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The Reluctant Brides #2
Der Verruchte Lord
Schon zehn Jahre lang büßt die wunderschöne Thea Garrett für eine Jugendsünde und entsagt allen Freuden der Liebe. Doch als sie eines Tages den attraktiven Patrick Blackburne kennen lernt, beginnen die Ereignisse sich plötzlich zu überschlagen: Patrick ist aus Amerika nach England zurückgekehrt, um den abscheulichen Menschen zu entlarven, der seine Mutter erpresst. Bei seiner Suche nach weiteren Opfern trifft Patrick schließlich auf die bezaubernde Thea - und dann völlig überraschend mitten in ihr Herz ...
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First published December 1, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
March 22, 2017
I liked this story and it was a good length. I mention the length of the book because I am finding that a lot of romance novels tend to only be 100-200 pages long, this one was over 300. Which means you get more story and it kept me enthralled longer.
The story starts with Thea Garrett sneaking out of her family home with her maid to get married with the man that she "loved" And of course her soon to be husband is a Rake whom is out to marry her for her money. He wants to get her away from family as soon as possible because he knows that her family would never allow them to marry. In the end he rapes her because he believes that since they are to be married the next day they might as well act as husband and wife already. He brother makes it there in time to stop the marriage but not her ruin. They duel and it has a horrible outcome, both men die. Thea Never gets over the guilt she felt of ruining herself and her family. She ends up coddling her half sister Edwina. Pretty much gives the woman and her husband whatever money they want. Even when she cuts them off she still feels guilty that her sister did not marry a better guy. Although she did warn her sister but Edwina thought she was just jealous of her. Someone starts Blackmailing Thea over her sisters Husbands debt.
We also see Patrick Blackburne whom is from America but his mother is residing in London where she originated from and learn of his growing up and his family dynamic. His mother is being blackmailed over some letters.
The blackmail of both people is where we see the two people really get involved with each other and their story begins. This is where the adventures begin and you have to actually think to try to figure out who did what and why. There were several surprises. Just be on your toes a lot goes on. A couple of the main characters did seem sketchy with their behavior after awhile but I don't want to give anything too big away.
I received a copy of this book from eBook Discover. I voluntarily reviewed this book. This is my honest review.
The story starts with Thea Garrett sneaking out of her family home with her maid to get married with the man that she "loved" And of course her soon to be husband is a Rake whom is out to marry her for her money. He wants to get her away from family as soon as possible because he knows that her family would never allow them to marry. In the end he rapes her because he believes that since they are to be married the next day they might as well act as husband and wife already. He brother makes it there in time to stop the marriage but not her ruin. They duel and it has a horrible outcome, both men die. Thea Never gets over the guilt she felt of ruining herself and her family. She ends up coddling her half sister Edwina. Pretty much gives the woman and her husband whatever money they want. Even when she cuts them off she still feels guilty that her sister did not marry a better guy. Although she did warn her sister but Edwina thought she was just jealous of her. Someone starts Blackmailing Thea over her sisters Husbands debt.
We also see Patrick Blackburne whom is from America but his mother is residing in London where she originated from and learn of his growing up and his family dynamic. His mother is being blackmailed over some letters.
The blackmail of both people is where we see the two people really get involved with each other and their story begins. This is where the adventures begin and you have to actually think to try to figure out who did what and why. There were several surprises. Just be on your toes a lot goes on. A couple of the main characters did seem sketchy with their behavior after awhile but I don't want to give anything too big away.
I received a copy of this book from eBook Discover. I voluntarily reviewed this book. This is my honest review.
January 24, 2018
A suspenseful romance, Swear by Moonlight has plots within plots, so much so that they overlap and our hero and heroine find themselves in the same place at the same time. Although the story was slow moving at times, there was plenty of adventure and romance with some surprises along the way. As with many women who have survived a trauma, Thea is tough on the outside and seemingly a hard shell to crack, but on the inside she is vulnerable and insecure, doubting her self-worth. Patrick Blackburne recognises Thea's vulnerability and after having made some initial judgements regarding her character, he finds himself having to rethink his opinion. The more Patrick has to do with Thea in their joint venture to discover the secrets of the Curzon Street house, the more Patrick becomes smitten with Thea's beauty, charm and wit. Modesty is a charming addition to the story and the secondary plot involving Lady Caldecott added spice to the adventure. Generally a well written book. I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily post this review. This is my honest review.
July 4, 2018
Perfectly Lovely
I think it has just the right elements to make a good novel. Perhaps not a superb one, but worth a read.
I think it has just the right elements to make a good novel. Perhaps not a superb one, but worth a read.
February 7, 2017
Love the older books.
Thea ruined at a young age, while trying to elope with the 'rake' of her life, was caught by her family. However, a fight broke out between her brother and her intended, leaving both men dead. Hiding from life for a while, she later moved into society at the urging of her aunt. Thumbing her nose at the 'ton', she attracted the interest of Patrick. He was trying to solve a problem for his mother. She was trying to solve her sisters problem. Mayhem abounds with a series of murders, blackmail, and runaway hormones. Great romp....
