Sherry Thomas
Grade: A
Genre: historical romance
Sex scenes: hot
Source: own
Romance RBC 2014: An AAR Top 100 Book 2010
Lord and Lady Tremaine are
considered to have the best marriage in the entire Ton. A love match is
considered vulgar, an unhappy marriage even more so, but what the Tremaines
have is a courteous marriage. Given that they haven’t spoken or clapped eyes on
one another in ten years, there’s been no opportunity for them to disparage the
other in front of friends and family, or for servants to witness marital spats.
It is only when Gigi petitions Camden for a divorce that he leaves his new home
in America and returns to British soil.
There was a time when both Gigi
and Camden were deeply in love. Gigi was infatuated from the moment she set
eyes on Camden and would have done everything and anything to marry him.
Unfortunately, anything and everything included a deception and betrayal that
came to light the morning after their wedding night, leading to the decade-long
separation. Now, Camden refuses to grant Gigi her divorce lightly: in exchange
for an heir, he’ll give Gigi her freedom. As truths are revealed and the fire
between them is rekindled, Gigi and Camden’s new marital set-up is set to be
the talk of the Ton …
This was my first, long-awaited
Sherry Thomas novel and what an introduction it was. It’s clear to see why
readers love Thomas’ characters and writing, and why four her novels made it
into AAR’s Top 100 Romances 2013. The animosity between Gigi and Camden was
palpable, even after ten years. They’re both initially resistant to cooperating
with one another but as the truths come out, they start softening towards each
other and the pair have a second chance at their love story.
The chapters switched between the
present and ten years ago, as we uncover the reasons behind Gigi’s deception
and their subsequent marriage. In an unusual, but not unseen turn of events,
Gigi is the rich heiress of new money, while Camden must marry well in order to
save his family. During their years apart, Gigi has grown independent and while
her mother still meddles unnecessarily, for all intents and purposes, Gigi
lives as a free woman. It is the feud with Camden that has enabled her to live
in this manner and so when his return naturally disrupts her lifestyle and liberty
to do what she pleases without censure, she resists with all the arsenals in
her power. But despite their mutual hostility, Gigi and Camden know what makes
the other tick, and how to press each other’s pressure points. It makes for
delightful reading.
If you’re new to Sherry Thomas as
I was, this is as good a start as any. It’s a standalone though she seems like
the type of author where it doesn’t matter if you don’t read a series in order.
Ms Thomas ticks all the right boxes effortlessly: intriguing protagonists and
secondary characters, great dialogue and a plot that is determined to see our
hero and heroine end up together with their happy-ever-after, however painful
the journey. There were several heart-breaking moments that really helped to
make the story, serving to show just what a great storyteller Sherry Thomas is.
This (easily) made it to my (very long list) of the best of 2014.
Image courtesy of Fantastic Fiction.
No comments:
Post a Comment