RELUCTANT COUNTESS

Author: Karen Woods ISBN: 1587494914 2/2005 HISTORICAL Publisher: AWE-STRUCK EBOOKS
Time Period: 1811 England

The last thing that widow Lady Theodousia Crawford Langley expected on her way to her ancestral home was that her reputation would be compromised and that she would be constrained in honor to marry Justin, Earl of Rivington. She hadn't even begun to imagine the dangers from unexpected sources that would arise as a result of the forced betrothal. Can either Theodousia or Justin survive the dangers? And if they do, can they learn to love and trust one another? Or will she always be his Reluctant Countess?

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

The beginning of the RELUCTANT COUNTESS starts with a wonderful little situation that easily sets the tone for the rest of the book.

Lady Douisa Crawford Langley is enjoying a moment of solitude in the midst of a trip to England, where she intends to live after the death of her father, only to find herself accosted in her hotel room by Justin Rivington, Earl of Lytton, who believes that she is a woman of loose morals sent to him to become his mistress. Never have I read a more humorous beginning to a book. I laughed my way through the entire first chapter, as Douisa makes a mess of telling Justin who she is and Justin doesn't believe a word she says! Only upon bringing in family friends of Douisa's, who also happen to know Lytton, do all of these questions get answered.

I love Justin's character, as he just seems so sweet and ready to tackle the job of putting Douisa in her place—which, by the way, never happens. He is loyal, charming and good looking, and also treats Douisa wonderfully. He is a gentleman to her and someone whom she comes to trust and love very much.

Douisa is a little harder to like. She is very opinionated, which got on my nerves, at times, throughout the book, and there is one particular scene which involves a duel and has Douisa bossing everyone around. I found it a little hard to believe that all of these grown men would sit back and take orders from Douisa in a situation like that.

But, all in all, Douisa is a pretty likeable character, who has a wonderful love for her brother, that crosses the boundaries right into motherhood for this poor little man left without any parents. Any part of the book involving William is very nice to read and brought a smile to my face. There is a wonderful chemistry between the members of Douisa's family. Her uncle and aunt have the same dry sense of humor that she has, and none of them seem to take offense at the way the others speak their minds 100%, without waiting for anyone’s approval or asking anyone’s permission.

The RELUCTANT COUNTESS is a good read that kept me engaged throughout the entirety of the book, and had me smiling more than once as I took this journey with Douisa and Justin.

Kristal Gorman