Heartless
Scale of 1 – 5: ♥ ♥
The Duke of Derringer finds out he has to marry before his birthday to keep his inheritance. He has one week or he will go from super-rich Duke to pauper. He pretty much picks the first girl he saw: Leandra. She was homeless since her father died. She was an illegitimate offspring raised in her father’s house. Despised by her father’s wife, she was kicked out as soon as her father died.
Derringer put up a veritable brick wall, because he did not want to love anyone. He had a reputation of being heartless. I suppose, saying hurtful things to Leandra was his way of maintaining his reputation. The sad part about it, he would hurt her feelings, and then feel remorse about causing her pain. Leandra was patient, but there’s only so much a woman can take.
Meanwhile, there were attacks on his life. While he is trying to figure out who wants him dead, he is trying to discourage Leandra from caring about him. That usually involved to say more hurtful things.
I cannot understand why Leandra took so much crap off him. He had a hard life, but that does not excuse him from being a jerk. At least he had the good sense to apologize. Leandra was more forgiving than I would have been.
The story was okay. If you like regency romance novels, you will probably like this. I could take it or leave it. There were some unexpected twists in the story. Derringer was too surly for me. Most of the time, I didn’t like the way he talked to Leandra. I did think it was funny that you as the reader could tell the characters mood by out how they address each other. For example, when Leandra was in a good mood, she would say “Hart” but if she was in a bad mood she will call him “your grace”. My chuckles were tempered with growls at his bad attitude.
All that being said, the ending was somewhat confusing, a little sad, but satisfying in a happy-ever-after type of way. If you think that sentence does not make any sense, read the book and let me know what you think.
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The Opinionated Woman's Musings 