The Marriage Ring

Fieldnotes:
London Theatres & On the way to Inverness, March 1810

1 Scottish Songbird Actress
1 Stick-in-the-Mud Accountant/Lawyer
1 Blackmail Scheme
1 Roadtrip to Scotland

Sex to Save Your Life

1 Attempted Kidnapping
2 Attempted Sexual Assaults
1 Attempted Drowning
1 Attempted Strangulation
Horse Thievery

1 Travesty of a Trial
1 Rather Unsportsmanlike Boxing Match
1 Marriage Ring (We knew that was coming)

2 Very Broken Families, Unhappy In Their Own Ways
2 Sordid Backstories
1 Almost Forgotten Fiancee

The Short Version:
For me...this just didn't age well. Our hero is angry at the heroine for blackmailing his family, storms down to her dressing room to confront her - only to save her from assault. But then in his priggish moral rectitude says something show more along the lines of "that's the price you pay for flaunting yourself/asking for attention". And I just wanted to flatten his nose.

He does get better, but the whole improbable crime-filled road-trip is just a lot, especially when it culminates in questionably-consensual-sex-to-save-you-from-hypothermia... When you then add how terrible the families are that our hero and heroine are trying desperately to win acceptance from, it just doesn't leave me with the warm and fuzzies that I would like from my romances.

I wouldn't hesitate to pick up another by this author, but this one doesn't need to live with me any more. show less

Richard Lynsted first sees Grace MacEachin in a theater where she is performing on stage to a rowdy crowd. She is an actress/singer known as the "Scottish Songbird". Richard goes backstage to deliver a message to Grace from one of her friends. Richard is really there to discuss the matter of Grace trying to blackmail his father. Grace claims that his father and his uncle (who are twins) unjustly pinned a crime they committed (embezzlement) on her father years ago, and that her father was sentenced to a penal colony for many years. Grace and her mother went from being important members of Inverness, Scotland society to outcasts, living hand to mouth. Grace asks Richard to go with her to Inverness and hear her father's story and see for show more himself that her father is telling the truth. Richard believes his father and uncle are innocent, but he agrees to go with Grace, and they both set out for Inverness together. Along the way they both discover they were wrong about each other and find out some surprising truths about their relatives/families.

The hero Richard thought he was too big and clumsy and awkward, and not really handsome. He was surprised when Grace started to show an interest in him since she was very beautiful and sought after by many men. At first Grace thought Richard was a bore and priggish, only thinking about work and his ledgers. But he loosened up as the story progressed. They were opposites attracting---the hero was large, the heroine very small and petite. The hero was reserved, the heroine was feisty. The hero was a virgin, the heroine had some experience with men.

I liked Grace. She was strong, bold, and independent. She seemed more worldly than Richard, who was a bit naïve at times. I liked how she fought the bad guys when they were fighting Richard instead of just standing there like some heroines do. She was no shrinking violet. Richard was a sweet and caring hero.

This was an entertaining and lively read. I look forward to reading more books by this author. show less

For my own personal preferences, this book had two knocks against it. First, the "hero is huge" trope, which is even more exasperating in this book as Richard's head is described as almost scraping the ceiling. Second, the "I've known you for four days and now I'm deeply in love with you" trope. Barf. Otherwise, this book is full of characters that never really develop their own voices and spend waaaaay too much time navel-gazing. The last few chapters are absolutely ridiculous and no characters react to certain revelations the way real humans would. Overall, the entire book feels like it was written according to an outline, rather than letting the story develop naturally and believably. There are some funny and touching moments, but show more Grace and Richard deserved a better story. show less

Scandal series. Grace is attempting to blackmail straightlaced Richard's father, something that he just won't stand for. So he agrees to accompany the actress to Scotland, to hear her father's story. But along the way, Grace succeeds in unbuttoning this staid man- for his betterment.

4/10 reminded me of Shrek and Fiona's walk to Dulock. One road trip and madly in love.

Romance