A Most Unsuitable Countess

“He’d struggled to be the exact opposite of what his father had been.”

I think the best thing about this book is Catherine, which is surprising as what usually draws me to a romance novel is the hero. But Catherine hands down stole the show. She was truly extraordinary. Basically self-made she was strong, intelligent, brave and honorable. She loved with her whole heart and was completely devoted. She did what she had to do to protect herself and her child and never apologized for it.

Adam on the other hand was very disappointing for much of the book. I thought at first, despite his having ended their relationship, that he truly cared for her and would be strong, especially when his first instinct was to protect and help her when she’s falsely accused, but then he let me down. Five years later when they meet again, both having married and then widowed, I was furious when he basically treated her like she was still the courtesan he’d once known. He hurt and insulted her and I was even more disappointed with him. Yes he eventually manned up and yes he atoned and even paid penance for it but still, it shouldn’t have taken him that long. I know he had his reasons and he thought they were good ones and to be honest he hurt himself as much as he hurt her. He calls himself a self-absorbed dunderhead and he’s absolutely right. I’ll give him credit, once he committed he was true, even if he did continue to be often blind to what should have been obvious. I literally rolled my eyes when he told himself that once the danger Catherine was fighting was passed, maybe then he’d let himself fall in love. What a brainless idiot. Like anyone can really control if and when they fall in love! Fortunately love itself humbles him and teaches him a lesson. He certainly deserved it! By the end I forgave him and came to care about him. I do think Catherine forgave and forgot too quickly but I wasn’t surprised, knowing what a loving, generous woman she is. And she definitely deserved her long and hard won HEA!

The story has a substantial plot with a lot of twists and sometimes unexpected turns that I’m not going to spoil. It was fun and interesting, although the middle dragged just a bit and the final resolution of the conflict was a little too neat and pat, but there were no loose threads and the epilogue was fantastic. One thing I do wish is that we had been given a little bit more about their backstory. We know they were together a year before the book started and I really feel we missed out on seeing that original relationship. All we really got were a few references and hints. I would have liked a bit more.

The book is very steamy and open door with a number of explicit scenes but they were extremely well written and appropriate. Catherine and Adam had wonderful chemistry and not once did I feel their bed sport (I love that expression) was excessive, unnecessary or vulgar. Just the opposite. I thought they were very romantic and tasteful, not something I find very often in historical romances nowadays. The author is a very talented writer with a gift of balancing words, thoughts and action. It’s my first book by her and I’ve already purchased several more, starting with the first two books in the series, which are both couples that are mentioned in this story. I’ve also looked high and low for Helena and Phillip Latimer, the Count and Countess of Maxwell’s book but have been unable to find it. I adored the characters and would really like to read their love story. Hopefully one day I will. Until then she has over twenty others for me to enjoy.