself as his brother under some wacko theory that she would only marry him (a young, handsome, rich, Duke!) if he horribly betrayed her trust and tricked her into sleeping with him first... ?!? Set aside that he and his half-brother likely would not be so identical that simply hiding an upper lip could confuse someone who's lived in the same house as Rafe for a year, AND his notion that a woman will agree to anything as long as you've proved you're good in bed-- *deceiving someone into consenting to sex is 'rape by fraud'*. It may not have existed as a punishable crime in 1818 or whatever, who knows, but it definitely WAS when this book was written! And either way, it's assuredly not how you treat someone you claim to love! Eloisa James doesn't particularly mark the moment Imogen realizes the "ruse" but I think it surely had to have been when she noted his callused hands. The thing was, we were reading from her perspective at that point and she didn't have a single thought about the realization. And she continued to think of him, even in her head where we're reading, where she would have no reason to be "playing along" as Gabe. Even during their sex scene she thinks that he was as well endowed as his brother (when she had only ever seen Rafe's) so who the Hell does she think she's having sex with at that point? She either figured it out with the hands, which are the only thing even vaguely alluded to, and then somehow forgot when they had sex?, or there's not a single tipoff and somehow she just knows by the end and is 1000% cool with him repeatedly deceiving her throughout their entire courtship. ?! Terrible. ( )

I was incredibly eager to read this book. I think I fell in love with Rafe in the first scene of the first book in the series when he was having a nursery filled with toys and furnishings in sets of four, for the four little girls he thought would be arriving. It was adorable and spoke of a deeply lonely man, eager for a family. And the premise of this story reminded me a bit of a favorite romance novel of mine, in which the hero disguises himself to marry the woman he loves because, at the time, she professed hatred for him. It's an unbelievable storyline, but I can suspend disbelief to find enjoyment and I was looking forward to it.

If I rate this story based on my enjoyment, particularly the amount of anxious anticipation I felt for what would happen next, then it was a 5-star book. Unfortunately, there were also some detractors that damaged my overall opinion.

Loved: Rafe's sweet, boyish character and his insecurity. The bath scene. The fact that our hero was a pudgy, depressed alcoholic and had genuine flaws. Loved that Imogen was also a flawed character, although her flaws were at times hard to take.

Disliked: Imogen's cruel comments in the beginning--lord, but I think the author went a bit too far. Imogen "believed" the mustache disguise for too long (a minute was probably too long).

Too much was devoted to convincing readers that Imogen had fallen for the disguise to cause readers angst. From Imogen's perspective, the readers were given comparisons of Gabe and Rafe kisses, their voices, and their bodies, all meant to perpetuate the readers' belief that Imogen had been fooled by Rafe's disguise. I'm perfectly willing to suspend disbelief and be convinced that a mustache is an adequate disguise; however, the story would have been altogether improved by letting the readers in on Imogen's secret realization. Imogen loves adventure--she would have loved having her own secret and letting Rafe carry on his act, thinking she had no idea.

(Light spoilers below--plot points mentioned, but not in detail.)

If I had written it: Imogen would have redeemed herself by slowly, and a bit reluctantly, caring for Rafe when he was overcoming the alcohol. We got the bath scene, but in my version, we would have gotten more than that. Instead of the awful, dramatic scene in which Imogen throws all of the alcohol and decanters out the window (in front of not only the whole family, but houseguests!), Imogen would have seen his struggle and in some much kinder way, handled the situation to protect Rafe from himself. It was too late in the book for her cruelty; she was supposed to be redeeming her character.

I would have had Rafe go to meet Imogen at the orchard, as did happen, but he would have admitted who he was and offered to take her to Silchester anyway. And she would have agreed. She could still confess her fears about marriage and love to Rafe and the kissing could have occurred naturally. They would have carried on an illicit affair, intended to be short-lived, only to both realize they wanted more. Imogen would have ended it, just as she did because she had planned it that way and Imogen is a bit ruthless. Then, Rafe would have courted and wooed her, which was what she wanted.

Alternately, Imogen could have seen Gabriel and Gillian kissing in the hallway as she made her way to the theater for rehearsal. Since, even by Eloisa James' word Imogen had already started to suspect that the Gabe-in-a-mustache was really Rafe, Imogen would have been shocked and confused, but continues on, muddling it over in her mind . . . and then, just as she reaches the theater, she is pulled into the priest hole by Rafe (disguised) and having just seen Gabriel upstairs, she knows for certain that her masked lover is not him. But she says nothing, enjoys the moment, and then after that resolves to end the "affair" in the hope that Rafe will pursue her in truth.

( )

Very good ending but not my favorite of hers ( )

Ok, so I am seven chapters in and haven't come up with anything to really discuss about this book. It is not grabbing me at all yet. The storyline of Rafe trying to stop drinking and why he is doing it is probably the aspect of the book I like the most so far. I guess I can be happy about the fact that this seems to be all Imogen's story as her other sisters aren't honing in on her time so far. The author does seem to be bringing back the character Gillian ( Draven Maitland's fiancée before Imogen stole him away) but so far Gillian hasn't intruding enough to be annoying.
 
Gabe's (Rafe's illegitimate brother) attitude of not being good enough for Gillian was heartbreaking at times, as was his devotion to his daughter.
 
The story got slightly more interesting for me during the scene when Imogen dumps out all of Rafe's alcohol and they go for a night time horse ride. Their thoughts and feelings portrayed during these scenes were wonderful and breathed a passion into their story which was missing for me between these two characters.
 
Ms. James takes on to many characters, they are wonderfully written characters, but darn it they steal time from the who are suppose to be the leading couple which in turn leaves me unsatisfied. I really feel like every book so far in this series could be keepers if there was more focus on the leads. I finish each book wishing there was just a little more to what I read. On the other hand this series is turning out to be one the strongest I have read in a long time.
 
Towards end of the book, Imogen and Rafe had some feisty conversations which were enjoyable to read and helped push the book slightly above average.
 
This book had a wonderful cast of characters but it started off so slowly for me that I felt like it was a rest stop in the journey through this series. It was good but nothing which inspired me. This could be due to an overdose of Imogen from the earlier books or a lack of the Earl of Mayne ( who I am positively becoming obsessed with).
 
Was anyone else sort of confused by the epilogue in this book? It is set quite a ways in the future and talks about how everyone is married. It was weird and seemed to be an epilogue which would be better placed in the last book of the series; it just seemed unnecessary. ( )