Lori’s review of My Darling Caroline by Adele Ashworth.
No man’s darling . . .
One by one, Lady Caroline Grayson watched her four sisters celebrate their betrothals, truly sure that marriage was not in her future—and perfectly pleased with that fact. Or so she thought.
Brent Ravenscroft, Earl of Weymerth, nearly gave his life for the Crown. He returned to England a hero with no intention of taking a bride, certain his brusque demeanor would intimidate any young ladies drawn to his good looks—or so he thought.
Bound by a business transaction, Caroline and Brent begin life as husband and wife. Utterly determined not to fall for each other, they stubbornly ignore the sparks flying between them and keep secrets at every turn. They would resist the lure of love—and the pleasures of the marriage bed—forever . . . or so they thought.
~~~~~~~~~
I really enjoyed this book. Caroline and Brent are each distinct characters, neither of whom want the marriage that is forced upon them by Caroline’s father. Caroline is a true scholar, but Ashworth I smuch truer to the times than some other authors might be. As a female, Caroline cannot go into a classroom, and so stands out in hallways, absorbing lectures from afar. She plans to go to university and become a famous botanist.
Brent, for his part, had no desire to marry. He wanted his property back, and Caroline’s father owned it. In order to gain his property, he must marry Caroline, which he reluctantly does.
What I liked so much was that Caroline and Brent became friends almost from the beginning. Even though they were forced into marriage, Brent didn’t take his frustration out on Caroline. As soon as they were married, he treated her well. He finds himself amused and bemused by her. I laughed when Caroline “respectfully requested” that he take his attentions elsewhere because she had no intention of consummating the marriage.
Of course they do consummate eventually, and fall in love. There are some secrets here, and they drive the two apart. However, Caroline’s sister is a terrific character. Interesting in her own right. She stands up for Caroline and almost single-handedly gets them talking to one another again. The ending is a mix of tender love, deceit, and surprises.
I enjoyed this book tremendously.
Grade: 4 out of 5
You can read more from Lori by visiting, I Just Finished Reading and Living in the House of Testosterone.
This book is available from Avon. You can buy it here or here in e-format.
I am not OVERLY enamored on botanical-esq historicals. But I love how you describe Caroline and Brent’s relationship. I love the friends first, making the best of the situation and then it turning into something more. I added this title to my ‘to-get’ list, but I didn’t check out reviews on it. Thanks for this one and my renewed interest to check out this book!
=D I <3 Adele Ashworth
I read this book about a year and half ago and loved it. I thought it was complex for a regency, a thinking woman’s romance. The characters were well developed and it was a different kind of plotline, I couldn’t wait to get home to read this book at night! I’m glad to see it’s been re-released for it was hard to get hold of before.
Rita, I really thought that both characters seemed pretty mature in the way they handled the growing relationship. Of course, Brent was an idiot (aren’t they all?) when Caroline left him. But that’s why I liked her sister so much.