Undressed
by the Earl (A Secrets in Silk Novel)
by Michelle Willingham
A man shrouded in grief…
David
Hartford, the Earl of Castledon, is tormented by the death of his wife. Though
everyone expects him to remarry and beget an heir, he is a man living in
shadows, unwilling to break out of his prison of sorrow.
A spirited young woman who embraces life…
Impulsive
Amelia Andrews befriends Lord Castledon and decides that he would make the
perfect match for her prim older sister. Though she tries to bring the pair of
them together, Amelia cannot help but see the lonely man behind David’s grim
exterior. Even worse, she finds herself caught beneath his piercing stare…and
she wonders how to melt his icy heart.
An unlikely match
No woman
can ever replace his first wife…but when Amelia is caught in a web of ruin,
David cannot stand aside and let her suffer. Can an unexpected marriage bring
about a love even greater than the one he lost?
Publisher
and Release Date: Montlake Publishing, July 1, 2014
Time & Setting: Regency, England
Heat Level: 1
Rating: 3.75 Gold Crowns
Reviewed by Vikki
I used my Kindle Unlimited program to obtain this
book. I have read the first two books in the series, and loved the characters
from Undone by the Duke. It’s a fascinating array of characters and once I
started reading the series, I had to find out how the other sister’s love
affair would play out. While Undone by the Duke is by far my favorite, I did
enjoy Undressed by the Earl.
Amelia Andrew is a feisty, impulsive heroine, and
when she makes up her mind to do something everyone needs to watch out. She has
been in love—or so she thought—with Viscount Lisford, a well-known rake, who
broke her sister Meg’s heart years before, since she was sixteen. Even though,
she knows he is not a man she should love, she meets with him on several occasions
on the sly. She quickly realizes he is not the man she imagined him to be. Amelia
spurns his advances, and he takes matters into his own hands and kidnaps her.
Her friend, David Hartford, the Earl of Castledon, and
the man she has ear marked for her sister Meg, races after her to save her from
Lisford’s dastardly plan. When he finds her, he does the only thing a man of
honor can do. He asks her to marry him, to save her from scandal. Even though
this is the last thing he wants, since he still grieves for his late wife and
has no desire to wed. However, he has a daughter to consider, and she needs a
mother desperately. As long as he keeps his distance, and only offers her
friendship, he should be able to safeguard his heart.
For me, this is where the story derails a bit. There
is just too much angst coming from David. I understand he loved his late wife,
but at times he is quite cruel to Amelia and very cold. This bothered me
tremendously. Personally, I don’t understand how she could fall in love with
him, but she does. Although, he is a tortured soul and that is usually one of
my favorite character archetypes, I struggled to like him. I did feel his pain
though, and his feelings of betrayal to the memory of his late wife.
I will say this for Amelia, she does not give up
when she sets her mind on a goal. She is determined to break through David’s
shell and gain his love, no matter what it takes. She is the redeeming reason
why I kept reading on, even though, I wanted to slap David upside his head much
of the time. I still wanted Amelia to achieve her HEA. She certainly works hard
enough for it.
Ms. Willingham’s writing is smooth and flowing, and
this story is evenly paced. I also thoroughly enjoyed Amelia’s interaction with
David’s daughter, Christine, and how she goes about earning the child’s trust.
Surprisingly enough, there is strong passion between them, considering the
conflict between the couple for much of the book.
Even with these issues, I am glad I read this story.
I found it very entertaining. It has a solid plot, and a satisfactory ending. The
author does an excellent job of bringing the Regency period to life with her
vivid descriptions of the scenes. I can just picture what “Aphrodite’s
Unmentionables” must look like. If you enjoy strong conflict between the hero
and heroine with plenty of passion, and delightful interaction between the
sisters, then this is a book you will want to read. Happy reading!
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