Anna Wren, widowed for six years & living with her mother-in-law, realizes she needs a job, but no one is hiring...at least not for a governess or companion. Fate intervenes by dropping an unusual job opportunity in her lap: secretary to Edward de Raaf, the pox-marked Earl of Swartingham. Anna (who is as plain & brown as her surname suggests) is still struggling with the painful memories left her by her deceased husband, as well as the knowledge that she apparently cannot have children. Edward is attempting to overcome the ugliness of his scars & his somewhat beastly temper in order to marry & produce an heir so his line doesn't die. And so begins an unusual, unpredictable, & slightly backward courtship.
I love this book! It starts well & drew me in with the first page. I fell in love with Anna instantly. She isn't the beautiful, sweet innocent so often featured in romances. Instead, she's an intelligent, witty, plain, & knowledgeable 30 year old. She's not necessarily bitter, but she's also not one to believe flowery words or trust anyone easily. Her character is one to believe & respect. Pair her with the menacing, scarred Edward, & you've got quite a different couple than the norm. (Oh, Edward's a pretty likeable character, too, & a perfect match for Anna.)
The plot is engaging. The dialogue is well-done & honest. There's some humor in the exchanges between the couple, but this is definitely more of a touchy feely kind of book. The sex is, well, sexy. Very. And there's quite a bit of it. The passion between the two is evident, exciting, & believable. The villains are easy to dislike but not so daunting as to render overcoming them as dubious. Overall, this book was a pleasure to read, & I've no doubt I'll be reading it again sometime.
I also really enjoyed the sweet story within the story which prefaced each chapter of the book. This was the actual story of The Raven Prince, penned by Edward's sister who died of small pox. It smacked loudly of the Eros & Psyche myth with a touch of Beauty & the Beast and a happy ending. And since it somewhat parallels the story of Anna & Edward on a different level, a happy ending is certainly desired.
So if you like strong, sassy heroines who are willing to buck convention to get what they want & strong, dark heros who are willing to admit that what they thought they wanted isn't really what they wanted after all, then you should enjoy this book. Oh, yeah, & if you like sexy books, you'll probably like this too.
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Frau mit den vielen Namen
Einfach nur schön!
Reviewed in Germany on October 12, 2007