A Twist of Fate

The Six #3

by Susannah Carleton

In a moment of chivalry, Lord David Winterbrook comes to Madeline Graves' rescue, and finds his true heart's desire. But will he be able to convince her of his sincerity when she's been hurt so many times before?

Genres: Regency, Romance, Regency Romance, Clean Romance, Historical Romance, Historical

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 2, 2003

About the author

Susannah Carleton discovered Regency romances at the ripe old age of 33 and promptly fell in love, since life among the ton in Regency England is such a diverting change from that of an engineer. She lives in the Chicago area with her husband, and when she isn't reading or writing or reviewing books, she loves to knit.

Reviews

[LG (A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lord David Winterbrook is on his way back to his home and his young daughter when he comes across a woman having problems with her carriage. David's a gentleman, and it's cold and snowy, so he helps the woman out. It turns out that he's farther away from the nearest inn than he thought, so the woman, Madeline (Lynn) Graves, repays him by inviting him to stay at her home until it's safer to travel. Since David knew upon first seeing her that she's the woman he's meant to marry, he gladly accepts her offer. While at her home, David helps Lynn with the more physical household chores, and they slowly get to know each other better. David's first marriage was not very good - he was tricked into marriage by an already pregnant young woman, who later ran off with another man. Lynn also had not had a good first marriage - her husband beat her so badly that she now has trouble with her hearing, and her father, who had opposed the marriage, never stood up for her. David slowly wins Lynn's trust, hoping he can convince her to go with him back to his home and marry him.

This is a slow-paced Regency romance novel that gradually develops the relationship between David and Lynn. Although David's previous marriage wasn't very good, he's not scarred from it, so the only issues the couple have to deal with are Lynn's. She has to come to believe that she is worth being loved, that a man like David might actually respect her mind and her opinions, and that David would never hurt her, no matter how angry he got. Carleton also includes the minor complication of a secret - David doesn't admit to Lynn that he is Lord David Winterbrook, allowing her to believe that his social station isn't that much more different from hers.

For the most part, I enjoyed this book - I don't think I've ever read a Regency romance before, so this was a new experience. Some people might find this book boring, though. During most of it, nothing much happens, since both David and Lynn are stuck at Lynn's house. Other than that, there's a lot of thinking (about their pasts, about their developing feelings for each other, etc.) and a lot of conversation. David is unimaginably perfect - he rarely gets angry, he respects Lynn's mind, he would never dream of hurting a woman and looks down on those who do, he's the first person to ever take the time to figure out how best to keep her deafness from being a problem, and he apologizes frequently for any trouble he might cause Lynn with his presence. Although I wished Lynn wouldn't burst into tears and run away from David so much (it got a little bit annoying), her reactions were believable, considering her past and her experiences with her family. Once David finally manages to go home and bring Lynn with him, his daughter instantly accepts that she will have a new mother and is happy about the news - that seemed almost too perfect to me.

There's not much in the way of sex in this book, which I didn't consider all that surprising - it would've been socially unacceptable for David and Lynn to do much about their feelings for each other before their marriage at nearly the end of the book. About the most they do is the occasional kiss, and even then I wondered a little if that sort of thing would actually have been allowing during that time period. Probably not, but then, I think they were already breaking a few rules by being stuck alone together in Lynn's house - maybe it didn't really count, because Lynn was a widow? I don't know. Anyway, although Lynn and David do consummate their marriage, Carleton skips over the actual act. This book should be tame enough for pretty much anyone, and, in my opinion, David and Lynn's feelings for each other and their slowly developing relationship keep things from being uninteresting. The characters are too one-dimensional to truly be interesting, but they're still pleasant to read about.

(Original review, with read-alikes, posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)

[Gerrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 out of 5 stars

[Sara Hastings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, low-angst, feel-good read

[Anna Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

A part of me wants to give this book four stars. That part doesn't stand a chance when compared to the facts that a) I was bored out of my MIND about halfway thru and, b) had to give up entirely, even with only a sixth left, because it was THAT annoying of a slog.

