Sullivan Waring is a horse breeder by day, but a thief by night. When he came back from France after war, he found out his father (he's a bastard and not aknowledged by his father) stole the paintings his mother left him and gave them away to his friends. He might be the bastard of a marquis, but he will never be one of the ton. So there is but one option... To take them without asking...
But one of his missions goes wrong when he is faced with Lady Isabel Chalsey. To escape he distracts her with a kiss, but the event turns against him when he realises afterwards she took of his mask and saw his face.
He will even regret it more when she meets him the very next day and blackmails him into training a horse for her...
But when he is forced to deal with her on daily basis, he starts to see behind the spoiled, strong headed girl. Their attraction grows, but he won't give up his revenge and she won't give up her life in the ton... So how do they deal with their growing feelings without ruining them both.
After the Griffin series, I was hoping Enoch would once again write a series that could equal Lessons of Love and With this Ring. When I was through the first chapters, I thought that was not going to happen... Isabel was strong and indecisive, even insulting... Sullivan wasn't that bad, but he could have been more set on breaking Isabel's hold over him... But then they kiss again and from then the story changes... It becomes fun, enthralling and exciting.
Isabel is evolving from a selfish, spoiled chit into a woman than sees the world isn't everything she thought it was. That life within the ton isn't always great when you are no part of it or when they think you might cross the border... and becoming friends with a common is surely very close to that border... But then she show she has a backbone and deals with it in a way you have to admire. It's hard and not always the way we think it should be, but it's realistic and heartbreaking and you just keep wondering how they will solve the difference in class between them.
Sullivan is born on the wrong side of the bed. But the hard part is that his dad is a paragon and won't aknowledge his son. This leaves Sullivan outside the ton, but also outside the common people. When he meets Isabel he knows their passion is due to destroy them both, but how hard he might try, trying to stay away from he is the one thing he can't seem to do. Still, even as they both aknowledge their feelings, he won't have her ruined.
As I said, the first part of the book was a bit slow, I didn't like Isabelle and I was waiting for the book to explode instead of just going on... When you have read the LiL of WtR series you know Enoch is capable of grand things and you just want to feel that again...
But then we sees the progress in the book, you start to like Isabelle and Sullivan is showing his arrogance and his education showing. At that point you get drawn in the book and it won't leave you until the very last page... Wondering how Isabel will handle all that is coming her way, how they will find each other and perhaps even more important, how to keep each other...
There is no miracle coming, no liberty the writer takes (as far as I'm aware of) just the realistic view of a man born in the common class and a gem of the ton and how, even though their love is strong, they do have other things to consider besides their feelings.
I hope the 2nd one will satisfy as well, and Lord Bram... OMG... He will give Saint a run for his money ... He'll get his book in April 2009 and I so hope this will be her best book ever ;-))
zo okt 05, 2008 2:50 pm
lachtte toen Sully en Bram verschenen... Kortom een geweldig verhaal...
en hoop ik in mij