The Reluctant Countess by Wendy Vella

• Title: The Reluctant Countess: A Loveswept Historical Romance
• Classification: Adult Fiction
• Genre: Historical Romance
• File Size: 1989 KB
• Publisher: Loveswept (January 14, 2013)
• Sold by: Random House Digital, Inc.
• ASIN: B008WOUNIK
• Author's Website: http://www.wendyvella.com/

She had a secret....

     "He suspects something, Letty, I am sure of it." Sophie chewed her bottom lip.

     Stop gnawing on your lip, dear. He may suspect, but what can he do?"

He was determined to uncover it and make it known...

      "Three days before the Earl of Monmouth passed away, I paid him a visit at Monmouth Hall. He was in his bed, clearly near death, but still lucid."  He paused to make sure Stephen understood exactly what he was saying. "there was no Countess of Monmouth at that time, Stephen, no wife and most definitely no son."

     "What are you saying, Patrick? That she is some sort of impostor?"....

     "Something about the countess does not seem right, and if she is a charlatan I will expose her as one."

But somewhere along the way he found something he didn't expect--a little thing called love and that changed everything.

__________________

This was a fun story. I liked the secret Sophie had, but wished the author had gone into a little more detail as to how Sophie and Letty pulled it off. With all the rules and what not about inheritance, titles, etc., I've often wondered if anyone ever tried to do something similar to this in real life. I know I'm being vague, but I don't want to spoil anything for anyone. I liked not knowing the full story until it was uncovered and guessing what it was prior to that. 

Sophie was a fun character who was smart, loyal, and fairly trusting. She's definitely not like any of the women Patrick has ever met. I liked how he observed her, and realized that what many took for haughtiness was merely her way of dealing with uncomfortable and unfamiliar situations. At first, Sophie wasn't very confident and felt a little out of her element. Later, when Patrick learns her secret, we get to see the real Sophie, and I truly liked that. It was like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders and her spine straightened. 

Patrick was an interesting character. At the beginning, he was conflicted over his feelings for Sophie. He thought she was a conniving female who had somehow schemed her way into being a Countess. He later realizes she is the exact opposite and would rather give up her title. I wasn't quite sure what to think of him at the beginning. He was rather intimidating and when he started pursuing Sophie, he was quite relentless. Later, after he's lost a bit of his arrogance, however, I truly started to like him.

We also got a secondary romance between Patrick's friend, Stephen, and Sophie's friend, Amelia. This secondary romance made me smile as the rolls between the two seemed the reverse of those between Patrick and Sophie. Amelia was the more intimidating of the two and I enjoyed seeing the contrast between the two couples.

This wasn't the easiest to rate on the Lisarenee Romance Rating Scale. The first love scene wasn't all that romantic as there were some misunderstandings which got in the way. After that, however, it got a solid STEAM rating - too hot for a fan, but you still have a handle on things. You should use extreme caution when reading a book with this rating in public. People may inquire as to why you looked flustered and flushed. 

Overall, I gave this one 3 1/2 out of 5 roses. I liked the characters and the story line. I enjoyed both of the love stories and finding out about Sophie's past. I liked how Patrick slowly changed his mind about Sophie and the drama involved when someone starts to threaten Sophie and Timmy. I definitely look forward to reading more books by Ms. Vella.