The Romanceaholic

Expected Release Date: November 29, 2011 (Available Now!)
Publisher: Harlequin
Imprint: HQNBooks
Author’s Website: http://www.nicolacornick.co.uk/
My Source for This Book: Netgalley
Part of a Series: Yes, Book 5, Scandalous Women of the Ton
Series Best Read In Order: Works well as a standalone but benefits from being read in order.
Steam Level: Steamy

Official Blurb:

Tess Darent’s world is unravelling. Danger threatens her stepchildren and she is about to be unmasked as a radical political cartoonist and thrown into gaol. The only thing that can save her is a respectable marriage. But when it comes to tying the knot Tess requires a very special husband – one who has neither the desire nor the ability to consummate their marriage.

Owen Purchase, Viscount Rothbury cannot resist Tess when she asks for the protection of his name. But he has no intention of making a marriage in name only. Will the handsome sea captain be able to persuade the notorious widow to give her heart as well as her reputation into his safekeeping?

Tess Darent, the Much Married Marchioness has wed and buried three husbands, and has earned the reputation of a very wicked widow.  Said to have exhausted her previous husbands to death with her demands in the bedroom, she appears to enjoy a life of frivolity and of courting scandal.

There is, however, much more to Tess than anyone in the ton knows — she’s a staunch supporter of the radical cause that seeks reform in government, and contributes to the cause by sketching inflammatory political cartoons of those in power.

Now her hidden life is threatening to catch up with her, and her beloved stepchildren from her last marriage are in danger.  Needing the protection of a respectable marriage, Tess searches out a very specific type of husband — one incapable of actually consummating their union.

When Owen Purchase, Viscount Rothbury, joined the government investigation to seek out Jupiter, the infamous cartoonist whose drawings are beginning to incite the masses, he never imagined that his search might lead him directly to the parson’s mousetrap.  Suspecting Lady Darent of sedition is one thing, but proving it is a much trickier endeavor. When the lady herself actually proposes marriage, Owen can’t help but be fascinated with the idea of marrying the beautiful and enigmatic woman, especially after he discovers that her carefully cultivated facade of a featherbrain is hiding a very intelligent and cunning mind.

In a marriage of convenience, Tess hopes to find the protection of her husband’s name will extend to her stepchildren, and she soon realizes that she and Owen could actually be friends.  But when it becomes obvious that a case of mistaken identity is responsible for her belief that he poses no sensual danger to her, can Tess overcome a traumatic past and allow herself to trust the potent and sensual man whose name she now carries?

What Worked For Me:

• The misunderstanding about Owen that caused Tess to seriously consider him as husband material was such that I couldn’t decide if I wanted to laugh or to cry.  I felt so badly for Tess because even without having read about the actual incident that traumatized her, I could understand her desire to protect herself, and yet I was so glad for the misunderstanding because without it she never would have been able to break out of the stagnation she’d forced herself into.
• I adored the fact that Tess and Owen had quite a few “false starts” in their physical relationship.  While their first actual lovemaking was gorgeously sensual and proceeded smoothly, letting Tess have a few bad moments in the beginning really helped to avoid the “Magic Penis Syndrome” that occurs so often in romance novels.  Too often, romance novels take a heroine with a traumatic sexual past and as soon as she meets the hero, she’s magically cured of any resultant hangups.  Tess’ relationship with Owen felt so much more natural, especially when accompanied by his incredible patience with the situation.
• On the same note, Owen’s patience allowed for quite a bit of Unresolved Sexual Tension to build up between the two of them, which added quite a bit of heat to the story.
• I also really liked the fact that Owen was not innocent in entering the marriage under false pretenses. He was so angry with Tess at some of the reasons for her wanting to enter into a marriage of convenience with him, but frankly he was using her just as she was using him. I found this fact to be enjoyable because Owen is such a nice man that otherwise I think I would have felt so sympathetic to him otherwise that I likely wouldn’t have been able to enjoy Tess’ character fully.
• I have not read all of the books in this series, so I was as unfamiliar with Joanna’s story as much as any newcomer to the series would be. Even so, I greatly enjoyed the subplot where the history between her, her husband, and Owen was dredged up and then resolved.  It not only added to this story, but made me want to go back and start the series from the beginning.

What Didn’t Work For Me:

• I was a little disappointed to discover that Tess’ stepchildren did not actually make an appearance in the story.  While the blurb is accurate, her stepchildren are not in her immediate care and therefore we didn’t get to see any interaction between the three of them.
• I was not thrilled with the resolution of Tom’s story arc.  I can’t say more without being a spoiler, but it’s one of the few things that I didn’t really care for about this incredible story. Luckily, I contacted the author, and she’s given me hope, and I look forward to where she takes things in the next (and last) book of the series, as well as a novella she has planned.

I’d previously “met” Tess in earlier books in the series, and at the time, I honestly didn’t like her.  A total spendthrift with a reputation for fast living, gambling, and carousing with all sorts of unsavory sorts, she’d been married several times and widowed soon after.  A completely featherbrain with only a head for fashion and partying, Tess wasn’t someone I ever thought I could fall in love with as a heroine.

Oh how wrong I was.

Tess was an absolutely incredible heroine.  Having suffered through a horrible marriage, her only experience with passion and the physical side of marriage was a traumatic one, and as such she has focused not only on bringing justice to society through her support of a rebel cause, but hides her own wit and intelligence behind a facade of scandal and stupidity so that no one will ever guess at her real depths.

Enter the delicious Owen Purchase.  An American sea captain and almost-pirate, he let his temper and sense of righteousness get the better of his logic, and practically ruined his life. Now determined to keep his passions checked, Owen values his own personal control. Unfortunately, the beautiful and intriguing Tess challenges him at every turn, and he simply cannot resist her charms.

The courtship between the two was absolutely beautiful.  Tess was so damaged from a previous relationship that had Owen been even an iota less patient with her, their relationship wouldn’t have felt believable. As it was, however, the progression of not only their affections but of their physical relationship was paced perfectly, and the resulting love between them was incredibly satisfying.

Overall, this was an incredible tale of a damaged woman learning to trust not only her husband but also herself, and of a hardened man realizing that sometimes it’s not only acceptable, but marvelous to allow yourself to lose control.

Recommended for fans of damaged heroines learning to give in to passion, of honorable and patient heroes, and of finally allowing yourself to let go. A very solid 4.5/5 Stars

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