Sunday, January 31, 2016

Review: How to Wed a Warrior by Christy English

How to Wed a Warrior by Christy English
Series: Broadswords and Ballrooms, Book 2
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Genre: Historical Romance
ISBN: 9781492612902
Release Date: February 2, 2016
Source: Publisher
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N

He's the scourge of the Season…

Reasons to quit London:
1. It’s not the Highlands.
2. It will never be the Highlands.
3. It’s full of the bloody English.


When his wild spitfire of a sister makes a scene by drawing a claymore in Hyde Park, Highlander Robert Waters knows something must be done. To forestall the inevitable scandal, he hires widowed Prudence Whittaker to teach his sister how to be a lady-never expecting to find unbridled passion beneath the clever Englishwoman's prim exterior.

Mrs. Whittaker is a fraud. Born Lady Prudence Farthington, daughter of the ruined earl of Lynwood, she's never even been married. In order to make her way in the world, she has to rely on her wits and a web of lies...lies a sexy Highlander is all too close to unraveling.

He swears he will possess her; she vows he will do nothing of the sort. Yet as passions heat, Prudence comes to realize the illicit pleasure that can be had in going toe-to-toe with a Scot.

The irrepressible Waters family is back in How to Wed a Warrior. The second Broadswords and Ballrooms story is even better than the first as ladies’ man Robert Waters falls fast and hard for a “widow” who is more than she seems.

Prudence was born and raised a lady, but after the death of her parents a scandal that tears her family’s reputation to pieces, she dons a disguise and hires herself out as a companion. Pru has got her work cut out for her with Mary Elizabeth Waters, a spirited Highland lass whose unladylike manner makes her an outcast among society. But Pru can handle a spitfire Scottish lady; it’s Mary Elizabeth’s brother, Robert, who throws Pru off her stride. It’s clear from the start that Robert wants her, and to Pru’s own surprise she’s equally attracted to him. The sexual tension between them is excellent, but between Pru’s deception and her concern over dragging the Waters family down if her secrets are revealed, the road to happily ever after isn’t an easy one for her and Robert.

Author Christy English makes it easy to root for Pru and Robert. They have solid chemistry, are both incredibly likeable characters, and their romance is both sweet and sensual. The “I love yous” do come a bit too fast to be believable, but otherwise the love story is perfectly charming. A bit of a mystery involving Pru’s family adds excitement, and (though it’s a bit predictable) helps the story move at a quick clip. That being said, while I liked Robert and Pru, and their romance was sweet, they were clearly outshone by the more vivacious Mary Elizabeth. As she did with the previous Broadswords and Ballrooms book, Mary Elizabeth steals every scene she’s in. She’s exuberant, definitely unusual for a lady, speaks her mind, and has different ideas about what’s important. She’s a strong, interesting character who’s also quietly vulnerable and I wanted desperately to learn more about her. This in and of itself is fantastic, but since it’s not Mary Elizabeth’s book it did highlight the fact that neither Robert nor Pru were as complex and engaging. Still, I enjoyed How to Wed a Warrior and I finished it incredibly excited to read the next Broadswords and Ballrooms story, which I hope will be Mary Elizabeth’s book.


FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

0 comments: