SETTING: England, 1860
HEROINE: Jayne Seymour, 25
HERO: Ransom 'Ainsley' Seymour, 28
GRADE: C
SYNOPSIS: Renowned for his bedchamber prowess, Ransom Seymour, the Duke of Ainsley, owes a debt to a friend. But the payment expected is most shocking, even to an unrepentant rake -- for he's being asked to provide his friend's exquisite wife with what she most dearly covets: a child.
Lady Jayne Seymour, Marchioness of Walfort, is furious that such a scandalous agreement would be made. If she acquiesces, there must be rules: no kissing... and, certainly, no pleasure.
But unexpected things occur with the surprisingly tender duke -- especially once Lady Jayne discovers the rogue can make her dream again... and Ransom realizes he's found the one woman he truly cannot live without.
MY THOUGHTS: Wow. What a letdown. I wanted to read this book because it's not everyday a book with this type of plotline is published. Well, it was boring, to say the least. The husband, Walfort, didn't seem to have any problem whatsoever with what he'd asked his wife, and cousin, to do. I don't feel that he loved Jayne at all. He'd even admitted to her that he didn't start to love her until after his accident three years before. The author didn't do a good job of showing us his affection for her. Jayne loved him too but I didn't believe it. It didn't take her long to agree to what he wanted her to do with Ainsley.
I thought it was odd that she'd go away, alone, with Ainsley for a period of time. It wasn't at all necessary. Ainsley could have stayed at her and Walfort's home without anyone thinking anything of it. He and Walfort are cousins, after all. That she just disappeared for a month is not believable to me.
Walfort is a whoring piece of garbage with a mistress and children to prove it. He truly had two lives and I had no sympathy for him. I'm unhappy with what happened to him near the end. I think the author should have done something very different with part of the story, such as suicide. It would have been much more dramatic.
Ainsley was an alright character, nothing special. Like the other two, he didn't seem to have a conscience about what he was doing. There were two scenes where he was rubbing Jayne's feet and it made me sick, seriously. I could have done without it. He'd already been lusting after her and obviously jumped at the chance to bed her. Of course, he fell in love with her and she with him.
One of the worst scenes of the entire book is them getting married while she's giving birth. I'm far from a romantic but that was too much for a 'romance' story. I don't believe anyone reading it would have been happy with that scene or could have found it romantic in any way, shape, or form.
The only other books with this theme that I know of are:
Arrow to the Heart by Jennifer Blake
Blackheart by Tamara Leigh
Deceptive Heart by Madeline Kurr
Kissed by Shadows by Jane Feather
Midnight Waltz by Jennifer Blake- does without her knowledge
One Wicked Night by Shelley Bradley
Prisoner of My Desire by Johanna Lindsey
Secrets of the Night by Jo Beverley
The Fulfillment by LaVyrle Spencer
Waking Up With a Duke by Lorraine Heath
Wicked Little Games by Christine Wells
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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