"heroine nearly sinks an otherwise wonderful read"

Sabrina Jefferies has always delighted me. Even when others give her low marks, I'm there saying how much I loved the book. This is the first one that misses the mark. I'm not saying it's a bad read. It's just below Jefferies usual delightful style.

The first in a series of three is enjoyable -- except - her heroine really needs a pill to stop her silliness! Katherine Merivale is rude, almost cruel in her treatment of her hero, totally undeserving of her scorn. Jefferies always has the headstrong, overly opinionated (and wrong, sigh) female who needs the hero to bring her around to the right way of seeing life. This is getting too "formula" for Jefferies. Why must a female, who we're told is smart, act so dumb? The male-female dynamics of the hero and heroine fussing, when they first meet, works because such extreme emotions cause that reaction. The stronger the attraction, the stronger the responses. Katherine Merivale is simply hard to like. After the first 100 pages, her cruelty, though not her intention, has you thinking the wonderful hero should say, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn." and leave this selfish, unmindful woman to the dismal fate she so strongly seeks. A great hero like Alec Black, the Earl of Iversley, truly deserves a better heroine!

Alec is one of three illegitimate sons of Prinny. One has money, but is shunned by the Ton. The second has the acceptance of society, yet was born to a woman out of wedlock, thus has no father's name. Alec, born to the Countess of Iversley, has the name, but no money. As the Earl neared death, he squandered the fortune, not wanting to leave Alec anything. In his early twenties, Alec had been exiled from England, forced to live with an Aunt in Spain. In his solitude, he learn to handle horses so well, he rode to war with Wellington, to teach the cavalry to ride better. When his father dies, he returns to England, and the title of Earl. Only, there's a mountain of debts. In order to save his ancestral home, Alec needs an heiress.

Introducing himself to his two half-brothers, he proposes an alliance to gain what each needs in life. They agree to the pact, and soon set Alex hot on the trail of Katherine Merivale. Not only is she an heiress with a vast fortune, she is refreshingly attractive to Alec.

Jefferies goes to great lengths to explain Katherine's actions. But, there is no excuse for rudeness, hostility, even when it comes from defensiveness. Her father was a rake of the first order, and her mother vulgarly (shame on her) chose passion and love over the more respected suitor. To keep her parents from getting hold of the family fortune, Katherine's grandfather set it up for everything to go to Katherine, but only after she marries. She viewed her father as taking advantage of her mother, in the traditional manner rakes do, and blames him for their sad state. She disdainfully shrinks from her mother's colorful ways, doesn't see her father, while an unrepentant rake even after marriage, must've loved her mother and loved her well, beside Katherine, she has five sisters and a brother! Under her grandfather's skilled tutelage, Katherine now marches forth, banners high saying "I detest all rakes". It's asking a lot of the reader to accept, the lawyer refuses to release any monies, even interest, after her father died. Her mother, siblings and she are living in near poverty, waiting desperately until Katherine can marry.

Anxious, her mother is getting antsy. Katherine has set her cap on marrying her childhood chum, Sydney. The son of the man her mother turned down, when she ran off with Katherine's father. Sorry, this man is such an idiot! He is a whiny mother's boy, who refuses to propose because mother gets sick each time. He runs around doing nothing but writing poetry, and ignoring Katherine's plight. He says Katherine is the only woman for him and will eventually marry her. But the reader gets the impression he will marry only when Mama dies. He does not even want to kiss Katherine! WHY, would any woman, in her right mind, pursue this dolt to the point of embarrassment? He dislikes her family's "crass, vulgar ways", and sees Katherine's outspokenness and tastes in clothes as a reflection of this unfortunate taint in her makeup. How can the writer expect us to believe Katherine -- supposedly an intelligent woman -- would want to spend her life with this whimp? Katherine clings desperately to Sydney, to the point of sacrificing all pride. When the handsome and dashing Alex begins to pay court, she so totally dismisses him, the formula shows Katherine isn't as smart as the author keeps telling us she is.

When Alec, in a gentlemanly fashion pursues Katherine, she is rude, constantly prejudging him by her image of the ultimate rake in her mind. She never misses an opportunity to throw up in his face that Alec was "cavorting" across Europe when his mother died. Alec never knew, his father had forbid contact between them because he knew Alec was not his son. When a handsome man pays court, she is insulting rude and whines she might lose Sydney the Smuck?

Alec pursues her and wins her, but then will have to deal with the fallout of her discovering he married her for money instead of love? Excuse me, she is the person that was going to marry Sydney knowing "love was not a good foundation for marriage", and now she is hurt because initially Alec doesn't love her?

The premise of the three half-brothers banding together is super. Alec is such a beautifully well drawn character. It's a shame Jefferies ruined what could have been perfection, by giving us a heroine that does not ring true, one willing to sacrifice pride for something so small and demeaning.

Reviewed by DeborahAnne MacGillivray
Posted August 20, 2004

Summary

Miss Katherine Merivale is desperate to make a respectable match—if only her childhood sweetheart would propose! Until he does, she can't touch the fortune she's inherited. So the last thing she needs is notorious rogue Alec Black putting her proposed marriage at risk with his distracting, smoldering gaze and moonlit kisses. Alec, the Earl of Iversley—and one of three bastard sons of the Prince of Wales—is secretly searching for an heiress bride to pay his debts. Fiery Katherine seems the answer to his prayers, and her passionate response to his stolen kisses and practiced seduction soon assures him that she is his. But Alec knows Katherine is looking for a love-match, and he wonders ...what will happen when she discovers his deception?