The writing was fantastic. The characters... not so much. They *wanted* to be interesting - what with Madelyn (aka Mrs. Graves aka Maddie aka Lynn aka MAKE UP YOUR BLOODY MIND ALREADY!), and the extremely kind, almost effeminate David both so absolutely perfect and proper. But all they did was TALK, TALK, TALK, TALK, TALK... and it was innate talk, not interesting or even story-forwarding. It was just... neverending and numbing.

And I stuck with it. I honestly tried. But then it was, "I can't marry you, because ________. Oh, alright, I love you and will marry you. But... I can't marry you because __________. Oh, alright I love you and will marry you. But... I can't marry you because _____________. Oh alright..." And it went back and forth like this at LEAST ten times. That was pretty much the essence of the second half of the craptastic-ness of this slog. The slog? I dealt with. Slog with THIS added to it? GAH!!!

There were issues, too. First the cover (dark brown haired guy when the book says he's got sandy golden brows. And the chick looks exactly like this psycho I know IRL, so I wasn't happy with it from moment one. But then you have the 'luv at first sight' thing, and then him being snowed into her house for FORTY DAYS. In England. I lived in England... they don't get snow like that. Not even on their best winters. Then *HE'S* nursing her back to health, when she wasn't even going out to tend her own critters, for Pete's sake. Then this awful 'oh, and my daughter got kidnapped' thing that pops up out of nowhere (but is apparently a nod at a previous book that SHOULD NOT have been in this one - it took away from what little was commendable, here!).

I just... No. It was a miserable read. I can't recommend this.

[QNPoohBear · Rating 3 out of 5]

David Winterbrook, brother of George from A Scandalous Journey, becomes lost in the middle of a snowstorm in unfamiliar territory. He stops to assist a lady whose cart is stuck in a ditch and is struck by the thunderbolt of love that is a family tradition. The lady, Madeline Graves, is a young widow who lives nearby and offers the comfort of her fire to David while he waits out the storm. The storm turns into a blizzard, leaving David stuck at Lynn's house for weeks. At first Lynn is cautious of David. All of her experiences with men have been negative thus far, especially her marriage to a bully who left her hard of hearing and lacking in desire. David is everything a gentleman should be: he's polite, kind, a good listener and he also experienced a troubled marriage. However, all of David's charms may not be enough to convince Lynn to be his wife. First, she must overcome the memories of her past in order to get what she wants most. This is an unusual plot for a Regency. It's quiet and the dramatic tension is all about Lynn's feelings and overcoming her past. Readers may be put off by the subtle sensuality in this book though. Some of it was sweet and made sense for the plot but some of it was unnecessary. My biggest complaint is that there is too much repetitive dialogue revolving around Lynn's issues. If you liked A Scandalous Journey and want to know what happens to Lord David and little Isabelle, then read this book. If you're looking for something different and haven't read A Scandalous Journey, this book provides enough information that it works as a standalone.

[Jess the Romanceaholic · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure if this book was part of a series or not, but I got the distinct feeling that there was a lot of back-story for the other members of the family that I missed out on.

It was a sweet story, and if you can get past the fated-to-be-mated aspect in a non-paranormal romance, it's not bad..

There were a lot of lulls in the action though, and there were times when I wished they'd just shut up and do something, even if it was just make a pot of tea.

Overall a decent read though, so a solid 3 Stars.

[Englishrose · Rating 5 out of 5]

To be honest, this one lacked a little something....I think it was mostly plot. I really liked the characters. Lynn is a good character, though a little prone to the same fears and maladies over and over and over with very little growth. David is a strong character and seems to embody everything a woman could want. It's a fun read - something to curl up by a fire with and not have to think too much about. But there is very little in the way of surprises or twists in this story. I'd recommend it, but it's not a favorite.

http://cleanromancereviews.blogspot.com

[Writerlibrarian · Rating 1 out of 5]

So boring. And cliché and boring. Love at first sight, lady that was abused and needs only the love of a good man to "cure" her. That was bland and the only redeeming thing is David but even he's too perfect. He even has perfect tantrum. That's like over the top.