Genre: Paranormal Romance | Historic
Lady Madeline Hayburn Has Money Problems...
Specifically, she has so much of it that she's dogged by fortune hunters, including her bewilderingly attractive, penniless neighbor, with his wild nature and uncouth manners...
Weston Hadley Has An Identity Crisis...
Specifically, he's just turned into a wolf while Madeline was watching. Now it's up to the regal lady to tame the wild beast...if she can...
Specifically, she has so much of it that she's dogged by fortune hunters, including her bewilderingly attractive, penniless neighbor, with his wild nature and uncouth manners...
Weston Hadley Has An Identity Crisis...
Specifically, he's just turned into a wolf while Madeline was watching. Now it's up to the regal lady to tame the wild beast...if she can...
Madeline detests the house parties her father, the Duke of Hythe, and brothers thrown in her honor, since they all desperately hope she will make a suitable matrimonial match one day. But, to Maddie, no one is as charming and entertaining to talk to like the poor Mr. Hadley who lives on the next estate over. Unfortunately, he is not a man her powerful family would approve of, so Maddie can only enjoy their brief conversation and nothing more. Yet, upon watching Mr. Hadley, from her windowsill one night, easily drag a limp body into the local stables -- Maddie's curiosity is peaked, leading her to investigate the shady situation herself. But, after a fateful discovery, Maddie quickly finds herself on a scandalous escapade to Scotland to tie the knot with the man she least expected...in ratty clothing, wild hair, and lacking slippers no less!
Oh, he was born of nobility like everyone else in attendance. And he filled out a coat better than most, even if the coat tended to be a bit on the shabby side. But there was something dark and mysterious about him. And then there was the scar he sported across his cheek.
Weston has been a love-sick puppy (literally!) for Madeline since he first saw her. Since "growing up," he has become more of a rascal than an eligible marriage candidate, but that does not stop him when Maddie stumbles upon his sacred family secret and he must now force her hand in matrimony. But, this last-minute trip to Gretna Green does not go as exactly hoped as Wes faces the harsh truth that he may not be capable of supporting a wife, especially a Duke's daughter accustomed to a certain elaborate lifestyle.
I thoroughly enjoy this series since it has everything I love in the genre department--paranormal twist, historic events, and budding romance. Unfortunately, this story feel somewhat flat for me due to containing lots of substance with very little uniqueness to the overall tale. For me, it was rather predictable, uneventful, and somewhat dull. I so wanted to lose myself in Wes and Maddie's adventures, but neither could captivate me enough to make this story very praiseworthy.
Personally, Maddie came off as either too high-maintenance with her surroundings or two submissive about what was actually happening to her (i.e. kidnapping)--both annoyingly so! Wes was also lacking that confident strong male presence a book like this needs and was portrayed very young, naive, and somewhat foolhardy. There were certain parts where Wes and Maddie's relationship were sweet and animated, but not enough to make me feel their story was unique in any way! But, give this book a read if you are a fan of the series--you may enjoy it more than I did. I am still curious to see how the other Hadley brother's end up.
Review: Goodreads | Barnes & Noble | Shelfari | LibraryThing | Amazon
Likes: The Hadley twins were adorable together and quite delightful when they came to each other's aid in such a playful way that only an annoying sibling can!
Dislikes: This story felt like every other running off to Gretna-Green tale I have ever read. Nothing stood out as new or exciting to me and was actually kind of blah overall. I even found the side characters, Archer Hadley and Sophie Cole, struggle to be more entertaining than the main protagonists -- NOT GOOD!!
Chapter One/Paragraph One: "Lady Madeline Hayburn was more than ready for the Season to be over. Ball after ball. Soirees and garden parties aftermore soirees and even more garden parties. There was no point to it all. Oh, she knew her father was hopeful Maddie would somehow stumble upon her destined husband at one of these inane events. But if it hadn't happened during her three Seasons on the marriage mart, Maddie wasn't terribly optimistic it would happen tonight."
Favorite { Scene, Character or Setting }: ??? N/A ???
Sadly, I went through this book over and over desperately trying to locate something that made me laugh, stood out as an interesting part, or at least touched me emotionally somehow ...but... nope, couldn't do it! And, it was not that I didn't enjoy the book as a whole, but I just could not find any characters, settings, or even scenes within this story that were memorable favorites -- sorry!
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