7 member(s) found this review helpful.
I enjoyed this historical romance very much. Set in 1833 London, story concerns a viscount John and his estranged wife, Viola. They've been married nearly 9 years, but estranged for most of them. Viola was in love with John, but he married her for her money. She felt betrayed when she learned he'd kept a mistress until they got married. They live apart and no longer speak or even attend the same parties, but now John's cousin (his heir) has died and he desperately needs to win back his wife so that he can have a son and an heir. I enjoyed the depiction of Viola who, despite her name, is no shrinking violet, but a a very spirited woman who lets John know exactly what she thinks of him in no uncertain terms.
John is a silver-tongued charmer who has always had women fall in love with him easily and can't understand why Viola is being so stubborn about not wanting to reconcile with him. He sets about making a plan to charm and entice Viola back into the marriage bed, which results in some hilarious consequences when things don't go according to plan.
I enjoyed the amount of work the author put into character development, especially John's metamorphasis from a charming rake incapable of love into a loving husband. There are some very touching moments.

Sara S. (
gethane) wrote on 4/6/2007...
4 member(s) found this review helpful.
The long lead up before any explicit encounters is a nice change from some of the other books I've been reading where the hero and heroine are already intimate just 100 pages in.

Audrey A. (
AudreyA) wrote on 10/11/2006...
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
A very different kind of romance novel where the husband and wife have been estranged for 8 years. This made it a bit hard to really like John, the hero. The author chose a really difficult subject and did finally wind up redeeming the hero. The author also does an excellent job of weaving characters from previous books into the story.

Julie M. (
NotTwins) wrote on 3/5/2007...
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
I didnt care for this much. I thought it was kind of repetetive

Sonya N. (
SonyaN) wrote on 8/12/2006...
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
Any woman who has lived through infidelity will identify with the heroine in this book. Knowing my own HEA, it was refreshing to see an author tackle the tricky subject of adultery.
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
Great story about an estranged couple in 19th c. England. The husband has to lure his wife back to get an heir.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Laura Lee Guhrke is one of my favorite new finds. I like series with characters introduced and returning in later stories. I loved the tension between the characters. This book is funny, touching, painful, and very sweet. I loved John and Viola's courtship.

Kathleen K. (
kathyk) - Amsterdam, NY wrote on 2/28/2008...
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Third in a series. Very good, fast read.
First in series: Guilty Pleasures
second: His Every Kiss.