Barely a Lady (The Drake's Rakes series)
by Eileen Dreyer- Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages
- Publisher: Forever (July 1, 2010)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0446542083
- ISBN-13: 978-0446542081
Product Desciption:Review: This story has spies, amnesia, twisted relatives and some lovely characters.
Olivia Grace has secrets that could destroy her. One of the greatest of these is the Earl of Gracechurch, who married and divorced her five years earlier. Abandoned and disgraced, Grace has survived those years at the edge of respectability. Then she stumbles over Jack on the battlefield of Waterloo, and he becomes an even more dangerous secret. For not only is he unconscious, he is clad in an enemy uniform.
But worse, when Jack finally wakes in Olivia's care, he can't remember how he came to be on a battlefield in Belgium. In fact, he can remember nothing of the last five years. He thinks he and Olivia are still blissfully together. To keep him from being hanged for a traitor, Olivia must pretend she and Jack are still married.
To unearth the real traitors, Olivia and Jack must unravel the truth hidden within his faulty memory. To save themselves and the friends who have given them sanctuary, they must stand against their enemies, even as they both keep their secrets.
In the end, can they risk everything to help Jack recover his lost memories, even though the truth may destroy them both?
Olivia is a wonderful heroine as a vicar's daughter who married a wealthy son, John Gracechurch, and was then divorced and abandoned by him. She has obviously had several years of struggling to find employment for herself and to keep herself hidden from society’s vicious gossip. As the story unfolds you discover bit by bit what happened five years earlier and the betrayal she suffered.
Olivia first has to cope with having been recognized by her husband's cousin, Gervaise, whom she clearly detests and fears although it is not immediately revealed why. Then Olivia discovers her ex-husband in the middle of the battlefield at Waterloo wearing the enemies’ uniform and carrying dispatch papers. As much as she has been hurt by him she cannot abandon him in his injuries. Her difficulties continue when he awakens several days later with no memories of the last five years. Poor Olivia not only has to worry about his possible treason but he has spoken of his amorous adventures with another woman while he was delirious with fever.
John loved Olivia when they married but he believed lies rather than trusting her. She has no reason to trust him now. She also has to avoid contact with and exposure by the odious Gervaise. What will John do as his memory returns. Will he think twice about their history and possible mistakes he made in the past? John's anger, impulsiveness and thoughts of his mistress were the only areas that annoyed me in the book. It makes you want to say "Men!" in disgust.
There are other “Graces” in this story and I hope to read their stories in future books. Olivia is using the last name Grace. She is befriended by a young, feisty widow, “her grace” Duchess Catherine, known as Kate. Another friend is Grace, a too tall, thin, nondescript red headed daughter of one of the English Generals. Lady Kate’s companion, Lady Bea, is an older woman who has suffered a stroke and she speaks in her own code of one word allusions which were fun to decipher.
The characters are flawed and entertaining. The writing flows for very easy, fast reading. There are spies, secrets and mysteries from beginning to end that kept me glued to the book until I could finish it. This is another romance I devoured and highly recommend.
xxx
This book was supplied by Hachette for unbiased review and giveaway.
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