When the Scoundrel Sins by Anna Harrington (Capturing the Carlisles #2)
Released: August 29, 2017
Historical Romance
Forever
Reviewed by Mandi
I heard really good things about the first book in this series, and I had never read this author, so I thought I would give this one a try. I think I should have just read book one. I became a bit frustrated with this one.
I guess I should have read the blurb more closely, because the plot/set-up of this one felt a little silly. Annabelle’s mother died and her father went to prison. The Ainsley’s took her in (her mother was their housekeeper) and loved her and raised her as one of their own. But her family status, or the lack thereof, is known in the ton, and she is an outcast. But there is one shining light in her life – an estate ten miles from England. Lord Ainsley, who has since died, left her this property in his will, but with stipulations. The property transfers to her on her twenty-fifth birthday, as long as she is married. When the book starts, she has four weeks until this birthday, and no fiance in sight. Lady Ainsely decides to call upon her great-nephew to come help sort through suitors with Annabelle, before he leaves to travel to the States and start his own life overseas. Quinton shows up shortly after her plea.
Quinton has known Annabelle throughout his childhood, but he was more a tormentor than a friend. He kissed Annabelle six years ago, and it ended in disaster. He has not seen her since. Quinton, a third son, wants to work and prove himself to society – and has land waiting for him in South Carolina. But first he agrees to help Annabelle find a husband. She wants to marry for love – but she only has four weeks.
Quinton and Annabelle are both cute, and are even cute together, but I also spent most of the book wanting to strangle both of them. First, I thought that Quinton and Annabelle felt like best friends from the start. In reality, they have not seen each other for six years and weren’t really friends before that, so for them to be so familiar with each other – or for Quinton to be so invested in Annabelle’s future, felt off to me.
I got frustrated because the entire book is spent with Quinton and Annabelle either interviewing future husbands or making out with each other and then pushing each other away. But we all know how it ends. We all know these two are destined for each other – the journey to that HEA felt unnecessarily long. I didn’t care about the men that paraded through her life for those short four weeks. I got annoyed when Quinton and Annabelle would finally admit some feelings to each other, just to get mad about something or decide later that their romance couldn’t happen.
And then at the end – gah! More frustration and then a secret is told and I just didn’t like the twist.
Quinton is a good guy. He is a sexy guy. He made me smile at times! Annabelle has spirit, and I like that she fights for a marriage of love and not duty. But my frustrations outweighed the good times.
Grade: C
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