"Romancing the Countess" Review

"Romancing the Countess"
by Ashley March

Publisher: Signet
Release Date: Sep 6, 2011 
Source: sent by publisher and author

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Summary from goodreads.com: 

Sebastian Madinger, the Earl of Wriothesly, thought he'd married the perfect woman-until a fatal accident revealed her betrayal with his best friend. After their deaths, Sebastian is determined to avoid a scandal for the sake of his son. But his best friend's widow is just as determined to cast her mourning veil aside by hosting a party that will surely destroy both their reputations and expose all of his carefully kept secrets...
Leah George has carried the painful knowledge of her husband's affair for almost a year. All she wants now is to enjoy her independence and make a new life for herself-even if that means being ostracized by the Society whose rules she was raised to obey. Now that the rumors are flying, there's only one thing left for Sebastian to do: silence the scandal by enticing the improper widow into becoming a proper wife. But when it comes to matters of the heart, neither Sebastian nor Leah is prepared for the passion they discover in each other's arms....

My Review:

I'm so glad I read this book because it really reminded me of why I love historical romances so much. This is really a standout book with a very unique story and lovable characters.

We get a glimpse of how honorable Sebastian is at the beginning. In fact he was so hopelessly in love with his first wife that I wasn't sure I was going to be able to believe his love story with Leah. But I was very wrong. His first wife's betrayal definitely makes his falling in love again more believable, but its not just that. You can literally feel the chemistry between Sebastian and Leah and it's by no means just physical. In fact, I loved that the physical aspect of their love took the longest to develop.

It was bittersweet to see Leah learn to trust someone again. And it took a lot of work from both Sebastian and Leah herself for her to be able to trust him. It wasn't something that was rushed or just magically happened overnight.

There was a bit towards the middle and end of the story that seemed unnecessary to me. It also made Sebastian's proposal seem odd when it could have been more natural.

I loved that Sebastian's reasoning for not wanting their spouses' affair to be known was to protect his young son, Henry. Henry was a great addition to the story. Their strangely built family was truly beautiful and tugged at the heartstrings.


Main Characters: 5/5
Supporting Characters: 5/5
Setting: 4/5
Romance: 5/5
Uniqueness: 5/5
Cover: 4/5
Writing: 5/5


Bottom Line: A beautiful, well constructed love story that will stay on my keeper shelf.


CONTEST:

Want to win your own copy of this fantastic book? The author is sponsoring an INTERNATIONAL contest right here on my blog, that ends Sept 12th at midnight!

Click below to go to the contest post and enter.

Win "Romancing the Countess" Ends 9/12 INTERNATIONAL