Thea ruined at a young age, while trying to elope with the 'rake' of her life, was caught by her family. However, a fight broke out between her brother and her intended, leaving both men dead. Hiding from life for a while, she later moved into society at the urging of her aunt. Thumbing her nose at the 'ton', she attracted the interest of Patrick. He was trying to solve a problem for his mother. She was trying to solve her sisters problem. Mayhem abounds with a series of murders, blackmail, and runaway hormones. Great romp....
August 2, 2024
good read
With a multi twisting plot, a dashing determined hero, a beautiful brave damsel in distress, and a surprising hidden evil character, this story is quite a n exciting read. 👍👍
With a multi twisting plot, a dashing determined hero, a beautiful brave damsel in distress, and a surprising hidden evil character, this story is quite a n exciting read. 👍👍
March 19, 2018
Moonlight
Intrigue,mayhem, love and great suspense all in one read. Loved the characters and the plot. Look forward to more from this author.
Intrigue,mayhem, love and great suspense all in one read. Loved the characters and the plot. Look forward to more from this author.
December 31, 2019
Swear by Midnight( The Reluctant Brides Series Book 2)
This is the second book in this series about love and family and friends and murder and blackmail and solving mysterys
This is the second book in this series about love and family and friends and murder and blackmail and solving mysterys
June 19, 2020
Suspense. Great plot
Heroine portrays common sense. Great romance. Kept me guessing until the end. Thoroughly entertaining had you cheering for their success
Heroine portrays common sense. Great romance. Kept me guessing until the end. Thoroughly entertaining had you cheering for their success
June 27, 2020
Loved it
She has been one of my favorite writers for 40 years. This is true to her style. Enjoyable. Great pool read.
She has been one of my favorite writers for 40 years. This is true to her style. Enjoyable. Great pool read.
October 7, 2022
3.5 stars
January 5, 2023
Boring, too long, improbable and I just don’t care - the story doesn’t work. DNF 50%
March 15, 2017
Passable. Decent enough read. I liked it but I had some trouble getting through it.
**I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily review this book. This is my honest review.**
**I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily review this book. This is my honest review.**
January 3, 2010
This is a solid romance with interesting characters. Thea Garrett ruined herself when she fancied herself in love with a man who wanted her money at any cost. The resulting tragedy kept her in hiding for years but an older cousin convinced her that life was for living and Thea needed to live hers. Patrick Blackburne wasn't looking for a wife. In fact, he was looking only to discover his mother's blackmailer when he and Thea meet over a dead body. Patrick finds Thea fascinating and the feeling is mutual but the dead body and multiple blackmailers put a crimp in their plans. A little slow in places, it was satisfying.
May 27, 2020
SYNOPSIS:
1798 London's loveliest and wealthiest social pariah, Thea Garrett guards her wounded heart by refusing to give love a second thought. Then she encounters the cynical and handsome Patrick Blackburne, who's protecting wounds of his own.
The moment Blackburne lays eyes on the remarkable Miss Garrett, he instantly forswears his famously wicked ways.
But when a gossamer web of dangerous blackmail spins around them, Thea and Blackburne must face the truth: neither can swear by love.
1798 London's loveliest and wealthiest social pariah, Thea Garrett guards her wounded heart by refusing to give love a second thought. Then she encounters the cynical and handsome Patrick Blackburne, who's protecting wounds of his own.
The moment Blackburne lays eyes on the remarkable Miss Garrett, he instantly forswears his famously wicked ways.
But when a gossamer web of dangerous blackmail spins around them, Thea and Blackburne must face the truth: neither can swear by love.
September 6, 2016
Interesting historical with good suspense. Patrick was a very likeable hero, but Thea was kind of vanilla for someone who supposedly thumbs her nose at society.
September 11, 2012
This was the second time I read it and totally enjoyed the twists and turns.
September 16, 2013
Well done and plotted. Though I guessed the whodunit part, it was still gratifying to read all the way through. The murder mystery was definitely well executed (pun intended)!
November 22, 2015
Normally I like historical romance but for some reason Swear by the Moon did not appeal to me. The writing and characters were average, I just cannot really figure out what I did not enjoy about it.
December 16, 2020
Pretty good
September 14, 2017
I enjoyed the story of Thea and Patrick. This is the second book I have read by Shirlee Busbee. I think the female character in this particular book was strong willed, but she made a lot of unwise decisions. I enjoyed the story overall the murder mystery, intrigue, and of course the love story. I received a copy of this book from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily review this book. This is my honest review.
April 8, 2017
I totally enjoyed this novel 'swear by moonlight', it's a romantic novel filled with suspence. Thea is a spinster who was ruined some years back by a rake she eloped with, a man she believed loves her but proved to be otherwise by him raping her in order to thwart her family from stopping the wedding, all in an attempt to lay his hands on her fortune. And in the process, she lost him and her brother in a duel. Several years later, she came back to London, after the scandal. She met Patrick as a result of a blackmailing attempt, they were attracted to each other, they decided to work together to unravel the mystery behind the blackmail and from there many things happened and several attempts on their lives too. The book is a very good and thrilling read. "I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily review this book. This is my honest review".
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews