Suddenly guardian to twins, Viscount Dominic Kelbourne is luckily betrothed to a suitable lady—until she elopes. With no time to woo, Dominic decides to marry his fiancée’s unconventional sister. Torie isn’t perfect, but their kisses are so passionate that society thinks he’s actually chosen her.
Torie has never been able to make sense of words on a page, so she has turned her talents to art. She longs for a man who values her as she is… but marries for the sake of the twins. She doubts Dominic is capable of love, let alone respect, but as their heated debates turn into something more, Torie begins to imagine a life as a wife, not a nanny.
But when the arrogant viscount finds that his viscountess has stolen his heart, he’ll have to give all he has to win her love.
Kayne: This is my favorite historical romance I’ve read this year. I adored both the heroine and the hero in the story, despite his flaws and the romance was hot.
Viscount in Love is the first book in the Accidental Brides series. In it, Viscount Dominic Kelbourne suddenly becomes the guardian to his twin niece and nephew after his sister and her husband pass away in a carriage accident. His fiancé, Leonora, whom he thought would be the perfect wife to help him with his political career, suddenly elopes with another Lord and leaves him in need of a bride to help him with his new wards.
His eye falls on Leonora’s sister Torie. She is wonderful with the twins, she’s lovely and kind, and the more he’s around her, he finds himself attracted to her, so he visits her father and offers for her. It’s not, he thinks, love, but it will work.
Dominic has his faults but I really liked his character. He is known for his temper (he bellows in the House of Lords) but I like that he owns up to his mistakes. He’ll say the wrong thing and accidentally insult someone but then realizes it immediately and apologizes. I found him appealing and, regularly, funny.
Torie is one of my favorite historical heroines. Society dismisses her because she can’t read–the reader realizes she’s dyslexic–but Dominic sees how smart she really is and how joyful she is, no matter how much the world knocks her down. And while, initially, she doesn’t want to marry a man who just wants her as a nanny, she does desire Dominic and she loves that he so desires her. Their relationship is spicy–this is one of James’ hotter love stories!
What did you think of Dominic and Torie?
Dabney: I like the leads a lot as well. Dominic is an emotional idiot–a very sexy emotional idiot–and I liked how he pushed himself to do better. Torie, who reminded me strongly of Mia from
Four Nights with the Duke, is a classic James heroine–full of heart, humor, and just enough self-doubt to be adorable. Together, the two fogged up my iPad with all the steam they generated–this is one of James’ hotter reads–and I enjoyed their story.
What did you think about the twins?
Kayne: I liked how the twins connected with Torie right away, and she with them. Florence and Vincent are eccentric eleven year olds, grieving for their parents. They have been neglected in the country and don’t have proper manners.
It’s a funny scene when Leonora and Torie meet the twins – Florence is writing horrid, gruesome stories and when Dominic asks his fiancé, Leonora, if she is ready to help him manage their care, she suggests Torie can retire to the country with them and paint. (Torie loves to paint.) I will say, I wasn’t surprised when Lenora eloped–it’s clear that she is not cut out to mother such unusual children.
Dabney: I liked the twins but they veer awfully close to twee. I just don’t believe that there are kids who behave this way, especially not in the Regency era. But they are written for comic relief and they are funny although I found the whole rabbit poop thing a bit much. (You’ll have to read the book!)
Kayne: I enjoyed their adventures with the rabbits, although I agree with you about the rabbit poop! Torie reminded me of Linnet from
When Beauty Tamed the Beast, which is one of my favorite Eloisa James books. Both women are beautiful but misunderstood and looked down upon by society, Torie because of her dyslexia and Linnet because everyone thought she was pregnant. I haven’t read
Four Nights with the Duke yet but it sounds like one I would enjoy so I will definitely check it out.
Dabney: What did you think about the romance between Torie and Dominic?
Kayne: In the beginning it was a marriage of convenience. Dominic needed someone to help him with the twins and Torie had grown attached to them and wanted to be near them. But it didn’t take long before the chemistry between them combusted and they were on fire for each other.
Dabney: I liked the romance even though it was, for much of the book, mostly about lust. Which is fine but the emotional part of the story was more obscure than I like.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the novel is that Torie is a damn fine artist or so all those who understand art (in the book) tell us so.
I wished for more descriptions of the art–I had a hard time figuring out what, exactly, petals that indicated the passing of time looked like. And there is a description mid-book from Dominic that made the art sound Cubistic. I did love that she is so adamant that she must paint. What did you think about her avocation?
Kayne: I loved the mystery surrounding Torie’s artwork. Her father described her paintings as kittens, roses and bunnies and I began to suspect that he underestimated her. I hesitate to say too much because I don’t want to give anything away, but I thought it was great fun as we learned more about Torie and her artwork!
Dabney: I enjoyed this because James is a brilliant trope writer. But, not only did Torie strongly remind me of another of James’ heroines (Mia), the plot felt recycled too.
This is a B read for me simply because, as much as I had a very fun time reading it, I feel like I’ve read this story from this author before.
What’s your take?
Kayne: I was captivated by this story. It had passion, humor and spice and I didn’t want it to end. My grade is an A.
