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Book Review of Barely a Lady (Drake's Rakes, Bk 1)

Barely a Lady (Drake's Rakes, Bk 1)
Barely a Lady (Drake's Rakes, Bk 1)
Author: Eileen Dreyer
Genre: Romance
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
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Olivia Grace, once the young bride of the Earl of Gracechurch is a victim of betrayal. Divorced and thrown out by her husband, the Earl of Gracechurch, she manages to survive on her own as a ladies companion. On the battleground of Waterloo, she finds her exhusband wounded, unconscious, and in a French uniform! When he wakes up, he has forgotten the past 5 years and how horribly he treated her.He thinks they are still married. (He does, however, recall a French mistress he had and how wonderful SHE was.) I spent most of the book wondering how Olivia could have loved such a shallow arrogant fool, but since she forgave him so easily even when he hurt her AGAIN, she doesn't seem a character to be admired either. The cast of characters for this trilogy all appear in this first book and there are some who have more promise. Aside from the unsatisfying H/H relationship, there are questions I had about Olivia's years on her own (she had her baby in a cow shed and worked as a barmaid...REALLY?) that bothered me enough to take me out of the story over and over. Not one I would recommend.