Can a willful wallflower and a headstrong hedonist find common ground in their distaste for convention and forge a lasting—and loving—union?
NOTORIOUS by MINERVA SPENCER
Series: Rebels of the Ton #1
Publication date: November 24, 2020
Published by: Kensington
Genre: historical romance
SYNOPSIS
The cure for a willful wife...
Drusilla Clare is full of opinions about why a woman shouldn't marry. But that doesn't stop the rush of desire she feels each time her best friend's brother, notorious rake Gabriel Marlington, crosses her path. So imagine her dismay when she finds herself in the clutches of a scoundrel, only to be rescued by Gabriel himself. And when Gabriel's heartless—and heart-pounding—proposal comes, it's enough to make Dru's formidable resolve crumble...
...is a smitten husband.
She's sharp-tongued, exasperating—and due to one careless moment—about to become his wife. Still, something about Drusilla has Gabriel intrigued. First there's the delicious flush of her skin every time she delivers a barb—and then the surprisingly sensual feel of her in his arms. Gabriel even finds himself challenged by her unusual philosophies. And when he discovers a clandestine rival for Dru's affection, his temperature flares even hotter. But the real threat to their happiness is one neither of the newlyweds sees coming. If they're to save their future—and their very lives—they'll need to trust in each other and their growing love.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Before I began writing I spent time as a dock worker, a reader for the blind, a criminal prosecutor, and I taught American History on the college level for five years. My last job was running an 8-bedroom bed and breakfast, a subject I will never write about...
I like historical fiction because I enjoy escaping into the past when I relax. And I write romance because I love a happy ending and everything that happens along the way.
I came to writing late in life and I feel like I have to write fast to catch up! I work every day looking out over the Sangre de Cristo mountains and my free range birds and dogs!
When I'm not writing I'm playing with my animals, knitting, DIYing, crocheting, sewing, or watching old movies.
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Notorious by Minerva SpencerMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
Notorious was my first read by Minerva Spencer. It started out with real promise, but I soon realized that there were big character and plot issues that I couldn't get over. In the beginning chapters I was really enjoying the banter between the two characters and how the heroine's secret, unrequited love was hidden behind her animosity. She is an outspoken feminist who isn't ashamed of her belief system, but sadly, deep down, she has poor self-esteem that causes her to act irrationally. The hero initially seemed like the unattainable "golden boy" rake who valiantly saves the reputation of his sister's best friend and falls for her after marriage. Unfortunately, Gabriel would be a tough pill to swallow even as I neared the end of the book. All of the initial excitement I felt drained slowly away until I struggled to find genuine romance to savor between these two characters.
Eva marries Gabriel with mixed feelings. Although she's been secretly crushing over the man for some time, marriage was not something she ever dreamed of. She can't help but feel nervous and scared that she'll be spending a lifetime with someone who could never love her while she secretly pines away for them. It's worse than never having them, right? I did like that idea. But Eva's secret feelings and her poor opinion of herself led her to be waspish and secretive more than I would have liked. Lack of honesty and communication was the main barrier in their union, making them their own worst enemies. I'm not really a fan of drama/conflict caused by non-communication, so this was a problem for me.
Gabriel was even worse when it came to communication which is really saying something. The hero had a huge secret that he was keeping from his wife. This is not by any means something that should be brushed aside when it's discovered, but that's exactly what happened by both main characters (to my disgust.) Without giving away any spoilers, I'll just say that his behavior in hiding it showed that he didn't see her as his equal. The fact that the heroine is supposed to be a "feminist" and doesn't bat an eye over his demands and edicts when the truth is revealed shows how weak she truly is. I honestly could not understand her meek compliance in the situation she found herself in. Don't even get me started about his TWO former mistresses that are shoved in her face that she is just supposed to accept will remain in his life when in fact, he forbade her from seeing her own male FRIEND. Rules for thee, and not for me?
I gave this 2.5 stars because I really did enjoy a portion of the beginning of the book, so for that alone I couldn't quite dismiss the story. I did like the author's writing style which was simple and easy to engage with. However, I did feel a little lost about the hero's history which apparently began in her Outcast series. Towards the end of the book, the reader is given a detailed explanation, but typically this is something that we're given as an introduction. It shouldn't be assumed that we've all read the other series that the hero's family is featured in-I'm sure there were other people out there who were reading Ms. Spencer for the first time and needed that essential information to get a clearer picture of the hero. I ended the book with a fairly poor opinion of both the hero and heroine, so I'm sad to say that this romance wasn't very successful for me. Perhaps others will feel differently-I urge you to give it a chance if the synopsis sounds like something you would truly enjoy.
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