Guest Review: Desires of a Perfect Lady by Victoria Alexander

Posted April 2, 2010 by Book Binge Guest Blogger in Reviews | 0 Comments

Publisher: Avon, Harper Collins

Judith’s review of Desires of a Perfect Lady by Victoria Alexander

Lady Olivia Rathbourne has a secret list, and on it is everything she’s always wanted to do . . . such as 1) Disregard convention; 2) Follow her heart; and 3) Bed the Earl of Wyldewood. But the earl is frustratingly perfect—he does what his family and society expect him to do. As for Olivia, she’s also never made a wrong step. But now it’s time to change everything.

Victoria Alexander is an accomplished writer of historical romance and her skill and experience show well in this new novel. It is the poignant love story between two former friends and lovers, betrayed by circumstance and family ambition, and driven apart by misunderstanding and pride. Lady Rathbourne has been “sold” into marriage with an aging viscount who sees a “perfect wife” as one of his possessions and who is a cruel pervert who is only excited sexually by violence. He even reaches out from the grave with possessive violence toward his wife. Nearly broken in spirit by a decade of abuse, no longer in touch with any friends, hurt and disillusioned by what she believes to be the betrayal of her lover at her calls for help, Olivia now has to fulfill the impossible demands of her late husband’s will in order to receive even a portion of his vast estate. Otherwise she will live enslaved financially by his cruelty for the rest of her life. Enter the Earl of Wyldewood, the man who, ten years earlier, had been the love of her life and the person with whom she had envisioned spending her entire life. He is a man who is completely loyal to his family and has taken his duties as head of the family almost too seriously. He is deemed to be stiff, dull, stoggy, and unwilling to bend to any challenges that lie outside the approvfed boundaries of aristocratic society. However, his life and that of Lady Olivia again intersect when her husband is murdered and her father (from whom she has been estranged since being “sold” by him to Lord Rathbourne) comes to the earl seeking his protection for his daughter from whomever may have slit Lord Rathbourne’s throat.

This novel is really the story of how friendship is ever the foundation of enduring love. It is a tale of sacrifice, courage, intelligence, passion, and hope. Set in Victorian England and embracing the cultures of Egypt and Italy, Lady Olivia and Lord Stirling Harrington, Earl of Wyldewood march through the pages, accompanied by a delightful cast of supporting characters. Stirling’s brothers fade in and out just enough to assure the reader of their authentic regard for one another; Stirling’s mother is, in a word, a “hoot” and a woman of sound mind who has been widowed for ten years and is prepared to put up with the stuffiness of her eldest in order to follow her own path, to seek her own happiness. The author is adept in managing this array of individuals and is very adroit in keeping a balance between the strength of their personalities while maintaining the flow of the story. The conflict that energizes the story is how these two really delightful people overcome their hurt, their sense of betrayal, their pride which prevents them from allowing their friendship to flower and grow once again into passion and enduring love. Alexander handles this so well and the circumstance of the resolution is surprising. However, in the Epilogue, the reader is led to believe that there is more on the way . . . somewhere down the road, so to speak. I am looking forward to what may be coming.

This is a novel well-worth reading because it is an example of a well-written historical romance and one that has some genuine merit to offer. In some ways it is a study in human nature and the author has a way of bringing the reader into the context of the story, if not historically, then emotionally. I would have liked to read more about the environment in Egypt and Italy in the 19th century and not just a brief glimpse in a scene or two.

I give this book a rating of 4.25 out of 5.

You can read more from Judith at Dr J’s Book Place.

This book is available from Avon. You can buy it here.


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