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A Scandalous Courtship
"Viscount Robert Winthrop returns home to his family manor and discovers that his estranged sister, Hannah, is nothing but a foundling left on their doorstep years ago. He wants to toss her out, but is attracted to the spirited beauty Hannah has become in his absence. Hannah doesn't know what to make of her feelings for the man she once called brother. She issues Robert an ultimatum--he must unravel the mystery of her true parentage before she'll agree to marry him. Can he uncover her scandalous secret before it's too late?"--Cover verso.
- GenresRomance
299 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
4 people are currently reading
16 people want to read
About the author
Gail Whitiker
61 books16 followersGail makes her home on the beautiful west coast of Canada, where she’s happy to say umbrellas outnumber snow shovels. Originally hailing from Wales, she says her fascination with the Regency period began during frequent trips back to visit family and friends when Sunday afternoon drives would inevitably lead to a castle, a cathedral, or a country house hotel (where she also discovered an unfortunate fondness for Devonshire cream teas and sticky toffee pudding).
She has written over twenty historical and paranormal romances and thinks the idea of writing a novel while sipping wine in Tuscany would have to be about as good as it gets!
She has written over twenty historical and paranormal romances and thinks the idea of writing a novel while sipping wine in Tuscany would have to be about as good as it gets!
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
April 2, 2013
I can understand why there are so many low ratings for this book, because it, as a romance novel, rather failed to convince me of any any significant degree of love between Hannah and Robert.
The Honorable Hannah Winthrop has lived with her mother, Viscountess Winthrop, alone for years while her older brother by twelve years, Robert, tried his best to maintain distance with his mother and sister. With the viscountess' passing comes shocking news to both Robert and Hannah, that she was actually a Scottish bastard abandoned in the Viscountess' carriage, her birth mother dead and her father unaware of her existence. Following this shock, Hannah is insistent upon finding her real parents while knowing that there is but a slight chance of finding someone from twenty-one years ago. At the same time, Robert learns that his mother hadn't be unfaithful to his brother, his years of misplaced anger turned into lasting guilt at not treating his mother better. Maintaining a facade to the ton of a brother and sister relationship while both know the truth was tough, but combating the growing attraction between them was a challenge of a lifetime. But Hannah cannot expect Robert to love her as a woman if her birth is unknown...or can she?
The premise is interesting; siblings who've not seen each other for years but have always believed they were siblings find themselves complete strangers, and how can they possibly end up together? I'm afraid the execution is rather poor, because the novel seemed to pay little attention to the development between Hannah and Robert, but on Hannah's need to know her background despite Robert's assurance that he will marry her regardless of who her parents are. Both Hannah and Robert's virtues have been lauded, and every once a while Robert would think of how wonderful and elegant and refined his "sister" is. That doesn't signify his sudden realization that he's in love, given the logical and cool description of his character.
The ending is minced as well, because once Hannah finds out her real background is a fitting one, she immediately agrees to marry Robert. Where's the romance in that? An equalization of status brought about a suitable match? I can't say this story is well done, for not being what it could have been.
The Honorable Hannah Winthrop has lived with her mother, Viscountess Winthrop, alone for years while her older brother by twelve years, Robert, tried his best to maintain distance with his mother and sister. With the viscountess' passing comes shocking news to both Robert and Hannah, that she was actually a Scottish bastard abandoned in the Viscountess' carriage, her birth mother dead and her father unaware of her existence. Following this shock, Hannah is insistent upon finding her real parents while knowing that there is but a slight chance of finding someone from twenty-one years ago. At the same time, Robert learns that his mother hadn't be unfaithful to his brother, his years of misplaced anger turned into lasting guilt at not treating his mother better. Maintaining a facade to the ton of a brother and sister relationship while both know the truth was tough, but combating the growing attraction between them was a challenge of a lifetime. But Hannah cannot expect Robert to love her as a woman if her birth is unknown...or can she?
The premise is interesting; siblings who've not seen each other for years but have always believed they were siblings find themselves complete strangers, and how can they possibly end up together? I'm afraid the execution is rather poor, because the novel seemed to pay little attention to the development between Hannah and Robert, but on Hannah's need to know her background despite Robert's assurance that he will marry her regardless of who her parents are. Both Hannah and Robert's virtues have been lauded, and every once a while Robert would think of how wonderful and elegant and refined his "sister" is. That doesn't signify his sudden realization that he's in love, given the logical and cool description of his character.
The ending is minced as well, because once Hannah finds out her real background is a fitting one, she immediately agrees to marry Robert. Where's the romance in that? An equalization of status brought about a suitable match? I can't say this story is well done, for not being what it could have been.
Displaying 1 of 1 review