A reckless rake returns home, richer, but not completely
reformed...and soon finds himself wed to the vicar's daughter. But is he worthy
of the love of this innocent temptress? Or will this be a marriage in name
only?
A SCANDALOUS WEDDING
Pretty Samantha Northrup knew her duty was to marry, but
this orphaned vicar's daughter wanted to be swept off her feet by someone whose
kisses made her toes curl. She never dreamed her orderly life would be turned
upside down when a mysterious stranger came knocking on her door one stormy
night. And when they were found in a compromising position, she found herself
marrying a man she barely knew . . . but couldn't resist.
A NOT SO CONVENIENT MARRIAGE
What Samantha doesn't know is that her unknown bridegroom
is Yale Carderock, the disinherited son of a duke, banished by his father years
before. Now the prodigal has returned --- rich, but only somewhat reformed.
Yale is bewitched by his bride's innocent fire, and he knows he's powerless to
resist her awakening sensuality. But is this outcast from society worthy of her
tender love?
Samantha is the daughter of the late vicar and has
managed to stay in the vicarage past when she would typically have to vacate
for the next occupant. She is the village healer, and the people call on her at
all hours whenever they need help. One night she was awakened by someone
pounding on her door, but it wasn't a villager. Instead, it was a man who demanded
the keys to the Aylebourough vault. Sam refused to hand them over to an unknown
person, and the resulting confrontation was full of sparks.
Yale is the younger son of the late Duke and was
disinherited by his father. Furious and determined to prove his father wrong,
Yale spent the last eleven years building a successful business as a shipowner
and trader. When he arrived back in England, ready to confront his father, he
was devastated to hear that his father was dead. He refused to believe it until
he saw the proof of his father's grave.
I loved the first meeting between Sam and Yale. Yale may
be an impressive man, but Sam has the backbone to stand up to him. She did not
give in easily to his demands and still managed to hold her own after she did.
Things became even more complicated when he came down with influenza while
staying at the inn. She ended up with Yale at the vicarage as she cared for
him, after a very disturbing scene with the innkeeper and villagers. I didn't
like the villagers then, and I liked them even less later. They are a selfish
and hypocritical group. They continued their ways when, in a pretty funny
scene, a disoriented and very naked Yale wandered into a room full of the women
who had come to see Sam. I thought the speed with which they insisted on Yale
marrying Sam was more for their own benefit than any real concern for her. Meanwhile,
Yale, who had given a fake name, stepped up to do the right thing but did so
still using the false name. He was quite willing to do whatever necessary to
take care of her but planned to simply marry her, set her up with her own home,
then leave England and not come back. His plans were upended by the unexpected
arrival of his brother, who recognized Yale as the brother everyone thought had
died at sea and exposed Yale's deception. The resulting remarriage scene was
hilarious.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between
Yale and Sam. The sparks were there from the start. Yale was both intrigued and
frustrated by Sam's innocence and stubbornness, and bowled over by the passion
he discovered in her. Sam could see past the façade to the man who still carried
the hurt of his father's rejection. What appeared to be a promising start to
their relationship was derailed by his brother's arrival and subsequent
attempts to keep Yale in England. I liked Sam's understanding of the conflicts
between Yale and Wayland, and how she tried to make them both see the other's
point of view, though she first fell victim to Wayland's persuasiveness. It
didn't take long for her to realize the depth of her feelings for Yale, and the
heartbreak of her future without him loomed large. I liked the advice she
received that was pretty much of the "if you love something set it
free" variety. Yale resisted his feelings for Sam, believing that he
doesn't know what love is and therefore can't give it to her. His
"aha" moment was quite lovely as he found that he didn't want to look
at a future without her in it. When his business experienced a devastating blow,
he discovered just how far her love and support went to enabling him to face
rebuilding. I loved seeing her put her foot down about her part in it. The
epilogue was great.
Yale's relationship with his brother was a difficult one.
As the child of his father's second wife, Yale had never really felt part of
the family. Those feelings were a large part of Yale's actions as a youth,
which I thought were a cry for attention. Wayland had certainly never put any
effort into getting to know his much younger brother. Wayland had been in
training as the heir, while Yale was mostly ignored. By the time Yale returned,
Wayland had been the duke for several years. I admit to not liking him very
much, even by the end. Wayland seemed much more interested in keeping Yale in
England than in Yale living his own life. I couldn't understand how he thought
Yale would accept working for Wayland when he was a successful businessman on
his own. Wayland's attempts to use Sam in his manipulations bugged me, too. Yale
still carried a great deal of resentment over his treatment in the past, which affected
his interactions with Wayland. It took Sam's efforts to show Yale the
importance of having a family for him to finally let go of those feelings and
see his family for what they were. There were some lighter scenes with Wayland,
such as his interactions with his sons, that gave me hope for a better
relationship between him and Yale.
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