Flawless by Carrie Lofty
September 27, 2011
Historical Romance
Paperback
Pocket

Reviewed by May

Favorite Quote: Birds added their melodies to the air, and in the far distance, the grunting call of a large animal sent a strange shiver up Miles’ forearms.

“A rhinoceros?” he asked. “Or perhaps it’s one of those massive wildebeests that put Spanish bulls to shame.”

“Or a lion.”

“Nonsense. Although, there is a certain thrill to living in a place where being eaten is an actual possibility.”

Adam grimaced. “Thrill isn’t the word I’d use.”

When Sir William Christie passed away, he left a challenge to each of his four (adult) children. They are given two years and a challenge:

“If, at the end of a two-year contract, the company you’ve managed is worth more than it’s value upon Sir William’s death, you will be awarded a substantial bonus and the option to purchase a controlling interest in your enterprise. In the meantime, the business will remain property of the shareholders.”

Gwen’s hand fluttered up to her throat. “Would we be… employees?”

“Precisely” Delavoir said.

If they refuse or fail, their inheritance will be $500. If they succeed? A million dollar reward awaits each of them.

Flawless is the first novel in this series, and we follow our heroine Vivian to Africa, where she will manage the Christie Diamond Brokerage House in Kimberley, Cape Colony. She sets off on her own, determined to make this work. What she does not realize is that her gambling and all around low-life husband (that she left and is estranged from) is already set sail, and is determined to help her succeed, take half the money, and seduce her while making her sorry that she ever left him.

Lady Vivienne Bancroft is known to the world as the adopted daughter of Sir William, however the truth is that she is a bastard daughter of a French dancer and Sir William, and was only taken in and raised as his own after her own mother passed away. The early years of her life were not easy ones, and she literally has pulled herself up from the gutters of the worst slums. She is, of course, keeping this information a secret from everyone but her siblings. Her relationship with her husband was rocky but then after giving up all hope in him she left him and England, set sail for America. We are shown so much of her pain, so much of her suffering it is clear to understand why she makes herself into a perfect society wife, why she is always dressed just so and behaves without courting scandal –and why her scandalous husband shamed her so. There is a quote that sums up how she feels about it:

He didn’t know the terror and the hunger. He didn’t know the putrid smells and the sound of abused mattress ropes, or the screams of the mad and the damned, all clutched behind iron bars. He didn’t know and he never would.

Miles Warren Durham, aka Viscount Bancroft is perhaps the most unlikeable hero I’ve read in a very long time. He is a gambler, chronic drunk, and he was truly a terrible husband. Trying to force his wife into scandalous behavior out of  boredom, drinking to excess and gambling away all their money, demanding she ask her father for more funds – this book begins and it’s near impossible to like this guy. Yet, as they travel into Africa you see that he has a sense of purpose, a reason, and that is keeping him occupied and he is finding himself to be more interested in doing things than being a sack of crap. At one point, our very leery heroine is trying to understand how and why he can be so focused and determined. His reason is that he wants the money yes, but he also wants her to be sorry for the pain she has caused him in leaving him. He is very sure that he is the wronged party here. The dialogue and scenes from them are tense and filled with quotable and memorable scenes. Here’s a snippet:

“I haven’t had a drink in five days. I miss my cigars like I miss rain. And soon I’ll enter the Kimberly Club and refuse both vices- repeatedly, I’d wager, and to the detriment of my perceived manhood.” His nostrils flared around each measured inhale. “And you insist on appreciating my reasons? It’s all very simple, really. Shall I remind you?”

Viv nodded as an excuse to wrench away her chin. But he’d stolen her words, numbed her tongue, shattered her capacity for argument. She could only stare into his earthen eyes where fury and lust roiled together in a primitive dance.

He was going to kiss her. Middle of the afternoon. A public thoroughfare. Her back against a dressmaker’s store front. And she didn’t care.

The problem with this book, and that is I feel like it did not maintain the momentum and fire of the first half. We are swept into late 1800’s Africa, there is despair and hope, the raw beauty and harsh reality, and just so much potential. The characters do not trust each other, and their marriage is an utter disaster aside from the chemistry they shared sexually.

My disappointments with this book come with the second half. First of all I never felt that Miles reasons for being so worthless prior to the start of the story ever were explained or resolved to a point that I’d forgive him or believe that he has changed for the better. In addition to this, the plot slows way down, and I was disappointed in the lame ‘villain’ plot as well as the lack of action. The resolution is nice, neat, and utterly predictable, and the intensity of the story looses all steam. This absolutely devastated me as a reader, as this book was building up to be the single best book I’ve read all year.

I can not express in my own words how gifted, how utterly magical this author is with words. She paints a picture so rich with emotion, struggle, and with such passion I found myself re-reading passages just to experience them again. In fact, as I’ve been working to write this review I have re-read most of the book. Twice. While the story disappoints, the writing is beautiful.

Beautiful language and passages or not, the plot wasn’t there and it did slow down to the point that I did put it down and forget about it for a while. That said, if the premise interests you I strongly recommend this book. I will be consuming both this author’s back list, and waiting eagerly for the next in this series.

Grade: B+

Recent Reviews:
All About Romance – B
Goodreads

Author’s Website

Amazon l Kindle l Nook