The Romanceaholic

Expected Release Date: September 27, 2011 (Available Now!)
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Imprint: Pocket Books
Author’s Website: http://carrielofty.com/
My Source for This Book: Simon & Schuster’s GalleyGrab
Part of a Series: Yes, Book 1, The Christies
Series Best Read In Order: N/A
Steam Level: Hot

Official Blurb:

Sir William Christie, ruthless tycoon and notorious ladies’ man, is dead. Now his four grown children have gathered for the reading of his will. What lies in store for stepsiblings Vivienne, Alexander, and twins Gareth and Gwyneth? Stunning challenges that will test their fortitude across a royal empire . . . and lead them to the marvelously passionate adventures of their lives.

Lady Vivienne Bancroft fled England for New York, hoping to shed the confines of her arranged marriage to unrepentant rogue Miles Durham, Viscount Bancroft—though she never forgot the fiery desire he unleashed with his slightest touch. And when the gambling man arrives on her doorstep for a little sensual revenge for her desertion, he is met with Vivienne’s dilemma: She must earn her father’s inheritance by profitably running a diamond business worth millions in colonial South Africa. Swept together in an exotic undertaking filled with heated passion and hungry temptation, will Vivienne and Miles discover that the marriage vows they once made are the greatest snare—or the most treasured reward?

Lady Vivienne Bancroft is the bastard daughter of a French can-can dancer and a powerful tycoon.  Growing up in squalor only to witness her mother’s execution in a French prison, she was plucked from poverty by Sir William Christie — her biological father — who then adopted her under the guise of charity.   Raising Vivienne up as though she were a legitimate daughter, he’s as ruthless and exacting towards her as he is his other three children.

Upon his death, however, his will holds a shock for his four children — they each must take a failing business and turn it around, else they forfeit their inheritance.

With her destination set as the colonies of South Africa and the diamond mines therein, Vivienne is dismayed to discover that Viscount Bancroft, her wastrel and estranged husband, has decided that he too shall have a piece of the action in South Africa.

Miles was humiliated and furious when Vivienne abandoned their marriage back in England, no matter that it was an arranged union designed to refill the Bancroft coffers while simultaneously bestowing a title on a member of the Christie family.  Deciding to have his revenge, he is determined to seduce Vivienne and capture her heart, only to abandon her at her weakest moment.

However, once reunited, the estranged lovers soon discover that the all-consuming passion and chemistry that has sparked between them from the beginning is still very much alive, and that the challenge of South Africa and the diamond business.

What Worked For Me:

• I loved the setting — colonial South Africa is not a setting one typically thinks of when they pick up a Victorian Romance, but added such richness and depth to the story.  The dangers of living in that area, as well as having to navigate society without letting anyone know that Vivienne was an intelligent businesswoman both kept the characters (and the reader) on their toes for the entire story.
• The relationship between Miles and Vivienne was incredible. Having a lot of baggage from her unconventional childhood, Vivienne worked incredibly hard to be everything high society expected of her, so when Miles mocked society’s rules and flaunted his rebellion against propriety, he was inadvertently mocking her.  The final straw came with his blatant unfaithfulness combined with is obvious interest in her only for her father’s money.  On the other hand, Miles was never quite as bad as Vivienne always believed, and her abandonment actually devastated him.  Watching them both learn to trust each other again was absolutely beautiful.
• The sensuality was much higher than I’d expected, with large amounts of UST (which I love).  Normally I don’t particularly care for heroines who cannot resist the potency of a virile male they’re purported to hate, but instead of falling into the trap of having her give into the strong attraction at the merest hint of affection from the hero, Vivienne acknowledges and embraces her lust, and is manipulating Miles just as much as he is manipulating her.
• On that same note, the love scenes were so richly sensual and just plain hot.
• There was a specific development regarding Vivienne and Miles’ history that I was incredibly happy to read, though I can’t be more specific because it’s a spoiler.
• I loved the ending, and I am very much looking forward to future installments into the series.

What Didn’t Work For Me:

• Something about the final confrontation kept it from being fully satisfying for me. I can’t really put my finger on it, but the closest I can come is that there was perhaps a bit of a pacing issue.

I’ll be honest. I went into this story expecting to find that it wasn’t really to my tastes.  Estranged marriages are really not a favorite of mine in general, especially when it’s apparent that the heroine is madly in lust with her estranged husband.

This is a perfect example of why preconceived notions should never stop you from giving a book a chance — this book was absolutely fantastic.  Everything from the setting of colonial South Africa, to Vivienne’s horrible childhood, to the details behind Miles and Vivienne’s estrangement, were all woven together beautifully to create a rich, powerful love story.

The sensuality was exquisite, and the setting was a wonderful complement to the love story.  Miles’ transformation from the wastrel of Vivienne’s memory was delightful to watch, and Vivienne finally coming to trust Miles with both her trust and the secrets of her past was absolutely perfect.

While there was a slight hiccup with the pacing at the final confrontation, in the end, this book will be firmly on my keeper shelf.

Recommended for fans of estranged marriages with both parties at fault, heroines who finally let go of deep-seated trust issues, and delicious sensuality, all set against the backdrop of the South African colonies of the Victorian era.

5/5 Stars

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